Just One More Night

Chapter Twenty-Three

Gulf was so hungry he had completely ignored his best friend for the last ten minutes. He only realized because Mild was staring at him, amused. Gulf quickly took a sip of water to choke it all down. "Sorry, I was starving".

Mild laughed, sipping his juice. "I thought love was supposed to put off your appetite, not increase it".

Gulf blushed, clearing his throat so loudly to draw even more attention to himself. "You really enjoy putting me on the spot, uh?".

Mild grinned, clearly satisfied. "That's for not telling me about your relationship right away".

Gulf opened his eyes wide. "I literally told you the day after it happened".

Mild raised his eyebrow. "You mean you've been busted".

Gulf sighed. "I'm sorry, we didn't want to tell anyone at first". But then of course jealousy happened.

Mild chuckled, giving him a nudge. "I won't lecture you, don't worry. It is already quite satisfying seeing the look on your face".

Gulf put his hands on his face, feeling self-conscious. "What do you mean?".

He was about to say something but then he noticed someone walking in their direction. "Your boyfriend is on his way".

Mew was wearing a large hoodie and a pair of jeans, nothing extraordinary but everything looked effortlessly amazing on him. Plus, he had a wide smile on his face and his guitar on his back. "Hey". Gulf smiled at him, a little shy because of their new status. He didn't know how to behave now when they weren't just the two of them.

He waved at Mild too, sitting next to Gulf. "Did you eat yet?". Was Gulf a bad boyfriend already because he had not thought about asking him to eat with him? "I'm not really hungry, I gotta run to band practice".

Gulf nodded, trying not to show his disappointment: they had barely seen each other during the whole week - Gulf had been busy with soccer practice and Mew was always playing music with his friends because of an upcoming concert. "Oh. So why are you here?".

Mew touched his hand under the table. "I wanted to ask you...do you want to have dinner together? Tonight?".

Gulf came a little closer, even though he knew Mild was just pretending not to hear anything. For now. "Like a date?".

Mew nodded, pleased with Gulf's excited expression. "Yeah, a date".

It was Gulf's first date ever. As he had already told him, he had never really dated someone before then and for once he was glad Mew was more experienced in that department. "Sure, I'd love to".

Mew looked at his lips but then stroke his hair instead, considering they were still at uni. "Mew, we have to go!" Tong's voice brought them back to reality. "I'm coming!" he turned to Gulf and winked at him. "See you tonight".

The rest of the afternoon passed way too slowly for his taste. And now he was waiting for Mew in front of the restaurant. They had agreed to avoid the 'picking up part', considering they lived on the same floor. "You shouldn't wait here all alone, looking so handsome. Someone might want you all to himself".

Gulf smiled, feeling Mew's hands on his arms and then his chin on his shoulder. His embrace was so warm it made him realize how much he had missed him all week. "Well, I was actually waiting for my incredible boyfriend to show up".

Mew squeezed him even tighter for a second and Gulf was completely immersed in his scent. "Uhm, I love those words coming from you". He reached out to Gulf, taking his hand in his. Gulf noticed some people walking by, whispering something in each other's ear. He tensed up for a second but then Mew's voice took his mind off of it completely. "Shall we go in?".

The restaurant was fancier than expected and while the waitress was walking them to the table, Gulf was wordering if his outfit fitted the occasion. "Are you okay?". Gulf nodded, trying to stop all this overthinking.

"Mew, is that you?".

The waitress was holding his block notes even tighter and her smile was suddenly shyer. Mew stared at the girl, smiling politely back at her too. "Phailin, I didn't know you worked here".

Gulf didn't know what was going on but he felt the need to interrupt. "Mew, what do you want to order?".

Mew quickly took a look at the menu, secretly glad for the interruption. "I recommend the risotto, it's the house specialty".

Gulf had to force himself not to roll his eyes because he clearly wasn't asking her. "Mmm, seems yummy. What do you say?". Mew leaned his knees against his, waiting for his answer. Gulf took his time snooping through the ingredients. "There's no shrimp, I already checked it".

Gulf smiled, pleased. "Two risottos, then".

After a few minutes, the waitress came back with a bottle of red wine, pouring some in each other's glasses. Gulf thought she would leave them alone but that wasn't the case. "I hope you and your friend will enjoy your dinner".

Gulf almost choked on the word friend and then he saw her passing him a card with his number before leaving. Mew didn't know what to say at this point and Gulf had lost his appetite. After sipping some of his wine, he stood up, feeling unsettled. "I'm gonna get some air".

It didn't take long for Mew to join him outside, after paying for the dinner they had barely touched. "Gulf...I'm sorry. I had no idea she worked here, or I wouldn't...".

Gulf sighed. "I'm not mad, it's just...it seems like I have to keep my eyes everywhere because of people staring at us or worse, someone trying to flirt with you thinking I'm your...friend".

Mew was about to answer but then it started pouring, forcing them to run toward a nearby gazebo. They sat there, feeling a little cold because of the damp clothes. Mew insistently sought his eyes. "I'm sorry about what happened before. But I promise you I only have eyes for you".

He took Gulf's hand, holding it tight. "I know, it's not your fault. I guess I'm still wondering why you'd want to be with me in the first place, instead of one of those girls".

Mew seemed surprised, he probably thought Gulf would not be insecure about those things. "Because it's...you". From the look of Gulf's face, Mew knew it wasn't a good enough answer. "Because...you never judged me. Not even once. You're the only person who believed in me when no one else would, the only one who saw something in me, something meaningful". Mew smiled at him, stroking his wet hair. "Because you say you're not romantic but then you're surprisingly sweet to me, even when I don't deserve it". Gulf bit his lip, feeling his ears starting to burn a little. "And even if you don't see it, you're also drop-dead gorgeous, which doesn't hurt". Gulf laughed and Mew pulled him a little closer. "Yeah, especially when you smile like that". Gulf rested his forehead on his, feeling stupid for his insecurities. "And that, Gulf Kanawut, are only a few of the many reasons why I want to be with you. Okay?".

Gulf nodded, nailing his eyes on his. "Okay".

Then Mew stood up, helping him to get up too. "Let's go home, I have an idea".