Me and Thee & Calm down Mr Rome Special.

Wake Up Call Special #4

[Mr Thee is currently travelling, but from what we know, he's safe.]

 

Peach let out a long sigh at Raf's words. Raf was the new secretary who had taken over from Mok, Thee's former right-hand man, who had since moved on to assist Theerakit's younger brother, Krichdanai Rome Arseny, who had officially taken over as the head of the Arseny family, but they all still kept in touch regularly.

 

Peach hadn't expected to speak with Thee today. The team had planned to have dinner after the meeting to finalise the main concept for their project. However, because of what had happened that morning, they had ended up going their separate ways, and the dinner had been postponed. Once Peach was back in his room, he immediately tried calling Thee, but no matter how many times he dialled, he couldn't get through. Not being able to reach either his lover or his lover's secretary sent a wave of unease crashing through him.

 

The Arseny family had no shortage of enemies. The sudden radio silence made his mind jump to the worst possible conclusions.

 

"Where is he travelling to?" he asked.

[Uh... Mr Thee didn't tell you?]

 

"He just sent a message saying he had business and was on the move, but he didn't say where." Peach ran a frustrated hand through his hair, silently scolding Thee in his head. But more than that, he was worried. He just wanted him to be safe.

 

[In that case, I don't think it's my place to share any further details,] Raf said, his voice calm and smooth, as if trying to soothe him. 

 

[Please don't worry too much, Mr Peach. I'm sure the moment he's able to, Mr Thee will reach out to you himself. I'll also keep an eye on things from my end. If anything happens, I'll call you right away.]

 

Peach muttered a few words of thanks before hanging up. He crossed his arms, staring at his phone's darkened screen, lost in thought. He was worried about Thee. Even though the family had been relatively stable lately, with Rome securing complete control, that didn't mean there weren't hidden threats lurking beneath the surface. But at the same time, a gut feeling told him that Thee might be up to something.

 

After thinking it over, Peach let out another long sigh. There was no point in overanalysing. If Raf wasn't panicked, hell, he didn't even sound remotely surprised, then maybe Peach shouldn't be stressing himself out either. The only thing left to do now was brace himself. Because knowing Thee, whatever he was up to... it was bound to be unexpected. 

 

Peach dropped into his chair, flipping through the stack of documents in front of him. His brows knitted together as he tried to focus, but his mind was restless, refusing to settle. For the fifth time, he read the same sentence, only to realise he still had no idea what it said. With a sigh of defeat, he snapped the folder shut and tossed it onto the table. His fingers pressed against his temples, kneading the tension there, but the knot between his brows didn't ease in the slightest. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't get Thee out of his head.

 

He'd told himself there was nothing to worry about. The Arseny family knew how to handle things, and Thee was more than capable of looking after himself. There was no reason to think he'd be in any real danger. And yet, every time he looked at the blank pages in front of him, all he could see was Thee's face. He couldn't make sense of a single word.

 

His gaze drifted toward his phone, still dark and silent on the desk. His fingers twitched, resisting the urge to pick it up and check it for the hundredth time. God, he was more gone for Kian than he thought.

 

With a quiet groan, he dropped his head onto the table, idly tracing circles along the edge of his phone. He hadn't meant to fall asleep, but exhaustion crept up on him, and before he knew it, the sharp ring of his phone shattered the silence. Peach jolted awake, heart pounding, hands scrambling to grab the device. He barely glanced at the screen before pressing the answer button, his voice spilling out in a breathless rush.

 

"Yes! Did you find Thee?!"

[Peach. It's me.]

 

That deep, familiar voice-so steady, so soothing-washed over him like a wave, and the tension drained from his body all at once. A shaky hand came up to cover his eyes, fingertips pressing against the faint tremor before he exhaled slowly, trying to steady his breathing. His heart was still racing. Peach only now realised that he'd been holding his breath. It wasn't until he heard that familiar voice that he finally let it out, the tightness in his chest easing for the first time in hours.

 

"Where did you disappear to?" His voice came out weaker than he would have liked-worn out, drained. The weight of his worry, heavy as a mountain, had been pressing down on him all day. Now, it was starting to lift.

 

[Sorry. I had to leave on urgent business. Didn't have time to let you know.] Theerakit's deep, soothing voice carried an effortless reassurance, as if he were used to calming people down. Like it was second nature. Maybe it wasn't something that had come naturally to him before, but love had a way of teaching people things.

 

"I was really worried, you know," Peach admitted, not even realising he sounded a little whiny, a little needy.

 

"You just vanished. I couldn't reach you, couldn't reach Raf, even Mok had nothing to tell me."

 

[That's on me. My bad.] Thee didn't sound the least bit annoyed by Peach's complaints. In fact, there was a quiet chuckle on the other end, like he was pleased about it. [I figured out that you'd be busy till late, so I thought I'd make it back in time. Didn't expect you to finish early]

 

Peach huffed, rolling his eyes even though Thee couldn't see it. "Well, some idiot made sure I wrapped up quicker than planned."

 

[ldiot? What happened?] The shift in Thee's tone was almost imperceptible, sharp, cold. If Peach didn't know him so well, he might not have noticed. But it was gone in an instant, masked by that same steady calm. [You okay? You're not hurt, are you?]

 

"I'm fine. Nothing happened, really. Just some argument. You don't have to overthink it, Kian." Now the young photographer was the one doing the reassuring, and he didn't even mind. He knew how the Arseny family operated. They had a long history, one that didn't take kindly to being challenged. But Thee had always tried to keep him away from that side of things, knowing how he felt about violence. Not that Peach was afraid of him. He knew, without a doubt, that Thee would never hurt him. He was the only family Peach had, the only one who had ever made him feel safe. He just didn't want something as stupid as a minor argument dragging Thee into unnecessary trouble.

 

[Got it.] Thee's voice was gentle again, as if he were making a conscious effort to keep things light. [So, what are you up to now? It's late over there. Have you had dinner yet?]

 

As soon as Thee mentioned it, Peach finally noticed the world around him had grown completely dark. The sun must have set a while ago. His round eyes scanned the dimly lit room before a soft grumble from his stomach reminded him of something else. He hadn't felt hungry before. But now that he knew Thee was safe, it hit him all at once.

 

"I must've dozed off. Just woke up, still kinda out of it, probably jet lag." He rubbed his temples, trying to shake off the lingering grogginess.

 

"But now I'm starving. I should grab something to eat before I go back to sleep, or I'll be a mess tomorrow."

 

Otherwise, that François guy would just find another excuse to nitpick at him.

 

There was a brief pause on the other end of the line, like Thee was about to say something but thought better of it. In the end, he simply told Peach to eat something and get some rest. Peach found it a little odd. Thee wasn't usually one to hesitate, but maybe he was just exhausted from travelling. Either way, he didn't push for an answer. 

 

After exchanging a few more words, he ended the call and got up to find himself some dinner. He pressed the elevator button, pulling out his phone to check for any interesting food spots nearby. But, of course, Europe wasn't like Thailand, the land of 24-hour street food. No late-night food carts in sight. It was either high-end restaurants that required reservations or bars that didn't exactly serve proper meals. It looked like he'd have to settle for the hotel restaurant.

 

With a long sigh, he decided to head down. But just as the elevator doors slid open again, he found himself face to face with someone waiting to get in. A woman. She had porcelain-white skin and piercing blue eyes, her golden hair cascading down her back in soft waves. The deep midnight-blue strapless dress she wore shimmered under the lights, hugging her frame in a way that made her elegance almost otherworldly. For a second, Peach held his breath. Then, quickly regaining himself, he offered her a polite smile and stepped aside, gesturing for her to enter first. It wasn't her beauty that caught his attention. It was the fact that she was the same woman he'd met in the garden earlier today.

 

"We meet again," Peach greeted with a friendly curve of his lips. The woman raised a delicate brow before returning his smile.

 

"So it seems. I didn't expect to run into you again this soon." She extended her hand. "I'm Neera. Neera Pearce."

 

"Nice to meet you. I'm Peach," he replied, shaking her hand with a polite but firm grip. The smile lingered on his face, but curiosity flickered in his eyes. "You know, I can't shake the feeling that we've met before."

 

That moment in the garden still nagged at him. He'd brushed it aside earlier, too preoccupied with work, but now that she was standing right in front of him again, the thought wouldn't leave him alone. Neera chuckled softly, her fingers slipping from his grasp with deliberate ease. He studied her expression, trying to decipher whatever was hidden behind those piercing blue eyes. But before he could ask, the elevator doors slid open.

 

Neera stepped out first, the hem of her dress swaying gently as she turned back to glance at him. "We haven't met before, but..." She paused, a teasing glint in her gaze. "You could say I'm your senior in a way."

 

"Senior?" Peach followed her out, his brows knitting together in confusion. The woman's smile widened slightly, eyes narrowing with mischief.

 

"I'm Thee's ex-girlfriend."

 

For a second, Peach froze. It was as if someone had hit the mute button on the world around him-his mind went completely blank, and a faint ringing echoed in his ears. But just as quickly, he blinked a few times, regaining his composure. A slow, lazy smile tugged at his lips as he strolled forward at an unhurried pace.

 

"Well, that's... new," he said with a light chuckle, his tone relaxed. Yet, while his expression remained easygoing, something in his warm brown eyes had shifted. The usual softness had been replaced with something unreadable, calm but no longer welcoming. Neera took her time sizing him up, her own smile never wavering. Then, she gestured toward the restaurant entrance.

 

"Care to join me for dinner? Eating alone can be a bit dull. We could chat, maybe exchange a few thoughts."

 

Peach tilted his head slightly, his lips still curved in that polite, unreadable smile.

 

"I don't see much we'd need to discuss," he said smoothly, before motioning toward the restaurant with an inviting gesture. "But I suppose having company for dinner isn't the worst idea. If you don't mind my not being dressed for the occasion, would you do me the honour of sharing a meal with me?"

 

A pleased glimmer flashed in Neera's eyes as her smile turned just a touch sweeter.

"I'd be delighted, Peach."