Kongpob's POV-------

I growled frustratingly as I tried to tie my tie for the third time. First I had tried it with my eyes open, then with them closed, and once while I was looking in the mirror. No joy any of those times. May always did this for me before my concerts, having taken my mom's place. My hands were suddenly pushed aside by a pair of strong and cool ones. I looked up into sparkling onex eyes.

"Here"

Arthit said.

"Let me do it"

He bit his bottom lip gently as he tamed the knot in my tie. He settled it closely but not too tightly against my throat.

"There, take a look..."

He said, after stepping back and eyeing it.

It took me a couple of moments to make a coherent thought, much less an articulate sentence. I shook my head, trying to clear it, the scent of woods, strawberries and that special something that was Arthit, it almost overwhelmed me. Shaking my head again, I turned to look into the full length mirror on the wall of the dressing room. The tie did look good.

"Thank you, Arthit"

I smiled at him

"It looks great"

He smiled in return and picked up my coat, holding it out so that I could slip my arms into it. I turned and let him slip it up onto my shoulders. His strong hands smoothed the fabric down and picked a minute piece of lint off of it.

"There, you look gorgeous"

Arthit smiled up into my eyes. Every coherent thought left me... Again.

He turned to put the hanger back on the rack, which gave me an opportunity to get myself together. The concert would start in about 20 minutes. The butterflies that I always got in anticipation of performing for such a large crowd had already made their way into my stomach. It was a glorious feeling, now compounded by having Arthit close to me. He stirred feelings in me, too, feelings that I had never thought to have.

He started to speak.

"Kongpob, don't worry about tonight. We....Bright, Jenny and I, plus the University Security Staff are all looking out for you. Even though we don't know what 'MS' looks like for sure, we will be watching"

He glanced back up at me, his lashes so thick around his eyes. I feel like drowning in the depth of them.

"You Sing and play, just enjoy yourself. We will keep you safe"

FLASHBACK.......

THE DAY BEFORE THE CONCERT

"Don't worry...we will keep you safe"

That was what Arthit had said yesterday when He, Jenny and Prem had come to me after the practice at University auditorium hall and before we headed out to eat.

William and I had just finished up with the orchestra, telling them that the final run through would be at 11am on Saturday morning. I saw Arthit come into the auditorium with Jenny beside him. They sat down and spoke with Prem. I watched the three of them together. Immerse together in a quiet conversation. They were all so different, yet so much alike.

After I spoke with William about the practice the next day, I had jumped off the stage and approached them. They had all looked up at me and stood when I got close to them.

"What's up ??"

I asked.

All of their faces were a bit tense, and I wondered what had come up. I had sent the security guard to Arthit with the envelope. Even though I was curious, I hadn't wanted to open it right then. The practice had to go on, so many people depending on me to keep things together.

"What was in the envelope ??"

Arthit glanced at his family and then turned to look up at me.

"Let's go back to the conference room. You are done here, right ??"

"Yes, we will all come back tomorrow at eleven and have a straight run-through for the concert. That will probably take about two and a half hours, maybe... three. Then we will meet back at seven o'clock to prepare for the concert at eight"

I was rambling, stalling for time. I did want to know what was in the envelope..... but I didn't wanted to, too.

The conference room was just down the hallway. The door was closed. I opened it, and we stepped inside. The temporary students staff were gone, and the mail was all neatly arranged in sorted piles.

At the far end of the table, next to the envelope with my name on it, were three items. A picture, a card, and Good heavens...... was that a pair of underwear ?? ...... Now I was grateful that I hadn't opened it myself...... Ughhhhhh !!

Arthit led me towards the items. He picked up the photo and handed it to me.

"This is from the day when that group of students came through the hall. See ?? It has a date stamp."

I shuddered when I saw the inscription.

Our first meeting...Before we are together forever...

What the heck ??

FOREVER ??

What exactly did that mean ??

The initials MS and KS entwined creeped me out, too. I raised my eyes to see the three of them, watching me.

"Now, there is some good news here"

Arthit said.

"We are pretty sure that the stalker's initials are MS, that she wasn't just adding her first name to yours"

So, how many name combinations could we come up with for that ?? Only a million or so !!

.......

"Also, someone took this picture for MS. She might have just asked some stranger to snap it for her, or she may have had someone with her"

Jenny asked,

"Can you think back to when this woman was with you. Can you remember anyone being with her ??"

Closing my eyes, I tried to remember. The photo had jogged my memory. It had certainly caught how uncomfortable I had felt. That young woman had held my hand much too tightly, while leaning towards me. The look in her eyes had been intense. Her eyes were blue. So many people tried to make connections with me at occasions like this. I know they felt like they really knew me. It was a weird feeling.

Looking back, there had been so many flashlights going off, several of the people had cameras with them. People had cell phones out, too, snapping pictures with them. I couldn't remember who was holding which camera and who they were with.

"I am sorry. I just can't remember"

I dropped my head in defeat.
Arthit stepped closer and put his hand on my arm again. He gave a little squeeze, and I covered his hand with my own. It was so cool, but comforting. I squeezed it back. His touch was very familiar to me for some reason.

I picked up the card and read it next.

The Joy that I feel knowing that YOU Love Me...
Fills my heart with Bliss...
You are worthy of the Best...
And I am that for You...
You are my Sun...
I am your Moon...
You are my Everything...
I am your All...
The time is fast Approaching...
Soon we will never have to Part...
Our Lives will be Entwined...
Forever and Always...
For as long as you shall live...

Shock coursed through my system, followed quickly by adrenaline.

"This sounds totally......Totally...... I don't even have words for this !!"

My voice was loud as it echoed throughout the room.

"This girl is totally deluded !! How can I love her ?? I don't even know who she is !! And this part, for as long as you shall live ?? Me ?? For as long as I shall live ??"

Several swear words ran through my mind, and I fought to keep my mouth shut in front of the lady, beside me.

My fight must have shown on my face because Jenny laughed and said

"Hey Kongpob, if you want to swear, you can. I know that I had a few choice words to say when I read it !!"

That actually caused me to laugh a bit, and they all joined in. I could feel some of the tension leaving me.

"So, Jenny, please tell me that you at least found some good news at the Post Office or with GPS trackers ??"

My eyes were pleading with her to have found this Stalker's home address, and that they were on their way to confront her.

"Sorry, Kongpob....."

She shook her head in denial.

"The Post Office Box was paid in advance for three months, two months ago, with cash. The volume of mail that goes through that branch is immense, and there is just no way for them to keep track of everyone that comes and goes there, they don't have any CCTV installed yet"

A small smile crossed her face as she continued.

"Though I did get them to check and see what was in it right now. Unfortunately, there was only mail addressed of the occupant"

She heaved a sigh.

"At GPS trackers Shop, they looked up the numbers for the GPS systems. They were also paid for with cash, about three weeks ago. They sell so many of those that no one happened to remember who bought them either"

"So we are at a standstill. With No other leads"

I looked back at the note that was still in my hand.

"I think that I can safely say that she is completely crazy !!"

Without really wanting to, my eyes were drawn to the underwear. I pointed to them.

"What's THAT about ??"

Arthit said,

"Those were also in the envelope. Apparently, they are the ones that she was wearing when the picture was taken. For whatever reasons...... She must have thought that you would enjoy them as a gift"

"This is just so SICK...."

A shudder ran through me.

Prem came close to me.

"Kongpob, you need to stop worrying. That's Arthit's job, and Jenny's and Bright's"

He looked into my eyes. His were strong and piercing.

"This psycho will mess up, and she won't be close to you when she does that.... And they will be THERE to take her down and to keep you safe. Believe in them, they ARE the best"

A deep breath escaped me. I knew that May was safe right now, and I had Guardian Angels on my side. It would work out, they would make sure of it.

**********************************

Arthit's POV------

Angela found us in the conference room just before one pm. She was so excited to meet the Kongpob Suthiluck. Jenny and Prem claimed to have a prior commitment, so it was just Kongpob, Angela and I for lunch. I suggested the sushi place, knowing that Angela was a big fan. Also, it was easy for me to "hide" sushi.

We rode over to the restaurant in my Mercedes. Jenny had driven it to the University for me today morning. She took Kongpob's Porsche back to his place, much to her joy. Bright was going to pick her up at Kongpob's place.

We had a good time at lunch. Prem was right, Kongpob was quite charming. He certainly charmed Angela, and if I was honest, He charmed me too.

After lunch, Angela headed back to our office with the signed contract. Kongpob had made sure that she had two tickets to the concert for tomorrow night. She would bring her boyfriend. He also invited them to the reception that would follow the concert.

May had called me earlier to remind me to pick up Kongpob's tux from the tailor's. It was a new one and had to have a few alterations. We went to the shop together. He tried it on to make sure that the fit was correct. As he stood before the mirror and discussed the alterations with the tailor, all I could think was...... WOW......just wow.

He and the orchestra wore formal wear for the first half of the concert. For the second half, he would lose the coat and tie and just wear the shirt (the top three buttons undone) with the vest, it would be very informal.

He looked so gorgeous in the Tux..... Completely breathtaking......

I sounded just like one of those teeny bopper fans he was talking about earlier. Good thing he couldn't read my mind.
After we left the tailor, we stopped and picked up takeout from a Chinese restaurant that Kongpob said May liked. Even with the five star chefs at the hospital cafeteria, he thought she might like that instead. We took the food in, and then I left him in the safety of the Maternity ward with May and Aim. I told them that I had a few errands to run and that I would be back around nine to take him back to his place.

A t-shirt out of his dirty laundry basket was on the passenger seat beside me as I made my way back home for a change of clothes. I was a little worried that being away from Kongpob would make it hard for me to control my thirst when I met back up with him. Thus the shirt might keep me grounded in his scent.

Could vampires become addicted to something ??....

Maybe.... No !!

Addicted to their Mate's......

Maybe Yes !!

Kongpob had only been out of my sight for 20 minutes, and I had already picked up his shirt and buried my nose in it three times !!
While running errands and being near him all day, I had found myself trying to stay downwind of him, that way his scent was always enveloping me, essentially washing over me. The burn was pushed to the back of my mind, still there, but not at the front of my thoughts. At the front was the need to be near him. I kept finding myself turning to face him, adjusting my body to be in line with him. Whenever I realized I was doing so...... I would adjust myself away from him...... then my mind would wander, and I would be aligned with him again. Good grief, what was up with me ??

After I arrived home, Jenny, Bright and I, fine tuned our plans for Saturday, and then I did head out to search for a blood bank. Wad decided to join me. Even though I had feed just few days ago, the strain of the blood lust was draining me just a bit. I certainly didn't want any other kind of draining to go on, so feeding was a good idea.

We didn't have to go far before we located a old hospital with a small blood bank. I quickly entered from the back window and searched for my meal..... Wad was just watching me from outside the window.... He didn't need to feed so soon. He was waiting for me, leaning on a tree, when I made my way back to him

"Want to talk about what's going on with you ??"

He asked.

"I can feel so many things disturbing you right now. Would it help to talk about it ??"

He looked into my eyes. I could see my emotions being played out over his face. Confusion was the leading one, followed closely by concern, fear and something else.

Something I hadn't wanted to face just yet.

"I feel confused about WHAT I feel"

I said with a laugh.

"There is concern because this stalker is getting closer to my client, and I am afraid of what she might be willing to do, to get him forever"

We were walking back to the house now, the cool wind fanned my cheeks. It felt good and fresh. Wad's face was intent as he contemplated my words.

"Do you want to know what I feel and what I understand ??"

He asked.

He stopped walking, and I stopped beside him. Did I want to know ?? I had an inkling of what it might be, but I was afraid. I had never felt this way before, but I had seen it with my own eyes with Noor and Knott, with Jenny and Bright; with Prem and Wad.

Taking a breath and hoping for strength, I told him

"Yes, please tell me what you feel"

"First, I have to tell you how proud I am of you"

He reached out and put his arm around my shoulders as we continued walking towards the house.

"I can understand how much difficult it is..... for you to be in control, near Kongpob"

He squeezed my shoulders again.
I had my arm around his waist, and I hugged him back.

"Now, while I can feel the confusion on your face and body language, I also can feel something else"

He looked at me as we walked.

"There is a light in you that wasn't there before you met him, some kind of Spark. I felt it, when I met you and Kongpob, together yesterday. The spark that appears to be warming you from the inside out"

He smiled gently and said

"You have always been the most handsome, Arthit, but now you are seriously glowing, you are litrelly living up to your Name !!

I see that glow on Prem's face every day. And on Jenny and Bright's, Knott and Noor's too. It's what happens when they each look at their mates. It's what happens, in a more manly way"

He winked at me

"When we look at our Mate's. We are taken by each other...because,we love each other..."

"Really ??"

I couldn't believe what he was saying.

"I am glowing ??"

I felt my face scrunch up in dissent.

"Wad, maybe your senses are off. You guys look at each other like..."

I paused, and I knew a look of amazement covered my face as my mouth dropped open.....

"Denial... it isn't just a river in Egypt....."

He laughed as he let my shoulders go and took off in a sprint for home.

"Last one home has to be a model for Prem...in his next photoshoot !!"

I stood for the barest second, taking in what he had said, and then I was after him like a shot.

No photoshoot for me !!

**********************************

Kongpob's POV--------

Once again, I offered Arthit a cup of tea before we went upstairs to sleep. He declined by saying that he doesn't drink anything before bed, but sat with me while we talked about the day and what the plan would be for tomorrow.

I usually spent an hour or two at the gym early in the day before a concert. After the final run through with the orchestra, I would just sing while playing the piano for few hours. Usually May and Aim would join me for dinner about five, and then I would head to the auditorium to get ready for the concert at about seven. I tried to keep the day of concerts relaxing and low key.
This time, instead of going out to eat, we would be taking food into the hospital again. And this time, I would have Arthit or one of the others from G.A. with me at all times.

We had pretty much talked through the subject of the envelope from MS earlier today, so there wasn't much left to say about that subject. I hated having to wait for her next move since we didn't have any clear leads on her. It still bothered me though.

I think that Arthit saw that because he told me again to let him do the worrying. He then said

"Do you think that little girl could get past Me and my team ?? And you haven't seen any of us, for that matter, in our badass bodyguard mode. I am flat out scary at times !!"

That made me laugh, and Arthit said it was time to get some rest. I turned off the lights, and we walked up the stairs to our rooms. At his door, I once again found my hand raising, I wanted to touch his cheek again. To see if it was as smooth and cool as I remembered it was. The urge to lean in and get a big lungful of the woods and strawberry aroma that surrounded him was hard to contain.

I was so taken with this man. A shudder came over his eyes, and he leaned back just a bit, maybe he was afraid that I was going to sniff him again. I stifled the urge to roll my eyes at how stupid I had been yesterday and stepped back myself, nodding goodnight to him. I was walking away and heard his voice whisper

"Goodnight Kongpob"

**********************************

Arthit's POV------

He had almost touched me...... I was sure of it. After my conversation with Wad, I wasn't really sure how I would avoid that feeling. I knew that I was really enjoying the time we spent together. I knew that I was very concerned about what MS may have planned, and I wanted him to be safe. But what else was going on ??

Am I already falling for him ??

As he walked away from me towards his bedroom, I knew that, right then I was annoyed that humans needed to sleep, because I was going to miss him for the next several hours.

Unless...well, unless I spent my night sitting in his room, watching him sleep.

Holy Shit !! Maybe I was some kind of pervert !! Maybe I was as bad as the stalker !! Or Maybe I am trying to copy Edward.... from Twilight.

A hot shower relaxed me. And when I went to get my jogger pants and a t-shirt from my bag, I found my shorts and a deep cut sleevless t-shirt in there......

JENNY.... I will kill you.....

After less than an hour, I could hear Kongpob's breath even out and his heartbeat slow down. He was asleep. It hadn't taken him as long tonight, not nearly as long as last night. Maybe he was more at ease about his safety tonight.

I made another round of the house, checking the doors and windows. As I stepped out on to the front porch, I took a deep breath but found no hint of the stalker. I did the same on the back porch, nothing there either. After relocking the doors and setting the alarm, I stepped into the music room. I ran my fingers lightly over the keys of the black piano. We had spent a pleasant hour in here earlier today. He had sing and played some of his famously hit songs while I sat on a chair near the windows. Watching his fingers move on the keys was fascinating. Sometimes he would look up at me and smile. Yes, it had been a very pleasant hour.

As I left the music room and walked slowly towards the stairs, I realized that something was off..... I could hear that Kongpob's breathing was becoming a little bit labored, and his heart rate was climbing. I hurried up the stairs, rushing past my open door. The light from there spilled out of the room, just barely illuminating Kongpob's bedroom door at the far end of the hallway.

I came to a quiet stop outside his door. A groan from inside his room had me opening the door without another thought. There was no danger that I could see, no one lurking in the darkness, but Kongpob apparently had been thrashing in his bed. The comforter had slipped to the floor, and the sheet was tangled around his legs. A couple of the pillows had slipped off the bed and were lying on the floor. Kongpob was wearing a pair of gray short pants...... ONLY...... They also had ridden low on his hips.

An agonized moan came from his parted lips as he raised his arm over his head, settling his face in the crook of his arm. Another moment passed as I watched him, wondering what was happening. With another groan, he turned on his side. A sob started deep in his chest. The sound tore at my heart. His head started to shake back and forth. Another sob erupted from him, another stab to my soul. He was hurting so badly.....

What should I do ?? Should I just let the nightmare run its course ?? Should I wake him ??

In my very long life, this was a first experience for me, a human having a nightmare.

Then he spoke, clearly.

"No! Pull the noze up !! UP !!"

And with a sudden shout, Kongpob sat up in the bed, his shoulders shaking. I couldn't stand it anymore and moved quickly to the side of the bed and crawled up on it. I moved close to him, and then I knelt beside him.

"Don't go !!"

He cried out again, his head thrown back in apparent agony.

"Kongpob, it's okay. I am here"

I put my hands on his shoulders and shook him the smallest amount. The skin of his naked shoulders was hot, almost burning to my cool hands.

He jerked away from me as his eyes finally opened. Tears started to trail down his flushed cheeks.

Even though he was looking at me, I had the feeling that he wasn't really awake and seeing me. I shook him lightly again and hushed him quietly.

With a groan, he leaned towards me and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into his embrace.

I was shocked into stillness as Kongpob pressed his face into the crook of my neck and breathed deeply for another long moment. He was trying to contain another sob, and my arms came up around him as I held him closer.

"Hush..... shhh..... you were having a nightmare"

I brought one hand up and ran my fingers through his hair. It was so soft and silky. The tension was starting to ebb from his body.

"The plane... it was falling again"

He whispered into my neck. He sighed deeply as his arms tightened around me.

"I only have this dream a couple of times a year, which really seems like too much. I dream that I am hiking in the woods near my home in Oregon. I see the plane carrying my parents back from the convention. Its circling high up, almost too high to see. But in my dream I know that it's their plane. I am on a ridge in the mountains, and I see it start to fall. I always yell for them to pull the noze up. And it never works...it still crashes. There is fire everywhere, and I can't get close"

He shuddered again, and my arms tightened around him once again.

"It didn't really happen that way. I wasn't hiking. I was at the house. The crash site isn't even anywhere near Oregon"

His breathing was becoming steady, but his arms remained locked around me.

"A police officer that knows our family, found Aim at work, and he came with them to tell me the news"

I could feel him shake his head in my neck.

"On the one hand, I know that there wasn't anything that I could have done to stop the accident, but on the other, I keep wishing that there had been"

Not been able to stop myself, I had moved my hand back to his hair. The stroking of it seemed to calm him even more.

I could feel the change in his body when he realized that he was holding me, in the middle of the night, in the middle of his bed. He stiffened and moved back away from me just a little bit. His heart rate began to rise again. I moved away and sat back on my heels. We were still very close together in the quiet of his room.

"Thank you"

He whispered.

"I have never had someone with me when I have had this dream before"

He flushed a bit as he continued,

"It's easier, somehow, to not be alone when I have just been jerked awake out of that mess"

Trying to make him more at ease, I said

"Well, as a bodyguard..... your bodyguard to be precise, I am glad that I was here to help you through this"

His face was so soft and vulnerable as I looked into his chocolate eyes. Once again, he raised his hand, paused for just a moment, and then he slowly drew his fingertips across my cheekbone. He finished by cupping his hand under my jaw. I knew somewhere in my vampire mind that this was the Mate's connection, we both are feeling right now, I leaned into his hand, resting my cheek there.

I closed my eyes so that I could just concentrate on the feel of the warmth of his hand. It was fabulous. After a few moments, and with a sigh of my own, I opened my eyes and leaned back the smallest bit. His hand dropped slowly back to his side.

"I know it's a lot to ask"

H said as he looked into my eyes.

"But will you sleep here tonight beside me ?? I promise to not to disturb you, in your sleep, but I know that I won't be able to sleep after the nightmare. And being near you, well, I don't have the right words, but it's comforting to me"

After staring into his eyes and weighing the consequences for a moment, I came to a decision. I slipped off the bed and retrieved the pillows, handing them to him. Then I twitched the sheet out from around his hips and legs and shook it out and placed it back on to the bed. The comforter was soft in my hands when I picked it up from the floor and fluffed it out across the sheet. Kongpob scooted over out of the middle of the bed when I crawled in at the side. He settled onto his right side, facing me where I lay down on my left side. There was a good foot of space between us.

The silence of the room was warm and comforting. He reached out his right hand to me, and I placed my right one in it. He pulled it to his face and settled his cheek on it. Kongpob gave a deep sigh that washed his sweet breath over me and closed his eyes. His breathing quickly settled into a slow rhythm, and he was soon asleep, my hand held firmly in his own.

At least I am in his room with his permission.... So I am better than Edward, in that regard.

I settled down to watch him sleep. I realized that I was drawn to Kongpob Suthiluck like a mate to their fated one's, and he is probably feeling the same. Even knowing that this relationship will test all my resolves and my hold on my senses and on my heart also, I couldn't stop my mind from pursuing the thoughts of 'What if' and 'Maybe'...and more importantly

'Why not ??'

Yes....... WHY NOT ??

**********************************

Kongpob's POV------

I couldn't believe that Arthit was staying, here in my bed with me. I really wanted to stay awake and watch him sleep. Well, I wanted to do more than that...... but I had promised to not to disturb his sleep. I wanted to think over the last few minutes, of how I had felt to see his face when I woke from that hideous nightmare. But all I could do was breathe in his sweet aroma and feel his hand pressed to my cheek..... I took another deep breath and remembered what he had said earlier

"Don't worry...we will keep you safe"

And I did feel safe as I drifted off to sleep.

🌞🌜🌞🌜🌞🌜🌞🌛🌞🌛🌞🌛🌞

A/N: So.... How was it ??

I had to mention Edward and Twilight.... Because it was popping up in my head again and again while writing a Vampire story.

I hope you all will like this chapter.
Till next update, stay safe and healthy ❤️❤️