Billionaire Biker Boy

Chapter 40 - Or Should I Call You 'P' Instead?

 

After the owner of the tulip bouquet returned to work, the recipient, whose heart was still racing, sat staring at the flowers in front of him, unsure of what to do. Once the teasing and lighthearted remarks from his colleagues subsided, Samut picked up his phone to take a picture of the bouquet.

 

...lt's kind of extravagant, isn't it? But since someone went through the trouble of getting it for me, how could I complain?

 

No wonder he brought the car again this morning. He must've planned this. With careful hands, the petite man gently placed the bouquet into the bottom drawer of his desk.

...l pull out the chocolates to eat during lunch.

 

Samut smiled to himself, feeling giddy as he continued his work. Meanwhile, the woman who had only received a single rose could only glare at him with envy... such good fortune. But oh well, she already had a loving and sincere partner, and Nittaya wasn't about to waste time competing over something like this.

 

════[changbins_delulu_wife]════

 

After that day, the petite man's life in the capital settled into a predictable routine. He had a future boyfriend who picked him up and dropped him off, shared breakfast and dinner with him, and sometimes exercised together. On weekends, they spent time together, going on little adventures, trying out quirky foods, or cooking together.

 

Luckily, Samut wasn't someone with clumsy hands. He was brimming with determination, and Wonchana was a patient teacher who explained things clearly. After just one round of instruction, the petite man could already prepare simple dishes, which only endeared him further to Wonchana.

...My Little Chihuahua is so obedient.

 

As for exercising, Samut grew closer to P'Honey, his instructor. By the time he attended two more sessions, his movements were graceful enough to show off on social media. After class, he asked Mathukorn to use his new camera to record a video for him.

 

"O, you're amazing! How are you so flexible?" Mathukorn remarked as he handed the camera back, and they walked out of the studio together.

 

"When I was a kid, I liked gymnastics," Samut replied.

 

"But I wasn't committed enough to join the school team because... hehe, I was a bit hyperactive. But as I grew up, I got better at focusing."

 

Mathukorn chuckled softly and didn't comment further, instead steering the conversation elsewhere.

 

"So, how did you meet Oat?"

Samut froze for a moment before giving a brief answer.

 

"We met in our first year. Since I could speak Central Thai, we got close. After graduation, I wanted to stick with my friend and ended up applying to Sardinia."

 

But the petite man felt conflicted. Should I tell P'Honey? Because now Samut knew that Mathukorn was also friends with Sirichok's secret Facebook account, just like him. Someone as sweet as P'Honey didn't deserve to go through something like this. 

 

"And how did you meet Oat, P'Honey?"

 

"We met at a bar. Both of us were lonely. Once we started talking, we clicked on so many levels, so we decided to date. It's been over three months now," Mathukorn replied. Samut lowered his gaze and pretended to scroll through the photos on his camera.

 

Mathukorn teased, "And what about your future boyfriend, O? When will he get upgraded to the real deal?"

 

The petite man laughed brightly. "I just met P'Win at the beginning of this month. But I told him I'd give him an answer by New Year's, after I take him to meet my mom and brother first."

 

"How nice," Mathukorn said with a slightly melancholic tone. He no longer had a family, and Sirichok had never invited him to meet his own. Mathukorn never insisted either, guessing that Sirichok's family mightn't accept their son liking men.

 

They reached the changing room, parting ways with lingering thoughts. Samut changed and waited for his soon-to-be boyfriend, who was running later than usual today. When he saw the tall man emerge with damp hair and a

glowing face, he teased, "Did you wash your hair today?"

 

"Yeah, I had a combat class today, so I was really sweaty," Wonchana replied.

 

"That sounds fun. I don't sweat much doing yoga. P’Honey said if I want to sweat more, I should try flow yoga. What's combat class like?"

 

Wonchana laughed and explained, "Kind of like martial arts. It's a cardio class. But I think it might be too intense for you, O. If you really want to sweat, you should come running with me sometime."

 

"That sounds good. I've been eating so much delicious food lately, I feel like I've gained weight," Samut admitted.

 

The one who'd been indulging him with all the delicious food laughed. "The reason I did cardio today was so I could help you eat more snacks."

 

The snack lover beamed sweetly in response.

...Adorable people deserve rewards, don't they?

 

Then came the fourth Thursday of December. The new employee, who had now been working for three weeks, found himself walking through Lalai Sap Market during his lunch break once again. By now, Samut was no longer dazzled by the bustling alley and simply followed his group of older female colleagues, observing the people around him.

 

...The auntie selling snacks is dressed up more nicely than usual today.

...The uncle selling soy milk isn't here.

...The lady selling clothes looks like she hasn't slept.

...That woman is so beautiful, but why does she seem familiar?

 

Then Samut noticed a thin man in a cap lurking behind the beautiful woman. The petite man manoeuvred through the crowd to get closer. And just as the man snatched the woman's bag, Samut lunged, grabbing the man's hair and yanking him backwards. Both of them tumbled to the ground as Samut shouted, "Help! Snatcher!"

 

But the snatcher was quick. The lanky man shoved Samut, causing him to fall back, and took off running with the bag. Fortunately, a clothing vendor tripped the snatcher, making him fall again, and a burly male customer pinned the snatcher down, locking his arms behind his back. The man pulled out handcuffs, snapped them onto the snatcher's wrists, and used his radio to call for backup.

 

The three women in Samut’s group rushed to help him up. Still excited from the scene, the petite man hastily got to his feet, grabbed the fallen bag, dusted it off, and returned it to the beautiful woman.

 

"Here's your bag, ma'am. Is it damaged?"

 

 "It's fine. Thank you so much... Do you work at Sardina?" the woman asked, noticing the employee badge hanging around his neck.

 

"Yes, ma'am. Do you work there too? Or should I call you 'P' instead?

 

...Good thing I didn't accidentally call her 'auntie.' That would've been so rude.

 

The woman glanced at the name on his badge and froze. But the ones more shocked were the three women standing behind Samut. Sakawjai nudged the new employee hard, and the trio quickly pressed their palms together in a respectful wai, greeting in unison, "Hello, Khun Ying."

 

"Hello," Khun Ying replied, raising her hand in a formal gesture. Samut, startled by the nudge, turned to look at his colleagues with wide eyes before instinctively raising his hands to wai as well. "Hello...Khun Ying."

 

The older woman asked, "Do you know who I am when you call me 'Khun Ying'?"

 

"N-No, ma'am," Samut stammered, shaking his head hurriedly.

 

Khun Ying sighed, but before she could say more, the plainclothes officer approached her. He showed his ID, explained that he was off-duty, and asked her to wait for another officer to arrive. Khun Ying handed him her business card.

 

"I have another appointment. Please have the officer contact me using this," she said. Her poise, tone, and the title on her card were enough to make the officer comply without question.

 

Then Botan exclaimed, "O! Your hand is bleeding!"

 

Samut raised his hand to look and saw a small scrape on the side of his palm, blood oozing slightly. "It's nothing. Just a scratch. I'll clean it later."

 

Khun Ying grabbed his upper arm and turned to the three women. "I'll take him to get it treated myself."

 

Without waiting for a response, she nudged the petite man forward, leading him back to the Atcharangkul Building. Samut obediently followed, feeling increasingly uneasy. When they reached the 18th floor and entered a room he visited every morning and evening, a chill ran down his spine.

 

...W-Wait, don't tell me this is...

...Oh no. "Or should I call you 'P' instead?' What was I thinking?!

...Ocean, you're so so so dead

 

Ocean, now pale and shrinking into himself, wished he could disappear. But despite his trembling legs, he followed her inside. There, he saw his prospective boyfriend sitting on the sofa, chatting with the president.

 

Wonchana turned to look and saw his mother bringing in his Little Chihuahua, who looked like he'd just placed his neck on a guillotine. He immediately stood up to greet them.

 

"Mom, how did you end up with O?"

 

"Your O helped me when a snatcher ran off with my bag and got hurt in the process," she replied.

 

Wonchana instantly bent down to check on the petite man, who was now giving the president a wai. 

 

"Are you hurt?" Samut extended his bloodied hand, unable to speak. Wonchana quickly went to the desk to call the medical room and instructed them to send someone up to treat the wound. Then he led the smaller man to the restroom to wash his hands and clean up the injury. The young man carefully lathered soap onto the petite hand with a gentle touch.

 

"Does it hurt a lot?"

 

"Not really." The injured one shook his head, though his eyes welled up from the sting. When they exited the bathroom, the nurse had already arrived.

 

Despite feeling slightly tense in the presence of the company's three highest-ranking figures, the nurse diligently treated Samut’s wound as he sat quietly. Seeing this,

Wonchana reached out to hold Samut’s uninjured hand, giving him a reassuring squeeze. Once the nurse finished dressing the wound and left, Wonchana turned to ask Ranee.

 

"What exactly happened?"

 

Ranee sighed before recounting the incident.

 

"I was browsing for snacks to bring back for the twins when I suddenly felt a tug on my shoulder. My bag was snatched. When I turned around, I saw... O yanking the snatcher's hair and falling to the ground with him. But the snatcher still managed to grab the bag and run. Luckily, there were people around to help, including an off-duty police officer, so I got my bag back."

 

Everyone turned to look at the petite man.

Samut swallowed nervously and mumbled, "I saw the snatcher lurking behind Khun Ying. When I saw him snatch the bag, my hand just moved on instinct. Hehe."

 

"Didn't you say you'd call me 'P'?" Ranee raised an eyebrow.

 

That made Samut lower his head again. "I thought Khun Ying was an employee at the company. Calling you 'auntie' felt too impolite."

 

The father and son, who had been quietly listening, exchanged knowing smiles. Ranee sighed again before asking, "How old is your mother?"

 

"Fifty-four," Samut replied.

 

"Then you should call me 'auntie?" 

Samut’s eyes widened slightly, but he could only nod in agreement. "Yes, Auntie."

 

[In Thai, there are two words for 'Auntie': 'Paa' for someone who is older than the mother of the speaker and 'Naa' for someone who is younger. In this scene, Ranee is telling Samut to refer to her as 'Paa' (ih).]

 

Wonchana cleared his throat and began formal introductions. "Dad, Mom, this is. O-Ocean. His full name is Samut Sarutnun. His mother owns Ocean Sea Marine Foods in Hat Yai, but he came to work here because he followed his friend.  O, these are my parents, President Vichai and Khun Ying Ranee."

 

Samut raised his hands in a wai to both of them again. "Hello... Uncle, Auntie."

 

Uncle and Auntie returned the wai. In truth, the two of them had already discussed this matter and decided to let their eldest son make his own choices. Although they'd had over three years to prepare themselves, travelling back and forth between France and Thailand and becoming accustomed to seeing same-sex couples openly expressing affection, it was still difficult to fully come to terms with it when it involved their own son... Ultimately, it was Vichai who adjusted better and spoke up first.

 

"Hello... So, are you two officially dating?"

 

"We're still in the getting-to-know-each-other phase," Wonchana answered, gently holding the petite hand in his own.

 

“Alright. If you decide to date, your father and I won't object," Ranee finally said, after seeing the happiness on her eldest son's face. She then turned to Samutr. "...As for you, thank you for what you did today. But next time, don't do something like that again."

 

Samut, who had been overjoyed at being accepted, suddenly felt his face fall...