You've Got Me in a Haze

Chapter 3

They drove for about 20 minutes and while Gulf expected them to sit in awkward silence, Mew engaged him in light conversation that had him laughing and relaxing quickly. They talked about their favorite foods which quickly turned into a story from Mew about how picky he was as a kid. Him saying he threw food at the ceiling in school and it never falling down had tears streaming down Gulf's face as he laughed so hard no noise was coming out.

When they finally arrived, Gulf wiped his face while Mew smiled softly at him.

He's so cute when he laughs, Mew thought.

The two exited the car and walked up to the restaurant, keeping a comfortable distance between them. Gulf felt his hands twitching and realized that he wanted to hold Mew's hand.

What is wrong with me?

He shoved his hands deep into his pockets in order to stop the twitching and potentially risk actually grabbing Mew's hand accidentally. They reached the door and saw all of the lights off. Then they noticed a sign on the door saying the restaurant had to close early due to a family emergency. Gulf started panicking immediately, his anxiety kicking in.

Mew turned to him apologetically and noticed he was freaking out.

"Hey, Gulf? Calm down, breathe." Mew placed his hands on to Gulf's shoulders and pulled him closer, looking into his eyes. "That's it. Follow my breathing."

Gulf gradually calmed down and found himself looking at Mew with confusion. I've never been able to calm down so quickly. How did he know what to do?

"Are you okay?" Mew asked, ignoring the curiosity in Gulf's gaze.

"I'm okay, Phi. Thank you. I'm sorry the restaurant closed. What are we going to do now?"

Mew smiled and said, "We are going to dinner, just like we planned. I'm sorry I didn't confirm everything beforehand but it's no big deal as long as you're comfortable going somewhere else. I know a great little stall we can go to. It's nothing fancy but it's delicious. Are you okay with that?"

"Of course, Phi. I don't need anything fancy." Gulf smiled in relief. They walked back to Mew's car and he opened the door for Gulf who blushed as he got in. They drove about 5 minutes down the road and ended up at a stall Gulf was also familiar with.

"I love this place!" Gulf's exclamation made Mew smile discreetly behind his hand. He was glad Gulf seemed to be okay now and watched with amusement as the younger hopped out of the car before he had even turned it off. A chuckle left his lips as he slid out and over to Gulf. He put a hand on the small of his back and led him forward.

Gulf jerked at the contact, glancing to the right at P'Mew. They walked over to a table and sat down. The waitress came and took their order.

"You weren't kidding when you said you like spicy food," Mew laughed as Gulf ordered the spiciest dish on the menu. That's so cute.

"You were serious about being picky, Phi," Gulf grinned back as Mew ordered his food with a few changes. That's so cute.

"So, tell me, P'Mew, what do you do? You don't seem much older than me but you drive a nice car." Gulf tilted his head cutely to the side, his curiosity getting the best of him. Mild always complained that his curiosity was worse than a cat, warning him that it'd get him in trouble one day but Gulf couldn't help it. He loved learning new things and P'Mew intrigued him.

"I am probably a few years older than you. I'm currently about to finish my Master's degree in Industrial Engineering at Chulalongkorn University. I got scouted when I was in high school for modeling so I do that on the side to make money." He paused as their food got served and they started eating as it was already passing 11 pm.