Child of Fire

Moonlight

"Do you like barbecue?" Zee stopped in the middle of the night market.

Saint, who was tugging Zee along, halted in his step and gave Zee a huge smile. "I don't like it. I love it!"

"Then come with me," Zee smiled, twisting his wrist so that he was now the one holding on to Saint. He pulled Saint with him as he looked for the nearest exit. But since Zee wasn't familiar with the area, he had to rely on Saint to get them back to the place where they parked his car.

In the car, Saint kept the conversation flowing, not that he needed Zee's input. He seemed quite happy to pretend talking to the stuffed animal like it was Zee. It got Zee annoyed, frustrated and captivated all at once. 

P'Mew's bar and restaurant was located a bit farther away from the central district that Saint began complaining he was starving. Zee assured Saint that it was worth the wait and urged him to be patient.

"Don't you have anymore chocolates here, P'Zee?" Saint started open the vehicle's compartment in the quest for food.

"Sorry, I don't have any this time. Look, I'll get you a chocolate shake from a drive-thru, okay?"

"Yay!" Saint gripped Zee's forearm in approval.

Fortunately, the McDonald's drive-thru they went into was empty so Saint got his chocolate milkshake in less than five minutes.

"Are we there yet?" Saint asked, leaning sideways in his seat to get closer to Zee.

"Almost," Zee's reply was punctuated with a growl from his tummy.

"Aw, P'Zee," Saint chuckled, "Why didn't you say you were hungry, too? Here, take a sip!"

Saint held the drink just below Zee's mouth, the straw that Saint was sucking on was only a few centimeters away from his own lips.

"Come on, P'Zee, drink before you pass out from hunger," Saint urged by tapping the straw on Zee's mouth.

Zee sipped obediently and tried not to think about having an indirect kiss with Saint. Saint was only being a good nong, concerned about his phi's health. It would be creepy to put some other meaning to his actions when there's none.

Finally, Zee saw the lighted signage of P'Mew's restaurant. The restaurant was located in a quiet street that hosted a row of offices. Half of it was covered by a sturdy roof while the other half was open to nature. At the entrance, Zee told the waiter they would take an outdoor table. Once seated, Zee immediately ordered the special platter, which was more than enough for two people and had samples of the restaurant's specialities on top of a full rack of barbecued baby back ribs.     

After the waiter left, Zee told Saint to check the menu if there was anything else he wanted but Saint was satisfied with Zee's swift order. He meant it when he told Zee he could eat anything and speed was of primary importance right now. He wanted the BBQ ribs served yesterday! The chocolate shake only appeased the dragon that was growling in his stomach.

Zee sent a text message of P'Mew that he was already in the restaurant. A few moments later, Zee heard Mew's hearty laugh before he saw him.

"You made it!" 

Zee stood up and shook P'Mew's hand before closing in for a brief one-armed hug. "It's been a while, Phi."

"I'm so happy you're here," Mew continued grinning, showing off his pearly white teeth.

"Phi, this is my junior at the university, Saint," Zee introduced Saint who stood when Mew approached.

Saint gave P'Mew a polite wai, "Sawadee krub."