Rain sighed as he packed his bags. He was all set to go back to Bangkok, but this time, not as a naïve, silly boy from a small town. He had grown in his time here, both the last year at Uni, and then some great revelations in his hometown, as he helped his parents with their small resort business. He had even experienced a summer fling; literally a Korean tourist who had latched himself on to Rain, praising him and teasing him till Rain had thought he would spontaneously combust. The man, Kim Jeong-Ho, had even exchanged numbers with him, promising Rain that he would visit him whenever he came down to Bangkok. Although Rain didn't quite believe him, it was nice to have those feelings of having butterflies in the stomach.

"Ready to leave lu?" his mom asked, as she watched him come down the stairs. "Yup! All set Mae!" he replied happily, as he put his bags away and hugged her. "Are you excited about going back son?" his father asked, looking at his wife and son. Oh how he loved these two wonderful people in his life! Pear had been an arranged match for him, and he had never expected that he would fall in love with her. But now, 21 years and one beautiful son later, Niran knew that his life would be completely meaningless without his little family. And when Rain had come out to them, it had not reduced that love even one bit. Instead, he had hoped that his son would find the same kind of love that he shared with his own Pear, even if it was with a man.

"Excited Phaw, yes. But I am going to miss you both a lot!" Rain said, pulling his dad into the hug as well, as the three of them laughed at his shenanigans. Rain stepped and picked up his bags, and the bag that his mom had prepared for him to take back to Bangkok. He walked out, looking back one last time as he waved and then boarded the bus that was leaving for the train station. On the way, he finally replied to the message Pete had sent almost a month ago. They chatted for a while, and then Rain took a nap, shutting down his phone. Three hours later, the train drew into Bangkok Central Station and the moment he came down, the shock of his life awaited him. Phayu stood there, looking around, as if trying to locate someone. Rain ducked behind a pillar, not wanting the man to see him. What the hell was he doing here? And who the hell was he looking for?

Rain nearly jumped out of his skin when his phone rang in his pocket. Pulling out, he saw that it was Phayu calling him. He picked it up. "Hello?" "Rain? Rain, where are you? You were supposed to be on this train, right?" Phayu sounded a bit desperate. "Phi? Why are you looking for me?" he asked, calm in the face of Phayu's storm. On the one hand, he was thrilled to see Phayu there, especially since the man seemed so desperate to find him. On the other hand, Rain was mortally afraid that something would go wrong if he stepped in front of Phayu. "Please Rain, just tell me where you are. I will be right there," Phayu said, still looking around. Rain debated a moment. What did he want? Did he want to meet Phayu and talk to him? Find out what had happened? Or did he just want to ignore everything and walk away from it all?

He drew in a deep breath and stepped out. "I am here Phi," he said, and Phayu immediately whirled around. Rain switched off his phone and looked at Phayu. "What is the matter Phi?" he asked, shocked when Phayu ran towards him and hugged him. Before he could react, or push Phayu away, the older man pulled back and away. "I am sorry Rain. I should not have done that without asking you. I just felt so relieved seeing you, I couldn't quite help myself," Phayu said, sounding sad and apologetic. Rain stared at him. "It's okay Phi. But I am still wondering what you are doing here?" he asked, now even more confused. "Rain, may we talk? Please?" Phayu asked, almost begging, and Rain, whose heart was still bound to Phayu, hated that tone in him. He knew very well that Phayu was a prideful man, and he deserved to be, not just for what his family was, but on the basis of his own achievements. So Rain relented, never wanting to hear that particular emotion from Phayu. He nodded, and watched as a relieved smile bloomed on Phayu's face.

Phayu kept stirring his coffee, trying to gather up courage to talk to Rain, trying to find an opening to the conversation. "Are you ever going to speak Phi?" Rain asked, quirking a brow. Phayu cleared his throat, then drew in a deep breath. "When I was 16 years old, I met a girl. Her name was Malee. She was a very sweet person, and my classmate. As a young teenager, I obviously thought more with the head between my legs rather than the head between my ears. I had spoken casually to people, but Malee was the first to give me that pull, that tug that a boy could feel. I had already realised that I was bi, attracted to both men and women, but until her, I had mostly hung out with boys. I finally took my courage in my hands and asked her out and she said yes. So we got into a dating phase."

"But the moment we started dating, she started to change. She became more and more demanding, asking for things that were impossible, wanting them immediately. If I couldn't get it for her, she would throw tantrums that I couldn't handle. I had been a virgin until her, and she held out on sex, telling me that I needed to earn her. I wondered what she meant, and so I asked her. She then told me that she was dating me because she knew I was a Theerpanayakul and if I wanted to get her in bed, then I would have to fulfil all her wishes. She said this while holding my dick in her hands and forcefully jerking me off. I was beyond shocked! I asked my parents to help me out that night. They reached out to her father, who turned out to be some small time businessman who wanted to curry favours from the family, so he had set his daughter to work."

"For two years after that, I refused to look at anyone. My parents sent my brothers and me to London, where we lived a relatively peaceful life. When we came back in time for college, we begged our fathers to let us change our names before we entered Uni. Thankfully, they understood, and I became Phayu Saengtham. I learnt how to protect my heart and eventually, that heart hardened. I stopped believing in relationships, knowing it was not for me at all. I had fully immersed myself in that thought process when you walked into my life. At first, you intrigued me. Unlike most of the people surrounding me, you didn't look like you even cared who I was. Then we slowly started becoming friends. With you, I took liberties I never did with others, and allowed you to do the same."

"I didn't even realise when you made my way into my heart. Then you suddenly stopped being around me. It was like I had this void in my life, like I was standing at the edge of a precipice, looking down an abyss, with no seeming end, without you right there in my life. I had no idea when you had wormed your way into my world. Rain, I don't know what I feel for you. I don't know if I can call it love, because I don't know what love is. But I do know Rain, when you were not around me, I missed you desperately. Not a moment went by when I didn't wonder what I did wrong, where I hurt you. And I know one more thing. I want you with me, in my life. I am willing to do anything to prove myself to you, as long as you give me a chance," Phayu said.

Rain sat silent and let Phayu speak his heart out, then shook his head. "I understand your feelings Phi, but I am not what you are looking for. For one, I am not in your league of people. Two, I am not the kind of person you can take to bed and then dump when you are done with me. Three, I am looking for the kind of love that lasts a lifetime, and a person who doesn't even know what love is, how can I entrust my heart to him?" he said. "I can change Rain," Phayu said. "Change? Change how Phi? You are a Theerpanayakul. You belong to literally the first family of Thailand. Your world is all glitz and glamour, my world is a small town where my parents run a small resort. Profitable, yes, but small. Your world includes making caramel macchiato for just anyone who would drink it, my world is a cup of coffee in bed with my beloved. Your world is filled with betrayal, my world is filled with vows of a lifelong commitment. Our worlds are too far apart for them to merge," Rain said.

Phayu looked stricken at the mention of everything that Rain had said. "Rain, what did you mean by the caramel macchiato?" he asked, wanting answers. "Well, you would make that only for me, and I thought I was your special one. Then I went to get coffee for Sky and me one day, and heard two girls talk about the caramel macchiato one of them got the morning after. I may be from a small town Phi, but I am not a fool. It was more than easy to put two and two together," Rain said disparagingly. "Rain please, give me one chance to prove myself," Phayu said. Rain looked at him consideringly. "Please Phi, can you give me some time to think it over?" he asked. Phayu nodded, happy with just this, and praying to every God he knew to let the answer be 'yes'.

Nearly three weeks later, Phayu had almost given up. With no calls or messages from Rain, Phayu realised that the damage inflicted was probably much too high for someone like Rain to bear. He would not have done half the things he actually had if he had discovered even the slightest bit that he was attracted to Rain. He sat despondently in his Pa's office, working half-heartedly on his blueprints, when his fathers walked in. "We got to know about it, about everything. Anyway we can help?" Vegas asked. Phayu shook his head. "I don't know Dad. It's been almost 3 weeks, and it has been complete radio silence. He hasn't messaged, hasn't called, and I am at wit's end. Maybe I should just give up," he said. "That's the most ridiculous statement I have ever heard Ven! You are a Theerpanayakul! You are Vegas and Pete Theerpanayakul's son! You should be the last person on earth who should give up! Stop behaving like a spoilt brat, and go and see what you can do best to win your love over!" Pete said, hitting Phayu on the back of his head. "Your Pa is right. Get up and go out for a while, freshen your mind, and see where it takes you," Vegas said, pushing his son out of the room.

Phayu nursed a whiskey neat as he watched Pai and Fah dance with Sky and Chai, their respective partners. He had hoped to see Rain when he saw Sky and the rest of the group, but it looked like he was doomed to disappointment. Suddenly, an old acquaintance of the family slipped into the seat beside him, running his hands on Phayu's thigh. Phayu looked up, intending to push the hand away when he locked eyes with Rain, and watched with fear as disappointment filled those brown eyes. He jumped up from his seat and ran after Rain, finally cornering him at the door of the club. "Rain! Don't leave. I can explain," he said. Rain shook his head. "For all your big words Phi, it's finally just talking the talk. You are not walking the walk. How can I trust you? Trust that you will not let me down again and again?" he asked. "Rain, give me a chance. I will prove in all the ways I can," Phayu said, latching on to Rain's hand. Rain looked down at that, and then looked at Phayu. "Okay Phi! Permission granted! I will look forward to your attempts to win me over. You have 30 days, not a day more, not a day less, starting tomorrow first thing. Is that okay?" Rain said, looking at Phayu, as the older man immediately nodded.

Epilogue, six years later:

"Khun Rain, a man is at the entrance for you. He is saying he is you husband. But he looks like Mafia!" Rain looked up at the stage whisper of his secretary and nearly laughed out loud. How much ever his Phi tried to dress down, the aura around him never diminished. "Well, he is Mafia, and he is my husband as well," Rain said, smirking, as he quickly packed up his things and left the office, leaving a gaping woman behind.

Phayu had literally put his best foot forward, trying to convince Rain of his heart. He had been rewarded when Rain had said yes, especially since the moment had come in front of both the families. Phayu had gone with Rain and his fathers to meet Rain's parents to ensure that he could show Rain his sincerity. And it had worked well. Rain had finally accepted that the man was serious, and he had set aside everything he had thought and wholeheartedly gave the older man a chance. That had only been the beginning. Now, six years later, after having been married for the last two of those, Phayu and Rain were ready for their next step in the journey; the journey of becoming parents. Rain rushed towards Phayu, whose wide open arms greeted him. "Hello love," he whispered into the younger man's ear, as they hugged. "Are you ready?" "I am Phi, I so am!" Rain said, as they made their way hand in hand to pick up their baby and bring him home. Their hope, their Babe, their life. Life had indeed come a full circle for both of them!