Chapter 27- Do You Remember the 21st Night of September? 

"Eung, are you done over here?"

The 21st night of September, Love was changin' the minds of pretenders while chasin' the clouds away.

"Yeah, I'm done. Is Luang Por arrivin' soon?"

"Almost."

"What about Mom and Ong?"

"They're greetin' the guests."

"Alright, I'll tell the sound guy to turn off the music. It's so loud, it's annoying."

"Go ahead."

...Our hearts were ringin

In the key that our souls were singin'

As we danced in the night, remember

How the stars stole the night away, oh, yeah

Intha patted Akara's shoulder as they passed. He watched Akara, who was nearly his height, walk toward the sound equipment. Akara whispered something to the sound guy, and soon the blaring music stopped. Akara returned to Intha, slipping his thin phone into his pants pocket. Today, both he and Intha were dressed in crisp white shirts and smoke-grey trousers, their hair perfectly styled, and they smelled faintly of cologne.

It was a housewarming and a new bar opening ceremony. Even with an organiser hired on Mom's recommendation, the day had been chaotic since morning. The guests made it feel like a wedding, except there was no bride's side of the family. Akara's dad couldn't make it because of work at the rice mill, but he'd already transferred money to help cover the event costs. Way to go, Dad. Respect. Akara's dad even chatted with Intha. They got along really well. But it wasn't about how adorable I am, of course. They were talking about amulets.

The bar, now fully renovated, didn't look much different from before. But Akara and Intha were thrilled with the new place because the bar sign was an exact replica of the old one. It was styled like a pawnshop font, made unique by flashing lights that matched the rhythm of the fairground music just playing. Inside, there were fairground flags strung up everywhere, almost enough to strangle someone, all to welcome the guests. The crowd was massive, but luckily, the bar was spacious enough to accommodate everyone.

"Hia, I have a question, do you know everyone your mom invited to the ceremony?" Akara asked, grabbing Intha's wrist. His sharp eyes glanced toward where Intha's mom was standing. Intha's mom was dressed to the nines, with Ong holding her Louis Vuitton handbag behind her. She was greeting guests with a radiant smile as they entered the bar.

Akara didn't know much about the guest list or event planning. He left all that to Intha's family. As for his own friends, he only invited Narisa. Since she was already coming, Akara hired Narisa's family to cater the food for the guests. Narisa was there too, of course, busy in the kitchen, chatting away. All familiar faces, no money wasted.

"I know some of them. Most I've met at merit-making events."

"Got it."

"What 'bout your dad and P'Aon? Are they comin'?"

"Dad's on a flight, and P'Aon's tied up with work."

"What about your friends?"

"Thon said he's stuck in traffic. Nhai and Ai will arrive a minute before the monks. Naay and P'Lit are out front, waiting to invite the monks in."

Understanding, Akara nodded and followed Intha to check on the arrangements. They inspected the altar table, the monks' seats, the fans, the holy water bowl and the offering sets. He couldn't help but think that after making merit and taking the Five Precepts today, they'd probably break them in a few days.

Precept No. 5: No Intoxicants... only for now.

"Naay just texted that the monks have arrived, and Nhai said he's here too," Intha said, glancing at his phone before looking up to inform Akara.

"So, what do we do next? Oh man, I'm so confused 'bout this merit-making stuff," Akara said, spinning around in place, looking lost. Intha chuckled at his lover's cluelessness, then grabbed his lover's tattooed hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze to ease his nerves.

"Just follow my lead."

"I'm puttin' my trust-and my heart-in your hands."

"With pleasure."

Akara nodded, taking a deep breath to calm himself. He let Intha drag him around, sitting through the monks' chanting, offering food, presenting the offerings, pouring water, receiving holy water, and finally sending the monks back to the temple. And with that, the ceremony was complete.

But it left them utterly exhausted. Intha was drenched in sweat, his back soaked. After seeing Intha's mom and Ong off, who excused themselves to head home, the heat-prone Intha went upstairs to change, promising to join them for dinner once he was ready. Akara, who wasn't as sweaty as Intha, stayed at the dining table with Intha's friends. Here we go. P'Thon was pickin' a fight with me again, and this time, P'Nhai was joinin' in. They were gangin' up on me, as usual.

"Eung, did you know that In already has kids?" Chen-Nhai teased, opening the topic. Akara rolled his eyes before narrowing them at Chen-Nhai.

"A dozen," Thon-hon added.

"What are you two talkin' about? A dozen? Are we talkin' about kids or members of a football team?"

Do you think I believe that Hia has kids? No way. From the few times I've met P'Thon and P'Nhai, I've learned not to take anything they say seriously. The only one who makes any sense is P'Naay. Only P'Naay.

"Hey, don't take it lightly. Someone said they've seen In's kids. They said when he walks, his kids follow him in a line."

"..."

This was getting weird. When Akara glanced at Lyares, he gave him a faint smile. Even Lalit, the handsome one, returned the same faint smile.

"Be careful when you're lying in bed, Eung. Watch out for In's kids shaking your leg, saying, 'Let's play! Let's play!

"The kids you're talking about aren't human, are they? Like spirit children or something?" Akara finally pieced it together. These guys are something else, making me retranslate just to understand their jokes.

"Exactly! So scary."

"Alright, scary or not, I get it. How 'bout you guys eat some golden desserts for good luck?" Akara said, handing over a plate of traditional Thai sweets to Chen-Nhai. Chen-hai exchanged a glance with Thon-hon. 

"Why are you lookin' at me like that? Is there something wrong with me?"

"Aren't you afraid of ghosts?"

"No. I've even dealt with a banana tree spirit before."

"Wait, but In said you're terrified of ghosts," Thon-hon muttered. Jao-naay, who had been yawning for a while, finally spoke up.

"I told you, whenever In talks, you have to use your discretion. And when did In tell you all this?"

"When he called to invite us to the housewarming, of course. That sneaky brat. He said his Eung-eung is so scared of ghosts that he has to climb into his arms before bed, saying, 'Hia, hold me. I'm scared of ghosts. Don't leave me" I got chills just listening to him. I was so annoyed I planned with Thon to mess with Eung here," Chen-Nhai explained, pouting at Akara. Thon-hon nodded. "And Eung's face really does look like he's scared of ghosts."

"Did he really say that?" Akara scratched his forehead. Yeah, you really gotta use discretion. "I'm not scared of ghosts. At night, I don't climb into his arms because by the time we're done making love, it's already morning. There's no time to be scared of ghosts. Afterwards, we just sleep back-to-back." Ptuuuuu! Chonlatee choked on his drink, and Thon-hon immediately covered his young boyfriend's ears.

"Don't listen to him," Thon-hon said.

"Because you're the same, right, Thon-hon?"

"Shut up, Nhai."

"What's your problem, yelling at me, huh, Thon-hon? Did you forget how I helped you get together with Chonlatee?"

"Oh wow, now you're bringing up favours?"

"Thon-hon, you idiot."

"You're crazy."

"Let's take this outside. Come on, don't stop me. Don't pull me back... Don't!" 

Chen-Nhai pretended to roll up his sleeves, yanking his arm away from an imaginary grip. He was probably being held back by thin air-or maybe by Intha's invisible spirit kids.

"I'm not even holding you, Nhai."

"Seriously, lyares, aren't you going to stop me? I'm about to fight Thon-hon here."

"I've never seen you actually fight, though," Iyares shrugged, pulling a plate of sweets closer, stabbing a piece with a fork, dipping it in sauce, and eating it. Uh… I no longer doubted that P'Ai liked weird things. Even his food choices were strange.

"When is In comin' down? I miss my man already," Akara said, losing interest in Intha's friends. He glanced toward the house, wondering when Intha would come down. He didn't have to wait long. Intha, now dressed casually, appeared, smiling widely as he walked straight to the table. He draped an arm over Akara's shoulder and sat down in the chair next to him.

"What's there to eat? I'm starving."

"Thong yod with dipping sauce."

"Don't you dare pour sauce on them, Ai. No! My precious thong yod," Intha said, his mouth twitching as he watched lyares drizzle sauce onto the plate of sweets. "Should I tell your dad about this?"

"Don't. And you should get used to it. I've been eating like this forever."

In truth, Intha was already used to Lyares' strange eating habits. Seeing his friend enjoy the food so much put him at ease. He turned his attention to finding a plate of rice instead. There wasn't one on the table. Akara noticed too and was about to get up to fetch one for Intha, but Intha pressed him back into his seat.

"No need, no need. Just use your plate."

"It's already dirty."

"I don't mind when it's my wifey's."

"Didn't the words 'wifey' and 'hubby' make your skin crawl?"

From the time Jao-naay had been with Lalit, he couldn't recall ever calling his partner 'hubby.' It just felt...odd. Hearing it made him feel a certain way he couldn't quite describe. It was awkward, to say the least.

"P'Lit, just indulge Naay a little. He's asking because he secretly wants his hubby to call him that. It's obvious."

"My wifey," Lalit said, following Intha's suggestion, smiling with his eyes as well.

"You don't have to do everything my friends tell you, you know."

": )"

"Don't smile. I..."

"Complain about your hubby too much, and he might leave you," Intha teased.

"You know I'm not complaining about you, right? I mean... I'm just saying. Never mind, forget it."

For someone as composed as Jao-naay, when he spoke, it was surprisingly endearing. It made him seem like someone you'd want to tease. His aura practically screamed, 'Tease me!'

"When's the shop reopening?" P'Thon suddenly interrupted the atmosphere with his question. Intha, having just finished chewing, took a sip of water before answering.

"Thursday. It's an auspicious day."

"Hard to believe you've become a bar owner-and a successful one at that."

"Is anything in life ever certain? The truth is, the only certainty is uncertainty. Perfection is imperfection."

"Oh great, now my hubby's possessed by the spirit of a preacher. I think I'll excuse myself to check on the kitchen," Akara joked, laughing as he massaged Intha's neck, which had started to tense.

"Don't go yet. Stay so I can show off my wifey to my friends."

"Show off what? You haven't even cleared up the ghost story you spread about me yet."

"Oh no, I've been caught gossiping about Eung-eung out of love behind his back."

"Puffin' your cheeks cutely won't help. I'll whip you for being so naughty and fooling people."

"What will you use to whip me with?"

"Does it really need to be that detailed?"

"I was just asking."

"Talkin' to you gives me a headache. So, do you actually have kids or not?"

"What kids?" Intha pulled Akara onto his lap, ignoring the eye rolls from the group of friends. Snuggle, snuggle. Love, love my wifey.

"Spirit children. P'Nhai said you're raising some."

"Nhai, have you ever seen my spirit children?" Intha turned to ask his friend.

"Never," Chen-Nhai shrugged, then buried his head in his own hubby's chest. A jealous little brat, he couldn't stand seeing others being sweet without joining in.

"I've tried to get some, but I've never actually seen them."

"How many do you have... I mean, how many statues?"

"A dozen, maybe more. I can't remember."

"Tell your spirit kids I'm not acceptin' them as mine. If they come, I'll turn into the evil stepmother."

"Did you hear that, kids? Mommy doesn't love you. Poor you."

"Damn it, Intha, that's creepy. Can you not talk to the air? It's giving me goosebumps," Thon-hon said, crossing his arms and glaring as he scooted closer to Chonlatee. He was terrified of ghosts, and Intha knew it well. Yet, Intha still had to talk as if someone was right next to him. Or maybe the spirit children really were there...

"Just teasing you, and you're already scared? There's no such thing. In this world, nothing is scarier than people themselves."

"Amen."

Guess who said that? Not me, Eung-eung, for sure. It was Chonlatee. He even clasped his hands in a respectful wai after saying it. I can't tell if he was being sarcastic or genuinely respectful, but he seemed sincere. His eyes sparkled with admiration. No, don't do it. Don't admire someone like Hia In...No, run away. Run away! P'Thon, grab your wifey and run!

Intha's friends stayed to help until the organisers and the kitchen staff had packed everything up. Even Narisa, the drama queen, waved goodbye to Akara, saying she'd drop by again if she had time. And so, the house returned to peace once more. Intha was asleep on the sofa, while Akara sat nearby, playing a game on his phone. The bar's front door was wide open, letting in the warm summer breeze. Both of them were shirtless, their upper bodies sticky with sweat, despite the large fan blowing to keep the heat at bay.

Akara glanced up when Intha shifted, but it seemed he wasn't waking up-just turning over to find a more comfortable position. He must've been exhausted. Last night, Intha barely got any sleep, and he'd been running around all morning for the house blessing ceremony. Akara let time pass without doing much. Once in a while, doing nothing felt pretty good. No rush, no competition. An empty mind allowed his body to relax.

Inside the house, music played softly to keep the silence from being too overwhelming. Of course, Akara loved the bar, but at this moment, he loved the house even more. Having a home. Having someone you love in that home. It was pure happiness. That's all life really needed.

"Ugh, it's so hot," came a groggy voice from the person shifting on the narrow sofa again. Intha tossed the shirt he'd been using to block the light onto the floor. His beautiful eyes slowly fluttered open, catching sight of Akara sitting not far away. Akara glanced at him briefly before returning his attention to the game on his phone.

"What time is it?"

"Five o'clock."

"Wow, I slept for a while." He sat up, wiping the sweat off his body, and grabbed a bottle of water to refresh himself. Even the water became hot. Yep, Thai summers are no joke.

"What do you want for dinner?"

"Let's make shabu. I've been craving it for days."

"Alright, no objections. Don't cry now. Wipe those tears. There, there."

"Like hell. I was just yawning," Intha said, yawning so hard that tears streamed down his face, prompting Akara to tease him. Intha picked up the shirt from the floor and threw it at Akara, who had just set his phone down beside him. Akara wasn't mad. He even laughed as he tossed the shirt back.

"Turn on the AC for me~"

"Electricity isn't cheap, y'know."

"It's hot."

"I know. I'm sitting here waiting for the ice cream truck. It should pass by soon. If you hear its music, yell for it, okay?"

"Why do I have to yell?"

"Because if I yell, it wouldn't look graceful."

"...

"Practice with me. Follow my lead. Ice creeeeam!"

"Ice creeeeam! Ugh, my throat." He flopped back onto the sofa lazily after shouting for ice cream. Napping in this heat wasn't working out. "I feel dizzy."

"Want some cold water? I'll get it for you." 

Seeing Intha's pale face, Akara noticed him nodding. Akara got up and returned with a glass of water and some juice. Intha gulped down the water, splashing some on his face as well. He felt much better, his complexion brightening significantly.

"I dreamt about that song from this morning."

"What song?"

"The one that goes, 'Do you remember, the 21st night of September?''

"Oh, September by Earth, Wind & Fire. That's an old one."

"It suits the bar, though. You should play it. Add it to the playlist for opening day."

"What about my Thai folk music?"

"Just enjoy this song for now."

"You seem grumpy, didn't sleep enough, huh?"

"I'm not grumpy at you, okay?"

"Such a sharp tone."

Akara scrunched his face at Intha before walking over to the sound system. He selected the song, and soon the peaceful atmosphere shifted.

"As we danced in the night, remember… The song played, blending with the twilight ambience of Chermchey. Yeah... It's kinda vibin. Definitely adding it to the playlist later.

"Oh, I hear the ice cream truck!" Intha suddenly sprang to his feet. His face, now fully awake, looked gentle and kind, though his hairstyle still looked sharp from being styled earlier in the morning. It was like seeing a glimpse of his idealised hubby back in Taiwan. But that polite man wasn't coming back anymore. Once you reveal your true self to someone, it's hard to go back to how things were. It's crazy... Who is this guy? Give me back my hubby!

"Ice creeeeam! Uncle! Stop right there! Over here!"

Damn, he shouts so loudly. The front gate had been left open since morning, so the ice cream truck turned in and parked exclusively for them. Oh man, this is so embarrassing. Intha turned to smile at Akara, completely unbothered, as he grabbed the shirt that had been tossed around and slung it over his shoulder. 

Barefoot, he walked outside. Akara followed, and soon the shirtless couple was bent over, picking out ice cream. They chuckled as the ice cream man sang along to the song playing in the background. Intha found it so funny that he bought out the entire stock, though he only ate half of an orange twin popsicle himself. He handed the other half to Akara. It seemed like after today, Akara would have enough ice cream stocked up to last for days.

Barefoot, Akara wandered around the front yard, licking his popsicle while waiting for Intha to store the rest of the ice cream inside. The sun was setting, the sky replaced by a crescent moon. The bar signs around them lit up, including the one for their bar. Even though the bar hadn't officially reopened yet, Intha and Akara decided to turn on the front lights. They were making a comeback.

"Put on a shirt. We're going to the market. I'm starving."

The tank top that had been tossed aside was thrown at Akara, who caught it just in time. Hearing that they were heading to the market, he quickly put on the shirt Intha had thrown to him. Intha slid onto the motorcycle, pulling up close to his lover. He stole a quick kiss on Akara's cheek before starting the engine.

"Is there ice cream on my face?"

"No, you're good. I locked up inside the house. You just need to close the main gate."

"Hia."

"What?"

"Our bar sign is really beautiful."

"Of course, it's the best in the neighbourhood."

"...Sure, the best."

"Let's go, Eung. The house isn't going anywhere."

Akara stood still, gazing at the bar sign, until Intha nudged him gently to bring him back. He couldn't quite understand why Akara suddenly chuckled and nodded.

"That's right. The house isn't going anywhere. Through good times or bad, it's always here."

That's true. Beyond being a bar built with love, this place was also a home. Their home his and Intha's.

"I'm like the house, too."

"How so?"

"Through good times or bad, I'll never leave you."

"You're gettin' cheesier by the day."

"Well, you said it first."

"So it's my fault?"

"Whoa, no, not your fault. Who would dare blame Eung-eung? I'd smack their mouth."

"Start by smackin' your own mouth first."

Akara laughed brightly. He pushed the motorcycle. Intha had already started out to the front of the house, then dashed back inside to grab his shoes before hurrying to close the gate. Should he say goodbye to the house? Probably not. They'd only be gone for a little while. They'd be back soon.

Whether it's a good time or a bad one, don't go anywhere, okay?

Love you, Chermchey. :)

THE END