Stuck on you

Chapter 3

Summary: He'd rather leave no first impression than be remembered in such a messy state. Besides, the guy looks straighter than a ruler and he really doesn't need to make a fool of himself.

"Actually we kinda met before," Frong says as they both sit down, surprising him for the second time over the span of a few seconds. "But I doubt you noticed me."

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THARAS POV:

Duen had been pestering him for weeks, insisting on having dinner together and relax with friends instead of spending all his free time alone. What he didn't know was that his free time was barely enough to wash up and feed himself before crashing on the couch out of exhaustion. Maybe agreeing on expanding his research had been a mistake because it was starting to get a toll on his social life. Not that he was much of a social butterfly to start with, but falling asleep on the couch five minutes into the news wasn't right either.

Fortunately in the past few days he had been able to focus quite well and his latest study seemed to be going in the right direction, which meant giving in to his cousin's request of a night out.

The place that had been picked was not far from a metro station, or at least that was what Google Maps was telling him: sometimes the most basic technology failed him. Luckily though, after a few minutes walk he finally spots it on his left. The place looks nice, plants and flowers around the perimeter, a patio lit up with small lights and a few candles. The reds and oranges of the sunset reflecting on the surface of the river made the atmosphere even more suggestive.

He spots Bohn's head right away, next to him Duen's which is bobbing excitedly as he speaks to a third person, probably one of their friends. He guesses it must be Ram given how tense Bohn looks: he clearly remember the two of them literally fighting behind the school when Ram was trying to protect his best friend from the person he thought undeserving of Duen's affection. It's almost funny how after all those years his cousin's boyfriend still seems unable to get along with the Cool boy, as Bohn's own bestfriend King likes to call him.

He quickens his pace and reaches their table in a matter of seconds, already slightly late because of a few minutes he wasted earlier when he took one wrong turn as soon as he got off at the station.

"Oi, P'Thara! You're here!"

Duen stops midsentence to greet him, his happy smile contagious. He was definitely his favorite among the cousins, and for that reason the one he was closer to. It had been nice watching him grow, particularly during his uni years when he finally got out of his shell and his home, ready to explore the world outside of school assignments and family commitments. His boyfriend had been a huge influence, he was sure of that. The same boyfriend who respectfully wai-ed at him while keeping an eye on his left where the other guy was sitting.

"Phi, I hope you don't mind if I asked my friend to eat with us. I haven't seen either of you in forever and I didn't want to say no to one and miss the opportunity to catch up. The two of you are always so busy!"

"Sure, no problem," he says turning around to greet Ram only to meet a familiar pair of dark eyes that had hunted him for weeks and he had finally gotten over.

"P'Thara, this is P'Frong."

The guy from that night had a name and it was Frong. He looked surprised as well as he stood up to wai, a cross earring hanging on his left, toned biceps standing out under his white t-shirt, the ripped jeans and the black leather jacket he spots on the back of his chair giving him a bad boy aura that he can't help but like. Out of his suit and in this new outfit he looks younger and even more handsome, something he didn't notice when he briefely spotted him at his usual take-out place a few weeks before. He had almost approached him then but decided against it as soon as he had realized that no one ever introduced them. Going to his table to tell him he remembered him from a random event that had happened  a long time ago sounded as creepy as knowing that he had thought of him way too many times even though they just looked at each other once for just a couple of seconds. His outfit hadn't been particularily flattering either: crumpled clothes after a day of work and the protective gear probably he wore definitely made him look a bit silly. He'd rather leave no first impression than be remembered in such a messy state. Besides, the guy looks straighter than a ruler and he really doesn't need to make a fool of himself.