Hold me as tight as possible {JoongDunk & PondPhuwin}

27. The Bet

Pond's pov:

I woke up to the sound of slow, even breathing, and the distinct feeling of something warm pressed against my side. Blinking against the morning sunlight filtering through the rooftop canopy, I glanced down to see Phuwin sprawled beside me, his head dangerously close to my shoulder.
For a moment, I just watched him. His lips were slightly parted, his breathing steady, and his hair was a complete disaster from sleep. If I ignored the fact that he would wake up, insult me, and steal my food, it was almost cute. Almost.

I reached for my phone and, because I had poor decision-making skills, snapped a quick picture.
Phuwin stirred, shifting slightly before cracking one eye open.
"Why do I feel like I just got violated?"
"Good morning to you too, sunshine,"
I said, slipping my phone back into my pocket.
He groaned, rubbing his face.
"Tell me you didn’t just—"
"No one has to know," I assured him. "Unless they check Instagram."
His eyes widened.
"Pond."
I shrugged.
"What? It’s a nice picture."
He grabbed a throw pillow and launched it at me.
"You’re lucky I like you."
I caught it effortlessly.
"I’m very lucky, actually."
His expression softened for a second before he ruined the moment by sighing dramatically.
"Ugh. Romance is exhausting. Do I get breakfast for my suffering?"
"You suffer so much," I deadpanned.
"Fine. But I get to pick the café."
"Good. Because if you didn’t, I’d be forced to steal your wallet and go without you."
He was probably joking. Probably.

By the time we reached a small café, Phuwin had returned to his usual self—meaning, he was criticizing everything I did.
"You’re really ordering black coffee when we both just woke up from a deep sleep?" he asked, eyeing my cup like it personally offended him.
"I like black coffee."
"Yeah, and I like oxygen, but you don’t see me inhaling it dramatically just to prove a point."
"You drink what is basically melted ice cream."
"Excuse me for wanting happiness in my cup." He took a sip of his caramel sugar nightmare and sighed.
"Mmm. That’s the good stuff."
I shook my head, sipping my actual coffee.
After breakfast, we parted ways, but not before Phuwin made me promise I wouldn’t post any more sappy content without his approval. I agreed, knowing full well I was still going to post the rooftop picture later.

That afternoon, we all met up at the mall again. This time, just to hang out. Niran, Malee, and Prija had tagged along, which meant the group was officially at full chaos capacity.
The first thing I noticed?
Joong and Dunk were acting weird.
And by weird, I mean Joong was standing slightly too close to Dunk, Dunk was pretending not to notice, and both of them looked like they had either committed a crime or were hiding a dark, emotional secret.
Naturally, Phuwin noticed immediately.
He sidled up next to me, lowering his voice.
"Five bucks says they accidentally kissed and are now in deep emotional denial."
I almost choked on my drink.
"You can’t just say stuff like that."
"Why not? I’m right."
I glanced back at them. Joong was nervously running a hand through his hair, and Dunk kept sneaking glances at him like he was debating whether or not to say something.
"...Okay, you might be right."
Phuwin smirked.
"I know I’m right."
Malee and Prija, having overheard, joined in.
"I say we place bets," Malee suggested.
"Absolutely not," Dunk said immediately.
"We’re literally just talking about ice cream flavors," Prija lied smoothly.
Dunk eyed her suspiciously before letting it go, and the moment he turned away, Phuwin leaned closer.
"I bet you 150 baht I’ll figure out what’s going on before you do. If you lose, you have to do a horror movie marathon with me."
"And if you lose?"
"I’ll be your personal barista for a whole week."
That got my attention. "Deal."
Niran leaned in.
"I want in on this bet."
"You don’t even know what we’re betting on," I said.
"Doesn’t matter. If there’s a chance Phuwin has to suffer, I support it."
The game was on.

For the rest of the afternoon, Phuwin made it his mission to torment Dunk and Joong into cracking.
At one point, while we were in a café, he sighed dramatically.
"Love is in the air… or maybe it’s just the smell of someone sweating under emotional pressure."
Joong coughed into his drink.
Dunk glared.
"What’s wrong with you?"
"Nothing," Phuwin said, sipping his smoothie like he was in a soap opera.
"I just love a good romance arc. Watching people suffer through their feelings? Chef’s kiss."
Later, at a clothing store, Phuwin found matching couple t-shirts and held them up.
"Dunk, Joong, what do you think? I feel like these would look great on you guys."
Joong made a noise that was somewhere between a scoff and a nervous laugh.
"Why would we wear that?"
"I don’t know," Phuwin said innocently. "Just a vibe I got."
Joong dragged Dunk away before either of them could say anything else.
I shook my head.
"That was evil."
Phuwin just grinned.
"I prefer observant."

By the time night rolled around, we found ourselves in Dunk’s apartment for a horror movie.
I regretted everything.
Phuwin, on the other hand, was living his best life.
Half an hour in, Malee was clutching Prija’s arm, Niran had wrapped a blanket around him, Dunk had a pillow in his lap for protection, and Joong was watching with the frozen intensity of someone questioning his life choices.
Meanwhile, Phuwin?
Phuwin was smiling and calm.
"You’re enjoying this way too much," I muttered.
"Maybe because it’s fun," he whispered back.
"Also, you just jumped, so technically, I win the bet."
"That’s not—!"
He smirked, reaching under the blanket we were sharing and briefly squeezing my hand. No one noticed.
I hated that he could make my heart race more than this stupid movie.

After the horror movie, we needed caffeine. Badly.
We ended up at a small café, occupying a corner booth.
I took a long sip of my black coffee, savoring the warmth. Across from me, Phuwin took one sip of his caramel sugar monstrosity and sighed like he had just found inner peace.
"You could at least pretend to like real coffee," I said.
"Says the guy who nearly levitated during that last jumpscare."
"I didn’t levitate."
"You did," Niran confirmed.
"I thought you were about to astral project."
I scowled.
"Traitors. All of you."
"You knew what you were getting into when you befriended us," Malee said.
Dunk leaned back.
"Honestly, the biggest plot twist of the night is that Phuwin and Pond actually get along."
I tensed.
"What’s that supposed to mean?"
Dunk shrugged.
"You two usually bicker like an old married couple."
Phuwin smirked.
"Ah, but that’s where the fun is."
And as his pinky brushed against mine under the table, I realized something.
He was right.
Even if he did make me suffer through horror movies.