Just The 2 Of Us

Chapter 45: Just Engaged

"Do you? Is it working?" Chimon cocked his head to the side and gave him a scrutinizing stare. "I can see sparks of sanity returning to your eyes at last."

"Do you think GMMTV might fire my father if I don't do exactly what they say?" A pensive Nanon asked, slowly losing his initial confidence.

"P'Tha is a CEO. No matter how much he says you're like a son to him, the company comes first. He runs a business here, and at the end of the day, you're just one of the tools which makes GMMTV richer. Cross him, get in the way of his money, and he'll cast you out, not only you, all the Kirdpans, indiscriminately."

"Ohm and I don't have to get married in a hurry." Nanon sighed, wondering how he was going to explain that to his boyfriend. Knowing Ohm, he figured that the older would want to be married to him by the end of the month. They needed to have that talk as responsible adults, and he truly hoped that Ohm didn't take his words as a heartless rejection. "I'll convince him to tell P'Kwang that we'll break up. He and I will be careful. We'll manage from there."

"What if you fail? What if you two can't hide how much you're into each other?" Chimon pressed.

"I can't answer this question now. I've gotta talk to Ohm first. By the way, we're not just into each other. We love each other." Nanon replied a little unsettled.

"You ought to play your 'divorced role' pretty well. Nobody can see you acting all lovey-dovey. If Laneige refuses to have both of you promoting their products, there will be hell to pay. P'Tha won't be willing to lose more money because of a breach of contract."

"I once more read the brand's rules and guidelines on our trip back here. P'Kwang told me to read them in the car. I was aware of what was written there. I remembered each line on that paper after signing that contract. I just didn't think they would take it so seriously. I took most of it as unnecessary formality." Nanon spoke in a sad tone as he raked a hand through his hair. Chimon was about to say something to console his best friend when an agitated Perth approached their table again.

"Guys, I've gotta go home. He's waiting for me there." He said in a hurried tone.

"I'm coming along." The singer stated and moved to get up from his seat, but Chimon gripped his arm.

"He went to Perth's house, not mine, nor yours. That means he doesn't wish to be around any of us now. If you or I go, next time you two have trouble, he won't think that Perth's house is a neutral place to stay, and he will knock on someone else's door. We won't even be able to find him then. We don't want that, do we? At least we know where he is now. Let Perth talk some sense into him. He will listen to him." Chimon advised the conflicted singer, who after a few seconds of pondering, nodded his head and returned to his seat.

"I'll keep you guys updated." Perth assured them.

"Tell him I love him, will you?" A resigned Nanon whispered, giving him a pleading look.

"I will. Even though he already knows that." Perth gave him a tiny smile and continued. "You already said yes, didn't you? He doesn't need more proof than that. To be honest, I kinda knew you would. He was the one who never thought you could do it. He must have been on cloud nine when you accepted his proposal. I wish I was there to see his face."

Nanon eyed him awkwardly. "Do you guys talk about me behind my back?"

"We talk about things that could anger Chimon and overwhelm you. So yeah, during our dialogues, he mentioned the word marriage a few times." Perth revealed without ceremony. Nanon was agape. That proposal was really not a string of words outlined on the sand in the heat of the moment. And such realization made him forget to breathe for a while.