Chapter 20 - The PE Teacher Look.

Chapter 20 - The PE Teacher Look.

Akara thought it was about time he stopped pacing around the outside zone of the bar. He'd been wandering around, inspecting every little thing since before the bar opened. Now, the clock had struck past midnight. Deciding it was enough, he headed back inside, making his way to the table where Intha and his friends were sitting.

The music was still pounding as he re-entered. The crowd was so packed it seemed like people might spill out of the bar. The air was thick with the smell of alcohol and cigarette smoke. The dimly lit interior created the perfect atmosphere for sipping beer and letting out sorrows. A DJ encouraged the crowd to lose themselves in the music, urging them to dance away their troubles.

Being the first day of the bar's reopening, the place was bustling, and Akara's mood was especially lifted. His glowing face clearly showed his happiness. He never imagined that reopening the bar would go this well. Luck was on his side. Luck was definitely on his side. He had to thank the official sponsor of the night, his drunk partner, who was now red-faced and throwing shrimp shells at his friends. 

It was obvious that Intha was sitting shirtless in a dim corner, his body slightly damp, likely from sweating due to the heat. But seriously, was it necessary to take off his shirt and show off his muscles in the bar? And, of course, this spot seemed to attract a lot of women, both cis and trans.

Akara quickened his pace, heading straight for Intha. Once he got close, he sat down right next to him, their bodies touching. Let it be known, this spot was claimed. Akara was possessive of his man.

"How's everything outside, Eung-eung?"

"Good... but why are you shirtless?"

"I lost at Jenga, so I had to take it off," Intha explained. Akara glanced at the table, noticing the Jenga blocks scattered among glasses of liquor and shrimp shells. Someone was carefully stacking the blocks to start a new game, their long fingers and veiny hands moving with precision. Sitting next to Jao-naay. 

"Is that P'Naay's boyfriend?" Akara whispered to his beloved Intha, sneaking a glance at the serious-looking man focused on the Jenga game. Even from the side, his sharp jawline and handsome features were striking. His shoulder-length hair was tied back in a simple half-up style, exposing his face. He wore a loose black shirt with rolled-up sleeves, unbuttoned just enough to reveal his chest. His relaxed posture and intense focus on the game made him undeniably attractive.

Meanwhile, Intha, who nodded in confirmation, looked completely different. His short bangs were held back with a headband, his light-colored hair sticking up like a gangster. Shirtless, he was left in just his tight red sweatpants that clung a little too snugly. Jao-naay's boyfriend looked classy and untouchable. As for Akara's man... well, today he was rocking the PE teacher look. Sigh...

"P'Lit, this is Eung, my boyfriend! Isn't he cute? Way cuter than Naay!" Intha exclaimed, playfully slapping the man focused on Jenga. Lalit looked up at Akara, smirking slightly before responding.

"Nice to meet you. You can call me P'Lit, like everyone else here."

Damn, he's handsome. Like a celebrity, Akara tried to keep his cool. No need to let his PE teacher boyfriend catch on.

"No need to be so formal. My boyfriend's pretty down-to-earth. On the first day we met, he politely called me. By the end of the day, it was 'In, you fucker"," Intha joked.

"You're exaggerating, In-in," Akara said, pinching Intha's pale stomach. Intha quickly curled up, grinning, before nuzzling his head against Akara's shoulder, rubbing affectionately until it became annoying. Not that Akara minded. The one who was annoyed was Thon-hon.

Thon-hon: I'm so annoyed with Intha.

Nhai: Adding one to that. Let's just play the game. If you knock it over again, Intha, you're stripping next.

Intha: Fine, but I need to pee. You guys play without me for now. I'll join back later. Eung-eung, want to come to the restroom with me?

Eung: Sure, I wanna puff, too.

Akara answered Intha before smiling at the guests around the table. He stood up, following Intha, who had finally put on some clothes and grabbed a beer glass to take along. Before leaving the table, Akara noticed everyone was in their own little world. Nhai was cuddling Lyares, and Thon-hon had his arm around Chonlatee's waist, resting his chin on Chonlatee's head as they whispered sweet nothings. Jao-naay was recording a video of P'Lit... no physical contact. But when Lalit looked up and smiled at Jao-naay...Akara was dead. How could someone be so gentle? Oh, dear Lord.

"Are you going to pee or not, Eung? Hurry up, I'm about to burst," Intha complained, smacking Akara's butt when he didn't move fast enough. Akara turned to glare at him, but Intha just walked off toward the restroom, smiling at customers to avoid Akara's wrath. He stood back as Akara yelled a song request to the DJ, only to have to drag his partner back because he handed his beer to the male DJ for playing his favourite song.

The Fox (What Does the Fox Say?....

So what does it say?

When he asked Akara, he just smiled and told him to wait and listen. Fine, I'll listen.

"What does the fox say~"

"Ring-ding-ding-ding-dingeringeding!"

"If I miss the urinal, it's because this song is too good," Intha said, turning his head to talk to Akara while facing the urinal. The restroom was brightly lit, revealing his flushed face. He wasn't too drunk, though, since he was still coherent. His brows furrowed as he tried to catch the rhythm and lyrics of the song. Intha started bobbing his head and swaying, making Akara glance down to check if anything had spilt on the floor.

"The song's fun, but you can't dance while peeing," Akara scolded.

"It's your fault. My music taste has completely changed because of you," Intha retorted.

"And is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

"Good, I guess. It's fun. Makes me want to dance."

"Then I'll have to tell Mom you're ready to dance at the next temple fair," Intha teased.

"If you tell her, I'll actually have to do it, Eung. Ugh... finally. That's better. You'll see," Akara said, finishing up and adjusting his pants. Intha washed his hands before snatching the cigarette pack from Akara's back pocket, playfully smacking his butt.

Akara, who hadn't finished peeing yet, cried out in protest when Intha teased him.

"Hia, I'm not done peeing!" Akara protested.

"But I am."

"You scumbag," Akara mimicked in a high-pitched, exaggerated tone, curling his lips dramatically as Intha shot back.

"Yeah, but you know, you should be used to it by now."

Intha shrugged, stepping aside to avoid Akara, who had turned to zip up his pants right in front of him. Fortunately, no customers were entering the restroom at that moment. The guy who had been using the urinal next to them had just left, so Intha felt relieved that no one else would catch a glimpse of anything flashy or inappropriate. He lit a cigarette and followed Akara to the sink, where they washed their hands and shared a smoke before heading back to the table.

On the way back, Akara nudged Intha to dance along. At first, Intha was shy under the other patrons' gaze, but as more people joined in, he eventually started moving. Just a little dancing, right in front of the stage. He'd never done anything this silly before. It was fun. Before he knew it, Akara had changed his once dull, routine life in so many ways. :)

"Eung-eung..."

"What?" Akara leaned closer to Intha, tilting his ear toward him to hear over the loud music.

"Nothing," Intha said.

"..."

"Thanks," Intha added.

"What? I didn't hear you. Say it again," Akara replied.

"I said, let's go back to the table!" Intha shouted into Akara's ear, earning a playful scratch on his neck. Rubbing the irritated spot, Intha decided to bump his head against Akara's in retaliation. Their foreheads stayed pressed together. Their eyes locked as if challenging each other, but then their lips met in a kiss. Intha's hand tangled in Akara's hair, sharing the bitter taste of cigarettes lingering in his mouth through the kiss. He wasn't sure if the darkness here was enough to hide the love they were sharing. But why hide love? Let anyone see if they wanted to. After a long moment, they finally pulled apart. Akara smiled shyly, while Intha had a small smirk at the corner of his lips.

"I've never kissed anyone in front of others before. You're the first, Hia." Akara admitted.

"You're embarrassed?"

"A lil' bit," Akara confessed, rubbing his nose to hide his blush. Intha grabbed his wrist, holding it gently.

"Let's go back to the table, Eung."

"Alright, back to the table."

Intha led the bashful Akara away from the stage. A few steps later, they were back at their table. Akara wondered, for the umpteenth time since being with Intha, why he always felt so small and insignificant. Was it because of love? This is what good love feels like. :)

Get low, get low (get low), get low (get low), get low (get low)

To the window (to the window), to the wall (to the wall)

Til the sweat drops down my balls (my balls)

Til all these bitches crawl

Til all skeet-skeet...

Thon: Fuckermother!!!

Crash!

"Calm down, P'Thon," Chonlatee tried his best to stifle his laughter, unfazed by Thon's intimidating glare. His wide eyes darted to the fallen Jenga pile, with the block that caused the collapse still in Thon's hand. Thon-hon had knocked it over... and now the punishment was about to begin.

Thon: How did I mess that up? I'm a Jenga master!

Iyares: Knocked it over, so it's done. Chon, go ahead and write on his face. He's the only one left with a clean slate.

Nhai: Ooh, I can't wait to see his face all marked up. This is going to be great.

Chen-Nhai clapped his hands in delight, watching as Thon-hon, visibly annoyed, turned to face Chonlatee. Akara handed Chonlatee a marker, and everyone gathered around to see what Chonlatee would write on Thon-hon's face. The new punishment for losing the game was having your face written on. Everyone else's face was already a mess except for Thon-hon's, which was still spotless. The marker began to trace words across Thon-hon's forehead: "P'Thon's goofy" It was such an adorably silly phrase. But as his friends' laughter grew louder, Thon-hon grew anxious.

"What did you write, Chon?"

"Ask P'In," Chonlatee replied with a grin.

"No way. In always messes with me," Thon-hon grumbled, searching for his phone to check his reflection. But before he could, the usually quiet and composed Lalit snatched it away. Lalit's face was covered in hearts, while Jao-naay, sitting beside him, had Lalit's name scribbled all over his face. I can't stand all this lovey-dovey nonsense... Thon-hon thought to himself.

"Wait until everyone's done. No peeking yet, "Lalit said calmly.

"Fine," Thon-hon relented, leaning back against the soft cushion. He glanced over at Intha, whose face was completely covered in marker ink. Akara had shown no mercy in marking up his boyfriend's face.

"Chon, you didn't write on my face as Eung wrote on In's, did you?" Thon-hon asked nervously.

"Nope, I wouldn't dare," Chonlatee replied, laughing so hard he doubled over. He glanced at P' In, who had tied a cloth around his head and was pretending to chant prayers for Thon-hon. Intha's face was the most marked up of all, with phrases like:

*Darling, give me 50,000 baht, please. In-Eung Forever. Hehe. Sinful Man. Hell Awaits You.' ...and even a panda eye drawn on one side. All of it was Akara's handiwork. The phrases were so random, it was hard to imagine where he got the ideas. Akara's own face wasn't spared either, with phrases like: 'My little baby. So Cute. It's 'There', not 'Their'. Rizz. Main character energy... Intha's wifey'

They were teasing each other in the most endearing way, weren't they? Meanwhile, Chen-Nhai's face had a map drawn on it, showing the way back home. On Iyares's face, there were scribbles of the names of Chen-hai's five nieces and nephews.

Lalit: Are we done yet? Naay and I are heading out. We've got an early class tomorrow.

Iyares: I'm leaving too. It's almost 1 AM.

Iyares checked his watch, glancing at Chen-Nhai, who was sitting beside him, looking sleepy. As the upbeat folk music transitioned into a slow, mellow tune, Chen-hai's eyes began to droop, and he looked ready to doze off.

Chonlatee: P' Thon, are you heading out?

Thon-hon: Yeah, let's go.

It was nearing 1 AM, and the bar was almost empty, with only a few tables of customers left. The staff had started cleaning up, and when their friends announced they were leaving, Intha and Akara stood up, their faces still covered in marker ink, to see everyone off at the parking lot.

They'd stopped drinking long enough to sober up, so driving home wasn't an issue. Lalit and Jao-naay's big motorbike roared to life, leading the way out of the alley. Even as it disappeared into the distance, the engine's rumble lingered. Next, Iyares's car followed, and finally, Thon-hon's car, with Chonlatee waving goodbye from the open window. Akara waved back until they were out of sight.

"Your friends are gone. Let's clean up the bar," Akara said, turning to Intha with a sweet smile. He crossed the street and led the way back to the bar. But before Intha could step inside, Akara handed him a broom. "Start by sweeping outside. Lift the chairs onto the tables first, then sweep and mop the floor. Make sure to pick up all the trash, okay? Don't clog the drain."

Akara also had a broom in hand, along with a black trash bag. He worked efficiently, while Intha, who hadn't started yet, moved closer.

"Eung-eung, I've got a question," Intha said.

"Go ahead, Miss Thailand contestant is ready to answer," Akara replied, striking a pageant pose and using the broom handle as a microphone.

"-_- Do I have to clean the restroom, too?"

"Thank you for the question. What kind of answer are you looking for?" Akara asked, his tone playful as he mimicked a beauty queen's demeanour.

"I want the answer to be no."

"Then congratulations, Hia. You don't have to clean the restroom. We'll just clean up outside. The rest can wait for the staff to handle tomorrow," Akara said, smiling brightly.

"Great answer. Bow a little, and I'll crown you," Intha teased, pretending to place an imaginary crown on Akara's head. The taller man, with his tattoos, bowed slightly, thanking him before shooing Intha off to start cleaning. Intha bent and straightened as he picked up water bottles and plastic cups, tossing them into the black trash

bag. He swept the trash into a pile alongside Akara's. The music playing in the background had quieted, leaving only the sound of sweeping to fill the air. The peaceful atmosphere of cleaning was interrupted by Akara's voice. Intha stopped sweeping and turned to meet his gaze.

"Hia," Akara called.

"Yes?"

"I just wanted to say... the bar sign looks really nice," Akara said, pointing to the brightly lit sign with his tattooed finger.

"At first, I didn't like it," Akara admitted.

".."

"But the more I look at it, the more I love it. And I think... in the future, I'll love it even more."

"You're supposed to love it a lot already, aren't you?" Intha replied, following Akara's gaze to the bar sign before adding, "Let this place be our place. Our home."

"Our home is called Chermchey. I hope this home will always be fun and warm. :)"

Whenever they got serious, they both ended up feeling embarrassed. It seemed like sweet talk didn't suit them very well. Akara quickly changed the subject, and Intha went along.

"Hey, Hia, look! That's the North Star. We can see the North Star tonight," Akara said, pointing to the sky.

"My dear, that's a satellite," Intha corrected with a laugh. After his argument with Akara over clothes on Friday night, Intha decided to avoid any further hassle on

Saturday evening before opening the bar. He asked Akara for advice on what outfit he should wear.

There were a few outfits for his 'princess' to choose from, all of them bold and brave. Akara's choice was a black tank top with a deep cut that almost revealed his pelvic bone, paired with ripped jeans of the same colour. Intha tucked a sacred amulet at his waist for good luck, hoping the second day of the bar's opening would go smoothly and safely.

"Well, it kind of works, right? The amulet with the outfit," Akara remarked, biting his nails thoughtfully as he eyed the amulet peeking out from the tank top's cut. That guy's really been dressing to reveal lately, showing off his body all the time.

"What about you, Eung? What are you wearing? Match with me," Intha suggested

Akara hadn't dressed yet and was still deciding what to wear. When Intha suggested matching outfits, Akara grabbed a similar tank top to Intha's and put it on. He accessorised with several pieces of jewellery to enhance his already striking features, a nose ring and nearly a dozen earrings divided between both ears.

He didn't need an amulet because he had tattoos. The intricate, dark patterns on his skin were just another form of body decoration for him. His sharp, defined face reflected in the mirror. Behind him, Intha appeared in the same mirror, styling his

short bangs with gel, slicking them to the side.

"How about this?" Intha asked, combing his hair to the side. But before Akara could respond, Intha combed his bangs back to their original style. "Nah, this looks way cooler."

"Alright, let's go open the bar."

"You go ahead first, Hia. I'll take the ice. They delivered it early, but Jooy hasn't shown up for work yet, so there's no one to carry it."

Jooy was one of the staff. Intha squinted, scanning Akara from head to toe.

"Where's the ice?"

"Out back."

"I'll go. You don't need to strain yourself carrying it."

"Alright, fine. Don't forget the bill, though. Make sure you bring it."

"Got it, don't worry. I won't forget," Intha replied, playfully exaggerating his words. 

Then, they went their separate ways-Akara heading to the front of the bar while Intha, munching on a snack, walked through the kitchen to the back. The back of the house had a small door for deliveries. When Intha arrived, the ice delivery truck hadn't shown up yet.

But Akara had told him to wait, and being the obedient partner, he chose to stand around and observe his surroundings. He greeted Chok, who was walking his dog nearby, before his eyes landed on a group of four or five teenagers.

Intha's gaze lingered on the group because something about them felt off. His unwavering stare caused the group, which had been huddled together, to scatter. His sharp eyes and keen observation allowed him to remember their appearances. His boldness and confidence made him take a step forward, intending to ask if they had any business with his bar since they'd been staring in this direction for quite a while.

However, before he could move closer, a delivery truck honked to get his attention.

"Ice delivery!"

Intha clicked his tongue in mild annoyance but turned back to the truck.

"Alright, park right here to unload."