Autumn is a second spring

96. Ex boyfriend

Fluke sat at the head of a polished oak table, his sharp eyes scanning the reports laid out before him.

Two directors from different departments were mid-discussion, their voices steady but edged with tension as they presented their quarterly analysis. 

Fluke listened intently, his expression impassive, though his mind flickered briefly to the figure he had noticed in his periphery moments ago. Ohm.

He caught Net's eye, silently signaling his secretary to handle the situation. Net, ever efficient, approached Ohm and attempted to usher him out of the room.

"Khun Thitiwat," Net said softly, trying to keep his voice low, "Khun Natouch is in a meeting. Can I ask you to—"

"No," Ohm interrupted, his tone firm. His dark eyes darted toward Fluke, his frustration evident. "I need to talk to him. Now."

"Khun Thitiwat, you can't go inside. There is a meeting going on. Khun Natouch cannot attend to you now"  Net intercepted him again, but Ohm wasn't leaving. 

"I said, I am not leaving till I have my word with him," Ohm said stubbornly.

Fluke didn't react outwardly, his calm facade remaining intact. He gestured subtly to Net again, this time indicating the door to his private quarters. 

Net nodded, understanding the unspoken command.

"Please follow me Khrab," Net said, leading Ohm through the hallway and into Fluke's private room.

Ohm didn't move an inch. 

Fluke could sense it. Ohm's persistence wasn't entirely unexpected—Fluke had seen that determination before. It was one of the things he had once admired. He was used to it.

With a discreet nod and a glance, Fluke signaled to Net, who seemed helpless in the situation. 

Without disrupting the flow of the meeting, Net approached Ohm again. "Khun Thitiwat Khrab, Khun Natouch said that he would talk to after the meeting. Please wait in his room, Khrab." 

Ohm looked at Fluke, who met his gaze. "Khrab." He nodded letting Net guide him away toward the private suite Fluke used when he worked late nights at the office. 

Fluke continued the meeting, his voice measured and authoritative, though part of his focus remained divided.

Ohm entered the suite, his steps slow and deliberate.

Calling it a "room" felt like an understatement. It was more akin to a luxurious condo—complete with a bedroom, a large bathroom, a walk-in closet, a living and dining area, and even a small, well-equipped kitchen. The balcony was a standout feature, adorned with a tiny garden and lounge chairs, offering a panoramic view of the city.

He wandered further in, his gaze flitting across the modern yet cozy decor. Ohm felt a strange tightness in his chest. He had unfamiliar yet familiar feeling, as if he knew this place before.

For weeks, from the balcony of his VIP ward, he had watched the man who often stood here, smoking cigarettes in solitude. 

At the time, he didn't know who Fluke was. He had simply assumed the figure to be a lonely man trying to cope with life's stresses.

Now, the realization hit him like a tidal wave. 

The truth had unraveled slowly, and in the messiest way possible.

Ohm had sensed something was off the moment he saw everyone around him behaving oddly since Fluke visited him in the hospital ward. 

He remembered his interaction with Fluke, looking for a clue- Fluke's expressionless face, the formal tone, the way he had barely stayed five minutes—but he found none. 

But there was something that he had realized and that was that there was something about Fluke's presence that stirred unease in Ohm.

When he questioned his family, they all evaded his inquiries. Their awkward pauses, their shared glances, and their hesitant responses only fueled his suspicions.

It was Tee who eventually cracked under the pressure.

"He' is your ex-boyfriend," Tee had blurted out, the words spilling from his mouth like a confession. "You and Fluke...you broke up a few months before the accident."

Ohm had stared at him, dumbfounded. "What are you talking about?" he demanded. "Me? Dating a guy? Are you messing with me?"

Tee's face flushed with discomfort, but his words didn't falter. "I am serious, Ohm. You were with him for years. Three years I think? Everyone thought you two were going to get married someday."

Married? Ohm's disbelief was palpable. The idea of him, with Fluke—a man so distant and cold during his hospital visit—was almost laughable. He couldn't reconcile the image of himself with the person Tee described.

Still, doubt gnawed at him. If Tee was joking, he wouldn't have looked so serious.

Ohm decided to confront Earth next. Earth had always been honest, even when the truth was difficult to hear. "Is it true?" Ohm had asked, his voice low and deliberate. "Was Fluke...my boyfriend?"

Earth didn't answer immediately. His hesitation spoke volumes. Though his lips didn't confirm it, his eyes and body language did. 

Ohm felt a sharp pang in his chest as the reality settled over him like a heavy weight.

That man—the one whose presence had been a small but curious part of his recovery—was none other than Fluke. His ex-boyfriend.

The word still felt foreign in his mind. Ex-boyfriend. 

Ohm's lips pressed into a thin line as a swirl of emotions bubbled beneath the surface: confusion, anger, sadness. None of it made sense, and yet it all felt so overwhelming.

Now, as he stood in Fluke's private suite, he felt like an intruder.

His hands clenched into fists at his sides as he tried to organize his thoughts. There were so many questions, each one tangled with the next.

 Why hadn't Fluke stayed longer at the hospital ward? Why had no one told him about their past relationship? Why did Fluke seem so unaffected?

And most importantly—why did Ohm feel this way?

He didn't know what this "way" even was. It was a confusing mix of emotions: anger, sadness, and an odd, unshakable sense of longing.

Ohm shook his head and took a seat on the edge of the couch, his eyes drifting toward the balcony. He remembered watching Fluke from the hospital, feeling a strange connection to the solitary figure who stood there, cigarette in hand. That connection now felt deeper, more intimate, and infinitely more complicated.

He leaned back, running a hand through his hair. His mind replayed Earth's hesitant expression and Tee's blunt confession. The pieces of the puzzle were slowly coming together, but the picture they formed didn't make sense.

Why would Fluke act so distant if they had been in love? What had caused them to break up? Did Fluke still care?

Ohm's jaw tightened as frustration bubbled to the surface. He had spent weeks recovering, trying to make sense of his life after the accident, only to discover that a significant piece of it had been kept from him.

He looked at his watch. Fluke's meeting should be over soon. Ohm took a deep breath, silently rehearsing the questions he planned to ask.

He needed answers.

Not from Earth. Not from Tee. Not from anyone else.

Only Fluke could tell him the truth.