"If you keep staring at the clock any longer, it will burst into flames." Jae smacked her friend's shoulder. "I can't help it, the time is going way too slowly." Ta sighed, checking his phone just to make sure her kitchen clock wasn't lying to him, but alas, he still had more than twenty minutes to go. "So you're really not gonna tell me more about this mysterious wife of yours?" Ta chuckled. "Wife? Is that what Bible told you?" "Well..." Jae shrugged. "P'Bible said you're seeing someone new, and that you want to get married in like a month?"
"Haha, I mean, close enough?" Ta cracked his knuckles. "So what is the truth?" "I am seeing someone." He nodded. "And if things go well after five dates, I'm proposing."
Jae raised an eyebrow. She knew Ta since childhood, she knew about his family, his wealth, and his dating life. Or rather, lack there of. "Are you sure about this? Besides all the one night stands, you've only ever had two long term relationships, and one of them was a puppy love from when you were 11. Suddenly marriage, it's kind of a big step...isn't it? What date number is it today?"
"It's our third date." Ta sighed. Of course to anyone, this kind of thing seemed like a really whacky idea. But how could he possibly admit that he fell for Us on their first date already? "Besides, correct me if I'm wrong, but how long have you and your girlfriend dated before you moved in together? That was a pretty huge step too." He teased back, knowing well enough Jae was just concerned. "Three weeks." She snorted. "Well, I'll support you in your life choices. So, can I see a picture of her?"
Ta hesitantly opened his phone and swiped through the gallery. He has already saved all the photos Us has sent him, but there was also quite a few he has taken himself on their first two dates.
"Oh." Jae smirked. "Cute. So where are you going for your dates?" Ta grinned triumphantly. "We take turns. First one was my turn, restaurant, but we changed it halfway, and the second date he took me to an amusement park. And today, behold!" He flexed his bicep before holding his hands like a gun. "Shooting range."
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Ta was nearly late as Jae got in his head about the shooting range idea, saying Us looks 'too fragile' for such activity, but the man proved him wrong as soon as they pulled to the parking lot and saw the sign. "Oh my god!" Us excitedly took off his seatbelt and stepped out, staring at the shooting range sign. "I've always wanted to try this! How cool!"
"Really?" Ta brightened up, already excited to rub it in Jae's face later. "Yeah!" Us had a skip to his step as they entered the place and rented some guns. "Closest to this was when I played paintball with my classmates couple years back. I could barely hit anyone though, my aim wasn't that good." He admitted as he put on the noise cancelling headphones. "Can I go first?" He picked up the gun. Ta couldn't resist the excited smile and those big eyes. Was this man really four years older than him? Us fired several shots at the target, missing the inner circles and barely hitting the edges, while Ta effortlessly hit the target every single time, most often into the most inner circles.
"How is that so easy for you?" Us frowned, but refused to give up and picked up the gun again, squinting at the target. "Wait wait wait." Ta chuckled, lowering his wrists. "Can I show you?" "Go on then." Us smirked when Ta got closer. The younger man stood directly behind him, leaning over Us's shoulder as he held his arms up in the proper position. Us felt a shiver go down his spine when Ta's chest touched his back and a waft of warm breath tickled his neck. Ta's voice dropped to almost a whisper when he continued his instructions. One of his arms leisurely wrapped around Us's stomach, startling Us enough with a single poke of a finger that he fired the gun, staring in shock as he hit the bullseye.
"Good job." Ta grinned as he stepped back, his hand now placed on the lower of Us's back. Us could feel that place almost burning as he continued to fire the gun, hitting the target again. His face was flushed with red and his heart, beating so fast it nearly jumped out of his chest, and he pretended it was from the thrill of shooting at a target and not from the sudden intimacy that Ta seemed to forget as soon as they left the shooting range. "Have I upset you somehow?" Ta asked as they sat under a canopy, eating pa thong ko. "You're quiet." "It's nothing. I'm just...overthinking things." Us admitted as he dipped a chunk into sweet milk and lazily chewed on it. "I'm gonna be honest with you, I haven't liked someone so quickly before. It's kinda freaking me out." He added, shrugging in the process.
"I like it that we text each other all day. I like that you're nothing like when we first met, you're down to earth and fun." "But?" Ta raised an eyebrow. "But nothing." Us wiped a drop of milk from Ta's lip and licked his thumb afterwards. "I just realise I don't dislike the idea of marriage with you. I think I'm too old to play games and just be 'talking' to someone. I never liked to jump from one person to another just for casual dating, you know? I always hated the insecurity about who should call or text first."
"Yeah I get it." Ta nodded before reaching over the table to hold Us's hand. "I might just be 22 but I also know what I want. I want stability, and consistency, and loyalty. Mutual respect and warmth in a relationship. I want someone I can build with, not someone you to just sleep with. And I think you are the right one for me."
