"A little jealousy in a relationship is healthy; it's always nice to know that someone is afraid to lose you."

Theerpanayakul mansion, Rain and Sky's room, later that night –

Rain and Sky sat on the floor with their stuff spread on the low table near the couch as they worked on an assignment from music class. They had been able to borrow a guitar from Uncle Kim and Rain strummed it and made musical notations, while Sky worked on the lyrics. They worked in companiable silence, until the strumming suddenly stopped. Sky looked up to see Rain looking at him. "Vangayi?" he asked, clearly interpreting Rain's look. There was something on his mind he had told no one. Usually, Rain was transparent as glass, what you saw was what you got. But Rain had a hidden depth that he showed only to his closest ones. And Sky was proud to be part of Rain's inner circle, which included his fathers, Sky's fathers and Sky himself. They had been his confidantes, partners in-crime and sounding boards for as long as he could remember.

"I know I could be wrong, but there is more to this Lhong situation that meets the eye," Rain said. "What do you mean?" Sky asked. "I am still not able to get over the fact as to how he found out about me. And why he came to see me. Sky, I remember Papa K telling that even though the shooting had been leaked to the media, that was on that day, and all stories were recalled. We came back from Ko Phangan on Sunday, a day after the incident. There is no way me being with P'Phayu would have been public knowledge. Even when Phi comes to the college for watching our performances, it is chalked up to a visit from the owners of the Uni. So no one knows that also," Rain elaborated his reasoning. Sky stayed silent for a while, thoughtfully analysing whatever Rain had said.

"Do you remember the Ple incident? Where P'Phayu said something about you being taken? And the photo at the club? Remember that?" he asked. It was Rain's turn to be thoughtful. "Nope, can't be the photo thing, because P'Phayu has been photographed with numerous people. The Internet is flooded with pictures of P'Phayu and P'Pai, heir-apparents of the Theerpanayakul family, famous playboys and most eligible bachelors. There has been someone new every day," he said. "But Rain, has there been a picture of him with someone else after he danced with you at the club?" Sky asked. "Yep, with some girl, at some black-tie Gala, a couple of days after our photo. Which is why people in college started telling me about him," he said. "And the Ple thing?" "Can't be that either. For one, Ple doesn't seem the type of girl who will speak up after rejection. And two, I spoke to Ple after that too. Or rather she spoke to me. I told her that the Phi who spoke to her is a friend of the family, and he knows I am gay, so he was just helping out." "She believed that? If she did, she is more naïve than I thought her to be," Sky said, incredulously. "At first she looked a bit dubious, but I told her that, because of a childhood incident, my family was over-protective, so.." Rain trailed off, as they both heard a knock on the door.

"Who could it be?" Rain mouthed. "P'Phayu and/or P'Pai," Sky said giggling, as he got up to open the door. Rain also smiled, happy to see Sky much more relaxed around P'Pai. Sky opened the door, nodded, and stepped back to allow the two older men into the room. "What were you guys doing?" Pai asked. "Homework," Sky said with a smile. "What is the reason behind this rather suspicious, nocturnal visit?" Rain asked. "What? Can't we come see you?" Phayu asked, pouting. "Huh! Yep, you can. But that's not why you are here," Rain said, low-key destroying any chances of both the men coming up with any excuse. "And P'Phayu? Why are you not sleeping? You need your rest," Rain said sternly. "We just wanted to talk to you both about Chiang Mai," Phayu said. "Okay. What is it?" Sky asked. "Are you sure you want to go?" Pai asked. "P'Pai, I think I have given sufficient enough reasons as to why I want to go, and why I WILL go," he said, steadily. "I am stubborn as hell, and I don't change my mind easily. So if you are in for the long haul with me P'Phayu, you should know this about me," he said, shaking his head. "And now off you go. We are also sleepy. P'Pai, please make sure he sleeps, okay?" Rain said, shooing them both out of the room, as Sky stood giggling.

Theerpanayakul mansion, just outside Rain and Sky's room –

"I am pretty sure they are hiding something from us," Phayu said, frowning at the door that had gotten shut almost in their faces. "I would not be surprised. Rain's definitely upto something. Although, to be honest, I am okay with whatever he plans," Pai said. "Why do you say that?" Phayu asked, continuing to frown. "Dude, I am already shocked at his level of smartness. He literally eliminated 6 years of anxiety in one single night. This whole family is still reeling in shock at everything that happened. A 19 year old boy with this level of maturity? I am ready to agree to anything he says, and you should also trust Nong," Pai said, pushing Phayu away from the door towards his room.

Theerpanayakul mansion, Vegas and Pete's room –

Vegas lay reading in bed, as Pete came out of the shower in his pyjamas. Vegas looked up and smiled, and put aside his book. He would never tire of seeing this man, the love of life. He would be the first to agree that Pete and he did not exactly get off to the most perfect start, but him being there, even after everything had happened, had changed Vegas forever. "Do you know how sexy you are?" he asked, pulling Pete on top of him. "Ai'Vegas!" Pete hissed. "Yut! You are the father of a 24 year old. Have some shame," he added. "Well, if I had shown shame, we would not have a 24 year old right now babe!" he said, licking the shell of Pete's ear. Pete simply melted against him. Even after so many years, no one could stir his heart the way his husband could. He leaned forward and brushed his lips against Vegas'. The kiss soon turned carnal, as their tongues duelled against each other's. Pete pulled back to take a breath, his eyes meeting Vegas'. "Every single time," he whispered. "Every single time," Vegas whispered back, putting his forehead on his husband's.

They stayed that way for a while before Pete pulled back again. "Since we both are not sleepy, I want to discuss something with you," he said. "Since we both are not sleepy, I want to do things to you," Vegas whispered. "Ai'Satt!" Pete said and hit him on the head. "Ow! What was that for?" he asked, rubbing his head. "For not paying attention to me," Pete said. "Okay, okay," Vegas said, still rubbing his head. "Go ahead," he added. "Well, what do you think about Rain's plan?" Pete asked. "Pete, I think, when it comes to Phayu, I am going to place my trust on Nong Rain. He has done for him, what we could not do. Maybe he was right. When it comes to our son, we probably looked at everything with some bias. We didn't trust him, or ourselves. We should have forced him to share everything with us, instead, we let him do whatever he wanted. And the wound on his heart, instead of clearing, scabbing and disappearing, stayed raw and open, till it festered. So if Rain says that we should go to Chiang Mai, then let's go to Chiang Mai," Vegas said. Pete nodded, his eyes filled with unshed tears, and Vegas pulled him into his embrace.

Suansri House, at the same time –

Fiat disconnected the call and looked thoughtfully into the distance. Leo scanned his face, and immediately understood that his husband was not exactly worried, but there was definitely something on his mind. "Fiat? Is everything okay?" he asked. "Who was it?" "It was Sky and Rain," Fiat replied. "Are they at the Theerpanayakul mansion?" Leo asked. "Chai. And..," Fiat trailed off. "And?" "Sky has decided to date Prapai!" he said. Leo spat out the water that he had just drunk. "What? What did you say? And he is living there? Call him back right away!" he said. "Ai'Leo, I told you, Rain and Sky called together. And knowing how long Phayu and Rain had been together before they even kissed, I think Sky is safe," Fiat said. Leo nodded, not completely convinced, but reassured by the fact that Sky was with Rain. "So why were you looking so pensive?" he asked.

"Sky and Rain want all of us to go to Chiang Mai after the New Year's," Fiat said. "Why?" Leo asked. "Rain said that they will talk to us and P'Tharn and P'Type together when they return tomorrow," Fiat replied. "What do you think happened all of a sudden?" Leo asked, wondering. "They didn't sound worried or tensed. They were happy. And honestly, this is not the first time we have gone to Chiang Mai at this time of the year, although we usually go to celebrate New Year there. But there was something in the boys' voice that makes me feel that something is up," Fiat said. "Anyway, I feel no point breaking our heads about it. They will tell us when they want to. Thankfully P'Tharn and P'Type will be back tomorrow. The boys have asked us to go to their house. Rain has decided to cook, so we should be set there," he added.

Chula Uni Practice Room #3, the next afternoon –

"Last day of practice today and thank the Lord!" Sig sighed. "I swear! I am going to drop-out if I have to dance even one more step," Yihwa said. They had started practicing just after lunch, and it was now almost 4 pm. "C'mon guys, let's go home. Dad and Pa would be home by now, and so would Sky's parents. Plus I have to cook," Rain said. "Okay, let's go. Anyway, I am hun..," Por began and all his friends chimed in with him, "gry!!" They left for Rain's house laughing and enjoying their moment. "Rain!!" The group turned around at Rain's name being called and saw that it was P'Pam. They all waiied to their senior. "Are you guys prepared for the performance tomorrow?" she asked. "Is there anything you all need?" "No Phi, we are fine. We will come in early tomorrow to get ready and set up the stage," Rain replied. "Okay. Let me know if there is anything I can do for you, alright?" she said, smiling at her juniors. They all nodded, excused themselves, waiied to her and left.

As soon as they were at a safe distance, she pulled out her phone and dialled a number. "P'Jom, go ahead," she said, as soon as the person on the other end picked up. She then rushed behind the group that had just left. Just as they reached outside, they saw Jom standing there with a big bouquet. "Looks like someone is going to get lucky today," Yihwa said. "Who do you think it is?" Sky asked. All of them were still trying to figure out who it could be when Jom approached them with the bouquet. They all waiied. Suddenly Jom went down on one knee in front of Rain, shocking the boy completely. "Rain, you are seriously the cutest person I know. Will you do me the honour of becoming my boyfriend?" he asked. Rain was red with embarrassment. He hated situations like these. He knew he was going to refuse, but these kind of public declarations annoyed him terribly.

He was about to speak when two powerful bikes came zooming into the campus. Everyone started oohing and aahing. Rain and Sky immediately understood who it was, and Rain absolutely did not want a public massacre. "P'Jom, please get up," he said. "I will not get up till you respond Rain," Jom replied. By this time, the campus was tittering. Who should they focus on? The drama unfolding in front of them, or the appearance of Venice and Prapai Theerpanayakul, prestigious alumni and most eligible bachelors, who somehow looked pissed enough to create a mass destruction. "P'Jom, I will not answer until you get up," Rain stayed adamant, hoping against hope that Phayu would not do anything drastic. As it is, he could see Pai barely being able restrain him. Thankfully Jom stood up and offered Rain the bouquet. The whole campus was aware that Rain had refused multiple people over the past 3 months, and Jom was determined to be the person who won Rain. He was confident about his chances and had even boasted to his friends.

"Phi, I am very sorry, but I cannot accept it. I know you put in a lot of efforts, and anyone else would be thrilled to accept, but I am not anyone else. I really must refuse you. I feel terrible, but I am not comfortable with what you did," Rain said, knowing Phayu could hear him, and his refusal. He was holding his breath and praying to any God who would listen that Phayu would not lose his shit! Just then a large black van drew up, and the driver got out. "Khun Rain? Is everything okay?" he asked. "Yes Hia, everything is fine," Rain replied. "Then let's go?" he asked, and Rain nodded. The man opened the door, and the gang filed in, as they waiied to the elder. "Young man, I hope you will not bother Khun Rain again," the man said to Jom, before he went to the driver's side and got in.

As soon as they left, Phayu broke off Pai's hold on his hand and went forward. Pai was mortally afraid that this was the end of whoever that guy was, and closed his eyes in defeat, mentally noting the people he would have to call for the mess Phayu would leave in his wake. Even though Rain and he had been together since the past almost 3 months, he was still not sure of the depth of his relationship. This made him a deadly adversary and Pai knew that there were still demons inside Phayu that could cause a deluge of emotions that could blow into a shit-storm in the blink of an eye. When he heard nothing but the normal college sounds, he opened his eyes, absolutely petrified to see what he would find. But the sight that met them was beyond comprehension. Phayu was patting Jom's back and it seriously looked like he was consoling him. Pai was completely stunned. A couple of minutes later, Phayu came back. "Who are you? Where is Phayu Venice Theerpanayakul and what have you done with him?" Pai demanded as soon as he reached him.

"What?" he asked. "Phayu, he just proposed to Rain! Are you okay? You didn't say anything to him?" "No, I didn't. He was already so bummed out. I actually felt sorry for him," Phayu said with a grimace. "That's so not you Ai'Phayu!" Pai said. "Actually, I wanted to punch him till he lost consciousness, but I imagined Rain would chew me out if he got to know, and I can't afford to lose him because of my jealousy, so I just let it go," Phayu said. Pai stared at him in wonder. "Okay, now I know what P'Arm meant when he said that Pa and Papa P tamed Dad and Papa V!" he said, laughing his head off. "Laugh all you want Ai'Pai, but don't forget, you are pretty much sailing in the same boat," he said. Pai's face fell comically at Phayu's reminder. "So are we going to follow Rain?" he asked, still looking downcast. "No, Rain's parents just got back home. He must be wanting to talk to them. That's why I thought of meeting him at the Uni before he left today. But all this drama happened. So let him be. Anyway we have to come here for the performance tomorrow. We can talk then. Let's go," he said to Pai, and they left for home.

Kirigun house –

"Can we help Rain?" Por asked. "No thanks. Half the ingredients will go in your tummy before I can cook," Rain said, as the whole group began to laughing at Por's expression. "Hey! Not fair!" he said, just as Type came into the kitchen. "What is not fair Nong'Por?" he asked, smiling at his son and his friends. "Rain thinks I will finish the ingredients before he can cook them," he said pouting. "It's not fair how well he knows me," he added. By now everyone was laughing uproariously. After dinner, the gang took care of the cleaning of the kitchen and the other things while Rain sat his and Sky's fathers down and told them about Phayu and his past. He also told them as to why he wanted to go Chiang Mai. "I feel that he has taken this burden alone all this while, he should get a chance to just be normal and be happy, right?" he asked. "Hmm..," Type hummed in agreement.

"And what is the other agenda?" Tharn asked, just as his other friends walked in. "What other agenda?" Rain asked, a tad too innocently. "Rain," Type's voice held a warning note. "Paaaa," he whined. "We know you too well lukchay! So spit it out!" Tharn said. Rain looked at Sky and then at his fathers. He then told everyone about his confusion and misgivings about the whole thing. "I also think that what happened to P'Phayu recently is also related to this person," Rain said, confidence oozing from his tone. "What do you mean?" Leo asked. "I don't know Uncle Leo. Something in my gut tells me it's all a big connection," he replied. "Did you tell the Theerpanayakuls?" Tharn asked. "No, I didn't, because I feel they have not even considered it. They are not going to be this objective about a family member, especially since P'Lhong has not been in the picture for so long, and especially about one who has been in a pretty bad shape since the past 6 years. They could not have connected the dots," Rain tried to justify himself, looking around the room. Finally, everyone nodded, assuring Rain that he and P'Phayu would get the best support, from the best team.

A/N : Sorry for the delay. A long chapter as a recompense... Thank you all for 5.5k readers my fellow BoNoHs... Please keep up the support!! :)