Melted: A MaxTul AU story

Nine: Living Arrangements

The ice cream had made Max feel better. Before, his brain had felt like it had slowed down and sped up at the same time after trying to process what his uncle had said. His mind had kept going back to Clara and Ramida and Ohm, who was trying so hard to be the man of the house and not disappoint his father. He didn't know what was best for him to do. He knew what his uncle wanted but what would Aunt Clara say to him later? Would the kids resent him forever by keeping this chance away from them?

He hadn't realized he was crying until Tul's handkerchief had appeared in front of him. He had actually touched his face when he saw it, wondering at first why it had been offered.

He sat in Tul's car now, heading towards Tul's apartment, and wondered at everything that had happened since Tul had appeared. He hadn't been embarrassed at all that Tul had seen him crying. It's not that he thought men shouldn't cry but that he knew it wasn't something he would have wanted someone he would be interviewing quite frequently to see.

He also didn't know why he felt perfectly comfortable taking Tul to the Creamery or telling him about his ice cream philosophy, which he doesn't generally mention unless he is close to someone. He wondered why he felt so comfortable with this man, and he glanced at Tul again. Did he actually feel comfortable with him? He felt comfortable with Wanna and Sukrit and Ann; he could relax with them. However, he didn't feel relaxed exactly with Tul. The man was too attractive for that.

This gave Max pause. He worked to stare out the window instead of looking at Tul again. He had to admit to himself that Tul was exactly his type. He had thought he was safe because he wasn't in the beginning. Max had thought he was physically attractive the first time he saw him. Who didn't think so? He had seen on a daily basis how people in the company were always watching Tul when he walked through the company.

However, he had be to be emotionally detached because Tul's personality wasn't his type at all . . . or so he thought. He remembered being amused by the woman who gave him the tour that first day and her reaction to Tul and how Tul was exactly the type of hero in those dramas that Uncle and Clara liked to watch.

Max knew why those types were popular, but he was always mad about that because he almost always liked the nice, calm, soothing second lead characters who had loved and been supportive of the heroine for years and been her best friend. He always thought it so unfair that the nice guys never seemed to catch a break. Sure, they should have stepped up and said something earlier, and no, he didn't like it when they turned crazy, believing that the heroine owed them her love just because they had been constant, but the ones who remained kind? It didn't seem to be fair that they were destined to be alone, playing the kind uncle to the heroine and the hero's future children or be paired off to the silly or boring female sidekick.

He chuckled at the memory of his younger self storming out of one evening drama watching session with his uncle and Clara and a really young Ramida and not even finishing the drama because he was so upset at the turn of events. He wondered how much of it was because of the injustice to the characters and how much of it was because he felt at the time that he, as a gay man, would be destined to fall for someone and always have to love silently while watching them fall in love and marry someone else.

Tul heard the chuckle and glanced over. He had felt that Max had been looking at him a while ago, but noticed he had started looking more out the window for the last couple of minutes.

"What are you thinking about?"

Max turned back to him not understanding. "What?"

"I heard you chuckle. What's so funny?"

Max spoke before he thought. "I was just trying to figure out what character you'd play in a lakorn."

Tul laughed. Would he ever predict what was going to come out of this man's mouth? "I don't think anyone has ever said that to me before. What did you decide? I don't really watch television, but I do remember girlfriends of mine being addicted to some shows and some stars. There seems to be a lot of drama. Women fighting. I remember a housekeeper I really liked when I was young watching, too. She used to give me extra treats after school, and sometimes I'd watch with her and she'd cover my eyes at some of the things the men did."