I woke up to the fresh light smell of my body wash. My eyes were glued together and I wasn't ready to wake up yet. I turned and wrapped my arms around him, burying my face on the back of his neck, inhaling the fresh scent.
"You showered already. I thought we would take it together." I mumbled sleepily.
"Um yeah." He muttered.
I kissed the back of his head. "You smell like me." I chuckled.
"I like it." He placed his hand over mine and breathed out.
"Let's sleep some more."
"Yeah, I am really tired. Gosh, how many rounds did we go for last night? You surely have a lot of stamina, huh?" He snickered.
"Wanna go for more?" I whispered in his ear.
He playfully slapped my arm. "Give me a moment to breath. I am tired and sore."
I smiled and exhaled in comfort. It felt like home.
I woke up by the doorbell and frowned. I could barely open my eyes. I wanted to sleep more but who would come to visit?
"I will get it. Sleep some more." Kao said, getting up from bed and arranging his hair.
I closed my eyes again and tried to drift off.
After a brief moment, Kao entered the room with a stone face. "Kwan? Your friend Jeremy is here."
My eyes flew open. Crap. What day was it? Jeremy had informed earlier that he would visit with Carlo. How could I forget! I jumped out of bed and put on some clothes. I rushed out to the hall with Kao.
There, on the couch sat a big hunk beside Jeremy. His appearance was somehow intimidating and scary. He wore rings on the thumb and middle finger of both his hands. His black shirt had four of its buttons unbuttoned, exposing the silver chain with a cross pendant on his neck. His hair was slicked back with gel. I couldn't help but study his features for a brief moment before Jeremy snapped me out. That guy sure looked like a gangster character right out of a comic.
"Good morning." Jeremy laughed and waved at me. "Even though it's past noon already."
I scratched the back of my head, slowly walking towards them. Carlo seemed to be glaring at me with a resting face. why did he look pissed? I started to feel conscious and top of that, I had just woken up so I was probably a mess.
"Good morning." I smiled hesitantly, glancing at Carlo and then glancing back at Kao who took my gesture and walked closer to me.
"So you guys finally meet. This is Carlo and Carlo, this is Kwan." Jeremy smiled.
I smiled and outstretched my hand to Carlo who shook it. "Nice to meet you, Carlo."
"Nice to meet you too." He withdrew his hand.
"Um if you guys don't mind, I will just go freshen up real quick." I said, glancing back to look at Kao who had a blank expression on his face. "Uh...before that, let me introduce you to Kao officially." I walked back to Kao and stood behind him, resting both my hand on his shoulders. "This is Kao and Kao, you already know Jeremy and this is his boyfriend, Carlo."
"Hi." Kao muttered.
They both muttered their greetings.
"We are staying for lunch. Don't worry, we are going to cook together and grow close." Jeremy smiled smugly, inviting himself for lunch.
I smiled, horror unveiling inside my mind. He seemed bright and more open. There was this visible glow on his face and light in his eyes. Carlo really had an affect on him. They definitely would have a good time but I was worried about Kao.
I showered as quickly as possible. I wore my sweatpants and stood in front of the mirror in shock, staring at my bare chest. The red hickey on my neck was turning purple. How hard did he bite? It was definitely visible even with my sweatshirt on. Was I talking with Jeremy and Carlo looking like that? Crap. That was embarrassing.
"Kwan, are you done?" Kao called from outside the bathroom.
I quickly opened the door and stepped out with a smile. "You! Look at this!" I pointed at my neck.
He blushed, smiling broadly. "Marked mine."
I scoffed and moved to wrap my arms around his waist, staring into his eyes.
"Wear a shirt. You will catch a cold."
"It's alright." I kissed his head.
"Well, Jeremy and I are going to buy some snacks. Dress up and stay with Carlo."
I frowned.
"Now." He looked up at me with a smile. "Give me a kiss. I need to go."
I grinned and kissed his cheek.
He scowled. "That was your kiss? Come let me show you." He tiptoed and placed a long and wet smooch on my lips. I was frozen and surprised by his move. He smiled, breaking away from my grip. "Okay, bye."
I caught him by the wrist and pulled him closer, crushing my lips against his.
"Mmm Kwan!" He exclaimed, chuckling as I kissed him passionately. He broke away but I caught him again. He laughed, placing his hands on my chest and pushing me away gently. "I need to go. I made you a sandwich. It's on the counter."
I sighed in frustration. "Okay..."
"Later, you husky." He pecked my lips and walked out.
I dressed up in a white turtleneck and wore my white cardigan above it. The turtle neck hid the hickey. I walked out in the hall and found Carlo busy with his phone.
"Hi." I greeted awkwardly.
He looked up and his expression didn't change. He didn't throw a smile. "Hi." He nodded sternly.
I was starting to get pissed by that attitude. Quietly, I walked to the kitchen and grabbed the sandwich from the counter. I leaned against it and let my mind wander while I ate. I should have let Kristen come. Now, we would have to cook lunch. I sighed. I finished eating and started to fish out ingredients for lunch from the refrigerator.
I turned when I heard footsteps behind me.
"Cooking already?" Carlo asked.
I nodded. "Yeah, it will get late if we wait for them."
"Okay, I will help you." He said, grabbing the onions and taking them to the sink to wash.
I stared at his back in surprise, taking a moment to sink in the sudden change of attitude. I shrugged and went back to my work.
The atmosphere was somewhat tense between us. The air was heavy and I could feel it. He loathed me. I caught him glaring at me a few times as I cut some onions and boiled noodles. He was watching me more than helping. And I had had enough of that bullshit. I was pissed.
"Hey, can you chop the garlic? I will fry some meat." I said without glancing at him and moving to wash my hands.
He didn't answer but moved to wear the apron and started to peel some garlic. It was silent for a brief moment until he started to talk.
"You like Jeremy, don't you?" He asked out of the blue.
I turned to look at him with a frown. Was he being serious?
He looked at me.
I debated if I should go with the truth or play some games because I was so damn pissed. Then I sighed, giving up on playing games. If things went south, Kao would be disappointed.
"I do like him but not the way you are thinking." I answered calmly.
He raised an eyebrow. "Well...why does he keep visiting you so often?"
Seriously? "Maybe he still likes me." I said, getting back at him. I was pissed.
His jaw clenched as he tightly clenched his fists on the counter. He was fuming with jealousy and anger. "Maybe you should keep your distance now, don't you think?"
I shook my head. "Nope, I don't think. He has the right to have friends. Stop acting like a complete jealous boyfriend, spoiling his friendships with his friends." So that was the purpose of his visit. No wonder he was so eager to meet me.
He scoffed. "What do you know? He has friends. I trust him. But I don't trust you."
I sighed. I didn't want to lose my cool. I had a lot to say but I didn't want to add fuel to the fire. We glared at each other.
He opened his mouth to say something but my eyes widened at the smell of burning meat. I realized about the meat I was frying and quickly turned the stove off. I checked the meat but luckily, it wasn't burnt. I put the meat aside and placed a new pan on the stove. That way, I avoided the quarrel. I stopped for a brief moment to watch Carlo from my peripheral vision. He was chopping the garlic loudly.
I took the cold noodles from the sink after washing it twice and placed it near the heating pan.
"Ughh!"
I turned around sharply and found Carlo holding out his left hand with blood on the finger tips. I rolled my eyes.
"Wash it in the sink." I said, trying to figure out which finger he had sliced. It was fully covered in blood.
"It's fine. It's a small cut." He said, face grimacing in pain.
I looked at him in horror. "It may seem small but you still need to disinfect it." I said, focusing on my own work.
He clicked his tongue and went to wash the blood off. I didn't think of it as anything until the sound of the sink water pouring continued for quite a while, compelling me to turn and look at him. He was still washing his wound. I rolled my eyes again.
"It's not a big deal, you know. You are just wasting water now." I said, walking over to turn the water off. And as soon as the water stopped pouring on the wound, it started to bleed again. Blood was oozing out in such a dramatic way from such a small wound that it almost looked fake.
I ran the water again and took a closer look at how deep the wound was and it sure was deep. "It's pretty deep. We need to stop the bleeding first." I said, walking off to get the first aid kit and throwing a clean hand towel to press against the cut.
We managed to stop the bleeding after a while. I could feel his suspicious stare as I applied iodine on the wound. His stare was basically burning a hole on my head.
"You don't need to glare at me. I don't like your man in that way. I have my own boyfriend. Kao. And I love him more than anything. So, don't glare at me like that." I said.
When he didn't answer, I didn't bother to look up at him either.
"Let me apply the band-aid now and it will be okay." I muttered and peeled the band-aid. Carefully I put it over the cut and smiled in satisfaction at how perfect the band-aid had been put on. "All done." I said and smiled at him.
He was staring at me with a weird look on his face and I couldn't understand the expression.
Before we could exchange more words, the door unlocked and entered Jeremy and Kao chatting loudly.
"Gosh, why is it so hard to find beer here?" Jeremy complained as he entered. As he looked up at us, he froze and frowned. "What are you guys doing?" He asked.
Kao removed his shoes and turned to us with a confused face.
"Uh...he sliced his finger accidentally while chopping some garlic." I said, getting up on my feet. I walked to Kao and took the bags from his hands.
Jeremy rushed to Carlo's side. "What? How?"
I gave Kao a warm embrace with a smile.
"What happened?" He whispered.
I shook my head. "Nothing. He is just being dramatic." I whispered back.
I went to place the bags on the counter and was back within seconds.
"He is pretty good with knives. What happened today?" Jeremy asked Carlo who seemed to have softened completely with an easy smile on his face. Woah, the double personality for someone he loathed and someone he loved.
"I was just being a little absentminded. I am fine." Carlo assured, holding both of Jeremy's hands.
I shook my head and left those two alone. Kao and I went to the kitchen and started to take the stuffs they brought out and placed them where they should be.
"Kwan?" Kao called.
"Hmm?"
"Make sure to give me a back massage later. My back hurts." He said, casually arranging the stuffs.
I frowned. "Why is your back hurting?"
He threw me a glare. "Because of you, silly. I am growing old and I am not flexible like before."
I scratched my head. "But I thought I was being gentle."
He scoffed. "If that was you being gentle then I wonder how rough you can go."
I flushed. Wh-why was he being so straight forward? He was making me shy. "Heyah! it isn't something to say out loud! It's...it's making me shy!" I said, quickly running to turn the stove back on.
I could feel his stare in disbelief on my back. My cheeks were burning. I ignored his stare and quietly fried the noodles.
"We thought it would be tough on you to cook a lot so we brought fried chicken. What are you cooking by the way?" He asked, standing next to me with a hand over my back innocently. But the little touch sent electricity through my body and scenes from last night started to play in my head.
"Um...fried noodles and fried chicken. Thanks for buying the chicken. I guess I will turn mine into a stew now." I said, turning to look at him with a smile.
He looked up and smiled back. "I am surprised you can cook so well. You should cook often for me."
I laughed. "Sure, I will cook for you for a lifetime."
He blushed and slapped my arm playfully.
Table was set and the boiling hot stew pot was the last add on on the center of the dining. I took my seat beside Kao and rubbed my hands together.
"Okay, let's enjoy our meal." I smiled, grabbing a spoon and starting on the food.
Jeremy muttered compliments about how delicious the food was. I smiled at him happily. I glanced at Carlo who was eating quietly, eyes down on his plate.
"Why did you guys wake up so late today? Didn't sleep last night?" Jeremy asked casually.
My cheeks burned and I glanced at Kao who seemed to be burning too. "Uh...yeah, we went for a long drive last night and came back pretty late." I said.
Jeremy nodded. "I see."
We ate and chatted about random things. Carlo spoke one or two sentences and that was it. It seemed pretty normal for him not to speak as Jeremy didn't seem much concerned about it. Maybe Carlo was a quiet guy who didn't speak much but I found it hilarious how he had warned me. After the meal, I noticed Kao's mood being a little off. He was avoiding my eyes and seemed a little upset. I couldn't understand the change in his behavior. Before I could get a chance to ask him, we all sat at the balcony with beer. The sun was setting already and Jeremy found it fun to drink right after a meal.
So we continued our chat while drinking at the balcony. Carlo was opening up a bit as Jeremy would tease him in the middle of our conversations, talking about their past. I was so caught up that I didn't realize that Kao was getting drunk until he started to lean on my arm. He put his whole weight on my arm, looking at me with drunk eyes. I felt like beating myself as I didn't realize that he must have felt left out from the conversation. He hadn't joined at all.
"I think it's better for us to leave. Kao is drunk." Carlo said, watching Kao wrap his arm around mine and smile.
"Uh yeah yeah, right." I said.
Jeremy laughed. "He can't hold his liquor. He just had one can. Never mind, it was nice hanging out today, right Carlo?" He turned to smile at Carlo who smiled back and nodded.
"Let's clean up before we leave." Carlo said, collecting the cans and putting them in a polythene bag. Jeremy helped him.
As I tried to get up and grab some empty cans, Kao tugged on my arm and put me back in place.
"Don't move." He commanded.
I looked at him. "Let me help them clean up, dear."
"No." He shook his head.
I sighed and smiled, fighting back the urge to kiss him right there. His cheeks were flushed red and his eyes were blurry. "Are you drunk?" I asked, teasing him.
"No, I am not! Oh my god, that little amount of drink can't get me drunk." He exclaimed, offended.
"Hmm is it? But you seem drunk." I said.
"Ugh." He groaned. "No!"
Jeremy and Carlo quietly placed the empty cans at a corner and mouthed me goodbye. I smiled and waved at them as they left.
"Don't smile!" Kao exclaimed, grabbing me by the chin and making me look at him.
"Huh? Why?" I asked.
"You are only allowed to smile at me. Don't you dare to smile at others. Don't you know how charming you are? Anybody falls in love with you at first glance and you still go around smiling at everybody."
I chuckled. "Are you jealous?"
He nodded sharply. "I am. So don't smile at others."
I leaned closer to him to whisper in his ear. "Okay, but promise me that you will only look at me."
"I promise. I have eyes only for you. You should do the same."
I kissed his cheek. "I will." I said, wrapping my arms around him and swooping him off the floor. He gasped at the sudden gesture and then laughed. I carried him to my room and set him carefully on the bed. He had closed his eyes and probably passed out.
I went to the bathroom to freshen up and after re-entering my room, I was surprised to see him sitting up on the bed and staring at the wall blankly. As I walked closer, I realized he had tears in his eyes. I rushed to him side, wrapping an arm around him.
"What's wrong? I thought you were sleeping." I said.
He leaned against my chest and I pressed my cheek against his head. "I saw that you left." He said quietly. I could tell he was sobering up from the fear.
"Why would I do that? I am here." I said, rubbing my hand over his arm, trying to soothe him.
He sniffled. "I am hideous but please don't leave me. I beg you. Please don't leave me alone." He broke down into little sobs and it broke my heart. Why would I ever leave him when I had finally found him?
"I would never leave you so don't cry. You are beautiful Kao. You don't realize it but you are the most amazing person I have ever met. I can't leave you no matter what."
He nodded with a sniffle. He turned to look up at me, our faces just inches apart. "Kiss me."
I smiled and kissed him slow. He let out a sigh of relief as he moved his lips against mine. He moved his hands over my chest, tugging on my sweatshirt.
He leaned back and frowned, staring at my chest. "Fuck. Take this off. I would prefer you to walk around naked in front of me."
My eyes widened. That was the first time I had heard him curse and that too, being upset over my clothes. "Fine, I will take this off for you." I said, taking my shirt off.
He put his hands on either side of my shoulders, staring into my eyes. He bit his bottom lip and leaned down to kiss my throat. I tilted my head up to give him a better access. He bit and nibbled on my skin and I worried if it would leave marks. I wrapped my arms around his petite body, pulling him closer. The sensation was tingling and I couldn't take it anymore. With a sharp move, I brought his lips to mine. He leaned back slowly, lying down on the bed without breaking the kiss.
"Kwan." He mumbled against my lips.
I leaned back and looked at him. "Yeah?"
He stared right into my eyes. " I don't think I can live without you anymore." He said drunkenly and closed his eyes.
My heart skipped a beat and I brought his lips back to mine, kissing him more urgently this time. I slowed down after a while as I realized he wasn't kissing me back. I leaned away to look at him and found him snoring lightly. Did he just pass out at that heated moment? Right after turning me on?
I sat up and ran my fingers through my hair, watching him sleep. What was I to do with the burden in my pants?
I broke down into a smile, shaking my head at him. I moved away and set him right on the bed and pulled the blanket over him. I kissed his forehead and slipped inside the blanket, wrapping myself around him and drifting off to sleep.