Chem Chey: English Translation.
The sound of a jingling bell reached Akara's ears as he sat chatting with Intha's kind-hearted mother. He'd barely settled into his seat for three minutes when a round, fluffy creature with short ears and big, bright eyes leapt onto his lap. Every time it moved, a soft jingling sound came from the collar around its neck. A cat!?
"Mom! In threw N'Ong's cat down the stairs!" Issara screamed.
"I didn't throw it!" Intha yelled back. The sound of bickering followed the cat, which was now snuggling on Akara's lap. He furrowed his brows, while Intha's mother simply smiled and turned toward the source of the commotion.
Two tall figures appeared, snarling at each other. One of them he recognised as Intha, while the other, who called himself N' Ong, bore a striking resemblance to him but had slightly darker skin. Welp, Intha did look like he ate mercury for breakfast, unnaturally pale for a human.
"You two are arguing like children," their mother said with a sigh. Bravo. Akara wanted to stand up and applaud her for calling them out. They were about to get into a fight! They were this close to throwing hands!
"In didn't throw it," Intha insisted, turning to his mom and ignoring his younger brother, who was crawling out after him. Intha glanced at the cat on Akara's lap, but N'Ong Issara was quicker. In a split second, he was next to Akara, reclaiming the Scottish Fold kitten. The soft fur that had been snuggling against him was gone. Akara looked up at Issara, who froze and stared at him intently.
"Uh..."
Maybe Issara was stunned by his beauty. "Hi there, handsome."
"Oh..."
What the heck?
Issara let out a soft hum in his throat, then set the cat down on the floor. He leaned on the sofa with one hand, bringing his face close to Akara's. The tip of Issara's nose was barely an inch away from Akara's, and it might've gotten even closer if Intha hadn't yanked Issara back by the collar. Intha gave a menacing smile, speaking through gritted teeth so only the three of them could hear-his mother wasn't included in this.
"Ong, this one's mine."
Oh, crap... I feel beautiful again. Akara straightened up and cleared his throat softly. He was beautiful... gorgeous even.
"Yeah, I know... but wow, great facial features. No wonder you like him, bro."
"Now back off from my man," Intha said, his tone sweetening as he pulled his younger brother away. He then plopped down next to Akara, leaving Issara to pick up the cat and sit down a little farther away.
"What are you boys whispering about?"
"Nothing, Mom. N'Ong was just saying he wants grilled prawns for dinner," Intha replied, his face softening as he looked at Issara. The younger brother, in turn, nodded innocently at their mom, agreeing with his older brother.
"In-in, are you staying for dinner? N'Ong will be so happy." Issara began.
"It's been a while since In-in had dinner with Mom and you..." Intha continued smoothly.
One person in the room couldn't help but roll his eyes at the overly sweet sibling interaction. In-in... N' Ong...They were perfect as siblings-both experts at putting on a show! After enduring the sugary display between N' Ong and In-in for a while, Intha eventually dragged Akara upstairs to his private bedroom on the second floor. Issara followed them, prompting Intha to turn and speak to his brother in a stern tone once they were out of earshot of their mom.
"Why are you following us?"
"I want to look at Eung," Issara said, using Akara's nickname casually since they were the same age. He kept staring at Akara, forcing Intha to push the former's face away to maintain some distance. "I really like you, Eung. Don't ever get plastic surgery, okay? You're perfect for attracting wealth."
"So, you're sayin' I'm beautiful, right?"
"No, not beautiful, but you have great features based on Mien Shiang."
Not beautiful?!
Akara side-eyed Issara before rolling his eyes upward. "Hia, throw your brother out."
"What? Why?" Issara looked bewildered. Intha grinned eagerly and grabbed his brother's arm, dragging him toward the door. "Consider it done, gorgeous."
"Gorgeous, gorgeous! You're as pretty as a picture!" Issara hastily echoed Intha's words as he was being dragged out. But as he looked back at Akara the Great Beauty, he saw his tattooed arm waving him off.
"See you at dinner."
"Uh... or are you kicking me out so you can get freaky with In?"
"..." Akara's jaw dropped. As for Intha, "Exactly. So hurry up and leave," he said with a grin, slamming the door shut and locking it with a click. The meddlesome younger brother was gone, leaving Intha and Akara alone. Intha took slow, deliberate steps toward Akara, growling softly in his throat. He pushed the young man's tattooed shoulder down onto the bed, pinning him beneath him. Before Akara could protest, they were interrupted by a loud kick at the door, followed by Issara's voice shouting, "Have some respect for the Buddha altar!"
Hearing the warning, Akara kicked Intha off the bed...He glanced at the large Buddha altar and couldn't help but exclaim like Issara: "Uh?!"
"You're so strong," Intha muttered, sitting up on the floor after being kicked off. He ran a hand through his dishevelled bangs, fixing them, and followed Akara's gaze to the large altar and the collection of amulets displayed there.
"Are all of these yours, Hia?"
"Yeah."
"..."
"They're collectables. Why?" Intha replied, climbing back onto the bed and sitting behind Akara. He rested his chin on the younger's shoulder, his hands slipping under Akara's thin t-shirt from the front. His hands began to wander higher, teasing and inviting intimacy. But he grabbed Intha's hand firmly, stopping him. "Not here."
"Why not?"
"I'm not ready."... There are too many amulets. It felt weird.
"Don't you want to canoodle with me anymore?" Intha asked imploringly, planting kisses along Akara's broad shoulder. Does this guy really not realise what he's doin'?!
And Akara hated himself for being so sensitive to it. He was already covered in goosebumps.
"Not now, Hia"
"Eung-eung."
"Nooo!!!" Akara screamed and bolted off the bed. Intha burst out laughing, pulling Akara back toward him.
"I was just joking. Let's pack up now."
"Are you takin' the amulets with you?"
"No, I'll leave them here... for the kids."
"The kids? What kids?"
"The kuman thongs." "'
As soon as he said that, Akara's arm hair stood on end. A chill ran down his spine, freezing him to the bone.
"You have kuman thongs?"
"Yeah... someone gave them to me. But I've never seen them. I've tried everything to see ghosts, but nothing's worked so far," Intha said, swinging his legs off the bed and placing his arms at his sides, looking serious as he spoke. "But P'Aon once told me a story. He was sleeping here at the house, and while he was half-asleep, he heard a sweet, small voice whispering in his ear, 'Can I have the phone unlock code?' My brother, half-asleep, just gave it to them."
"Holy shit, that's terrifyin'!" Akara clutched his chest, visibly shaken, and instinctively moved closer to Intha.
"Yeah, it was almost deadly."
"Huh? That's seriously creepy."
"More like scary," Intha corrected, pausing to give Akara a sweet, suggestive look before continuing
"Because the voice asking for the code was actually P' Aon's girlfriend. She had a hunch my brother was cheating. He wasn't, but P'Aon loves flirting with girls. There was plenty of evidence in the chat-he'd almost really died."
"Goddammit, I've been listenin' to this bullshit for so long." Akara shook his head in exasperation. He sighed, then suddenly remembered something. His long legs carried him quickly to grab Intha's phone, which was sitting on a box. He mimicked P'Aon's girlfriend's sweet voice, playfully threatening, "Babe, give me the iPhone unlock code."
"Uh... haha..."
"Hia~"
"I already showed you my LINE messages this morning! I really blocked everyone!" Intha's voice rose unnecessarily high, sounding suspicious. Akara narrowed his eyes even more, determined not to let any doubts about Intha's interactions with other girls slip away. "Eung-eung, you have to trust me."
"No!"
"Fine, then let's exchange codes."
"Uh... let's just pretend I didn't ask for anythin'."
"You're acting suspicious, too!"
"How!?" Akara's tone was even more suspicious than Inta's. He turned to leave the room, thinking it might be better to hang out with Intha's mom in the kitchen downstairs. But Intha wasn't about to let him go. He grabbed both of Akara's arms, pinning them behind his back, and pushed him face down onto the bed. His hands patted Akara's pants pockets until, soon enough, the other's phone was in his grasp.
This guy was devious. He even forced Akara to unlock the phone with his fingerprint.
Kyaaaaaaa!!!!
"Wow... your phone is full of pictures of dudes. And they're all... explicit."
"Don't delete them, please!"
"So you like explicit stuff? Should've told me," Intha teased, releasing Akara and using his own hands to tug down the waistband of his pants. He slid his phone into his pants.
Click
"There you go. An explicit picture of me. Keep it to yourself, okay? Don't let anyone else see. My pink mushroom is just for you."
"Uh?!" Akara choked on his words, too stunned to take his phone back from Intha. He curled up on the bed, closing his eyes and silently chanting a mantra to cleanse his sins. Once again, it was Intha who nudged him lightly and handed him his phone back.
"112358. That's my code, muffin."
"No."
"Come on, take an explicit picture for me, too." "Don't be shy."
"Mom! I'm gonna help you cook right now!" Akara shot up from the bed, kicking Intha in the stomach to push him away. His face flushed red as he stormed out, embarrassed by what had just happened. Explicit pictures? What the heck... sinner, ew! But, welp, since it's already here, might as well take a look. Oh my, that pinkish hue is kinda cute. Wait... is this really the time to be admirin' that?!
"Hey, you kicked me so hard. That hurt, you know."
"Serves you right. I can't stay here anymore. There's a sinner, a pervert here, God!"
"You can't escape me, Eung. I'll make you look at ten more of my explicit pictures."
"You really wanna go there?" Akara froze in his tracks at the door, turning back to face Intha, who was sitting on the floor with his legs spread wide.
"Yeah!"
"Fine. Then take twenty more pictures. I'll look at them... every angle, every corner." Akara extended his phone forward, rolling up his sleeves all the way to his shoulders.
I'm ready.
"Uh?!"
"Take them."
"How about we go help Mom cook instead?"
"No. I want explicit pictures. If you don't take twenty more, I'll delete the old one."
"..."
The room fell into an awkward silence. Slowly, Intha scooted forward to take the phone from Akara's hand, looking sheepish even as he remained seated on the floor.
He deleted the picture. Then handed the phone back...
"Now I know my wifey is an assertive one," Intha said with a grin. "Hmph." Akara brushed the hair that had fallen over his face back up, looking at Intha before asking,
"So, what now? Packin' or helpin' your mom?"
"Sleeping. Come on, let's nap together. Right here." Intha jumped onto the bed, dusting it off theatrically before lying on his side and patting the mattress, beckoning Akara to join him. The tall figure at the door finally moved, giving in to the drowsiness that was creeping over him as well. He lay down beside Intha.
Intha snuggled closer, draping one leg over Akara. He picked up Akara's phone again, whispering for the unlock code, which the younger man gave without hesitation.
"What are you even lookin' for? There's nothin' interesting in there. I work all day," Akara murmured, closing his eyes and letting Intha hug him from behind. The mischievous man wouldn't stop, his warm lips nibbling at Akara's earlobe.
"I'm not looking for anything. I'm changing your page name, your Instagram name, and your LINE name. Time to change them into 'Chermchey."
"Oh." Akara acknowledged, his hand absentmindedly stroking Intha's fingers. "And about the house, what's the plan?"
"I've already talked to the owner. The transfer is set for this Saturday." Intha had sent Akara the contact details for the house owner, but Akara hadn't expected him to handle everything so quickly.
"Why in such a rush?"
"If I take my time, I'll get lazy and make excuses. Better to get it done ASAP. The sooner, the better. And what about the bar renovations? You said you'd contact the contractor."
"They're presentin' the design tomorrow at ten in the mornin". It's the same contractor who worked on the bar before. They know the structure well. I told them not to mess with the house itself too much-just focus on the exterior."
"You're pretty quick with work, too."
"When it comes to money, there's no time to waste. Keepin' the bar closed for too long isn't beneficial. Plus, we're rebrandin'... it's like startin' from scratch."
"I believe everything will turn out fine."
"Yup, let's hope so."
"Ten in the morning, tight? I'll call my friends to meet in the evening."
"Yeah," Akara said, closing his eyes as sleep overtook him in Intha's embrace. But when evening came, it was Intha who woke up alone in the room. He patted the space beside him, searching for Akara, but he wasn't there. Akara wasn't exactly small enough to miss in the room, so Intha figured he must've gone downstairs. He got up, showered, changed clothes, and packed only the essentials and a few clothes into a bag. Intha didn't forget to grab an unopened package before dragging his bag out of the bedroom.
The late-afternoon sun cast a warm glow as he caught the scent of grilled prawns, mingling with the rhythmic sound of a mortar and pestle. The pounding came in an oddly syncopated rhythm...Intha heard his brother laughing, loud music playing, and his mother giggling as he descended the stairs.
Is this Eung-eung's doing?
Yeah, it is...
"What's going on?" Intha scratched his neck as he walked out to the garden. They were grilling prawns there, with Akara sitting on a mat, pounding away at the mortar and pestle. His muscular arms flexed with each motion, the pounding sound echoing-thud, thud, thud!!!
"Hia, don't come over yet. Change the song for me first," Akara called out.
"Uh.." Intha spun around and spotted Issara's iPad, the source of the loud music. Looking for the iPad's owner, he saw his brother sitting close to Akara. He could immediately tell Issara had been won over by Akara.
"Sit farther away, you dimwit."
"Huh?... Why are you calling your brother 'dimwits"? That's not polite, honey."
He'd completely forgotten his mother was there and got scolded for addressing Issara so rudely. Jealousy had clouded his judgment. He quickly forced a sheepish smile and changed the subject.
"Eung-eung, what song do you want?"
"Several Species of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together in a Cave and Grooving with a Pict by Pink Floyd. Big fan."
"What kind of a song title is that?" Intha muttered under his breath, making sure his mom couldn't hear. He typed the song title into the search bar, and after a few taps, the song blared through the speakers, thanks to Issara's connecting them with his iPad beforehand.
While he'd been asleep, those two had clearly bonded over something. This wouldn't do. He needed to assert his dominance as the hubby. He glanced at Akara just as the music started. Ong laughed at Akara's playful head-bobbing to the weird song. Damn it. Even his mother was laughing along.
"DJ Akara hereeeee. LET'S VIBE!"
Whatever you say, cupcake...
Intha shook his head and decided to ignore Akara, focusing instead on the self-proclaimed DJ. He pulled up a chair to look at the weird song title again. One song ended, another began, and they cycled through Pink Floyd's playlist twice before the sun set. Issara nudged him, saying the dinner table was ready. Intha got up, still a bit dazed, and watched Issara select softer music for dinner. Normally, the dining table was quiet, even when the whole family was present. But tonight, with Akara there, the meal was lively.
Akara was in high spirits, giddily spinning around to place a plate of grilled prawns on the table and even peeling two prawns for his mother. She looked delighted, smiling warmly as Intha sat down next to the young man.
"Eung is so sweet," his mom complimented. Intha just nodded. He hadn't officially told his family about his relationship with Akara, only mentioning that they were business partners. But he suspected his mother knew, given how fond she was of his wifey.
"The seafood sauce was made by me, try it, Hia. Ong, get some water for your brother."
"In-in, what do you want to drink?"
"Coke."
"You're so gonna get arrested," Akara whispered to Intha, handing him a peeled prawn.
"Should I explain to Mom what 'coke' is?"
"Doooon't, I need to keep my reputation intact!"
Intha just smirked, sitting upright and picking up his utensils with the poise of someone well-trained in etiquette. But before he could take a bite, he started humming the lyrics he'd memorised, intending to sing them to Akara. Then he burst out:
'Skrrt. Zzzz. Come back, I mean. Skrrt. Zzzz. Come back, I mean.'-"
"Skrrt. Zzzz. C-c-come back and be my boyfriend!"
Pfft!
Issara choked on his drink, while their mom, sitting at the head of the table, just smiled. Off-key, weird lyrics, but gotta give him an 'A' for 'Appreciation.'
"I don't remember they sing the last part."
"No, they don't. I added it 'cause I'm asking Eung to be my boyfriend."
"What?!" Akara gave a wry smile, glancing at Issara and their mom. Both of them raised their eyebrows and turned to look at Intha.
"I thought you said he was my sister-in-law." >> Issara.
"You're not dating yet?">> Mom.
"Eung doesn't give In-in a chance.">> Intha
"..." And the one who fell into a dead silence was Akara himself. Fuck, my hands are shakin'...
"Can we date yet?" Intha asked with an encouraging smile. The atmosphere around the table felt heavy with anticipation for Akara's answer. It wasn't that Intha's family wouldn't accept him-they seemed more than happy to welcome him as part of the family. So his answer was... "Um, let me think about it a bit more."
The moment he said it, Intha just smiled tenderly at him from across the table. But under the table, Intha's foot nudged his leg repeatedly... mouthing the infamous line:
"If you don't agree, you're getting ten rounds anyway..."
My ass has already racked up several dozen rounds!!!