The Doctor Of Engineering

8

3 Months Later--

"Pha, have you seen my book??"

Pha leaned against the edge of the wall, arms folded, watching in resignation as Forth basically tore apart what once was a neat and tidy desk, looking for his book. "Which one?" It took me twenty minutes to clean that...

Forth ran his hands through his hair, frustration coming off him in waves. "That book on circuit boards and-"

Pha cut him off by shoving the book in his hands. It had been laying right in plain sight on the dresser. "You mean this book?"

"You are a lifesaver!" Forth planted a kiss on Pha's cheek, running out the door. "See you at lunch!"

"Lifesaver," Pha smiled softly, shaking his head and turning around...only to be greeted with the messy desk. "Right..." he sighed, proceeding to clean it up again. He came across a handwritten note that he could've sworn wasn't there before.

Tee rak,

Why haven't you been answering my texts? Don't forget about our lunch with your parents! :)

Love you sooooo much!!! <3

Namtan

Pha frowned. Who the fuck was this Namtan? And why was she calling his boyfriend tee rak?? He turned the note over a few times, looking for more clues, but there was nothing else, not even a date so he could see when the note had been written. Deciding that getting upset over it was stupid, he stuffed the note in Forth's desk and told himself to forget about it.

Easier said than done.

XXX

"I want you to meet my parents."

Pha lifted his head to give Forth a blank look. The statement had come out of nowhere. He and Forth hadn't talked about him meeting Forth's parents or anything. Although, to be fair, Pha had already taken Forth home to meet his parents and his little sister, Malee. All three had accepted Forth as if he'd always been a part of the family. Pha slowly tilted his head side-to-side, thinking it over.

"That shouldn't be a problem," he felt warm when Forth smiled happily at him. "When?"

"How about...lunch tomorrow?"

Pha's mind went back to the note. "Lunch?"

Forth nodded eagerly. "Yes. I'm meeting with them tomorrow anyway and I know you don't have any classes. Na? Nanananana?"

"Stop that," Pha laughed, playfully pushing Forth's face away. "Yes, I'd love to meet them. Do they know you're dating me?"

"They know I'm bi," Forth confirmed what Pha was really getting at.

Pha nodded, going back to his notes.

"And...there might be someone else there."

Pha forced himself not to tense up. Is he going to tell me about this Namtan girl? "Oh?" he aimed for casual, unbothered. "Like who?"

Forth hesitated, worrying Pha. "Just...a friend of the family. Our families have been friends for generations, so we've known each other all our lives, but lost contact when I attended a different high school."

"Okay," Pha said simply. Guess he'd find out tomorrow if this person was the mysterious Namtan or not. For all he knew, if could be an ex-boyfriend, or Forth's old best friend, or...the possibilities were endless. "Should I bring anything?"