Days went by, and everything went as smoothly except for Kiran, who struggled to get everything he wanted from Pheet's sister.
At the practice room, one of the band members noticed Kiran's expression as he kept looking at Pheet, who ignored him. The band member approached him and whispered into his ear,
"You know that what you're doing is stalking, right?"
"What?" Kiran seemed not to get it.
"If someone tells you to get to know them, it doesn't mean you should ask everyone around them about them."
"Then what should I do?" Kiran seemed genuinely interested, as if the answer hadn't been obvious this whole time.
"You need to ask the person themselves—what they're like, what they hate, and what they love."
The guy tapped Kiran on the shoulder before going back to his usual spot.
The rest of the practice, Kiran was distracted, regrets filling his mind. Pheet noticed, but what could he do?
Afterward, while heading to Wut's former place, Pheet got a surprise hug from behind. It was Kiran, of course.
Pheet turned his head to look at him, then back in front before saying,
"Don't you know about personal space?"
Kiran didn't respond. He just hugged Pheet even tighter.
"I thought about it long enough, so I've decided to ask you something."
There was a pause. Pheet tensed, as if sensing a very difficult question coming.
"Can you stay at your friend's house today?"
"Huh?"
"Can I go with you too?"
Wut didn't mind people staying at his place—as long as Pheet didn't cook.
Pheet looked at Kiran, trying to understand his intentions. It was already late in the evening, and considering how far Kiran's place was, maybe he could just agree, right?
Without thinking too much, Pheet asked,
"Can you cook?"
The question didn't surprise Kiran at all.
"I took culinary classes, so yes."
"That's good. Did you bring your car?"
Kiran took out his keys.
"Yes?"
Pheet didn't say anything else. He grabbed the keys without a word and walked straight to the parking lot.
Kiran stood there for a moment, looked at his hands, then back at Pheet—then again—before smiling and following him.
In the car, Kiran was sitting in the passenger seat… in his own car.
"Can you drive?"
"I took driving lessons, so yes."
Somehow, that conversation sounded familiar.
"Right…"
At Wut's place, Kiran made himself at home, sitting in the living room while Pheet leaned against the wall, watching him.
"Are we ever going to have dinner if you keep sitting like that?"
"Oh, yeah, right."
Kiran stood up and headed to the kitchen. Pheet followed him, just to see how this man cooked.
The fridge and cabinets had everything Kiran needed.
Honestly, Pheet had bought every cooking ingredient he could find just so he could learn how to cook—but everything always failed.
Pheet sat on the counter beside the sink, watching Kiran cook.
"So what were you going to ask me?"
"Hmm… well, what do you like to eat?"
"Cheesecake."
"That I know."
"How would you know? Oh yeah, Wut. How about fried seafood?"
Kiran put something on a plate and brought it to Pheet.
"Close your eyes."
"Why?"
"Just close them. Trust me."
Pheet closed his eyes and opened his mouth.
Kiran fed him something from the plate.
Fried, seasoned shrimp.
Pheet's eyes widened.
"How did—" He started chewing, then swallowed. "You know?"
Kiran smiled, satisfied with Pheet's reaction, momentarily distracted by the light in his eyes.
"I saw a big bag of frozen shrimp that had been opened, so I figured maybe you tried to cook and it didn't turn out well."
"Shut up…"
Sitting on the counter made Pheet taller than Kiran. He looked him in the eyes and asked,
"Are there any left?"
"Do you think I ate them all? But you might have to wait for the other dishes to finish."
Afterward, Kiran set the table, and Pheet sat across from him. He was genuinely happy—every dish was one of his favorites.
"Could you cook for me every time?"
Pheet didn't realize how that sounded until Kiran agreed.
There was a moment of silence before Pheet added,
"What else did you want to know?"
"Guitar or piano?"
"Guitar."
"Acoustic or electric?"
"Acoustic."
"What's your favorite country? What's your go-to song?"
The questions continued until they finished eating.
Kiran stood up.
"I'll load the dishwasher."
Pheet stayed seated, watching him. Maybe… he could give Kiran a chance. Maybe.
When Kiran finished, Pheet asked if he wanted to watch a movie. They didn't have anything specific in mind, so they just picked the first thing that felt right.
The sun had already set, and the moon was bright. They turned off all the lights. Pheet sat on the carpet while Kiran sat on the couch right behind him.
Everything felt like it was in the right place.
The next morning, Pheet woke up to the smell of bacon. Kiran had already made breakfast.
"Why do I feel like you've made this place your own?"
"As long as you're here, darling… or maybe you want to come to my place?"
Pheet coughed.
"How do you say that with a straight face?"
Kiran just looked at him and pulled out a chair for him.
As Pheet sat down, Kiran placed a kiss on his cheek. Pheet looked at him.
"What? I thought you said once I get to know you better, I can kiss you."
"I don't remember saying that."
"I don't care."
Kiran kissed him again before going back to his seat.
Pheet looked down at his plate, smiled, then looked up as if nothing had happened.
"Are you sure you know me fully?"
"I will learn."
After breakfast, Pheet received a text from Wut asking if they wanted to hang out since it was the weekend.
They met in front of a mall.
Wut and Pheet hugged each other while Phol and Kiran watched them.
Wut spoke first,
"What is he doing here?"
"He insisted on coming."
"I need full details later."
It wasn't long before Kiran and Phol pulled them apart and headed inside—each with his lover.