"Kongpob, take this."

Kongpob looked up towards his friend and sighed.

Kongpob shook his head, he pushed away his friend's hand which held a bundle of money.

"No Aim, I don't need this. I'm working and I earn money now. I don't need it now."

Aim raised an eyebrow at his friend and chuckled.

"Once you were begging to help you and now you don't need my help anymore. You changed, Kong," Aim's words made Kongpob gasp.

"No, Aim. No. Who said I changed? I'm the same Kongpob you met years back, Aim. And how much will I trouble you? I can't depend on you for all my life," a small smile spread on Kongpob's lips.

Aim sighed and pocketed the money in his hands, he knows if Kongpob makes a decision, he will stick on to it forever.

"You are not the same Kong I met. You changed after Ayna's...." Aim couldn't help to say that word again when he saw Kongpob's expression change.

"I'm sorry, Kong."

Kongpob laughed, Aim could feel the hurt through that laugh and it hurt him seeing his friend weak.

"It's okay, Aim. It's not mine or your fault that she is gone from me. She suffered so much Aim, God might have thought it's time to end her suffering."

Aim saw how tears whelmed up in Kongpob's eyes. It has always been like this. Whenever anyone spoke about Ayna, Kongpob's eyes would fill up with water.

"Hey, what about your date? It is today right?" Aim asked excitedly, trying to change the gloomy atmosphere around them.

Kongpob scratched the back of his neck, laughing awkwardly.

"Ummm...yes, at 5pm. We will meet at the cafe I work, after my schedule," Kongpob replied.

"Oh Kong, at least for this day can't you take a day off? Aim asked as he shook his head in disbelief.

Kongpob rolled his eyes as he sat on the sofa at his friend's room.

"Really, Kong? You will be already sweaty with after work. I don't think you will have the time to change after work. It's your date, Kong. You should be more handsome that day!"

Kongpob looked at his friend, annoyed.

"If someone loves me, let them love the real me. If they are the ones who will live with me till the day I take my last breath, why should I dress up neatly and be extra cautious about my getup? One day or other that person will see the worst form of myself."

Aim raised his hands, surrendering before his best friend.

"I'm not good in philosophy as you. Do what you think is best."

Kongpob smiled and nodded his head before he got up from the sofa and took the orange hat with a label of 'Karin café' on it and wore it on his head.

"I will go now, it's already late. I only came here to check how your fever is and I ended up having a long talk with you. Get well soon, see you Aim."

Aim nodded his head at his friend.

"Best of luck for your date, buddy! Don't forget to show that lucky guy's photo!" Aim shouted as Kongpob opened the door to move outside his room.

Kongpob laughed and raised his thumbs up before he left the room.

*********

"Kongpob, please go and take the order for table 6, I'm a little busy!"

Kongpob groaned as his friend, Oak, pushed him forward to the said table, handing him the notepad to write down the order.

"How are you busy, Oak? You are playing a game sitting here!" Kongpob scolded at his friend.

"Oh, please, Kong. You are the kindest guy in this world! I'm at my last level! After I finish this level I will take over! Please, Kong! Pretty please!" Oak pleaded to his friend, his hands around Kongpob's shoulder.

Kongpob looked at his watch and found there were only 15 minutes left for 5 pm.

"Ok, Ok! But I need to be free before 5, you better end this soon!" Kongpob spoke annoyingly before he walked towards the said table.

Kongpob stood near table 6, where a man in a blue shirt with three buttons unbuttoned in the top, looking at his fingers nervously.

"Excuse me, Sir, can I please have your order?" Kongpob asked in his all sweet voice that never fails to make anyone melt.

The man looked up and two gasps were heard from the two men.

"You!"

The two men pointed at each other.

Kongpob took a deep breath and tried to not make other customers' attention on them.

"What are you doing, here?" Kongpob asked, annoyed seeing the man who insulted his friend a few days back.

The man rolled his eyes at the question.

"Oh, I came here to buy some clothes," the man replied, mirroring the annoying expression on the other's face.

Kongpob blushed at the reply, he scratched the back of his neck.

"I can't believe I got to see you here again, dummy," the customer spoke making Kongpob groan.

"Oh, really? I should be the one who says that. You were the one who insulted my friend." Kongpob replied at the fair-complexioned man infront of him.

"Anyway, I don't have time for this. Can I take your order?" Kongpob asked, returning back to his duty.

"Hmm...I need time, there is one person I'm waiting for. I will order after that," the customer replied.

Kongpob looked at the man's nervous face and smirked.

"A date, I guess?"

The man fidgeted his hands hearing Kongpob's question and nodded his head.

"I'm praying for your date, hope this person won't run away by your hot-headed behavior, Mr. Volcano man!" Kongpob teased before turning back to the counter leaving an angry customer behind.

********

Kongpob placed his cap on his locker and sighed. He took out his mobile camera and checked his face, making sure he had wiped all the water droplets on his face after washing his face.

Kongpob took a deep breath before he walked out of the locker room of the cafe.

He walked towards the table number that he asked the person to meet him.

Kongpob gasped when he saw the person who was sitting on the table.

Kongpob walked towards the man and taped on his shoulder.

"Hey, your date didn't come yet?" Kongpob asked the man, praying that he will be leaving soon.

The man scratched the back of his neck.

"Actually our meeting time is at 5 pm, my date told me to come to this table. I will call you for the order soon." The man replied nervously.

Kongpob sighed and sat on the seat infront of the man.

Kongpob moved his hand forward for a shake hands.

The man infront of him looked at Kongpob confused.

"What are you doing?" The fair-complexioned man asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Well, I'm your date," Kongpob said nervously.

"What!?" The man exclaimed, attracting the attention of other customers.

Kongpob asked his date to be quite.

"Fate has brought us together again. What can I do? Anyway, we can enjoy our date. I don't know your name. Can we introduce ourselves now?" Kongpob asked, trying to reduce the tension between them.

The man groaned in annoyance before he took a deep breath.

"I'm Arthit, Arthit Rojnapath," Arthit introduced himself, trying his best to not show his anger.

"I'm Kongpob, Kongpob Suttilak. I never expected that you would be my date. My bad luck!" Kongpob smiled warmly and it made Arthit's heart beat fast.

Arthit cleared his throat and tried to adjust himself from the situation.

"The last thing that I promised when you went out of my shop was to kill you if I meet you again," Arthit chuckled.

"And see, now you came as my date. I don't know what I'm supposed to do. I'm still angry at you for that!" Arthit pointed his finger at Kongpob, his voice was hoarse and stern.

Kongpob gulped, the stern voice of the man, made him shiver in his seat.

"B...But you were the one who insulted my friend, I should be the one who should be angry," Kongpob's lips formed a pout making Arthit feel giddy.

Arthit raised an eyebrow at the man and let out a chuckle, since Kongpob was his date now somehow, somewhere inside him, there was a feeling that told him to explain the situation to the handsome man sitting infront of him.

"Well, he was the one who insulted me at first." Arthit blurted out making Kongpob's eyes wide in suspicion.

"W...What?"

Arthit tried his best to not laugh at the comical expression on his date's face.

Arthit told everything about what had happened that day at the shop. He told how Kongpob's so-called friend, Aim, tried to flirt with him and at last when he reacted how the guy started shamelessly blame or scold him.

Kongpob's face turned beetroot red, Arthit thought his face would soon burst at the amount of color the boy's skin turned to.

Kongpob took the glass of water on the table and gulped it down quickly.

"So, I was just saying, you were the one who misunderstood the matter. I have no part on this, I was just defending myself," Arthit explained. He was enjoying the torture Kongpob was feeling.

He loved how the boy's dark brown eyes tried to avoid contact with his. How the boy bite his lower lip in embarrassment. Everything about the man infront of him made him feel attracted towards him, but, at the same time, he was still angry about insulting him that day.

Arthit smirked as he decided to tell the big news to the boy.

"Hmm... Kongpob, I didn't tell job right?" Arthit's smirk turned wide.

Kongpob shook his head while he poured a glass of water for him to drink. His throat was dry and the hotness he felt from the embarrassment made him thirsty.

"I'm the owner of Ravens Company and that shoe shop where we met in my shop. I'm the owner of the shop."

The glass in his hand dropped on to the table making the balance water spill onto the table.

"Hey!" Arthit jumped up from his seat before the water form the table could drip to his seat.

Kongpob couldn't believe what he was hearing, he was still staring at Arthit with his jaws open. He was already embarrassed by his actions and now knowing that the man was the owner of the shop made him feel to dig a hole and hide inside it.

"No need to think about hiding, we can't turn back the time anyway. So, face what we have now, and clean up this mess fast!"Arthit said, smirking at the boy's awestruck face.

Kongpob looked at the table realization hit him, making his embarrassed more. He stood up quickly and called for his friend to clean up the mess.

Kongpob scratched the back of his neck and cleared his throat when he walked towards Arthit who was waiting for the table to get cleaned.

"I...I...I'm so sorry, Arthit. I...I didn't know anything. Seeing my best friend being insulted, I...I couldn't control myself. I thought to give you a lesson, that's why I did that all. I'm soo sorry, Arthit," Kongpob apologized softly, his voice low but still Arthit heard them right.

Arthit stared at the man in front him who still avoided eye contact with him.

Arthit shook his head, he walked ahead of is date towards the exit door making Kongpob look at him with his innocent eyes making Arthit's heart melt.

"Come with me, I don't feel very good sitting here. Let's have a walk?" Arthit asked, a frown still present on his face.

Kongpob nodded his head slowly before getting up from the seat and following Arthit.

******

Arthit eyed Kongpob from the corner of his eyes. From these 15 minutes they had walking in silence, a comfortable silence that they didn't want to brake, Arthit understood the man by his side was nothing near to the assumption he had made. He was actually shy in his own way and this realization made Arthit smile.

"You should stay away from that Aim friend of yours, who might know he might flirt with you too."

Kongpob looked up at his date who had an annoyed expression on his face and chuckled.

"I know he is a flirt. Actually I have known him since school year. He is the one who had pushed me to come to this date. I won't leave him, at the end....he is my only family." A bitter smile formed on Kongpob's lips.

Arthit stopped on his tracks. He looked at Kongpob, confused.

"Only family? So, your parents?" Arthit's question was replied with a bitter chuckle.

Kongpob walked towards the bridge rail they had arrived at.

Kongpob leaned on the rail and looked at the sun that was set into the stretch of water beneath.

"Father and Mother, are just mere words for me. Luckily I couldn't call those words to those two people who brought me into this world. My dad and mom died in a car accident after 1 year I was born."

Arthit's eyes widened. His hands made its way to Kongpob's shoulder.

"I'm sorry."

Kongpob chuckled.

"Why should you be sorry? It's all nature's decision."

Arthit smiled slyly and nodded. He liked the way how the latter described the situation.

"I only had my sister since then. My sister was my mother and my father, P'Ayna. She was more than a mother for me. She suffered a lot to bring me up. She even stopped studying for making an opportunity for me to study."

Kongpob smiled as he thought about the old days.

"When I was in 5th grade I became friends with Aim. He is the son of a big businessman. He knew my condition and he didn't look at me like other children in my class who bullied me for being poor. His father helped our family by letting my sister work there as a housemaid. They paid her really well and I had that gratitude towards them."

Arthit saw how Kongpob's expression changed when he started to tell the balance story of his life and Arthit regretted asking that question earlier when he saw tears rolling down from those dark brown eyes.

"When I was in my 2nd year at college, P'Ayna was admitted in the hospital when one day she fainted at Aim's house."

A sob escaped Kongpob's lips that it pained Arthit to see him like that. He didn't know why his heart started to scrunch up in pain seeing Kongpob like that.

"She...She...She was diagnosed with cancer, a blood cancer."

"Aim's family couldn't help us at that time, their company was bankrupted and they didn't have much money with them. They tried their best to give the money for her treatment but it was not enough. I started working part-time jobs. But that money didn't afford the full cost, so I quit College."

"Three years, three years she lived. She was all getting better but one day when I went to give food for her at the hospital room I saw she wasn't responding to my calls. She...she passed away."

Tears rolled down from Kongpob's eyes non-stop.

"I don't have anyone that I could call mine in this world. Everyone left me. Aim...he was the only one who was beside me, as a good friend and as a good brother. I would do anything for him."

Arthit pulled Kongpob towards him and hugged him tightly. Sobs escaped Kongpob's lips again. Somehow he felt safe under Arthit's hug. A feeling of security and love washed over him.

Arthit closed his eyes and rubbed Kongpob's back trying to ease the pain of the other man.

Kongpob looked up at Arthit and realization hit him.

"I...I'm sorry," Arthit apologized as he pulled away from the hug.

Kongpob's cheeks heated up as he mumbled it's okay.

"I apologize to you for Aim's behavior that day and...mine too. I...I didn't know what actually happened. You could have told me that day," Kongpob remarked.

Arthit shook his head as he chuckled.

"I could have, but I didn't. Don't ask me why I just didn't feel so."

Kongpob stared at the man in front of him as he rubbed his tears. He could feel himself drowning in those black round eyes.

Arthit noticing the stare on him looked up to find Kongpob suddenly breaking his eye-contact with him which made him chuckle again at the cuteness.

There was a silence between them as they leaned against the rails. Their eyes staring at the dreamy stars up in the sky.

Arthit's hands slowly moved towards Kongpob's, his hands slowly wrapping around the soft palms on the rail beside him making Kongpob shiver.

"I don't know what is held for us towards our life, but I promise I will protect you and give all my love to you. Will you be my boyfriend, Kong?" Arthit asked, his face slowly turning towards Kongpob's shocked face.

"B..But... Arthit, I...I'm not good like you, Arthit. If I am your boyfriend, what will others think?"Kongpob asked nervously. He just wanted to say yes to the man infront of him but many questions were in his mind which he wanted to cut off first.

"What are you talking about? You are not good? From these few hours I have spent with you, I'm lucky that I got to meet such a beautiful person. And what about this society?" Arthit questioned, he was amazed at how Kongpob's thoughts went.

Kongpob scratched the back of his neck.

"You see, I'm not rich like you. I...I'm an orphan. You are a big businessman known by everyone, and I'm just a barista. If others know that you are dating such a poor guy, what will they think?"

Arthit laughed, he could see how serious Kongpob was but it didn't help him from laughing.

"What is there to laugh? Did I say any joke?" Kongpob groaned.

Arthit shook his head and tried to calm himself.

"Really, Kongpob? This is my life and I will decide who I should have in my life and who shouldn't I have. And who said you are poor? You are rich with love and care, Kong. And that is what I love from you." Arthit squeezed Kongpob's hand assuring him everything.

"I don't have anyone to call mine, Arthit. I have no one," Kongpob's voice filled with pain. He didn't want to ruin Arthit's life for his selfishness. He deliberately wanted to walk into Arthit's life as his lover but I didn't want to hurt any more people.

"Be my lover, Kong. You will have a person to call me yours."

Kongpob gasped, his eyes filled with tears with various emotions.

Arthit brought Kongpob to stand before him, their eyes staring into each other's, melting in each other's gaze filled with love and affection.

Arthit's head slowly moved forward, their lips an inch apart. Both the men could hear the fast heartbeats of each other.

Kongpob gasped when he felt a pair of lips on his.

Arthit nibbled on the latter's lower lip, moaning silently at the softness of the lips.

Kongpob melted into the kiss, his body shivering at the sensation of those sweet lips on his.

They didn't know how much time they stayed in the same position, their lips still tasting each other's until they parted away for catching their breath.

Kongpob's face turned red, a small smile engraved on his lips, his eyes still shy to meet Arthit's.

"I love how you blush, you look cute," Arthit said as he pinches Kongpob's cheeks.

"Arthit!" Kongpob pushed Arthit's hands from his cheeks, his lips forming into a pout.

"So, will you do the owner of being my lover?" Arthit asked as he wrapped his arms around Kongpob's waist.

Kongpob nodded his head.

"Yes, my volcano man."

..................................................................................

So, how is it??
Hope you liked it!!

Until next time!
Love you all!!!♥️♥️♥️♥️