" wow I love winter in this country" Kong exclaims upteenth time to his best friend Em who just rolls his eyes. His best friend thinks he is weird , he gets excited about silly things like puppet shows, tom and Jerry repeat shows, new manga, hero finally getting the heroine and snowy winter to name a few. Where as winter in this country is so harsh unlike their motherland, which remains mostly hot and humid throughout. They are both grown up men, engineers sent to this far away country, for two years to complete a over seas project. It's only been four weeks and Em is already severely homesick, where Kong is bouncing expecting the first snow fall of his life, his first snowy Christmas.

Em just shakes his head, Kong's mom and dad keeps on calling him, he is the youngest after all and the sweetest, they both have promised to visit during songkran festival but it's months away. Kong is not bothered, he is more than happy to click beautiful pictures of Christmas decorations and sending them home, sharing Christmas with his parents from far away, in his own way. Em admires his love of life and nativities, inspite if heartbreak or any sorrow, Kong always is ever smiling, though he sometimes get irritated too by this ever smiling Kongpob Sutthilak, for example, right now. Kong insists to go to the local mall to see the decorations and buy his favorite fruit plum cake in this biting cold. But he can't really deny any requests by this best friend of his and tags along for all the silly things Kong has planned more, other than his plum cake plan , he is sure about that.

Sure enough, he jumps from one shop to other tasting all bitter chocolate desserts, his favourites, buying his coveted fruit plum cake when he discovers people skating in the frozen man-made lake nearby. He runs to the spot ,Em in tow..scolding him endlessly to stop this madness and go home. It's really chilly and cloudy around. But Kong is in no mood to listen to him. It's still early evening, the sun sets very late here, colouring everything in dusky glow. Children adults are enjoying skating and frolicking around . Kong watches in wonder and squeals when someone falls or does something interesting.

" Why don't you try it too" a voice calls out to him. Kong looks up to see a very beautiful man, in red jacket and santa clause hat smiling back at him, while helping a small child to skate. He is the instructor and Kong has been observing him from the beginning never realising he has been observed too.

The man was looking graceful skating from one to another from far but from near he just looks breathtaking, if that can be even said for another man. The red jacket, the seasons colour, complimenting with his pale skin beautifully, the rosy cheeks and the pink lips so mesmarising that kongpob can't help but stare until Em pinches him hard on his waist, jolting him awake and he is now totally embarrassed and a total silent spectator.

" You speak Thai,?" Em breaks the awkward silence, seeing kong still speechless and embarrassingly quiet where as the man is still waiting for an answer with a brilliant smile.

" Yes my mom is Thai, my stepfather is from here, so you people wanna try skating."

Em pushes Kong again" hey moron he is asking you, you want to try. I know you wanted to to do this for long time"

" Come then, what's stopping you handsome" Kong becomes totally flustered. Did he just call him handsome!?

Em pushes the rooted Kong through the gate into the arena, while the man goes to get the required skating shoes for him. Em gestures him a thumbs up enjoying his best friend's new crush and his total embarrassed posture. Kong suddenly looks up when he feels wetnes on his head and cheeks,to find soft flaky things falling softlyon him

" Snow fall!"

" Yes, it's seasons first, come on let's skate"

He holds his hand and guides him to the flat ice surface,holding him steady and making him do small walks with the skates first. Soon Kong is gliding faster holding onto his hand..the snow falls steadily and the arena has become almost empty. Em has taken sheltar inside the mall like many others.

" What's your name" Kong decides to break the comfortable silence, his black gloved hands clutching tightly onto the red gloved ones..he is feeling elated, free as well as so very conscious of this beautiful man. The snow, the empty arena, the warm breathe blowing white smoke everything seems like a dream to him.

" Arthit"

" Huh?"

" You asked my name handsome, it's Arthit, what's yours?"

" Kongpob"

" Nice name , come lets take one more round and then we should leave, snow is getting heavier, we both are getting soaked through."

" No, I want more" Kong doesn't know what made him say so, but he doesn't want to let go of this gloved hands, so soon.

" You will catch severe cold, Kong. Let's meet tomorrow..if you really want it that bad to skate, ok?" Kong pouts like a child .. Arthit, can't resist but pinch those pouting cheeks and slowly moves him to the arena gate, takes his skating shoes off and gives him a flask to drink from. Kong is shivering now in cold and blushing furiously..

" Come-on take a sip it will make you feel warm" Arthit gestures towards the flask ..

Kong makes a disgusting face once he takes a sip, " yuck, I will anytime prefer a strong coffee over this horrible thing, what is this?"

" Brandy, sorry, but it really helps in keeping away cold"

" No sorry, for making me taste this disgusting thing you are treating me to coffee tomorrow" he looks up shyly at Arthit and he doesn't know where he got the courage from, may be the weather , may be the air of the season or it's just because of the pull he felt towards the man immidiately when he laid eyes on him , he places a soft kiss on his pink cheeks.

When Arthit doesn't push him away or takes his eyes off him, the snow now falling like a soft white Cascade around them in the dark arena lighted by floodlights, the humdrum of the mall, the Christmas caroles faintly seeping through the air around them..Kong lightly licks the pink lips, asking for permission, Arthit closes the gap granting the permission.

They kiss under the falling snow..the first snowfall for Kong..the first time for him to experience love at first sight..

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