More Than Words Book III: More Than Love

Chapter 26

This chapter is dedicated to the amazing @JustCMe for having been there from the start of the series (last year!!!) and is still just as fast to read and comment. Everyone needs a supportive person like them.

Thank you :)

Watching Arthit talk with his family, not just his elder sisters but also with P'Firstclass and n'Pete, his cousins is surreal. Save for his mother, Arthit had now met all the people in his life. Arthit is sitting with them and talking and Kongphob can't wrap that thought around his head. How? How is Arthit still here and talking to his family? The older man had bought the food as soon as Kongphob had asked. He hadn't known if Arthit had remembered it. He hadn't wanted to wait till the day had passed and find out that Arthit had forgotten what day it was. So, he had called without exactly explaining why he had wanted so much food. Plus, he hadn't known if Arthit would have agreed to meet so many of his relatives so he had sprung it on him. Arthit being Arthit had taken it without question and had not just been polite but also participating in the talks. Kongphob had tried to just stay out of most of the conversations, engaging Pete all by himself, watching his sisters' interactions with Arthit. No one had brought up any topic that made anything awkward. Kongphob had been wary, not sure how any of them would react (including Arthit) and had been on his toes for the most part of the night. When they had started drinking the beer, he had instinctively looked at Arthit before he had taken a sip. They are older now, it is not the same and yet a lot of their words revolved the same things and a lot of their arguments, had they not been on smoking and liquor? 

Kongphob didn't know how else to introduce his family to Arthit but he knew (now) the latter wanted to meet his family, get to know them. While Kongphob hadn't met Arthit's family (which he will be correcting soon) he had known about them as Arthit used to talk about them all the time. Arthit is very close with his family and it makes sense why he would have wanted to meet/know his boyfriend's family. Maybe. Kongphob didn't clear what they are because he hadn't asked Arthit yet but his sisters know already, P'Firstclass doubts them and n'Pete will catch up. So, he had sat down next to the shorter man, his head buzzing and tiredness from the entire day catching up. 

"Happy birthday, Kongphob," Arthit finally wished him.

They had been sitting so close so he could smell the faint cologne on the other man, see all the freckles, the telltale signs of inebriarty with his flushed, soft cheeks. Kongphob had wanted to kiss him and say sorry.

" 'M 'orry," he had whispered and nuzzled against Arthit's throat and closed his eyes. The best place in the world for him was the space next to Arthit, in his arms. He felt happy. Complete. Like someone had fixed his broken heart. As if he found the missing piece of his heart each time he was with him.

Kongphob considers himself to be lucky. 

Arthit falls asleep before he does. He is sleeping next to him, trusting, holding Kongphob's arms who had wrapped them around the smaller figure. Kongphob kisses Arthit's neck and stares at the held hands. In this lighting of the room, his scars are very visible and he wonders if Arthit sees them as his imperfections. Kongphob holds Arthit tighter. Some days his fingers shake and phantom pain stings them but they are a good reminder of why he shouldn't spend too much time in his own head and try  'n' solve whatever his problem is. You can't avoid the inevitable.