Special Chapter 4 - Fulfill That Oath.

Let's rewind to the beginning of Akara and Intha's love story for a moment. It's still a bit hazy, but there's a memory of flying to Taiwan and making an oath to the gods, asking for a perfect hubby. Well, it seemed like the wish had been granted. And now, they had to fulfil that oath, right? Right?

Akara had long forgotten about the vow, but the one who reminded him to go back and fulfil it was Intha. Though, honestly, Akara suspected Intha just wanted an excuse to travel. Still, Akara didn't argue or protest. He simply went along with Intha, letting him handle booking the accommodations and flights.

Once the travel dates were confirmed, Intha dragged Akara out to buy new clothes. The first thing packed into his bag was his trusty monk's satchel. Intha said he wanted to reminisce about the day they first met. Did Intha even realise that Akara could never see him the same way again? No matter how much he wanted to see that innocent version of Intha, he had to accept that those days were gone.

"Eung, how about this shirt? Let's get matching ones."

"Looks good, it's cute. But isn't it a bit much? We're only goin' for a few days."

"Better to buy it and not need it than to want it and not buy it."

"Arguin' with you is exhausting," Akara blinked a few times, giving in. Fine, if you want it, just get it.

"Alright then." Intha tossed two identical shirts into the basket, then hooked the basket onto his arm and nodded for Akara to follow. They stopped at the women's accessories section.

"Why are we here?"

"Looking for hair clips."

"Are you sure? Or are you just checking out that pretty girl over there?" Akara pouted, gesturing toward a beautiful woman browsing nearby. His sharp eyes glared at Intha suspiciously.

"I didn't even notice her. Haven't looked at anyone since I got my fierce wifey."

"I'm fierce?"

"Very. You're ruthless, never holding back. Eight of my ribs are broken already," Intha said with a pitiful expression, making up a story to tease Akara. He loved seeing Akara get all worked up.

"That's not true. You're the one who's always fierce with me." 

"I'm reporting you to the authorities."

"You're crazy. I don't wanna talk to you anymore."

"Don't run away just yet. Come here." Intha grabbed Akara's arm as he tried to walk off, spinning him around to face him. He brushed aside the strands of hair falling over Akara's forehead and clipped them back with a sparkly heart-shaped hair clip.

"Our faces are practically touchin'. Step back a bit, it's embarrassin'."

"You're so cute. My heart's racing."

"Hia..."

"I'm buying this for you. And the star and seashell ones, too." Intha didn't seem to care that they were drawing attention. He was too focused on adorning Akara's head with hair clips, finding it adorable, before moving on to pick out more designs. Akara pressed his lips together. Intha had just called him cute. Alright, time to check the mirror. But instead of seeing a little princess, the reflection showed someone far from that image.

"Do you think if I walk around the mall with this clip, I'll get beaten up?"

"If anyone tries to pick a fight, don't worry. I'll protect you." Akara felt Intha's chin rest on his shoulder as he whispered softly, just for the two of them to hear.

"When I'm with you, I feel like a cutie pie."

"That's a good thing, isn't it?"

"I'm wearin' this clip when we go fulfil the oath in Taiwan."

"Sounds good."

"I'm so lucky to have you. I feel so lucky that sayin' it a million times wouldn't be enough." Intha smiled shyly, ruffling Akara's soft hair before pulling him close for a cuddle.

"I'm lucky... to have you, too."

Just like that, they quickly packed up and flew across the sea to Taiwan. This time, they planned better and arrived during the day. After settling into their hotel, they headed straight to the temple to fulfil the vow. Intha suggested visiting Longshan Temple at night, saying the lights were beautiful and the weather cooler. Akara had to admit, the temple lights at night were truly stunning.

He wasn't as overwhelmed as the first time he visited, probably because he had a travel companion this time -a well-groomed Intha, looking every bit the hubby Akara had wished for. Akara followed Intha's lead in fulfilling the oath. He didn't remember all the steps, but once the ritual was complete, Intha dragged him to the Tiger Gate, where there were shops selling charms. Akara decided to pick up a charm for his bag, and Intha kindly explained what each one was for.

Most of them were love-related. This one makes your hubby love you more. This one makes your hubby obsessed with you. This one makes your hubby incredibly handsome. This one... well, let's just say it's for a very thirsty hubby. I think I might've been tricked by Hia.

In the end, Akara chose a charm based on his favourite colour rather than Intha's suggestions. He waited as Intha threaded the charm onto his phone, taking the opportunity to snap some photos of the temple surroundings. He posted an Instagram story, sneakily capturing Intha threading the charm to make it look unintentional. But his friends still flooded his DMs, accusing him of showing off his hubby. Well, if you've got it, flaunt it. Who's going to stop me?

"Where are we going next?" Akara asked as Intha handed his phone back. He noticed that Intha had also threaded a charm onto his own phone, matching Akara's in a cute, couple-y way.

"Where do you want to go? A restaurant or street food?"

"The latter sounds good."

"Alright, I'll take you for wieners and clams."

"You're so dirty."

"Intha paused, confused about what he'd said wrong. He was literally thinking about food Akara might like. He swore he wasn't being dirty. Wieners were just sausages, and clams were just grilled clams.

"Suggesting things like that... unbelievable."

"I swear I wasn't thinking anything inappropriate. You're the one with the dirty mind."

To prove his innocence, Intha showed Akara pictures of Taiwanese sausages and skewered clams. Akara squinted at him suspiciously...

"Unbelievable. You're the dirty one, Eung. Your mind went there before mine did."

Whack!

"Ouch!"

Akara smacked Intha's arm, unsure if he was angry or embarrassed. The Taiwanese locals turned to look, intrigued by the couple's playful spat.

"Hia!"

"What about me?"

"You always tease me. Fine, let's go eat sausages and clams. I won't say anything else." Akara pouted adorably, stomping off in mock annoyance. It felt like a scene from a Bollywood movie, with Akara dodging Intha's attempts to grab him.

"If you dodge one more time, you're not sleeping tonight."

"Uh," Akara stopped, no longer dodging. Intha's face had turned serious, his stern hubby mode kicking in. But that was just a facade. Intha would never truly be mean to Akara. As soon as Akara stood still, Intha grabbed his hand, intertwining their fingers. His furrowed brows relaxed, and his mood lightened.

"Earlier, when I prayed, I asked for us to always be happy together."

"I asked for the same thing. I think this temple's blessings are pretty powerful, don't you think?" Akara said, letting Intha lead him while glancing back at the temple one last time. He saw the temple roof, the lights, the bustling crowd, the chaos.

"What is it?"

"I'm just happy right now. I made the wish, and now I'm happy."

"You're still as cheeky as ever," Intha said, pinching Akara's cheek and locking eyes with him. Then Akara flashed a sweet smile.

"And do you like it?"

"I love it."

"This world is full of strange things. How did we even meet?"

"No idea."

"Do you believe in destiny?"

"No. I think meeting someone you like isn't hard. What's hard is keeping the love alive."

"You just have to feed it with wieners."

"Eung... I think..."

"What?"

"I think we're not on the same page."

Akara chuckled softly as Intha finished speaking. He let Intha lead him across the street back to the subway station. Intha positioned himself on the side where the cars were coming, just like that day. He taught Akara things, just like that day. Took him out, fed him...Almost everything was the same. Except for their relationship, they were now together as lovers, no longer strangers to each other.

Saying 'lucky' a million times wouldn't be enough.

Saying 'I love you' a million times wouldn't be enough.

Saying 'thank you' a million times wouldn't be enough.

Now, Akara believed that those who give their all to love will always receive good love in return.