Melted: A MaxTul AU story

Sixty-Six: One Gets Closer, The Other Breaks Apart

Author's Note: I apologize for the delay in posting this chapter. We are in the midst of beginning the semester at my uni, and we have had to change our COVID testing protocols three times in the last two weeks to address the stipulations in three different union contracts.

The version I initially wrote of this chapter, I hated, so I started it again. Even so, the result was too long, nearly 6000 words! So if you think the ending is abrupt, never fear, I have a full explanation of that scene in the next chapter already written.

I hope everyone is keeping healthy and safe.

Oh, and yes, that is Max's "friend" Weir on the cover of GQ Thailand.

*****

Michelle Bagnet got the message only five minutes after she sent the children home with Mik. Apasiri Nitibohn seemed to be waking up. Dr. Wongpuapan was hopeful that she would regain consciousness completely in the next 12 hours. It occurred to her that Phon probably went straight to Tul's place after leaving hers, so if he was there when Tul got the news . . .

She realized immediately that she didn't have a way to contact Tul directly, so she called Max. It wasn't so much about Apasiri but about the fact that her men had told her that Phon Pakorn had been followed. There was someone watching the house while he'd been there and then left to follow him when he had departed.

At the time, she hadn't thought much about it, assuming that Metinee Pakorn was having him followed like she usually did when he came back to Thailand. It was common knowledge practically to everyone but Channarong Pakorn and maybe Phon himself. Michelle wasn't worried about Phon; he could take care of himself. However, she didn't want the fact that he was getting followed to give away Apasiri's location.

Right after calling Max, she made some other phone calls. She knew that Ki Woo was already heading towards Tul's place when he had informed her of the news, so she called him back to talk with him about what needed to be done now.

Max got the text from Michelle Bagnet while he was on the phone with Ohm. Ohm was sitting in his room in Tul's apartment, exactly the room Max thought he would pick when Tul had shown him all the options. Clara and Pong were in their room with the night nurse who was giving him a complete checkup since she hadn't seen him in almost a week. Ohm said Ramida was in her room texting with friends. He didn't know what Tul was doing.

When Max got the message, he asked Ohm to go get Tul and stayed on the line while Ohm went looking for him.

"I don't see him, P'," Ohm said as he walked into the living room. "I don't hear anything either. I don't want to go into his space. Plus, I thought I heard him talking to someone when I went into my room. Remember when I went to get a drink?"

Max stopped. "Ohm, I need you to go take elevator to the garage. Look for section D 5. Look to see if you see Tul. I'm going to text you a picture. I want to know if he's with the man in the picture."

Ohm heard the tone in Max's voice, so he didn't ask any questions and immediately left the apartment. While Ohm was on the way to the elevator, Max texted Tul.

"Ice cream Float."

No response, and it went unread.

Fortunately, Ohm got to the garage in time to see someone who looked like Tul in the distance with another man.

Max called Ohm. "Do you have anything in your pockets?"

Ohm reached in his pocket. He had receipt and an old raffle ticket.

"That'll do, run to them and call Tul loudly and tell him that I wanted to give him something he forgot. If he mentions ice cream, then you don't have to give him anything. But if he doesn't, just pretend that you needed to give him the ticket from me because he is going to need it later. Go up closer to him when you give him the ticket and tell him to get in his car but wait for me to call."