Without You [KongpobArthit 18+]

-01- 🖤 Happy Without Me

"Cause I wished you the best of all this world could give. And I told you when you left me, there's nothing to forgive. But I always thought you'd come back, tell me all you found was heartbreak and misery. It's hard for me to say, I'm jealous of the way you're happy without me."
~Labrinth, 'Jealous'

~~~

*Arthit's POV*

| Present Day |

Breathe in, breathe out.

It'll be okay.

Just go in there, smile at your friends, and act like everything is okay. Because it is. Everything is okay. It's been two years. That's enough time to move on from someone, right?

At least, that's what I'm hoping for.

Besides, I'm not here for him. I'm here for one of my oldest friends, Bright. After he sold his bar, Bright was able to finally buy his own restaurant. To celebrate, he invited all of our old university friends to have dinner and drinks at his restaurant the night before its grand opening.

Bright asked ahead of time if I would be okay with him inviting Kongpob. My initial reaction was to say no, but I stopped myself.

After all, Bright and Kong were also friends in college. Did I really have the right to say Bright couldn't invite his friend. It's been two years; surely it wouldn't have been fair of me to do that to either of them.

Only now, my selflessness is smacking me in the face as I stand outside of the restaurant. Despite the chilly air nipping at the tip of my nose, my body feels overheated with nerves.

Is he already in there? Does he know I'm going to be here? Does he still think about me? Does he... does he have someone else?

Right as I'm about to freak out and abandon Bright, the front door swings open.

"Oh! Arthit!" Another friend of ours, Knot, smiles widely when he sees me. "You made it! We were beginning to think you weren't going to show."

I chuckle nervously, scratching the back of my neck. "I wouldn't ditch you guys," I lie lamely.

"Well, come on in! We've been waiting for you to order dinner."

Taking a deep breath, I swallow my nerves and step inside. My eyes instantly scan the room, searching for the man who broke my heart. I feel my shoulders deflate when I recognize all of our friends, except for him.

Maybe he didn't show up... it's not surprising that he still wouldn't want to see me—

My train of thought halts when someone pushes the bathroom door open. Long, slender legs step out; ones that I would recognize even if I lost half my sight. My heart rate accelerates as I raise my head; breath catching when I see his beautiful face.

Our eyes meet across the room, and my heart begins to hammer violently. After not seeing him for two years, the familiar warmth of his dark eyes makes me yearn to be held by him again. Not that I would ever admit it, but I've really missed the way Kongpob would hold me so delicately; like I was the most precious thing in the world to him.

I scratch the bridge of my nose, looking away as I attempt to appear nonchalant. A blatant lie, considering the way my hands are sweating and my heart is pounding. Seeing him is ripping my heart in two all over again; the pain just as fresh as the day he left me.

His eyes stay locked on me, and I feel my face heating up quickly. His gaze is so familiar, yet so different. There's a hesitancy there that I've never seen before. Kong was always very straightforward with his feelings, never afraid to tell me what he wanted. I supposed my lack of that quality is what killed our relationship. He was always ready for more, and I was too scared to take a risk.

I don't blame him for not loving me anymore.

Even if I know that I'll never stop loving him.

Someone calls his name, and Kongpob finally releases me from his gaze. The moment his eyes are off of mine, I feel like I can breathe again. I drag my eyes over to where my friends are sitting, seeing them waving me over. Forcing a smile on my face, I calmly walk over and take a seat at the table.

Out of my friends, only Knot, Prem, and Bright were able to make it tonight. Tuttah moved away last year when his boyfriend got a new job.

"Congratulations, bro," I greet Bright, extending my arm to shake his hand. Bright smacks my arm away and pulls me into a tight hug.

"Thanks for being here!" He exclaims loudly in my ear, making me wince. Yeah, he's clearly had a few drinks already tonight.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," I chuckle, pulling away and settling back into my seat. Through my peripheral vision, I'm aware of Kongpob staring at me from the other side of the table.

Out of Kongpob's friends, it looks like only Oak and Wad have shown up, along with Em and his wife May.

"What do you all want to drink?" Bright asks, and we start putting in our orders. I smile as Prem orders for his boyfriend, making Wad blush. Bright gives our orders to the staff, and we fall into a casual conversation to catch up on each other's lives.

"How's your family?" I question Knot, and he smiles gratefully at me.

"My wife is still recovering from having our daughter," he tells me. "I offered to stay home tonight, but she insisted that I get out for some fresh air. Her mother came by to help out while I'm gone."

"Wow," May chimes in, leaning back and resting her hands over her swollen belly. "Your wife is very generous."

She casts a sideways glance to Em, who smiles sweetly. For as long as I've known them, Em has only ever looked at May with heart-shaped eyes.

"Don't worry, darling," Em coos. "I won't leave your side for even a second."

May winces. "On second thought, that sounds worse."

Our group laughs, except for a certain man who is still burning holes into my skin with his heated gaze. My hands grow clammy as I try to avoid his gaze, but it's becoming nearly impossible to ignore him when we're at the same table.

"Arthit," Kongpob calls out cooly. "Aren't you going to greet me?"

Everyone at the table falls into an awkward silence as I force myself to look up at my ex-lover. The moment our eyes meet, I feel my composure beginning to crumble. I want to scream at him; to question how he dares to ask for me to greet him. He left me. Even if our relationship wasn't perfect, I'm not the one who gave up in the end.

All of that sits on the tip of my tongue, but I swallow it down and return his cold stare.

"Hello, Kongpob," I greet him formally, enjoying the way his jaw ticks in annoyance. "It's been a while."

~~~

hehe

I was gonna write more, but I want to switch to Kongpob's point of view

Plus you guys already know how much I love cliffhangers 💁🏼‍♀️

See you next time!
-Gumbie