Without You [KongpobArthit 18+]

-09- 🖤 Open Up Your Heart

"Cause when you love someone, you open up your heart. When you love someone, you make room. If you love someone, and you're not afraid to lose 'em, you've probably never loved someone like I do."
~Lukas Graham, 'Love Someone'

~~~

*Arthit's POV*

I fidget with my fingers in my lap. After we said goodbye to Kongpob's parents, he ushered me to his car without a word. I protested for about two seconds before giving in, although now I wish I fought a bit harder. Neither one of us has spoken yet as Kongpob drives away from this parents' house.

My eyes widen when I begin to recognize our surroundings. He's taking me back to his apartment?

"Kongpob," I call out, but he keeps his eyes on the road. "What are you doing?"

"We need to talk," he responds curtly, and I frown in confusion. Why does he seem upset? He was happy just an hour ago. What changed? I want to ask, but his demeanor is making me uneasy. Instead, I stay quiet and let him take me to the very apartment I ran out of just this morning.

Stepping into the apartment, my cheeks begin to turn pink. His bedroom door is open, giving me a full view of the rumpled sheets on his bed. Images from the night before flash in my mind, causing my blush to deepen.

Clearing my throat, I turn to face Kongpob. "What did you want to talk about?" I question, trying to keep my voice steady.

He raises an eyebrow. "Do you really not know?"

For a brief moment, I consider playing dumb and acting like I have no clue what he's talking about. Before I can say anything, Kongpob sighs heavily.

"Us," he clarifies, stepping closer to me.

"Us?" I echo, my breath catching in my throat at the close proximity. Now that he's closer, I can see one of the hickeys I left last night peeking over the collar of his shirt.

"You told my parents that we're dating," Kong comments, his dark eyes searching mine.

I give him a small nod. "I did."

His lips twitch in amusement. "When did we agree on that?"

While I can sense the teasing undertone, his statement still sends a sharp pain through my heart. Was last night really not enough to confirm our feelings for each other?

"Kongpob... Did last night really mean nothing to you?" I ask, my gut twisting painfully.

The question seems to catch him off guard. "What?"

"The note, Kong," I sigh. "I woke up alone with a note telling me to leave. How do you think that made me feel?"

Kongpob blinks rapidly; sadness filling his eyes. "I wasn't trying to hurt you. I just needed time to think."

"Think about what? About whether or not you want to be with me? If you're saying that you slept with me when you don't really love me, I'm leaving right now."

"That's not it!" Kong quickly stops me. "Of course I want to be with you. I didn't know if you wanted to be with me."

I furrow my brows, feeling hurt. "I'm not the type of person to sleep with someone I don't love. I thought you knew that."

His eyes soften. "You... still love me?"

My gaze drops to the floor as I answer quietly, "I never stopped. I thought you didn't love me. After all, you're the one who left."

"I had to," he whispers. "For years, I put my needs last because I wanted to make you happy. I couldn't do that anymore, even though it killed me to leave."

Tears brim in my eyes. "I'm sorry. I never meant to make you unhappy. I was just... scared."

"Ai'Oon," he cups my cheeks, forcing me to meet his gaze. My heart clenches as the soft pads of his thumbs brush over my cheeks. "You never made me unhappy. Being with you was the best part of my life. But it did hurt me when you wanted to keep our relationship a secret."

"They know now," I whine. "It was late, I know, but our parents know about our relationship. Does... does that fix things?"

Kongpob pauses. "Not quite..."

My shoulders slump. "I'm sorry, okay? You know I'm not good at expressing how I feel. I'm stubborn and I keep things bottled up. But I'm trying here and—"

"Arthit, you're misunderstanding again," Kongpob cuts me off. "I'm only hesitating because of your boyfriend."

"Boyfriend?"

"How's he going to feel when you tell him about us? I want you back, but I feel sorry that we hurt him."

"Am I missing something?" I chime in. "Why do you think I have a boyfriend?"

Kongpob pauses. "You don't?" I shake my head. "Then why did Bright...?"

My eyes widen in realization. I really am going to kill Bright.

"He was lying," I confess. "My guess is that he picked up on how uncomfortable I was, and tried to help. But he only made things worse because I'm not dating anyone."

"Anyone?" Kongpob repeats with a small smile.

I roll my eyes. "You know what I mean. Anyone except for you."

Sighing in relief, Kongpob wraps his arms around me and hugs me close. I instinctively bury my face into his neck, breathing in his subtle cologne as I hug him tightly.

"I missed you," Kong murmurs, pressing his lips to the side of my head.

"I missed you too," I mumble into his neck. "But if you ever kick me out with a note again, I will kick your ass. Got it?"

Kongpob chuckles. "Got it. I'm sorry I did that. I wasn't thinking about how that would make you feel. I was... overwhelmed."

I nod my head. "I understand now. We need to communicate better."

"Better than we have since college," he points out. "But we'll work on it. We have the rest of our lives to get it right."

My cheeks burn at the implication, and I nuzzle into him. He's back. I have my Kongpob back. And this time, I'm never letting him walk away again.

~~~

Guys I am SO sorry this took so long

Things have been crazy and I needed to take a break for my mental health

I'm back now and ready to keep writing 🖤

See you next time!
-Gumbie