Just Friends (Completed)

5: Not the best place to kiss!

While the parents discuss the Namjing Family, Kongpob grabs Arthit's arm and hauls him over to the bathroom, ignoring the look of surprise on his mother's face.

Inside, he drags Arthit into a small cubicle and shoves the door closed, slamming down the lid of the toilet and dropping onto it, head in his hands.

"What do we do?" He groans, lifting his eyes to look at Arthit who is leaning back against the shut door, seemingly calm.

"Well, I'm not sure. I mean on one hand we have our parents who have always believed we are close friends who live together and look after each other a little more.. intimately than others I suppose. And on the other.."

Kongpob stares at him and interrupts, "What? What do you mean? Intimately? More intimately? What have I missed?"

Arthit frowns, "Just.. Well, your mother always used to ask me.. things.. about us, when we first started living together."

"What kind of things?" Kongpob asks, panic creeping into his voice.

"Just.. look, no big deal, I always said no, so.."

"What Did She Ask You?" Kongpob grinds out, staring at his friend.

"Well.. she used to ask me if we were together."

"My mother used to ask you if we were dating?"

Arthit nods and then gives Kongpob a weak smile, "Well, sometimes. When we used to go out for lunch she would gently question me. Then my mother always rang up the next day and probed for information about our dinner and what we had talked about, you know?"

"No, I don't know, because apparently you've been discussing our.. our relationship without talking to me! With my mother!"

"Kongpob," Arthit steps into his space, nudging his way between his legs and making a gap for himself, "Stop over analyzing." He leans down and wraps his arms around Kongpob's torso, tugging him until he loosely holds onto Arthit's waist.

"Okay, I'm sorry. It's just everything.. Namtarn and our parents and now you said that.. I'm just.. a bit sensitive today, I'm sorry."

"Kongpob?" He lifts his head to look up at Arthit and his best friend smiles down at him, then bends at his knees and plants a small kiss on his mouth, "It's okay."

Kongpob's eyes widen and he takes in the gentle face in front of him, "I love you, Arthit," he says softly and then buries his head back into Arthit's chest briefly.

Arthit draws away, going back to leaning against the door and looks him in the eye, "I love you too, Kongpob."

The words cut through Kongpob's defences, all his thoughts from the past few weeks tumbling over one another as he wonders if Arthit could ever mean it in a different way. He wants to ask him, but what comes out instead is, "What about Nam?"

"Don't worry." Arthit says brightly, "I know what Namtarn thinks, but we can just pretend it was a huge joke or that we have no clue what she's talking about or something.. It's fine. It'll be fine. I'll be fine and I can just laugh it off at work on Monday and.. oomph!"

Their mouths crash together in the kind of kiss that only happens in the movies. It's hard and fierce, but softens quickly as Arthit reaches up to thread his fingers into Kongpob's hair. He tugs on it lightly to twist him sideways so he can deepen the kiss, their tongues tangling as Kongpob's hands rest on Arthit's waist.

"Mmph," he says against Arthit's mouth as they continue to kiss for several long moments.

When they start to pull back, Kong says, "Sorry.." and Arthit presses their mouths back together and Kongpob forgets how to talk.

"Is there someone in there?" A loud voice interrupts a while later, and it's testament to how intent Kongpob had been on devouring Arthit's mouth, that he didn't hear the bathroom door open.

He and Arthit share a look and then, as always, speak with their eyes, deciding that they don't actually care if someone sees them exit the same cubicle.

They step out to see an older man patiently waiting and nod to him. He doesn't seem surprised that they've emerged from the same toilet, so they casually wash their hands, nudging each other with their shoulders and shooting each other tiny grins the whole time.

"So, what are we doing?" Arthit asks as they leave the toilet and head back towards their table, "Are we telling them anything, or?"

Kongpob hooks his pinky finger around Arthit's, "Shall we just go with the flow? I mean, we haven't made any declarations exactly.."

"Except for your tongue down my throat," Arthit smirks and Kongpob chokes on his own spit.

"Yeah.. Umm about that. Was that okay?"

Arthit gives him an unimpressed look, "What do you think?"

"Err.. that it was.. a.." he looks at Arthit who's serious expression cracks into a wide smile, "Good. It was a good plan!"

"Yes, it bloody was!" Arthit says, shoving him again, "So, I'm fine with whatever too."

"Okay then. Let's just... see what happens?"

"Together?" Arthit asks and links their pinkies again.

"Together." Kongpob agrees.

Back at the table, their parents barely acknowledge them as they sit back down, Kongpob's shoulder pressed firmly against Arthit's.

Instead, the whole group starts to eat and Arthit's father eases Kongpob into a conversation about his recent wins on the golf course, which he is extremely proud of, while Kongpob's mother fusses over Arthit and reminds him to be careful on his night shifts.

It's easy conversation, gentle and lovely and just normal for when the two families get together.

As usual, Arthit peels all the prawns and Kongpob serves him the other dishes, making sure Arthit gets enough vegetables and protein too.

"You're like an old, married couple," Kongpob's father exclaims, looking between them.

Arthit blushes but Kongpob slides an arm around his shoulder and says, "I suppose we are!" And everyone laughs, but he sees the shrewd way his mother looks over at them.

So he kisses Arthit's cheek and smiles when he turns to give him a puzzled look.

"Kongpob, Arthit? Is there something you haven't told us?" Arthit's mother asks, clutching the beads around her neck.

Arthit keeps his eyes on Kongpob as he replies in a warm voice, "I don't know, Kongpob, is there?"

Kongpob opens his mouth to speak.. just as a familiar voice interrupts him.

"Kongpob, Arthit? Lovely to see you both."

It's Namtarn of course, smiling between them, her mother and father at her side.

Kongpob's mother is the ultimate host, so she welcomes them happily and introduces them all to each other.

Namtarn's family join them and Kongpob finds himself shoved right against Arthit as they make space for the extra chairs.

The conversation changes to something amongst the adults that Kongpob and Arthit don't know about, so they chat lightly to each other, talking about a film they had watched together the previous week, Arthit insisting that it's a classic and Kongpob explaining all the reasons it wasn't, both nudging and giggling with each other as they do.

They only stop when Namtarn's mother says, quite loudly to their parents, "How long have your sons been dating?"

There's a brooding silence around the table as the parents all exchange glances and Namtarn looks between them all, fascinated. Then she whispers in a low tone to them, "Don't they know about you?"

Arthit shakes his head and she inclines her head and Kongpob frowns but also shakes his head.

Then Namtarn, thinking that she can help, says, in a high, clear voice, "Oh, they're not dating Mother, in fact, Arthit and I have a date planned for next week, don't we?"