The thin line [Complete]

Chapter 16

Arthit's POV

"Hey there"

"Hello P'Arthit."

"What are you doing here?"

"Hiding."

"From whom?"

"Everyone."

"Why?"

"You, cause I really don't want to be ironing anything right now. P'Preet cause my ears are sore from hearing about how much my pranks sucked. And May cause she heard that I found out how she spilled the beans to you and she has been relentless in her defense and some more blame about my stupid prank. Kind of got a little exhausting."

"Spill the beans about you and Preet?"

"Yup."

We fell silent for a few minutes while I grabbed myself a drink to join him, internally debating how to begin prodding about his day, when he cocked his head and looked at me with a fairly serious expression.

"So...?"

"So what?"

"What do you think?"

"About what?"

"About what May told you."

"I was naturally pissed when I found out you were fucking with me. What were you expecting? I would come shake your hand and congratulate you about how brilliant your plan was?"

"No I mean....about P'Preet and me being gay."

"What am I supposed to think about you being gay?"

"Are you...uh....ok with it?"

"Huh? What does both of you being gay have to do with me? I mean it would have been good to know before I started making a fool of myself in front of Preet. But what you guys do in your bedrooms is none of my business."

Actually, not completely true. I am definitely curious about how much of his bedroom activity includes the Mike character. Speaking of which,

"Are you hiding from Mike too?"

"Hmmmm..."

"Seriously? Seems weird to be hiding from your friend who has flown all the way to another country just to hang out with you. What grave crime did he commit?"

"No crime. He is just being so....umm....just a little too...."

"Clingy?"

"Yeah. Clingy."

I knew it! I knew Mike was obsessed with Kongpob. And it was obviously not reciprocated. I knew I was not being crazy. Yet the primary question still remains. And since Kongpob was being uncharacteristically chatty tonight it might be easy to extract more information than I originally expected.

"Are you dating Mike?"

And I guess I pretty much got my answer when he all but chocked on his drink and devolved into loud, frightful coughing fits, with his face gushing with blood, tears pouring down the sides of his cheeks as I patted his back trying to prevent him from passing out in the middle of the bar.

"So I guess you are not dating Mike?"

"Of course not!"

"Hmmmm, just sleeping together then? Friends with benefits kind of a situation?"

"P' does someone pay you to jump to wrong conclusions about me? How about you give me a cut of that and then we can do the jumping together. Where exactly do you get these crazy ideas from?"