"Where have you reached?" asked the voice on the other side of the phone.
"I will reach the hotel in 5-7 minutes, P'Arthit."
"Right! Okay... umm... come... come to room 216."
"Is there a problem?"
"No, nothing. Just come!"
"Okay, bye," he hung up abruptly.
After returning from their holiday, the lovers had met only on the campus. Third-year was killing the seniors, and though Kongpob was hoping for some alone time with Arthit, nothing seems to work his way. Arthit was swamped with college work and studies. So Kongpob was looking forward to the weekend-to finally spend some alone time with his lover. But those plans went down the drain when Arthit, on Wednesday, during their late-night call, informed him that his cousin from Singapore would be visiting.
"Kongpob, P'Sathit will be in Bangkok this weekend. So he has asked me to stay with him. On Sunday, he will head over to my parent's house."
"Oh!" He was dejected; another weekend of separation.
"Ummm, Kong. Can you skip class on Friday? I plan to visit him in the morning so can you come and meet us around lunch? I want to tell him about you."
"You mean you want to tell your cousin about us? About our relationship?" Kongpob's heart raced.
"Yes. If he is okay with it, I would like you to come and meet him. But Kong, it may go south, so be prepared if I tell you not to come. Or I may not have the courage to tell him even. I don't know, Kong. I will play it by ear when I see him."
"I understand, P'. Please don't overthink this and stress yourself. Whatever you decide is fine with me," Kongpob assured.
"In case I don't call you, then attend the rest of the classes!"
"Khap, Khun Head!"
Kongpob didn't like the idea of leaving Arthit with his cousin if he was against their relationship, but what could he do. Sathit was, after all, his family, and Kongpob had to trust Arthit on this. Friday morning was tense and stressful for Kongpob as Arthit departed early to meet his cousin.
But thankfully, Arthit had messaged him an address and asked him to come ASAP, and elated Kongpob had rushed to grab a taxi and head to the hotel where his senior was. The hotel was a bit away from the main city of Bangkok, surrounded by fields. It was set in a scenic location, adjacent to a canal, amidst lush greenery. Designed like a traditional Thai home, the hotel had a sprawling wooden structure that looked formidable yet cozy.
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Once the taxi dropped him off at the lobby entrance, he walked to the reception to get directions to the room.
"Hello Sir, welcome to Samara Surya. How may I help you?" asked the pretty receptionist, her eyes sparkling, looking at the handsome guest.
