Chem Chey: English Translation.
Lunch ended around 3:30 PM. As they walked out of the restaurant, Intha asked Akara where he'd prefer to go next. Another temple or a stroll through a trendy shopping district for young people.
Of course, Akara chose the latter. One temple was enough... It was hot. Not the weather kind of hot, but the kind of heat that comes from being a sinner-it burned. Intha didn't argue, though he did roll his eyes slightly at Akara's reasoning. Leading the way, he took Akara back to the subway. Ximending was the destination he had in mind.
"Can I ask you somethin'? Which hotel are you stayin' at?" Akara asked while standing in the subway car, holding onto the overhead rail. Intha, engrossed in his phone, barely looked up.
"XX Hotel."
"For real?"
"Why would I lie to you?" Intha raised an eyebrow slightly, finally looking up before tucking his phone back into his bag.
"I didn't say you were lyin'. I'm just surprised... we're stayin' at the same place."
"What floor?"
"I'm on the sixth floor, room 652. What about you?"
"Seventh."
"In seventh heaven?"
"Can you not drag me into your sex jokes for once?" Intha said, raising his hand and placing it firmly on the back of Akara's neck. He applied a bit of pressure, as if to scold him, before massaging the nape of his neck with deliberate firmness. Akara must've understood the message because Intha noticed the fine hairs on Akara's arm standing on end, his light-colored arm hair sticking up.
"You okay? I'm just touching you lightly, and you're already getting goosebumps. Not so tough, huh?"
"Stop... don't touch me. Don't give me hope if you don't mean it, Hia. I'm the type to get my hopes up."
"Hmph." Intha released his grip easily, glancing up at Akara with a coquettish look. The latter's tattooed arm reached up to rub the back of his own neck, his eyes darting around awkwardly. Akara hesitated, unsure of what Inha's actions meant. It's fine. Stay calm.
"My neck feels all warm now."
"Weak."
"Not weak. I'm ready... but why do you look annoyed? Somethin' wrong?" Akara asked, noticing the frown on Intha's face earlier while he was on his phone. It seemed like something was bothering him… Could it be an ex...?
"Just irritated. My friend asked me to bring back bottled milk tea from a convenience store. Every flavour, every scent, every colour. Don't you think that's insane?"
"If it's just one bottle of each, then no. Maybe your friend really loves tea," Akara offered his opinion. The subway car was getting more crowded, forcing the two tall men to stand closer together. Despite trying to imagine themselves as petite little things, it didn't help much.
"They want two bottles of each. And they're in Canada, with no plans to come back anytime soon. Probably staying until they get citizenship. My fridge runs on electricity, you know. Asking me to hold onto it indefinitely? That's grounds for a beating."
"Your friend's abroad, and you travel abroad often... what do you guys do for a livin'? You seem well-off."
"I work in the skies."
"You're a bird?"
"Sure thing," Intha said, closing his eyes briefly to suppress the urge to smack Akara. He opened them again as they neared their destination. "I'm unemployed now. Forget about work. We're here... time to get off."
Grabbing Akara's wrist firmly, Intha pushed his way through the crowd toward the exit. Akara, being pulled along, walked comfortably as the larger man cleared a path for him.
"Are you a flight attendant? I used to want to be a flight attendant, too. Like this: Dear passengers, please be informed that we're now landin'... in hell.'"
"Stop! Just stick to selling alcohol, trust me. And by the way, Eung, don't I look more like someone who used to be a pilot?"
"You look like you work in a temple."
"Eung-eung..." Intha tightened his grip on Akara's wrist, stopping abruptly to face him. Then he reached out with his large hand to pinch Akara's chubby cheeks, stretching them out.
When he let go, Akara immediately cupped his face with his hands, his cheeks bright red. His lips moved as if muttering curses, his eyes glaring in annoyance.
"That hurt!"
"Kammuna wattatiloko... all sentient beings abide by the law of karma."
".."
"Just kidding," Intha said, sticking out his tongue when he saw Akara's stern expression. He didn't even understand why he was acting this way.
"Did it hurt? Sorry. Let me make it up to you..." Akara shook his head, then grinned.
"Alright, I'm not mad anymore. I want a cigarette now. Where can I buy one?"
"I'll take you... I want one as well. Haven't smoked in a while."
“Me too, both smokin' cigarettes and... suckin' men off."
"Eung-eung..."
"Yes?"
"You're too witty for your own good."
"What does that even mean?"
"Figure it out yourself."
They started walking again, this time without any physical contact. Their conversation continued intermittently, like an icebreaker between two people trying to get to know each other better.
"So, were you really a pilot? Do you have any pictures? I wanna see."
"I do." After a moment of hesitation, Intha pulled out his phone as they exited the subway station and showed Akara a photo.
"Cool, right?"
"Hmm...?" Akara glanced back and forth between the screen and the man in front of him. The guy in the photo looked worlds apart from the casual Intha standing before him. Straight posture, broad shoulders, neatly styled hair, and a sharp face with a slight smile. The pilot uniform only added to his commanding presence. Seein' casual Intha might make you want him as a hubby...But seein' pilot Intha? Damn, I want him to ravage me.
"You look handsome."
"That's probably the best I've ever looked in my life."
"And this guy in the photo with you, is he your friend?"
"Yeah. I used to have a picture with my ex as my wallpaper, but after we broke up, I didn't know what to use, so I just put this one with my friend."
When he pressed the home button, the photo disappeared, and the main screen returned. Intha locked his phone without elaborating on his friend.
"The guy with the eyebrow piercin' is hot."
"You got sharp eyes."
"He looks a bit taller than you, right? Totally my type. Does he have a boyfriend?"
"His boyfriend's about this tall," Intha said, gesturing to chin height with a blank expression. What does Thon have that I don't?!
"Aww, I wanted him so bad."
"Most of my friends are taken, but there's one single guy left. Want me to set you up with him as a placeholder?"
"Who?" Akara's eyes widened as he leaned closer to Inta's phone, which now displayed the lock screen again.
"This guy..." Intha pointed to himself in the photo.
"Oh... this guy. I kinda want him too, but I'm afraid he's not interested." Akara glanced up with a challenging gaze. He was sure he wasn't imagining it. He caught a glimpse of Intha smirking, his eyes glinting mischievously, before shrugging and walking off in another direction. At first, Akara wasn't sure if the other was flirting or just teasing... but after that?
Intha was pretty straightforward.
Fire and gasoline... this is gonna burn.
"Where are you goin', Hia? Wait for me!"
"Getting you cigarettes. Then I'll take you for bubble tea and fried chicken. If you don't try them, you can't say you've been to Taiwan."
"You're treatin' me?"
"Yes."
Yes...
When he says 'yes,' it sounds so goddamn gentle.
Standing in a designated smoking area, Akara looked around before his eyes landed on Intha, who was walking toward him. In one hand, he held a cup of bubble tea, and in the other, a box of fried chicken. At well over 180cm, Intha stood out. His quirky outfit only added to his unique personality... It was captivatingly odd!
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"I'm hungry for bubble tea and chicken,"
Akara said, shaking his head to deny he was mentally sizing up the taller man. He reached out to take the bubble tea. "I usually only drink liquor and beer. Let's see what this tea is all about."
"It's probably sweet."
Akara took a sıp...
"...It's really sweet. Buyin' bubble tea today comes with a free case of diabetes. Delicious enough to lose a leg over," the younger man grimaced, unused to the sweetness. He stuck out his tongue to lick his lips, then took a drag from his cigarette to wash away the taste.
"I don't usually like sweet stuff either," Intha said. Seeing Akara's reaction, he leaned down to take a sip from the same straw… Same straw. Then he grabbed Akara's cigarette and took a drag to counter the sweetness... it was so sweet it burned his throat.
"Maybe sweet things just aren't for us," Akara remarked.
"Probably not."
"How many cups did you buy?"
"Just one. If you don't like it, toss it." Intha kept the cigarette he'd taken, inhaling deeply and ignoring the bubble tea. Instead, he turned his attention to the bustling surroundings. The lights from tall buildings and shops illuminated the area as natural light faded. The streets were crowded with people jostling each other on the narrow roads.
"Bubble tea's a no-go... let me try the chicken," Akara said, taking the box of hot fried chicken since Intha's hands were occupied with the cigarette. "Let me play food critic for a bit."
"I've had this before. It's not bad. I got the spicy version for you since I noticed you added a lot of chilli to your shabu sauce. Figured you might like spicy food."
"Yup, I like it hot." Akara bit into a chicken wing with a loud crunch, chewing while glancing at Intha. His expression turned thoughtful as he swallowed and began his critique.
"This is decent. The spicy-sweet flavour isn't too harsh, but it's a bit salty from reused oil. The cook seems confident in their sweet-spicy glaze since there's no dipping sauce or extra condiments. Honestly, though, I miss Hat Yai fried chicken with sauce and crispy shallots."
"Sticky rice, too?"
"Definitely." Akara nodded enthusiastically, grabbing another piece of chicken.
"You've got quite the appetite."
"Totally, I get hungry often."
"Let me know when you're full, and I'll take you for a walk," Intha said, tossing his finished cigarette into the trash. He slung the strap of his bag over his neck, shifting it around as his shoulders started to ache. He swung merrily, as he often did, and when he noticed Akara watching, he quipped, "This is an amulet, monk's bag edition."
"It's not losin' its sacredness 'cause of others. It's losin' it 'cause of you."
"I'm just swinging it around. It's not going to lose its power that easily."
"Sure~ After the walk, should we just head back to the hotel? I'm gettin' tired. We walked a lot at the temple this mornin', then on the subway, not to mention wanderin' around like an idiot before I ran into you." Akara shifted his feet as his legs started to ache. He continued munching on his chicken with such enthusiasm that Intha couldn't resist grabbing a piece for himself.
"I thought you'd want to hit a club next," Intha inquired curiously.
"Nah, I'm over it. I'd rather wander around the convenience store near the hotel."
"Convenience store?"
"Why not? When I'm stressed, like walking around convenience stores. I went into one this mornin' and really liked it. I didn't even get to explore the whole place."
"Suit yourself. Are you full yet?"
"Just one more piece. As for this bubble tea... I'll take a picture for Instagram and carry it around like it's cool."
Intha didn't comment. He figured Akara was just stating what he wanted to do, not actually asking for his opinion. Sure enough, as soon as he finished speaking, Akara tossed the empty chicken box into the trash, wiped his hands on his pants, and pulled out his phone... for a selfie.
"Can I follow you on Instagram?"
"It's the same name as my bar. My account's public."
"Your LINE is named after your bar, and your Instagram, too?™
"Yup. That's how much I love my place. Think about it," Akara said with a wide grin, tucking his phone back into his pocket. He stepped closer to Intha and then started walking down the lit-up street, aimlessly leading the way.
"You're going to get lost," Intha said, grabbing Akara's wrist. The taller man, standing at over 180 cm, suddenly seemed to shrink to 165 cm when the words 'you're going to get lost left Intha's mouth.
"I won't."
"No. I can't let you wander off."
You're already dowdy enough.
"What?"
"I don't know."
"Then don't let go. Hold on tight."
Intha tightened his grip in response, not bothering to look back at Akara. He let the latter do as he pleased, following him into whichever shops caught his interest. By the time they returned to the area near the hotel, all the malls and stores had closed. They'd spent more time at Ximending than expected, leaving their legs feeling weak and tired. They ended up dragging themselves into a 24-hour convenience store to grab some food before heading back to rest. I love late-night snacks.
"What do you want to eat?... This lime-flavoured Lay's is good," Intha suggested, dropping his favourite snack into the basket Akara was holding. ''I pay. I'll cover yours, too, so stop giving me that look."
"I didn't even say anythin'. I was just lookin' at what you put in... So, which bubble tea flavour did your friend ask you to buy? Is it tasty? I wanna try it."
"It's alright. Not too sweet. The pink one's good." Intha pointed to the bottled bubble tea his friend had requested. He was dumbstruck when Akara started sweeping every flavour into the basket. "They don't give out bags here. How are you going to carry all that back?"
"I trust your monk's bag will fit it all."
"What?! Monk's bag. It's a 'monk's bag,' girlie."
"If we keep a pure heart, a monk's bag is just an eco-friendly cloth bag."
"That's so sinful."
"What did you say? I didn't hear you."
"Nothing. I didn't say anything," Intha mumbled, unable to argue. Akara seemed too determined, and there was no point in trying to stop him. All Intha could do was stand there and watch.
He watched as Akara grabbed more snacks, completely ignoring him as he stood awkwardly nearby.
So... uh, Intha wandered off to grab some condoms and lube.
Uh... just in case something unexpected happened.
Uh... paid for it.
Uh... tapped his smart card, and it was done.
Uh.... oh crap, Akara turned around and saw.
"What did you buy?!"
"Gum," Intha blurted, quickly shoving the suspicious items into his monk's bag.
Uh...
"Why didn't you pay for it with mine?"
"I don't know..."
"Are you trippin'?"
"Tripping, my ass. Just pick whatever snacks you want. This one's good, too."
Fuck! My monk's bag...
My monk's bag... now holding a box of condoms.
Intha glanced at the box of condoms lying at the bottom of the cloth bag, blinking intelligently as he tried to console himself. If we keep a pure heart, a sacred monk's bag... is just an eco-friendly cloth bag