Love after Five

Chapter 28

Tul awoke with a true sense of peace and happiness, his entire being felt at ease. No one was going to take his daughter, and he was wrapped in the arms of the man he loved more than almost anything else he'd ever experienced.
Well, wrapped in the arms and legs of the man he loved, because Max was curled around him like a baby koala, his head nestled in the crook of Tul's neck. Max was an incredibly close cuddler while he slept, something that Tul had never experienced before, but now that he'd gotten used to it he wasn't sure he would be able to sleep alone ever again.
"You're awake?" Max murmured, snuggling himself deeper into Tul's side.
"Yes. We will eventually need to get up, we have to go to your mothers for lunch and to get Bright." Tul said, poking Max's forehead and eliciting a groan from him.
"No, a few more minutes, I don't want to let you go." He murmured, kissing Tul's neck and jawline.
      "Fine." Tul replied, giving in to his warm embrace.

      While Tul brushed his teeth and washed his face in the bathroom, Max nervously rubbed his hands on his jeans, wiping the sweat off of them.
      He'd been keeping a bit of a secret from Tul for the past week or so.

    It had started when Neung had stopped in for lunch at the school, bringing some takeout sushi and soda.
      "Don't you have like, friends or something you can bother for lunch?" He asked with a wry grin, accepting the sushi thankfully.
      "Nah, they're all boring married ladies with kids- oh wait, so are we." She replied with a smirk.
       "I am neither married nor a lady." Max commented, separating the cheap chopsticks and rubbing them together. Neung brushed her flyaway hairs out of her face, leaning back in her chair.
      "Like, you basically are." She said with a shrug. "What's the difference?" Max pointed at her hand where she wore a silver ring.
     "That's the difference." He said.
      "Well then buy him one. What's the big deal anyway? Are you planning on not staying with him forever or something?"
        "Of course I'm going to stay with him forever. He can try to leave me if he wants- I'll just keep winning him back."
       "Then buy him a ring so everyone else knows that he's taken. He's a pretty hot guy, I wouldn't be surprised if there's some ladies and men with less than innocent designs on him." Neung said, stuffing a shrimp tempura roll into her mouth and closing her eyes happily as she ate.
       "I would, things are so up in the air because of Bright's paternal grandparents, and he's so stressed about it, it just doesn't seem like the right time." He replied, mixing wasabi and soy sauce.
      "You aren't supposed to mix those you know." Neung said with her mouth full. "That's not how it's supposed to be eaten in Japan."
      Max dipped a roll into the wasabi and soy sauce mixture, shoving it into his mouth happily.
      "We aren't in Japan right now, are we? There's no sushi master here to judge me, let me eat in peace woman." He said, gesturing at her with the chopsticks.
       "Fair enough. Anyway, don't you think you presenting him with some nice rings might take his mind off of the whole grandparents thing." She commented.  Max looked at her, pursing his lips, and then put down his chopsticks, sliding his hands down onto his desk drawer, narrowing his eyes conspiratorially.
       "Can you keep a secret?" He asked, lowering his voice dramatically.
      "Like who am I going to tell? My husband? He doesn't care what you get up to."
      Max nodded, sliding open the drawer and pulling out a little box, putting it on the table in front of her. Neung lifted an eyebrow, grinning out of the corner of her mouth.
       "Is... is that what I think it is?" She asked, wiping her mouth on the back of her sleeve and leaning forward.
       "Open it." Max said with a chuckle. She grabbed the black box, flipping the top open and looking inside.
      "Oh my god these are too nice. When did you get these made?" She asked.
      Max paused, his face flushing red.
      "I ordered them after he came to dinner that first time." Max admitted, looking embarrassed.
      "Man, you certainly have a one track mind don't you? Imagine if he hadn't wanted to go out with you? That would have been some psycho shit." She said.
      "Wow, you think so highly of me."
       "Dude, you're one of those weirdos that would say I love you on a first date. Your heart works faster than your brain." She paused, looking at him. "Don't tell me you said I love you on a first date."
      "Hey, I'm not that ridiculous.... I'm pretty sure I waited until like the second date? It was a mutual thing, don't judge me."
      "If I don't judge you who will?" She replied, stuffing a piece of salmon in her mouth.

        He hadn't worked up the nerve to give it to Tul yet, he'd relocated it to the bottom of his wet weather clothing drawer with his warmest sweatpants and the two sweaters he wore during rainy season. He'd shoved it inside the pocket of a hooded sweatshirt, which he knew Tul would never go through- not only was Tul not going to be wearing a sweatshirt in the current heat but he wasn't one to suddenly take up any sort of clothing organizing tasks without someone telling him to do it- he clearly was not the sort who loved household chores.
         He flipped open the box, staring at at the items inside, and shutting it again, slipping it into the back pocket of his jeans.
        "Are you ready to go?" Tul asked, leaning his head inside the room, startling Max into jumping up. "Why are you so jumpy honey?"
      "Just was daydreaming and got startled is all. Let's go shall we?"

     Bright ran directly into Tul's arms when they arrived at Max's mothers house, and he spun her around giving her a kiss on her freckled nose.
"Hey sweetheart. Did you have fun with your grandmother last night?" He asked.
"Yes! We drank strawberry milk, and KhunYa painted my nails too." She waved her glittery multicoloured nails in his face.
"Wow, those are gorgeous honey."
"And I helped her make lunch! We're having Kaew Tod and I helped fold a bunch of them up." She said proudly. Lek walked up from the kitchen carrying a tray of misshapen dumplings.
      "She did a very good job. Your father is out back starting up the fire pit to fry these up." Lek said. "I'd give you a kiss but my hands are full. Come see me later." She laughed, hip checking Tul gently. "Everyone is out back, come join us."
       Tul let Bright down, and she ran after her grandmother, chattering incessantly at the woman who smiled down lovingly at her.
       Tul made to follow but Max grabbed his elbow, stopping him.
       "What's the matter?" Tul asked. "You've been so quiet today."
         "It's nothing, I just wanted to know how you were feeling today. I know it's been so stressful lately, and things are finally calming down, and I just wanted to make sure you're up for my family." Max said. Tul laughed, grabbing Max's hands and laced their fingers together.
      "I'm getting used to the chaos." Tul said, smiling gently. "I wouldn't want my life to be any other way, and I wouldn't want to share it with any other family." He said, pulling Max closer to him. "They're large, loud, and there's so many of them that it can be overwhelming, but they're yours so I love them, and I love you."
      "Marry me." Max blurted out, his voice cracking.
       "What?" Tul said. Max reaches into his back pocket and pulled out the box holding it up to him. Tul paused, staring at it and then looking back up at Max. "What is this?" He asked.
        "Open it." Max urged, his hand shaking as he held the box out. Tul took the box, opening it. Inside was two gold rings, and a smaller gold ring on a chain. The larger rings had tiny emeralds inset in them, and were simple yet gorgeous.
      "What's the necklace for?" Tul asked, his eyes beginning to tear up.
      "It's for Bright, so she can be included, since she's the reason we met and she's our daughter, so I wanted her to have one too." He said. Tul opened and closed his mouth, struck silent.
        Max took the box back, taking out a ring and sliding it into Tul's finger.
       "Marry me."