More Than Words Book III: More Than Love

Chapter 1

Kongphob had walked out of Arthit's life to make it better - not to make his own. The one excuse he had kept going with, sure that that situation would never come to that had gone as soon as his boyfriend had uttered those words

Let's take a break.

Deciding his selfishness could live only for so long, he had put the rose on the table and his bleeding heart's feelings too. Kongphob had left, walking in a daze. The first thing he had done as he had rounded the corner of that road had been to delete Arthit's contacts. As he had climbed into the bus, the contraption rattling as it sped towards his neighbourhood, he had hit the factory settings button on his phone. He hadn't trusted himself to go through each contact (phone, LINE, mail) or, their photos and videos. Kongphob had sat in his seat not noticing an equally dazed Arthit on the nearby pavement as the vehicle he had been in passed by. He had traced the crack on the screen with his thumb wondering if his boyfriend had understood what Kongphob had given him when he had given that rose. He had wanted the best for him and leaving him had been the best option.

As soon as he had reached his flatlet, he had switched off his phone and packed all his luggage and had left for his home; the one place that could stitch him back up.

When Em told him months later what he had done, Kongphob couldn't find it in himself to be angry with his friend. He thought it was destiny. Just the way it had brought Arthit into his life, it had taken him away. 

Those eleven years had gone very differently from what he had ever imagined his own life to go through. A decade passed by but Arthit hadn't come for him like he had promised he would. He hadn't but on the eleventh year from their separation when Kongphob returned to Thailand, to his surprise Arthit was back in his life. Dear, his senior in the office (and also back from college) once let it slip which company Arthit worked in (the one Kongphob's own company was in talks with for a potential alliance) during an office soiree. Kongphob had just casually looked away with his champagne glass in hand and had walked over to the nearest female colleague with fair-skin and cute smile. Wasn't that his type? Kongphob had smiled at her and had let the memories of that night wash away with the last sips of the liquid in his glass.

It wasn't that that Kongphob had forgotten. No, he had just decided to watch from the sidelines and see where things would be going. Just because it was his family's company and he had say in things despite being a junior to most of the old staff, he wasn't going to abuse his privileges. So, he hadn't influenced any decisions, calmly waiting for nature to take its course. But, once the company Arthit worked in was chosen, Kongphob decided to step in as the Project Manager /Team Leader, refusing to listen to anybody who would agree otherwise. Besides, nobody would foolishly cry out loudly about the misuse of power for self-interest by the future CEO of their company. That's how Kongphob had joined the project and had let his name evade the records till the very last night. He made sure Arthit wouldn't know about him till they saw each other face to face in the office but Kongphob hadn't decided. He hadn't been too sure but then Kongphob had found himself laughing at one of his new juniors' (courtesy of new project) jokes and the door had opened. The one moment Kongphob hadn't been on guard and the impending meeting had slipped through his mind when Arthit had walked into the meeting room. Kongphob had still been smiling and had looked at him, terribly surprised.