I.L.Y. - A MewGulf AU

Chapter 2: What Marriage?

Mew blinked rapidly to get rid of the tears, quickly turning his head to the side. He stood up abruptly, grabbing a nearby towel to clean up the spilt liquid. He looked upset, which only contributed to the confusion Gulf already felt.

“This is a hidden camera stunt, right? Did P’Beer organize this?” he asked, closing his eyes in exhaustion. As he opened them again to watch the other man’s reaction, he continued. “I don’t know how you guys moved me overnight, how you changed my phone and got all my friends and family involved, but seriously this is going too far, you know”.

“Nong, we’ve been living here for two years ever since we got married. What are you even saying?” Mew sat back down on his seat and tried to grab his hands, but Gulf quickly moved them under the table. The older man bit his lip. “Did you have some kind of nightmare? What is going on with you, Gulf,  are you trying to avoid talking about our marriage?”

Gulf stood up abruptly. “Seriously, what marriage! What is going on! I’m not married.”

Mew stood back up as well, meeting his eyes. He sounded annoyed as well as he answered, mad even. “I don’t know what kind of joke you-“

“I’m not joking,” Gulf interrupted the older. “Seriously, I have never met you before in my life”. He sounded as if he was pleading.

“What do you mean you’re not joking? I’m your husband!”

“I’m not lying,” he insisted.

“You’re not lying?” Mew lowered his voice in disbelieve. Gulf shook his head.

"I'm not," he said, voice quiet. He sighed and combed his hand through his hair. He was beginning to doubt the fact that this was some kind of hidden camera prank, everything was too dramatic and too extreme. “I woke up just now in a bed I’ve never seen before, in an apartment I never knew I could afford, and now you’re saying I’m somehow married to a guy I’ve have never met before!” He scoffed a little. “The worst thing is, according to my phone’s texts and pictures, all of this is real! All my friends and family asked me about you in our texts, like they know you! But I don’t even know you!” He briefly remembered he left his phone in his room, so he couldn’t even back up his statement.

Mew’s tone was hard and unyielding, “This is real, Gulf.”

The one spoken to, shook his head. This could not possibly be real. This wasn’t some kind of fantasy book or movie and he sure as hell wasn’t the protagonist living this tale.

This isn’t real.

“It’s not,” he almost begged, “Reality is a small apartment on the edge of Bangkok where I should be right now. Reality is that I have football practice in an hour with P’Beer before I have to go to work! Reality is that I have never been married! Whatever this is”, he gestured all around him, “it isn’t real.”

He was still standing as he met the other’s eyes, daring for a reply. However, none came. Not for a long time. The two just stood there, the silence felt  awful. The actor’s eyes were filled with a fire which scared Gulf, so instead of continuing to argue, he did the next best thing he could think of.

He turned around and left the kitchen the same way he came in. He didn’t spare a look at the figure still sitting there, instead making his way to the bedroom where his – was it his really? – phone was still lying on the bedside table. Unlocking the phone swiftly, he called the number he texted earlier. It took a while before the recipient picked up.

“N’Art”, Gulf almost yelled, “are you and P’Beer at your apartment? Something weird is going on and I need to get the hell outta here”. He wanted to escape from this nightmare. At the other side of the phone call, a quiet noise of surprise and sudden intake of breath could be heard. The female voice at the other side sounded shocked.