At the sound of his nickname – one of many – the happy feeling of Gameplay dissipates. Replacing it is disgust, as there was only one man who calls and was allowed to call him that. This man is someone whom he has not seen for a long time now – a fact to which he hardly cares anymore. Ever since he saw a video of that man and another one satisfying their fleshly needs, Gameplay never reached out to him, nor has he ever seen him again. Over time, he has buried his feelings for that man, and with them, their plans to a future that they both thought of building one day – a day that never came. Spinning around from his seat, he looks up to see the owner of the voice who has just greeted him.

"Did I scare you, GP?" said Top, who is Gameplay's boyfriend. He is the owner of Le Cargaison and his full name is Sutthirak Tangsutthichai.

"Oh it's you Top," heaved GP, letting out all the apprehension he feels.

Top kisses Gameplay on the cheeks as a part of his greeting, then, makes his way to the opposite chair. "Sorry if I alarmed you," he said after setting down to his seat

"It's okay; I thought it was someone else. What is not okay is what you called me," returned GP, frowning.

"It's your nickname, right?" Top puts the files in his hand on the table.

"I don't want to be called with that name anymore; he used to call me that; call me Gameplay or Game or Play," spat GP, showing strong emphasis on the "he" as if it is a forbidden term.

"It's been more than a year since you last seen each other. You should've gotten over him by now."

"I don't heal as fast that clawed man in the comics, Top," retorted Gameplay. "He wasted eight years of what we have."

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry, Game. I thought you've forgotten all about him."

"Whenever someone calls me GP, all I can remember is the infidelity from that...that..."

"From Jeff?" Top finishes Gameplay's sentence.

"...that scumbag!" Gameplay, in his anger, nearly shouts. The tumbler he is holding is shaking under his hand.

Top, in an effort to appease his partner, holds him on the same hand where his drink container is and said, "I'm sorry. I won't call you with that name again," he assured.

Gameplay nods, trying his best to relieve him of his magma-hot temper at the moment. When he has calmed down, Top calls for a waiter.

"Good afternoon Mister Top," greeted Boss as soon as he reaches the table, handing over a couple of booklet to the two. "What can I get you today?"

"I'll have a Ceasar Salad and a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon," replied Top without opening the menu: those two items are his usual order for a snack in that restaurant.

"Okay," said Boss, jotting down on a small pad paper what he has heard. "How you, Mister Gameplay? What can I get you?" he asked, turning to the other.

GP only shakes his head in response.

"Right. That will be ten minutes, Mister Top," said Boss.

"Thank you," acknowledged Top.

Walking to a POS machine located on the opposite side of the dining place, Boss punches in the order, which will be received by its twin that is in the kitchen.

"You've just swapped dinner for a salad and a wine," rebuked Gameplay, knowing that there is only an hour or two before the last meal of the day.

"It's just a light meal."

"You could lose your appetite later just like before."

"I won't. Trust me."

"The last time you said that, you watched over me as I had three dishes while you only drank wine."

"Don't worry, Game. I still have enough for later," assured Top, winking to his man and patting him in the head afterward. He gets a nod afterward, yet Gameplay is still frowning.

"Can you drop that grumpy look? Please? I already apologized for what I did earlier," pouted Top, making him look equally adorable with his boyfriend.

Gameplay relaxes his face, making Top smile for this great accomplishment.

"Before my food gets here, I'd like to ask you to come to Le Cargaison's 30th. anniversary," invited Top, pressing Gameplay's nose lightly using his forefinger.

"Pearl Anniversary huh? Your company has come a long way."

"Yeah, and I want to celebrate it with you."

"When is this, Top?"

"In two weeks. Preparations have already begun just this past Monday."

"Sure. I will come. I won't miss it for the world," replied Gameplay with confidence. The date is a long way to go, and there is ample time for him to prepare and rethink his attendance if needed.

"Great." Top kisses the hand that he is holding.

Gameplay, from his seat, slowly moves towards Top to return the act, but his lips never landed on any target: Top moves away a little backward to avoid the gesture, prompting Gameplay to immediately sit back down.

"Not here, Game. There are people around," said Top, running his eyes from left to right to prove his point.

GP nods with a pursed lips. Not long after, Boss arrives at their table holding a tray with a plate full of vegetables that has been dressed generously, pieces of silverwares, and a goblet. After he sets down the dish and wares in front of Top, he goes to the wine chiller by the bar to get a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon.

Top starts with his meal as soon as Boss finishes filling up his goblet.

"Want some?" asked Top, but Gameplay shakes his head.

Watching Top mix his salad, GP feels a wee bit disappointed because the scene that is transpiring at the moment seems to be a repeat of what had happened before, which he used earlier as a reference. Only now, it is him who is watching, and Top is the one eating. Another source of his dismay is when Top avoids his kiss: something that Jeff never did when they were still together.

***

Sitting on a gaming chair, which is foamed on all sides, Jeff is busy using his personal laptop computer, editing his curriculum vitae, as well as listening to a song from YouTube, which he changes it doesn't appeal to his ears.

He is, however, facing a dilemma as he updates the Word file with his picture at the very first page followed by his personal details, credentials, and notable professional achievements: how will he properly explain the fact that his work experience has a gap of more than a year.

Torn with a very delicate and fine line between telling the truth or masking that fact with deceit, Jeff continues scrolling down on the file, trying to fish out unnecessary details and have them removed: he finds one in Age. "It's up to them to determine how young I am," he said, deleting the line showing how many years he has breathed oxygen so far.

When he reaches the third page of the file, his phone rings, filling his room with a monotonous sound that is enough to provide a crude rhythm for a mediocre dance.

Pressing the CTRL key first then S, he keeps the changes he has made so far, then proceeds to answer the call.

"Hello. Good afternoon," greeted Jeff, leaning back onto his chair.

"Hi. Good day. I'm from the Human Resources Team of the Commercial Bank Of Thailand. I'm looking for Mister Worakamon Satur," greeted Jeff's caller.

"I'm he. You can call me Jeff."

"Hello Jeff. My name is Thassanai Thongmee, but you can call me Golf. I am the Talent Acquisition Officer of CBOT."

"Good afternoon, Golf. What is this call in regard to?"

"Yes. We received your profile through our referral e-mail address; a certain Longshi Lee sent it over."

Jeff straightens up on the chair: this must be the help that Long meant when he told him "I'll see what I can do".

"Do you know him, Jeff – Mister Lee?" asked Golf.

"Yes. He is my brother-in-law."

"I see. We currently have a vacant slot for our IT Team, and I think that with your work experience, you are a good fit for that slot. Would you like to give it a try and proceed further?"

"Yes, sure," answered Jeff, suddenly feeling excited.

"Great. I would like to invite you here in CBOT tomorrow at 8:00 a.m. for a series of interviews. The position I am talking about needs to be urgently filled, so if all goes well, you might be hired on the spot."

"I'm okay with that; I'll drop by your office tomorrow; where are you located?" Jeff tears out a piece of paper from a pad that is beside his laptop. After which, he picks a pen from a cup atop his table, which has a number of such in different brands and colors.

"Our office is at 68 Soi Sukhumvit Street..." Golf slows down as he gives their office's address.

"Okay." Jeff jots down on the paper what Golf dictates.

"Khlong Tan Nuea Business Complex..."

"Right."

"Watthana District."

"Yes."

"Bangkok. Our zip code is 10110."

"Got it. 68 Soi Sukhumvit Street, Khlong Tan Nuea Business Complex, Watthana District, Bangkok. 10110. Is that correct?" repeated Jeff to verify.

"That is correct, Jeff. Be in corporate attire and bring three copies of your CV, a pen, and some valid IDs when you come here."

"Got it."

"And most importantly, come on time."

"No problem, Golf. Thank you. I'll be there early."

"Great. I'll see you tomorrow, then."

"Yup. Likewise."

Golf ends the call immediately after. With the signal terminated, Jeff lays his phone down his chest, a smile etching on his face. The train of thought in his head is now approaching its first stop, to which he is determined not to get off at since it is not yet the end of his trip, and that he still has a lot of ground to cover: he still has a long way to go.

Thrilled as what has just happened, Jeff straightens up from his chair and makes three copies of his CV. While his laser printer is doing it work, he stands up and gathers the other requirements that he needs to bring tomorrow.

------

Author's Note

I know you want to know who visited Gameplay in the restaurant, that is why I released this chapter a little earlier than usual; if you thought that it was Jeff who came to Cocotte, then I think I got you again. HAHAHA! Though, I am imagining the look on Gameplay's face where he got irritated after being called "GP". He is so cute and handsome in real life that he would still look good - even better - despite being mad.

Our Jeff Satur, on the other hand, could possibly land a new job thanks to his bro-in-law (the rhyme!!). Let's wish him luck on his interviews because it will be both crazy and not a walk in the park. I guess you are wondering who will he be talking to aside from Golf, right?

Stay tuned for the release of the next chapter - Right over easy - in the following days.

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