Sweetness

Chapter 41

When they reached Forth condo, it's already ten. Friday night traffic is a bitch as usual. Both were tired because it's been a long day. When the adrenaline rush were over, the weariness stuck like mud. Beam rubbed his eyes. He wanted a strong hot shower that could melt his muscle and sleep like hibernating bear.

They rode the elevator in silence. Forth and Beam walked toward Forth's unit. Beam's compliance to follow him home were slightly surprised him.

Forth were almost expecting that Beam will insist to go back to his own apartment. He were pretty sure N'Ming will keep his kitten busy and pampered for the weekend thus his hasty and slightly forceful demand to bring Beam home. They stopped at the door.

Forth glanced at Beam, tried to gauge his reaction but Beam didn't look nervous or miffed. He just looked drained, too much excitement for today then. Beam rubbed his eyes once again and gave away a huge yawn, made Forth realized his own weariness. They entered the condo and took off their shoes.

"Bee, don't fall asleep on me. Have a shower first, na, then let's call it a day. Go, have your shower first while I prepared your clothes." Beam only nodded and went to the bathroom. Hot shower, here I come!

Since that visit, when Beam got drunk at Forth apartment, he went to have sleepover twice here.

Once were when Forth had a very severe case of flu (for someone as mature as him, seeing Forth so helpless and whiny were... cute? Dare he said that it were cute? It were cute). Forth's final adjustment to Thailand's climate and series of business trip were a clogged nose, fever and headache. That were the reason why now his apartment were well equiped with medicine and vitamin C. Another time were when P'Tee's post surgery quarantine was over.

Beam could see how that surgery burdened Forth's mind, especially when he couldn't be there because his mentor litterally made him couldn't wait outside the operation room.

When P'Tee went under the knife, P'Forth were having a back-to-back meetings because P'Tee conciously misinformed him about his surgery date. So when P'Forth asked Beam to accompany him to visit P'Tee, Beam agreed. That day Beam saw how livid Forth capable off. To say it's scary were understatement.

Unconciously Beam touched his lips. Beam remembered how he tried to calm P'Forth, even after he shouts so loud inside P'Tee's presidential hospital room. Foolishly, he hugged Forth and just kissed him. When angry, Forth's kisses stinged. After that anger subsided, his kisses turned so gentle that Beam felt his knees trembled slightly.

After all these few months, what they were doing were just that. Kissing, cuddling, holding hands. Just like lover. But they were not. Beam never labeled his.. relationship with Forth. Neither did Forth. When the money to pay the mortgage were collected, Beam could absolutely stopped his association with Forth. His bank account were already quite healthy at the moment with the money he got. But he didn't.

Beam still said yes every single time Forth asked him to accompany him to gala dinners, banquet or charity fund raiser. And still answered every single message and phone calls from him. And still tried to be with him on Beam's well deserved free time. Beam halted his thought on that. And moretimes than not, he felt something funny on his stomach when he were around Forth.

Oh.

Oh, he's slow. He's as bad as Pha, didn't he?

When those friendly association turned into infatuation? Oh, dear... What should he do now?

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Forth could heard the water from the shower and Beam's mini concerts in the bathroom from where he were waiting. Clothes for Beam already folded on the bed.

Seeing Beam's scared expression today made him realized two important things about himself. One, he wanted to destroyed the one who put that expression on Beam's face. Two, he already fell nose deep in love with Beam.

In short four months, his capability to care about Beam expanded beyond measure. It's rare for him to be so slow to understand himself but being with Beam felt so natural for him; so easy that it surprised Forth when he felt that surge of protectiveness toward him. To feel the lust were easy but to feel that much protectiveness were alarming.

Forth tapped his fingers. What should he do about this? Their association started quite unusual. Beam were his employee while he were Beam's employer in a sense.

Forth indeed paid for Beam's service as his escort in the beginning but the money he gave Beam were not payment anymore. He only wished for Beam to live comfortably so he could focused on chasing his dream, to be what he wanted to be without being worried about money.

Forth wanted to give that chance to Beam. Oh, Jane will laugh her ass off if he told her this. P'Tee will definitely scoff at him if he ever found out. He didn't want to think about Lam's reaction. Being in love were making him slow in the head.

"P'Forth, I'm done. Don't you want to shower now?"

Hearing that soft question snapped Forth from his musing and made him faced a (truly hard to resist) temptation. Beam's half naked body were spread in front of him, with moist light skin, wet hair and pink lips. Almond eyes blink innocently at him. Better took that shower cold then. If Forth wanted to pursue Beam, it's not wise to jump him out of nowhere. No matter how much he really wanted to.

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Beam put on his sleeping clothes and tried to dry his hair. The way P'Forth stared at him earlier made butterflies more than just fluttered on his belly. They were having a wild macarena inside. He could felt how his cheeks got hot. It's been so long since someone seriously stared at him like they wanted to devour him.

After his enlighting shower, Beam could see how their sleeping arrangement would arise a big problem for his virtue. Even if he didn't believe in his self control, he believed in P'Forth's, no matter how unfair that might seemed.

Beam huffed at himself.

Right, listened to him. He sounded like a wary new bride who tried to seduce their husband to litterally bed them. He's no one blushing bride. Only Beam, a 20 year old orphan who were lucky enough to find a daddy-long-legs like Forth.

Just because Beam felt more than just affection toward that man, doesn't mean P'Forth feel the same way too. Thinking about it that way made Beam slightly sad. He rubbed his hair the best he could and hung the towel. Beam puffed his pillow then laid on the bed, near the window. On the dim room, with moonlight peeking, he let sleep whisked his tired body and mind to dreamland.