D&B5

Neil&Nick Extra 5

This camping trip made Nick incredibly happy. He felt relaxed and free from worries, enjoying swimming, cooking, and taking walks until bedtime.

The next day, they had to head back.  They arrived at Day's house in the province around four in the afternoon.  Because they took turns driving, Neil and Day fell asleep in the living room, as Neil and Nick weren't heading back to Bangkok yet. Brick invited Nick to buy some food, suggesting they ride his motorcycle. The two friends rode around town and bought food for everyone.

"Look at that lightning! It's definitely going to rain," Nick said, looking up at the sky.

"Yeah, let's hurry back," Brick said, immediately turning back home.  They arrived shortly afterward, and Day was waiting to help carry the groceries inside.

"You bought a ton of stuff, shorty!  Enough to feed the whole village," Neil teased his lover.

"I wanted a lot of different things, okay?" Nick retorted. They helped put away the food and ate at the dining table. Soon, the rain started.

"Good thing we got back before the downpour," Brick said. The thunder started to rumble loudly, accompanied by lightning, causing Brick to slightly grimace.

"I'm not that scared of heavy rain, but I hate the sound of thunder and lightning," Brick confessed.  As soon as the words left his mouth, a loud clap of thunder startled Brick, Nick, and Salmon.

"I just hope the power doesn't go out," Day said. Brick nodded in agreement. They continued eating dinner and chatting as the heavy rain poured down.  Eventually, the lights did go out during their meal. Neil and Day went to retrieve the camping lantern they'd brought to provide some light.

After they finished eating, Neil and Nick volunteered to do the dishes. Neil took the lantern into the kitchen, while Brick took Salmon upstairs to bathe and change clothes.  Luckily, they had several camping lanterns, so it wasn't a problem being in different areas. After Salmon showered, he asked to go downstairs to play, and Brick took him down.  Just then, Neil and Nick had finished doing the dishes.

"You two should go shower first. We'll stay and keep Salmon company," Neil said. Day then took Brick back upstairs, knowing full well Brick wouldn't go up alone. The thunder continued to rumble loudly, and the rain was falling heavily, as if the sky might collapse. After Brick and Day came down from the room, Neil and Nick went upstairs to shower.

Neil took his things out of his bag and realized he'd left his phone off since their trip to the waterfall.

"Shorty, could you turn my phone on?" Neil asked, while looking for clothes. Nick took his lover's phone and turned it on. As soon as it powered up, the various notification sounds blared.  There were messages from work colleagues, friends, and—catching Nick's eye— messages from Pam. Nick clicked on it to read:

PAMPAM >> P'Neil, I couldn't reach you. I wanted to ask about the car engine.

PAMPAM >> I just heard from someone at your shop that you were on a trip. Have fun!

PAMPAM >> Please tell Nick to bring me back a souvenir!

Nick offered a small, strained smile.  Even though the message mentioned him, he still felt uneasy.  Then, his mobile network notifications popped up – Pam had called Neil dozens of times, even though she knew he was away.  Nick paused, realizing that turning on the phone would send a message to anyone who'd called, indicating Neil was now reachable.

Ring.. ring.. ring

Nick made a low humming sound in his throat as Pam called again immediately. Neil looked over in surprise, wondering who was calling.  Nick didn't answer; he handed the phone to Neil and immediately went to the bathroom to get dressed.  Seeing Pam's number, Neil frowned, glancing at the closed bathroom door. Thankfully, there were two lanterns – one in the bathroom and one in the room – so he wasn't worried about Nick being alone in the dark.