KNOT.

Chapter 11 - Gift.

Late that same morning, Ongsa's café was still a little quieter than usual. The morning rush had only just faded, leaving behind the rich scent of freshly roasted coffee, mingled with the warm aroma of pastries just out of the oven. The atmosphere inside the café felt soft and safe, exactly as it should. But the person who pushed the door open at that moment carried uneasiness with him from head to toe.

 

Saengnuea stepped inside more hurriedly than usual. His sweet, delicate face looked slightly dimmed, and his beautiful eyes swept around the café as if searching for someone the second he entered. When he did not see the person he wanted to meet, he immediately turned toward Ongsa, who was standing behind the counter.

 

"P'Ongsa," he called softly, quieter than usual, but the worry in his voice was unmistakable. 

 

"Is P'Phatsa here?"

 

Ongsa looked up from the coffee cup in his hand before shaking his head lightly.

 

"He's not here"

 

That answer made Saengnuea freeze on the spot. Disappointment flashed across his face so clearly that it was impossible to miss. Anyone looking at him could easily guess that he had not come here to buy coffee or casually say hello.

 

"I can't reach P'Phatsa at all," he continued, pressing his lips together slightly. "Since last night."

 

Ongsa went still for a moment before answering in a calm, unharsh voice.

 

"Phatsa has moved to stay at an acquaintance's house for now." He slowly set the cup down. "He's probably a  little busy."

 

Saengnuea blinked slowly, as if trying to process the answer. Once he understood, his face looked even gloomier than before.

 

"Oh.."

 

He lowered his gaze to his own fingertips for a moment before speaking again, his voice quiet, like someone trying hard to make himself look as if he was fine.

 

"I was going to ask P'Phatsa to go watch a movie with me."

 

Ongsa frowned immediately. Not because he did not understand the other boy's feelings, but because this was not a time when Saengnuea should be going anywhere. He looked silently at the young man in front of him for two seconds before asking directly, "You're close to your heat cycle, aren't you?"

 

Saengnuea froze slightly, then looked away instead of answering. That reaction alone was enough for Ongsa. He let out a quiet sigh, the kind that came from already knowing the answer, before speaking in a more serious tone.

 

"Then that's even more reason not to go anywhere. You should stay home."

 

Saengnuea quickly looked up almost immediately, his expression clearly ready to argue.

 

"But I'm wearing a proper collar."

 

He lifted his hand to lightly touch the collar hidden beneath his shirt, as if using it as proof to defend himself.

 

"And if I go with P'Phatsa, there shouldn't be anything to worry about," he continued a little faster. "P'Phatsa can help me. He's probably an alpha."

 

That sentence made Ongsa go still for a fraction of a second. It was not because he was shocked that Saengnuea thought Phatsa was an alpha. He knew very well that most people would naturally assume that, especially given Phatsa's personality, which did not look like that of a typical omega. But that was not the problem. The problem was that Phatsa was not an alpha. And in his current state, he could barely take care of himself. How was he supposed to help look after another omega who was close to heat?

 

So Ongsa could only press the whole truth down inside his chest and answer carefully. "Even with a collar, that doesn't mean you're one hundred per cent safe."

 

Saengnuea didn't seem ready to accept that so easily. "But I-"

 

"Saengnuea." Ongsa called his name softly, but with enough weight to make the other boy fall silent at once.

 

"I'm not joking," he said slowly and clearly. 

 

"When you're close to heat, you need to be more careful than usual. If you go outside and something happens, it won't be worth it."

Saengnuea pressed his lips together even tighter. His eyes made it clear that the other boy was truly unsteady, even if he won, like someone who wanted to argue because he was disappointed.

 

"I just wanted to watch a movie..." he murmured. "I wasn't trying to do anything risky."

 

Hearing that, Ongsa's heart softened a little. Because in the end, the boy in front of him was just someone who wanted to spend an ordinary moment with someone he felt comfortable with. He was not thinking deeply about danger or consequences at all. But their world had never allowed ordinary things to be that simple.

 

Ongsa slowly walked out from behind the counter and stopped in front of Saengnuea. From this closer distance, it was even clearer that this boy was truly not steady, even if he was still trying to hide it on the outside.

 

"How about this?" Ongsa said, softening his voice. "If you really want to watch a movie, wait until this period passes, then ask him again."

 

Saengnuea stayed quiet. Ongsa continued, "And if Phatsa is free then, I'll help tell

him."

 

Those words made Saengnuea lift his eyes to look at him again. His expression seemed to improve a little, though hesitation still lingered fully in his gaze.

 

"Really?"

 

"Mm."

 

"You'll really tell him for me?"

 

Ongsa let out a faint, slightly affectionate smile. "Really."

 

Saengnuea stood silently for a while, as if weighing whether he should stop here. In the end, he let out a soft sigh and nodded slowly in reluctant acceptance.

 

"Okay.."

 

His voice had softened so much that it almost sounded like sulking. Ongsa looked at him and could not help feeling a little sorry for him. At the same time, he also felt relieved that the other boy was at least willing to listen. At the very least, he would not have to deal with the headache of chasing after an omega close to heat in the middle of the city today.

 

Saengnuea remained standing there for another moment before asking again, like someone who truly could not quite let it go.

 

"And P'Phatsa... is he doing okay?"

 

That question made Ongsa pause for a split second, because if he had to answer honestly, he himself was not even sure what the word "okay" meant for Phatsa right now. In the end, he could only avoid giving a direct answer and replied in the calmest voice he could manage.

 

"He's... probably okay."

 

Saengnuea nodded slowly, as if taking that answer away to think about on his own, before lifting his hands in a polite wai to Ongsa.

 

"Then I'll go home first."

 

"Do you want someone to take you?"

 

Saengnuea shook his head quickly. "It's okay. I can go back by myself."

 

Ongsa watched as the other boy quietly walked out of the café. His back looked strangely smaller than before, even though in reality, nothing about him had changed.

 

Once the café door closed, silence returned. But this time, Ongsa felt a heavier weight in his chest.  He knew very well that Phatsa's situation was becoming more and more complicated, to the point where even people around him who knew nothing were slowly being pulled closer to the edge of the chaos, one by one. And the more he thought about Saengnuea's eyes just now, the more he prayed silently. Please, don't let anyone else get hurt more than this.

 

Saengnuea was about to turn and leave, but before he could truly take a step, Ongsa called out to him.

 

"Wait." His voice was not loud, but there was something in its rhythm. The sound escaped faster and higher than every other time he had spoken today. His beautiful eyes widened even more, as if the previous matter had already been hard enough to process, and now another one had been thrown on top of him before he could even breathe.

 

Ongsa did not avoid his gaze. He looked directly at Saengnuea and repeated clearly,

"Phatsa has already been bonded."

 

Silence pressed down between the two of them once more. Saengnuea seemed to need several full seconds before he could truly process those words. He pressed his lips tightly together. The expression that had previously carried only disappointment at failing to invite Phatsa to a movie now turned into pure shock, so strong that it was almost impossible to tell which feeling overwhelmed him most.

 

"You mean.." he began slowly, as if afraid that if he spoke too quickly, the whole thing would sound even more real. "He was bitten by an alpha... like that?"

 

Ongsa closed his eyes for a brief moment before opening them again.

 

"Mm."

 

Saengnuea went completely silent. This silence was no longer ordinary shock. It was as if the person in front of him was trying to piece everything together all over again: the reason he could not reach Phatsa, the reason Phatsa had moved into someone else's house, the reason Ongsa had been avoiding direct answers all this time. Everything was beginning to connect. And the more it connected, the paler Saengnuea's face became.

 

"Who?"

 

The question was very soft, but sharp enough to make the atmosphere in the café grow still another layer deeper. Ongsa did not answer immediately. Not because he did not know what to say, but because he knew that once he said the name out loud, the matter would carry even more weight for the listener. So he chose to remain silent for a moment before answering in a way that still did not reveal everything.

 

"The person Phatsa is staying with right now."

 

Saengnuea blinked slowly.

 

"The acquaintance you mentioned earlier...?"

 

"Yes."

 

Saengnuea seemed to take that answer in, but he still stood frozen as if he could not move. His shock began to give way to visible confusion. He did not know what he should feel first: the shock that Phatsa was an omega, the shock that Phatsa had already been bonded, or the shock that the person he had come here intending to invite to a movie was now living a life that had changed so drastically without him knowing even a little.

 

"P'Phatsa.." he murmured again, as if to confirm that the person they were talking about was still the same. "Is he really okay?"

 

That question made Ongsa go quiet for a moment. Because if he had to answer honestly, he himself was still not sure how the word okay should be interpreted for Phatsa at this time. It was true that Phatsa could still stand, still argue, and still look ready to bite back at anyone at any moment. But on the other hand, that boy had been pulled into a change too big for anyone to handle comfortably on their own.

 

In the end, Ongsa answered as carefully as he could. "For now... he should be getting better."

 

Saengnuea nodded slowly, but he did not look very relieved. He stood there quietly for a while, as if countless questions were circling in his head, but none of them could come out easily. Finally, he asked again in a voice much softer than before.

 

"Was P'Phatsa willing?"

 

This time, Ongsa truly let out a sigh. Saengnuea's question was not complicated, but it was too direct. So direct that it hurt on behalf of the person who was not standing there with them.

 

"That.." He paused slightly. "I can't answer for Phatsa."

 

Saengnuea was silent. Ongsa continued slowly, "But right now, Phatsa has chosen to stay there."

 

That sentence did not give complete clarity, but it was enough for Saengnuea to understand something. He lowered his gaze slightly, his expression visibly softening, as if he had just realised that the distance between him and Phatsa now might not be merely physical distance or mismatched free time anymore. It might be another phase of life that he was not part of.

 

Ongsa looked at Saengnuea in silence and felt a little sorry for him. Because even though the other boy had not said anything directly, that look in his eyes already said far more than enough. In the end, Ongsa spoke in an even gentler voice. 

 

"Saengnuea." The other boy slowly lifted his eyes.

 

"Don't think too much for now. Take care of yourself first,"

 

Ongsa said. "As for Phatsa... if there's a right time for you to know more, I'll tell you."

 

Saengnuea listened, pressed his lips together slightly, and nodded slowly. Even though he was still not at ease, he seemed to understand that he should stop here for now.

 

"Okay.." His answer was very soft.

 

Ongsa watched him for a moment before lifting a hand to touch the other boy's shoulder lightly, more as a comfort than anything else. Saengnuea stood silently for a few more seconds, then lifted his hands in farewell once again. This time, he was much quieter than before as he slowly walked out of the café. Once the door closed, Ongsa stood still there for a long while.

 

The scent of coffee still lingered in the air. Sunlight still poured through the glass as before. Everything inside the café remained the same. Only the feeling in his chest had grown even heavier than before. Because as time passed, the people who should never have been drawn into this matter were beginning to brush against its edge, one by one. And he himself was no longer sure either. Where would all of this finally stop?

 

Phatsa was still not used to living in this house. It was not because the place was unpleasant. On the contrary, Nakhun's house was spacious, clean, quiet, and so perfectly arranged that it sometimes felt more like a luxury home from an advertisement than a place where real people lived. The problem was not the house. The problem was him. He still did not know where to place himself in a space where everything seemed orderly, and where everyone had already taken care of everything for him.

 

If he moved even slightly, someone would come over and ask whether he needed anything. If he walked over to get water himself, someone would hurry in and say they would handle it. If he sat quietly for too long, someone would secretly look over at him as if afraid he might be lacking something. Phatsa was not comfortable being looked after to that extent. The more people did things for him, the more he did not know how to act, as if he had become a guest who had overstayed his welcome, or some fragile object that everyone had to be overly careful with.

 

In the end, when he could no longer bear that discomfort, he escaped upstairs to his own room in the afternoon. He brought the work files Nakhun had once given him and sat quietly reading them at the desk by the window. At least being with work was easier than being surrounded bv the care of the entire was easier than being surrounded by the care of the entire household

 

Several sheets of paper lay open in front of him. Phatsa read, occasionally jotting small notes in the margins. Time slowly slipped from late afternoon into evening without him realising. The light outside the window changed from the pale white of midday into the soft gold of dusk. Shadows in the room grew longer and longer, but he still did not get up.

 

It was not only because he was so hardworking that he had forgotten the time. It was because he truly did not know what to do if he got up from there. If he went downstairs, he felt like he would be in the way. If he asked someone to take him outside, he would feel as if he were troubling them. If he sat around doing nothing, he would feel useless. 

 

After thinking in circles again and again, he chose to stay with the documents. At least reading something made him feel as if he was not merely taking up space and breathing in this house for nothing. But no matter how quietly he tried to behave, the matter eventually reached the ears of the person it should not have reached anyway.

 

Ai was the first to notice that Phatsa had not gone down for dinner. When he went upstairs to check outside the room and found that Phatsa was still quietly reading documents, he said little. He merely withdrew in his orderly manner. Not long after that, Sila was the one who reported the matter to Nakhun. At that moment, Nakhun had just returned home from outside. He had just taken off his outer suit jacket, leaving only a fitted dark shirt and the faintly tired expression of someone who had been through a full day of work. But the moment he learned that Phatsa still refused to come down for dinner, his expression immediately grew still. Then he walked up to the room without wasting any time.

 

The door was knocked only once before it opened in the next moment, in the manner of someone who had not planned to let the owner of the room choose whether to give permission or not. Phatsa immediately looked up from the documents. When he saw that it was Nakhun, he froze slightly, caught off guard.

 

The other man stood at the doorway, his sharp eyes sweeping around the room only briefly, the files spread across the desk, the glass of water that had barely been touched, and one stubborn boy sitting there, hugging work by the window from afternoon until evening.

 

"Why didn't you come down to eat?"

 

His voice was not very loud, but it was calm enough for the listener to know immediately that the owner was rather displeased. Phatsa pressed his lips together slightly before answering softly, "I'm not hungry yet."

 

Nakhun looked at him for a moment, as if he did not readily accept that answer.

 

"Even if you're not hungry, you still have to eat. Letting everyone set the table and wait for you like this doesn't look good."

 

Phatsa avoided his gaze and looked down at the documents on the desk instead. That reaction only made Nakhun frown even more.

 

"Phatsa." This time, his voice dropped a little lower. "I told you already, didn't I? Even if you want to work, that doesn't mean you should shut yourself in here like this."

 

Those words made Phatsa turn back to look at him immediately. His expression grew slightly stern, as if someone had suddenly felt hurt unintentionally.

 

"I was just reading the documents," he answered. His voice was not loud, but it was clear that he was sulking. "It's not like I went and caused trouble for anyone."

 

Nakhun paused slightly, as if only then realising that his voice had come out too harsh. When he saw Phatsa's face, the way his lips pushed out tightly as someone upset but still trying to hold it in, the stillness in his expression softened almost immediately.

 

"That's not what I meant," he said at once, his voice gentler as he stepped closer. Phatsa still pressed his lips together and did not answer right away. Nakhun let out a quiet sigh and lowered his voice even more.

 

"Okay. I'm sorry."

 

That apology made Phatsa blink lightly, as if he had not expected it. Normally, Nakhun was not the kind of person who would so quickly switch from scolding to coaxing someone. But when the other man lowered himself slightly to meet his eye level and looked at him quietly like that, the small knot of hurt inside his chest immediately began to lose its shape.

 

"I didn't want to scold you," Nakhun said. "I just don't like that you stayed alone all day and didn't eat."

 

Phatsa was silent for a while before lowering his eyes again and murmuring, "I don't know what to do."

 

This time, Nakhun was the one who went still. Phatsa continued slowly, his voice quiet and direct. He did not mean to sound spoiled, yet somehow every word came out that way.

 

"I don't want to annoy the people in this house either. When you're not here... I don't know what I'm supposed to do."

 

Those words made Nakhun's eyes soften at once. Phatsa kept speaking without looking at him.

 

"If I go downstairs, it feels like everyone is watching me all the time. If I go outside, someone has to drive me. I don't want to go places too often and make other people go through trouble for me."

 

He paused slightly before speaking even more quietly. "So I just sat here and read the work."

 

The entire room fell silent for a moment. Nakhun looked at him for a long time without speaking right away. The person in front of him was not throwing a childish tantrum. He was not demanding anything directly either. And that was what made those words even heavier.

 

Phatsa was not being stubborn because he wanted to win. He had not yet found his place in this house. So Nakhun moved closer and gently placed his hand on the other's soft hair.

 

"No one is annoyed by you," he said slowly and clearly. "And you are not troubling anyone."

 

Phatsa finally lifted his eyes to look at him. His expression still seemed as if he did not fully believe it. Nakhun continued, his tone firmer than before. "You can live here. You are not staying here while having to feel guilty with every breath you take."

 

Those words made Phatsa go still again. A certain feeling moved slowly through the centre of his chest, and he had to lower his eyes slightly because he did not want the person in front of him to see too clearly just how much that single sentence softened him. Nakhun stroked his hair a little more before continuing, "Next time, if you're bored, if you don't know what to do, or if you want to go somewhere, tell me."

 

Phatsa pressed his lips together. "But you're not here."

 

"Then tell Ai. Tell Sila. Or call me," Nakhun answered immediately. "You don't have to keep everything to yourself."

 

Phatsa was quiet for another moment before murmuring in reluctant acceptance, "I'm not used to it."

 

"I know," Nakhun replied evenly. "Then get used to it little by little."

 

This time, Phatsa let out a faint laugh. "You say it like it's easy."

 

"It isn't easy," Nakhun answered at once. "But you can do it."

 

Hearing that answer again, Phatsa could only shake his head lightly, too tired to argue. He slowly gathered the documents on the desk and said softly,

 

"I'm hungry now, fine?"

 

The corner of Nakhun's mouth lifted slightly, beyond his control.

 

"Good," he said. "Let's go eat."

 

Phatsa nodded, but he did not stand immediately. He remained sitting there a little longer, as if waiting quietly for something, until Nakhun raised an eyebrow and asked, "What is it?"

 

Phatsa avoided his eyes and murmured, "I'm sorry for making you worry."

 

That sentence made Nakhun pause for a fraction of a second before his gaze softened even more.

 

"Next time, just don't let yourself work so much that you forget to eat," he replied, then lightly touched the other's head again. "Go eat."

 

This time, Phatsa stood up obediently. And while he followed Nakhun out of the room, he only then realised that the discomfort that had been building up inside him all day had become much lighter. All because someone had turned to tell him directly that he truly was not an extra piece in this house.

 

The next morning, Phatsa finally understood that the words, "Then I'll give you everything," in Nakhun's world had not been a joke at all. At first, he had merely been called to come out to the front of the house early in the morning. He had not even had his coffee properly yet when he saw the people of the house standing quietly and neatly in the front courtyard.

 

And in the middle of everyone's gaze, a lime-green convertible sports car was still parked beneath the morning light. Its colour was so bright it almost hurt the eyes. The lines of the car were sharp, low, sleek, and far too luxurious for someone who had only just L graduated to have the right to touch casually.

 

It was not just a car. It was the kind of expensive thing that made anyone who saw it stop and stare. So expensive that even standing there looking at it made Phatsa feel as if its price must be far beyond his savings. For ordinary people, even if they worked for many more years, without a strong life foundation to support them, there was no way they could buy something like this on their own.

 

He was still standing there in shock when Nakhun walked out of the house with a calm expression, as if he was about to hand over the keys to some ordinary household car, not a lime-green convertible sports car that looked outrageously expensive and far beyond necessity. The other man held the keys out to him directly.

 

"Use it."

 

Phatsa blinked once, then turned to look at the owner of that sentence, unsure whether he should first be shocked by the car or by how calm the other man's voice still was.

 

"What?"

 

"It's your car," Nakhun replied evenly. "So you can go wherever you want by yourself and won't have to keep troubling someone else to drive you."

 

He paused slightly before continuing, as if he had already laid down the conditions.

 

"But wherever you go, you have to tell me first."

 

Phatsa looked between the keys in the other man's hand and the car in front of him for several full seconds, as if his brain was trying to catch up with the fact that this was real. It was not a prank. It was not a joke. It was not some casual rich-person behaviour where someone threw an extravagant thing at him without thinking. This was a real car. A car that had really been bought for him. This was insane.

 

"Wait," he said slowly, trying to arrange his words so they would not sound too rude. "You really bought me a car?"

 

"Mm."

 

"This car?"

 

"Yes."

 

"For me to use?"

 

Nakhun looked at him calmly.

 

"Which part did I not say clearly?"

 

Phatsa's mouth fell open slightly before he turned back to look at the car again. The more he looked, the more he felt like he could not handle this. The car stood out too much. It was too expensive. It was far too much for his life.

 

"I don't want it."

 

The answer slipped out very quickly. So quickly that even he felt it had come out too fast. And the atmosphere in front of the house changed immediately. Nakhun's expression went still on another level. It was the kind of stillness that did not require raising his voice at all, yet everyone around could sense at once that he was truly displeased.

 

"You don't want it?" Nakhun repeated slowly. Phatsa realised that he had spoken too bluntly, so he quickly tried to explain.

 

"I mean... I can't accept it."

 

But it seemed those words did not improve the situation, as Nakhun looked at him for a moment, his gaze growing deeper and stiller until Phatsa slowly began to realise that he might have stepped on something wrong.

 

"Why?"

 

"Well.." Phatsa pressed his lips together slightly. "It's too expensive."

 

He turned to look at the car again before speaking as honestly as he could.

 

"Look at it. It's a convertible sports car, not some normal everyday car. What newly graduated kid could buy something like this with his own money?"

 

Nakhun continued looking at him in silence. His expression did not change much, but the more still he became, the more clearly Phatsa felt that the other man was truly sulking.

 

"It's already been bought," Nakhun finally said. "The documents are under your name." Phatsa froze.

 

"If you don't want it, you can sell it." Nakhun's voice remained as calm as ever, but it was so calm that one could immediately hear he was unhappy. "Or don't use it at all. Up to you."

 

This time, Phatsa truly went still. This was the first time he had ever seen Nakhun sulk. Not sulking by making a fuss, not turning his face away dramatically. But sulking in a way where the more displeased he became, the less he spoke, the stiller he grew, and the guiltier the listener felt, without him needing to show any emotion at all. Damn it. This was scarier than being scolded.

 

"You..'

 

"You..."

 

Phatsa had only managed to call him when Nakhun had already turned away. The other man walked straight back into the house, leaving Phatsa standing in the front yard with one car key, one outrageously expensive lime-green convertible sports car, and a huge lump of guilt that had just dropped straight into the middle of his chest without warning.

 

Phatsa stood there for a long time before slowly lowering his gaze to the key in his hand. It was not that he was not happy. On the contrary, he was very happy. The problem was that it was too much. So much that he did not know how to accept it without feeling as if he was receiving something far beyond his own place in life. And the worst part was that he had said those words in front of the person who had personally chosen the gift for him.

 

Damn it.

 

By the afternoon, Phatsa could no longer bear that guilt alone. In the end, he had to go upstairs to find Nakhun in the other man's bedroom. He knocked lightly on the door twice before the deep voice inside answered evenly.

 

"Come in."

 

Phatsa slowly pushed the door open. Nakhun was indeed in the room. He was sitting at the edge of the bed, looking at something on the tablet in his hand. His expression was still the same as before, and that was exactly how Phatsa knew immediately that the sulking mood from this morning had not gone anywhere.

 

He closed the door softly behind him and walked a little closer before stopping, unsure how to begin. Nakhun lifted his eyes to glance at him.

 

"What is it?"

 

That voice was polite enough, if one ignored the fact that it sounded a little more distant than usual. Phatsa secretly gritted his teeth. Okay. He really is sulking.

 

"I came to talk to you."

 

Nakhun slowly set the tablet down and leaned back against the headboard.

 

"Then talk."

 

Phatsa was silent for two full seconds before drawing in a deep breath and speaking directly, as if surrendering.

 

"It's not that I wasn't happy."

 

Nakhun's eyes shifted slightly, but he did not say anything. So Phatsa continued, "I was really happy."

 

This time, Nakhun asked calmly, "Then why did you reject it?"

 

The question was so direct that Phatsa froze for a moment. He pressed his lips together before answering as honestly as he could.

 

"Because it's very expensive."

 

The whole room fell quiet.

 

"It's not a small thing that I can accept and then pretend nothing happened," Phatsa said more slowly. "I... don't know how to accept it."

 

Nakhun looked at him quietly for a moment before finally speaking in a voice that had softened a little.

 

"I only wanted to give you something good." Phatsa went still. Nakhun lowered his eyes slightly, as if the next words were considerably heavier.

 

"Because I'm the one who made you end up in this state."

 

Those words made Phatsa fall silent immediately. Nakhun fell silent as well. His expression was still calm, but this stillness was no longer the same as when he had been sulking that morning. This time, it was the stillness of someone speaking directly about something that had been stuck in his heart.

 

"You left your old life and moved here," he continued slowly. "Going anywhere is no longer convenient. Whatever you do, you have to think about more things."

 

His sharp eyes lifted to meet Phatsa's gaze. "So I wanted to give you something that would help make your life easier."

 

Phatsa stood still in place. The guilt from that morning expanded even more. Because now that he heard this, he understood clearly just how wrong his interpretation of the other man's gift had been. It was not Nakhun buying something expensive for fun. It was Nakhun trying to make it up to him in his own way.

 

Phatsa lowered his eyes before murmuring, "I didn't reject it because I didn't want it."

 

Nakhun quietly listened.  "I was just shocked," Phatsa admitted honestly. "And... I'm not used to someone giving me something like this."

 

Those words made Nakhun's gaze visibly soften at last. So Phatsa gathered a little more courage and continued, "I really am happy."

 

He paused slightly before speaking in an even softer voice.

 

"Very happy."

 

This time, the corner of Nakhun's mouth moved just a little. It was a faint curve, almost too subtle to notice, but Phatsa saw it. And he immediately felt relieved. At least things were getting better.

 

"It's just that when something is too expensive.." Phatsa continued, wrinkling his nose slightly. "I don't know what to say."

 

Nakhun looked at him for a moment before asking softly,

 

"So now do you know what to say?"

 

Phatsa froze for one beat before letting out a quiet laugh, completely defeated.

 

"Still not really."

 

This time, Nakhun truly smiled. It was not a very wide smile, but it was enough to ease the atmosphere in the room almost completely. Seeing that, Phatsa gained a little more courage.

 

"I'll accept it."

 

He looked directly at the other man and said clearly, "I’ll accept it"

 

There was a brief silence before he added, still a little shy, "And thank you."

 

This time, Nakhun nodded lightly, as if he had already accepted all of those words.

 

"Use it well. Take it to the places you want to go. But I'm asking one thing from you. Before you go anywhere, can you tell me first? I want you to go places safely." Phatsa nodded.

 

Only then did he notice that the corner of Nakhun's mouth had lifted into a faint smile. Phatsa stood quietly in front of him for a while before something shifted inside his chest. He did not know what to do to make his thank-you feel like enough for something this big. He did not know what he could exchange for the other man's thoughtfulness. In the end, his body decided before his thoughts could. He moved closer and leaned down slightly, intending to kiss the other man lightly on the cheek as a thank you, because that was all he could think to do. 

 

But Nakhun was an alpha. And he was a true alpha who guarded himself by instinct. The moment Phatsa moved closer, Nakhun's face turned back automatically. And in that instant, their lips touched. It lasted only a fraction of a second. Very short. Very light. But clear enough to make both of them freeze at once.

 

Phatsa's eyes widened slightly as his mind failed to catch up. Nakhun himself was no less stunned. Their breaths still brushed against each other, far too close. So close that Phatsa could feel the other man's warmth. Neither of them said anything. Neither of them moved away right away. There was only a short silence hanging between them, as if both sides were trying to process what had just happened.

 

And in the end, Phatsa was the one who moved first. Maybe because he was too embarrassed. Maybe because his heart was beating too fast. Or maybe because if he let the silence stretch any longer, he really would end up running out of the room. So he decided to kiss Nakhun. It was a kiss that began gently, with great hesitation, as if he only wanted to cover up the accident just now and turn it into something intentional instead. But the moment their lips met more clearly, Phatsa realised he might have made a mistake. Because Nakhun kissed him back almost immediately.

 

And this time, he did not allow it to remain only a light touch. One large hand slid up to hold the back of Phatsa's neck, firm enough for him to feel the pressure clearly. Warm lips kissed him back harder, deeper, and more possessively than ever before. It was as though all this time that Nakhun had held himself back, restrained himself, been careful, and always asked first everything was beginning to loosen little by little, simply because Phatsa had been the one to approach him first.

 

Phatsa flinched slightly at first. His breath caught immediately as the kiss deepened. He had truly thought he would only give Nakhun a light kiss, just enough to show that he was thankful. He had not thought it would become like this. He had not thought Nakhun would answer him with such force and such hidden hunger beneath that calm exterior. Even so, he did not push the other man away.

 

On the contrary, the more deeply he was kissed, the harder his heart pounded. His entire body began to heat up uncontrollably. His hands, unsure where to go, eventually clutched Nakhun's shirt a little tighter, as if to steady himself.

 

Damn it.

 

He really had made a mistake. And it was already too late. Because now, Nakhun was kissing him deeper and deeper, as if intending to teach him that offering himself up to an alpha first like this was not something anyone could easily take back. That kiss was much deeper than Phatsa had expected. So deep it felt as if Nakhun was slowly drawing away every breath he had, one by one. The warm lips moving against his were not rushed enough to be rough, but they were not gentle enough to let him retreat easily either. 

 

It was the kiss of someone who had been holding himself back for a long time. The kiss of someone who had always been able to control everything, yet was now slowly letting his true feelings slip out, little by little.

 

Phatsa gripped Nakhun's shirt tighter without realising it. His heart was beating so hard it almost drowned out every other sound in the room: the hum of the air conditioner, their breathing, even the world outside that seemed to drift farther and farther away. Only the closeness in front of him remained unbearably clear. 

 

He had not meant for it to become like this. At first, he had only wanted to thank him. Just one light kiss on the cheek, then he would quickly pull away and pretend nothing had happened. But the moment Nakhun's lips touched his, everything seemed to change direction completely. The more Nakhun kissed him back, the more Phatsa felt as if he was slowly melting in the other man's arms. Heat spread from the centre of his chest to his fingertips. 

 

A strange, unfamiliar, and dangerous feeling made him slowly close his eyes and respond to the kiss without even realising it. That alone made Nakhun's hand, which was holding the back of his neck, tense slightly. As if Nakhun could feel it too. Phatsa was not pushing him away. He was not refusing. And he did not truly want to run. So the kiss deepened a little more.

 

Phatsa gave a faint start when Nakhun's fingers moved from the back of his neck to cradle his cheek instead. That touch was much gentler than the kiss. So gentle that his heart gave a strange little jolt, as if Nakhun was telling him through his fingertips that no matter how heavy the desire inside him was, he was still being careful with Phatsa. In the end, Phatsa was the one who unconsciously took a half-step closer. Nakhun stopped kissing him at once. Not because he wanted to pull away. But because he had to stop.

 

He slowly withdrew his lips, even though his breathing was still unsteady. His sharp eyes looked silently at the person in front of him. That gaze was deeper than any look Phatsa had ever seen from him before, so deep that Phatsa finally had to lower his eyes and look away. But he could not escape very far because Nakhun's hand was still holding his cheek.

 

"Phatsa."

 

The way Nakhun called his name was slightly lower than usual, a little hoarse, like someone trying to suppress more than he was willing to say out loud. Phatsa pressed his lips together softly before answering in a voice that barely escaped his throat.

 

"Mm."

 

Nakhun kept looking at him like that and did not speak right away. That gaze made Phatsa start to feel hot again. Even though he had just been kissed until he could barely stand, what made it even harder for him to breathe was not the earlier kiss.  It was the way Nakhun was looking at him now—the gaze of someone who wanted to pull him close again. But still chose to ask him first.

 

"If I keep kissing you," Nakhun said slowly, "will you be scared?"

 

That sentence made Phatsa freeze immediately. His heart began to beat faster again, but this time it was not only from surprise. There was something else mixed into it too, something warm, sweet, and tender, something that made him feel as if he was being cared for, even at a moment when the other man should have been struggling the most to control himself. Phatsa did not answer right away.

 

He lowered his gaze to his own hand, which was still gripping Nakhun's shirt, and only then realised that from earlier until now, he had not let go at all. If he were truly afraid, he would have let go long ago. If he truly wanted to run, he would have stepped away the very first time their lips touched. But he was still here. Still standing this close to Nakhun.

 

And the closeness in front of him did not make him want to run. It only made him unsure how to handle his own heart.

 

"I'm not scared."

 

Phatsa's answer was very soft. But it was clear enough to change the look in Nakhun's eyes. That dark, sharp gaze trembled for the briefest moment before a certain tenderness replaced it. Nakhun did not kiss him immediately, as Phatsa had thought he would. He stroked Phatsa's cheek gently with his fingertips, as if to confirm to himself that the person in front of him was still here.

 

"Are you sure?"

 

Phatsa lifted his eyes to look at him.

 

"I'm not that much of a child."

 

The corner of Nakhun's mouth moved slightly.

 

"I know." 

 

"And I'm not that weak either."

 

"I know that too."

 

Phatsa frowned faintly. "Then why are you asking again?"

 

This time, Nakhun truly smiled. It was a very small smile, but it melted almost all the heavy tension from a moment ago.

 

"Because I want you to be sure."

 

That answer made Phatsa fall silent. He did not know why such an ordinary sentence could make his eyes sting. It was not overly sweet. It was not beautifully dressed up. But it was so sincere that it seemed to touch something deep inside him. All this time, too many things had happened too quickly. Too quickly for him to prepare himself. Too quickly for him to choose everything on his Own. But at this moment, Nakhun stopped and waited for him. Even though it would have been so easy for the other man to pull him back into another kiss.

 

Phatsa drew in a soft breath before slowly letting go of Nakhun's shirt. Then he moved his hands to rest on the other man's broad shoulders instead.

 

"I'm sure."

 

Nakhun went still immediately. Phatsa could feel the slightest change in the other man's breathing rhythm. Just that was enough to make him so shy that he quickly lowered his eyes again. But this time, he did not back away. He was the one who moved closer again. Close enough that the tips of their noses almost touched. Close enough that his heart could hear the other man's heart through the silence.

 

"But you have to be gentle"

 

The words slipped out before he could think. The moment he finished speaking, Phatsa almost bit his tongue. His face instantly burned hot. As for Nakhun, he looked at him silently for one second before the smile in his eyes became impossible to hide.

 

"Okay."

 

That short answer was so low and soft that Phatsa's heart trembled. Then Nakhun kissed him again. This time was different from before. Nakhun's lips touched his with much more care. Softer than before. Slower than before. Yet somehow, it made Phatsa's heart shake even harder. Every movement of the kiss seemed to ask him silently, Is this all right? Is this too much? And Phatsa answered by not stepping away. 

 

He closed his eyes and let himself slowly learn that touch. Learn that Nakhun's kiss was not made only of heat. It held patience. It held restraint. It held tenderness hidden beneath the powerful pull of a true alpha. And it held a feeling Phatsa did not dare to name. Because if he named it clearly, he was afraid his heart would lose its balance even more.

 

A knock sounded at the door at that exact moment. Phatsa was startled so hard he almost pulled away, but Nakhun was faster. He raised a hand to gently support Phatsa's back, keeping him from losing his balance, while his lips withdrew from Phatsa's with a slowness that felt far too reluctant to be called casual.

 

Both of them fell silent at the same time. Phatsa had not even managed to steady his breathing yet. His face was so hot he had no idea where to hide it. Nakhun, meanwhile, was still looking at him from far too close, those deep, sharp eyes seeming unwilling to let the moment between them end so easily. Sila's voice came from outside.

 

"Khun Nakhun, the documents from the partner have arrived."

 

Nakhun did not immediately move away from Phatsa. He only lowered his gaze to the lips of the person in front of him for a split second before replying in a calm voice, as if nothing had just happened in this room that had nearly made Phatsa's heart leap out of his chest.

 

"Put them in my study."

 

"Yes, sir."

 

Sila's footsteps gradually moved away. But the silence in the room did not return to what it had been before. Phatsa suddenly realised that his hand was still clutching Nakhun's shirt. He quickly let go and stepped back a halt, acting as if he had not been the one to move in and kiss the other man first, even though every piece of evidence was still far too obvious on his face. Especially his lips, which still felt so warm that he did not even need to look in a mirror to know they must be very red.

 

Nakhun watched him quietly, the corner of his mouth lifting ever so slightly.

 

"Where are you running to?"

 

Phatsa froze at once. "I'm not running."

 

"Then why did you step back?"

 

"Well.." He pressed his lips together, unable to find an answer in time. "You have to go work, don't you? The documents are here."

 

Nakhun continued looking at him like that. "Mm. I have to go." 

 

That answer should have made Phatsa feel relieved. But when he actually heard it, something in his chest seemed to drop a little in a way that annoyed him. Even though just a moment ago, he had been the one who wanted to escape. Now that Nakhun was really leaving, he suddenly felt strange again. So Phatsa could only lower his eyes and murmur softly, "Then go."

 

Nakhun did not move right away. He remained standing in front of him, silent long enough for Phatsa's heart to begin beating out of rhythm again.

 

"Tonight."

 

That single word made Phatsa look up before he realised it.

 

"Tonight?"

 

Nakhun looked directly at him and spoke in a calm tone, as if he were asking the most ordinary question, even though the question nearly made the listener choke on his own breath.

 

"Tonight, I want to sleep while holding you."

 

Phatsa froze completely. He stared at Nakhun for several full seconds, as if his brain was trying to translate that sentence all over again, just in case he had misheard it. But he had not. Nakhun had said it very clearly. So clearly that Phatsa's face heated up all over again without giving him any time to prepare.

 

"No."

 

The answer slipped out very quickly. So quickly that even Phatsa himself was startled. Nakhun raised an eyebrow slightly.

 

"Why?"

 

"No means no."

 

"We already kissed."

 

Phatsa's eyes widened immediately.

 

"Khun Nakhun."

 

Nakhun continued speaking with a calm expression, as if he had not just thrown a bomb at the person in front of him. "If kissing is all right, then sleeping while holding each other shouldn't be strange."

 

"It is strange."

 

"What part of it is strange?"

 

"All of it is strange."

 

Phatsa answered faster, starting to panic. But the more he saw Nakhun's overly serious expression, the less he knew how to behave. Good grief. What kind of person talked about sleeping while cuddling with such a straight face? And on top of that, he said it as if he were explaining logic in a business meeting.

 

"I said no, so it's no," Phatsa repeated, lowering his voice as he tried his best to look serious. This kind of thing wasn't something people were supposed to ask so directly, Phatsa thought to himself. Nakhun looked at him calmly.

 

"Then what should I do?"

 

Phatsa froze. That question was far too serious. So serious that the person being asked almost wanted to raise both hands and hold his head. There was no way he could say out loud that, with something like this, Nakhun should hold him at bedtime. Why ask and make him so embarrassed he could barely survive?

 

No.

Absolutely not.

 

He still had to keep at least the last bit of his dignity. But inside, his thoughts were already making a mess. Who asks something like this so directly? When it's time to sleep, hold me. If I don't want you to, I'll push you away myself. Why does this true alpha have such good manners?

 

Phatsa pressed his lips tightly together, trying to keep all those thoughts from showing on his face. But apparently he was not very successful because Nakhun watched him for too long, and a faint smile was hidden in those sharp eyes.

 

"What are you thinking?"

 

"Nothing"

 

"Your face looks like you're thinking a lot."

 

"My face just looks like this."

 

Nakhun was quiet for a moment before replying evenly, "Then I'll ask again tonight."

 

Phatsa looked up immediately. "You're still going to ask?"

 

"Mm."

 

"I'll give you the same answer."

 

"Answer me tonight."

 

For a moment, Phatsa was speechless. He did not know whether he should be irritated that the other man was so stubborn, or embarrassed that Nakhun really seemed determined to ask him about this again. In the end, he could only turn his face away and murmur, "Do whatever you want."

 

The corner of Nakhun's mouth lifted slightly. "Then I'll go work first."

 

Phatsa nodded without turning back to look at him. "Okay."

 

But Nakhun did not walk out immediately. He stepped closer again, making Phatsa freeze without knowing why. Before Phatsa could ask what he was doing, a large palm lifted and gently touched the back of his head. Then Nakhun bent down. Warm lips pressed softly against Phatsa's soft hair. It was only a kiss on the head. Very light. Very brief. But it made Phatsa's whole heart go still.

 

That touch was not heated like the kiss from earlier. It did not steal his breath the way their lips touching had. Instead, it was gentler, deeper, and far more strangely disarming. As if Nakhun was not only saying goodbye. But leaving a piece of warmth with him before walking out of the room.

 

Nakhun slowly pulled away. His sharp eyes looked at him again, as if there was something more he wanted to say, but in the end, he said nothing. He merely touched Phatsa's head lightly once more before turning toward the door.

 

Phatsa silently watched the other man's back. Only after the door closed did he unconsciously lift his hand to touch the spot where Nakhun had just kissed him. His heart was still beating hard. So hard that he had to frown at himself.

 

"Damn it..."

 

He murmured under his breath and quickly lowered his hand, as if afraid someone might see, even though there was no one else in the room. As for the person who had just left, Nakhun walked alone down the corridor with the same calm expression as always. But inside, only one thought remained with him. He would ask again tonight. If Phatsa still said no, he would not force him. But if Phatsa hesitated even a little...

 

Nakhun lowered his eyes slightly, the corner of his mouth curving faintly in a way almost no one would notice. Then he would have to try asking a little better.