Just Friends

Chapter Fourteen

Gulf was still shaken by the events of that morning but being home made him feel like he could breathe again at least. The whole ride home Mew had held his hand, throwing occasional glances in his direction when he could. "Are your parents at work?". Gulf nodded, a little absent-mindedly, filling the kettle with water. Mew leaned in, stealing it from Gulf's hands. "Give that to me. Let me take care of you, okay?". The younger nodded while Mew massaged his forehead, managing to pull a smile from Gulf. After a few minutes he joined him on the couch with some herbal tea. Seeing Mew's worried face, Gulf touched the back of his hand to catch his attention. The older took the opportunity to hold it again and Gulf let him. "Please, you don't have to pity me. I'm okay now. Yeah, I'm a little ashamed but...". Mew pulled him closer to him, so he could hug him from behind. "You have nothing to be ashamed. And I don't pity you, by the way. If anything, I pity the stupidity of those people".

Mew rested his chin on Gulf's shoulder and Gulf turned his head a little bit to catch a glimpse of him. "I'm sorry I got you into this mess. You also missed some classes". Mew squeezed his tummy in response. "It's just one day, Gulf. Don't worry about it. And it's my mess too. They're clearly trying to hurt me through you. Ugh, I shouldn't have agreed to kiss that girl. I didn't even want to. I was hoping for someone else". The two looked at each other, Gulf chuckling. "I may or may not have gotten drunk because I was annoyed". Mew's whole face lit up, pleased to learn a little more about what Gulf was feeling. "I'm sorry about that. But you were really cute. And you were so cuddly, maybe I should get you drunk more often". Gulf hit a very surprised Mew with a pillow, starting a war he was sure he was gonna lose. "Oooh, you didn't!". Mew threw the pillow away and started tickling him instead. Gulf fell with his back on the couch, laughing hysterically while Mew was practically on top of him. Mew suddenly stopped with the tickling and Gulf just smiled at him, without moving from that position. "Hey".

Gulf stared at him, almost mesmerized by his beaming smile. "Hey". As Mew started stroking his cheek, Gulf's smile grew wider. "You know what I was thinking just moments ago? When you thought I was pitying you...". Gulf shook his head, resting his elbows on the couch. "I was thinking that...you're really beautiful, Gulf. Inside and out. And no matter how hard you try to hide it, you are born to stand out". For a moment Gulf thought his heart had stopped beating completely. "Mew...". Their noses touched and Gulf couldn't focus on anything else but Mew's hands on his hips, gently squeezing them. And their lips were so close that Gulf could feel Mew's warm breath on him. "Uhm?". Mew looked at him like he was waiting for his consent. Gulf slowly nodded, closing his eyes. But instead of feeling his lips on his, the noise of a door made them jump and quickly pull away from each other. "See? I told you he was here with Gulf".

Malai and Mild looked at each other conspirationally. Gulf cleared his throat, hoping not to look like a complete mess. "What are you doing here? And how did you get in?". Grace popped out from behind his friends, an annoyed expression on her face. Gulf immediately stood up to check up on her. "Someone here was playing the hero". Grace sighed at Malai's words, trying to stop her brother from touching her face. "She totally deserved it. And I only pulled her hair, I'm surprised it isn't as fake as her". Mew tried not to laugh because Gulf seemed worried about his sister and didn't want to upset him. "You don't have to get in trouble for this kind of things. What about our parent, what would they say?". Grace snorted, still vexed. "I don't know, I wasn't really thinking clearly in that moment". Seeing how much Grace was uncharacteristically taking the matter to her heart, he sighed, mellowing out. "It's okay. Just don't...do it anymore. I can take it, I promise". He stroked her hair, while she was fighting the urge to hug him. "Wow, that was kinda sexy". Mew immediately glared at Mild, who smiled innocently. "...in a very uninteresting kind of way, of course". Malai gave him a nudge. "Do you have a death wish or what?". Gulf smiled, hearing their playful banter. "By the way, I was able to convince the teacher to kick Phailin out of the play, so well...no need to thank me. That and more for you two, no one messes with my friends". Gulf went even softer, so grateful to have her in his life. "I don't know what to say". She winked at him, without needing to say anything at all. "Well, you two can thank me buying me a drink tonight. We're going to celebrate getting these toxic people out of our lives, with some good karaoke, which never hurts".

Mild and Malai left first but when it was Mew's turn to go home, Gulf stopped him by the door, trying to find the words to express how grateful he was for everything he had done for him. "Wait...I wanted to thank you. All of you have been nothing but amazing. Not only today but every day. I don't even know if I deserve it but I'm grateful. Especially to you". Mew melt into the sweetest of smiles. "You deserve someone who looks after you. We all do". Seeing him so exposed and vulnerable, Mew opened his arms to hug him tightly. Gulf let him fold them around him, absorbing his warm. In his arms, he felt his eyes getting wet again, because he knew he didn't have to act strong with him. He knew he would always protect him. Mew started carassing his hair, without complaining about the fact that his shirt was becoming a total mess. On the contrary, he covered his head and forehead with tender kisses to calm him down. And then he whispered, only for him to hear: "You are not alone, Gulf Kanawut".