Autumn is a second spring

119. Wreckage

Kao glanced sideways at Earth, who had gone quiet, his brows knitted tightly together as he put his phone down. They were on the way back to the villa, the city lights flickering past the windows.

"What happened? What did Sammy say?" Kao asked, his voice cautious.

Earth exhaled sharply, eyes still on the phone as though it had personally offended him. "Prem wants to end things with P' Boun," he mumbled.

Kao blinked. "Seriously?"

Earth nodded, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah. I did know about that whole fake proposal disaster, but I didn't think it would... blow up like this." He clenched his fingers into his hair and groaned. " Why does things have to be this way? Just WHY??? First P' Ohm and Fluke break up, now Prem and P' Boun? What the hell is going on?"

Kao frowned at the road ahead. "Prem is probably just mad right now. Give him a little time, he might change his mind."

Earth shook his head almost violently. "No, Phi. I saw this coming a while ago. I just... didn't want to be right. This is a mess, Phi. A complete mess."

"Hey," Kao said softly, "none of this is our fault. Don't do that thing where you try to carry all of it yourself."

Earth gave a humorless laugh. "And how am I supposed not to stress about this? The wedding is right around the corner, and our groomsmen are—" He counted them off on his fingers. "—P' Ohm, Fluke, P' Boun, and Prem. How do you think it's going to be having all four of them in the same place right now?"

Kao stayed quiet, knowing Earth wasn't done.

"I wanted our wedding to be happy," Earth went on, his voice softer now. "A day where everyone could breathe, you know? Where no one had to think about family's stupid homophobic garbage. Where Ohm and Fluke, Boun and Prem, could just... exist without disrespect, without hate."

Kao reached over, taking his hand. "It will still be a good day."

Earth gave him a skeptical look. "How? I  have been trying to get P' Ohm and Fluke in the same space using the wedding prep as an excuse, and Fluke has been dodging him like he is contagious—always saying he has work. P' Ohm can't exactly go anywhere on his own right now, and P' Boun—" Earth broke off, shaking his head. "P' Boun has just detonated his own relationship. Everything is falling apart."

Kao could see the tension winding tight in Earth's shoulders, his breathing picking up. He shifted closer and wrapped an arm around him. "Hey, deep breaths. You are not going to pass out on me in the back seat, alright? We will figure things out. Don't overthink it. Just relax," He rubbed his back slowly, steady and rhythmic.

Earth closed his eyes, leaning into the touch. Kao pressed a kiss to his forehead. "Stop frowning. Smile for me, just a little."

Earth tried, and though it was small, it was there.

The car rolled to a stop in front of the villa. They climbed out, the night air cool on their skin, and headed inside.

In the living room, Sammy was lounging on the couch, happily munching on cookies. Earth stepped closer. "Where's Prem?"

"Upstairs," she said, swallowing her bite. "Didn't want to get too close to me because I am pregnant and he has got a fever."

Earth's expression softened. "How is he doing?"

Sammy shrugged. "He...doesn't look great. He is trying to act like everything is fine, but..." She trailed off.

Earth nodded, already moving toward the stairs. "I will go check on him."

Kao took a seat near Sammy. Ohm appeared from the kitchen, carrying a glass of mixed vegetable juice and setting it down on the coffee table in front of her. "Fluke made this for you," he said before settling into another couch.

Sammy glanced between Kao and Ohm, a glint in her eyes.

"What?" Kao asked warily. "Why are you looking at us like that?"

"Nothing," Sammy replied sweetly. "Just wondering if the three of you cousins are playing a game of 'Dumb, Dumber, and Dumbest.'"

Kao's brow furrowed, Ohm's too.

She pointed at Kao. "Eldest one—getting married in a few weeks, micro-managing every detail from flowers to the carpet color, but somehow still hasn't decided what to wear on their wedding day."

Kao opened his mouth to defend himself. "We have been meeting designers, but Earth—"

She cut him off. "And the youngest one," she said, now gesturing at Ohm. "Got so drunk in love he literally drunk-drove, nearly died, and came out of it with memory loss. Bravo." She gave an exaggerated sigh.

Then she moved on, eyes narrowing. "Middle one—the biggest idiot—proposes to his secretary just to make said secretary feel better. What kind of boss does that?" She clapped her hands slowly. "And somehow I am the one stuck in the middle of this circus with this god damn belly for godsake!."

Kao glanced at Ohm, silently telling him they should say something, but Ohm subtly shook his head. He knew better than to argue with a pregnant woman in full swing.

The front door opened. Boston stepped in, Boun trailing behind him. Sammy's eyes flicked over and she smiled—a sharp, fake thing. "Speak of the devil."

She tilted her head at Boun. "Why are you here? Shouldn't you be off getting a marriage certificate with your secretary? Maybe book a honeymoon while you are at it?"

Boun didn't say a word. Boston had already told him about Prem's decision to break things off, and he didn't have the energy to fight.

"Alright, honey" Boston cut in quickly, sensing where this could go. "Let's get you home. It's getting late, and we will hit traffic if we stay too long."

Sammy huffed. "Fine. I am done watching this drama unfold anyway." She grabbed the glass of juice and emptied it into her mouth in one go and slammed the empty glass on the coffee table before getting up with Boston's help.

Boston silently thanked the heavens for the reprieve. He helped her up and guided her toward the door.

When they left, the room felt quieter—but heavier. Only Kao, Ohm, and Boun remained.

Boun stood awkwardly near the doorway, eyes fixed on the floor. He couldn't even bring himself to look at Ohm. Once, Ohm had been his go-to for comfort. But after punching him in front of everyone...

Ohm rose from his seat and walked over slowly. Boun tensed, bracing for a punch or some cutting remark. Instead, Ohm wrapped his good arm around him in a hug.

Boun froze for a moment, then clung back, the dam breaking as sobs shook his shoulders.

"It's alright," Ohm murmured, rubbing his back with slow, steady circles.

Kao watched them for a beat before standing and joining the embrace, his arms looping around them both.

For a moment, no one spoke. They just stayed there—three cousins, holding on to each other in the middle of the wreckage.