Chapter 10: Who is he?
Noticing that Anurak had paused and was looking around, New grabbed his hand and dragged him to the stairs.
Seeing that Anurak was distracted, He followed Anurak's gaze and ended up on one of the sexy waitresses.
She was bent over a table, attending to a customer. She was wearing a net stocking that stopped just below her knees, while her thighs and butt cheeks were exposed for all to see. If not that she was wearing black, lacey thong under her pleated skirt, her virginal would have been on display too.
So he is straight…
New mused. Good to know. A sense of disappointment surged in News heart but he pushed it down.
He smirked mischievously and tapped Anurak on the shoulder.
“You will have a better view from upstairs.”
He then turned to the security guy who had stepped in his way. “We are together.” He said, pointing his neck at P'Smooth, who had already passed the security check.
Before continuing up, New grabbed Anurak's hand.
P'Smooth turned around and nodded at the security guy, who then stepped aside for them to pass.
Embarrassed at being caught leering like that, Anurak's cheeks became red. And with a bent head, he followed New up the stairs.
New intentionally grabbed Anurak's hand just now and was already feeling good when Anurak didn't try to take it back immediately. But the moment they passed the Security, he felt Anurak gently tugging at his hand, trying to take it back. New's elevated mood nosedived immediately.
Patience. He will get used to it. He mused to himself. Better still, I should be the one who stops forgetting. He is straight, and straight people overthink things. I don't want to give him the wrong impression…
New turned to Anurak “If you don't like it upstairs, we can always go back to the first floor once we get P'Smooth to help us sign up for the race, okay.” He said reassuringly.
He was still worried about the way his brother treated Anurak outside and wanted to pacify him.
“It's okay, New.” Anurak gave him a reassuring smile. New nodded, and they hurried to catch up with Smooth.
While the two friends made their way upstairs, in a corner not far from the stairs and with a clear view, Faith, a cute, petite boy, was drinking by himself and playing a game on his phone. He casually looked up when New and Anurak came in. When he saw them, his eyes brightened, and he was going to approach them, but once he saw New grabbing Anurak's hand, his gaze darkened and he halted. He looked intently at Anurak and discovered that he had no impression of the guy.
Who is he?
After New and Anurak went upstairs, Faith decided to wait a little before following them.
Tonight, he came here because he was told that New would show up.
Faith was resolved to always watch his crush from the sideline since he belonged to someone else.
When he heard that New and Tharn had broken up and the break-up was ugly, he went looking for New, believing that this was his chance.
But he was too late, as New left the country the day after he broke up. There was a lot of tension around New at that time, so his cousin told him to wait a little more.
It's been six months. He was already tired of waiting. But now, New was back but with some other guy…
What is their relationship? Am I going to lose him again?
The light in his pretty eyes dimmed, and his heart raced in fear of the unknown. Faith didn't know whether to still approach New or not…
Upstairs was just a replica of the first floor, without the stage.
The only difference was in size. It was smaller and had sofas with glass centerpieces instead of chairs and tables.
There were just six sets of sitting arrangements. Each set had exactly three sets of sofas; A three-seater facing out, and two, two-seaters flagging it.
Only four of these seats were occupied by young men drinking while scantily dressed, pretty girls waited on them.
When Anurak got upstairs, everything was low-lit, just like downstairs. Except for the bar, where the bartenders needed to see clearly, of course.
Just as he was looking around, his eyes caught a guy seated at the bar.
He was seated, backing the bar, with two other guys flagging him on both sides. He had a drink in his hand, and Anurak noticed him just as he lifted the drink to his mouth to take a sip.
What first caught Anurak's attention was the gripping presence he was oozing. Even though he was seated at the bar, far away from everyone else, despite the two bulky guys beside him, this guy owned the room.
His presence was suffocating.
Anurak was going to shake that feeling of being suffocated off when the guy brought down the cup in his hand and his face was revealed.
Their eyes clashed and everything went still. Anurak felt himself freezing. Every other thing stopped existing.
Except for those eyes.
Such eyes were not common in Thailand. They were the deepest shade of green and icy. They were chilly and penetrating.
Despite how empty and dead they looked, they reached for something within him, something he didn't know was there. Something he couldn't identify.
The only sound he heard was his heartbeat. It was so fast and hard, he felt like it was going to burst out of his chest.
Instinctively, Anurak grabbed his left chest with his right hand and felt it tremble under his palm. He panicked a little and pressed it down.
If his heart were to fly out, wouldn't he die?
What is this? What is going on?
A chill went up his spine.
Cold.
This guy is cold, Anurak thought to himself.
He instantly felt a sense of danger, but thank goodness, the guy looked away just as Anurak shivered.
Anurak could suddenly breathe again. Everything happened within seconds but to Anurak, it felt longer.
One of the men by the guy's side said something to him, pointing to his phone. Once the phone took the guy's attention, Anurak finally noticed his face and his body.
Shia! He is handsome!
For the first time in Anurak's life, he was in the presence of someone who looked better than him. Not just better, way better. The guy was so stunning, he made Anurak feel ugly.
This stranger that had Anurak frozen to a spot was tall. A solid 6'2 (1.88 m) with a superstar build, straight out of a manga; Broad shoulders and chest. Big biceps rippling with muscles.
Even though he was seated, his torso was still towering. He was wearing a white shirt with the buttons half opened. His breastplates were a little bulgy, but not bulky. What could be seen of his chest was smooth, hairless, and toned. His arms were long and his hands were big, with veins snaking around the length like the roots of a huge tree. His neck was big and wide, while his shoulder blades were sharp and broad.
His frame was the picture of perfection.
Anurak found himself swallowing hard. This was the kind of body he wanted. But no matter how he worked out, his naturally slim figure could only come this far. Anything more than this would make him lose his flare. Even though Anurak was an introvert, he liked looking handsome. His beauty was his vanity. How could he not be jealous?
New noticed Anurak's situation and the moment he saw who caused it, he rolled his eyes.
As usual, snatching spouses without even trying. He thought to himself. Even a straight guy is not let off.
“Anurak,” New called softly, then tugged at the hem of his shirt.
“Hmm?” Anurak snapped out of it.
Everything happened within seconds, but the moment he stepped out of it, his orientation snapped back to its previous position.
The inferiority he felt was for a moment. Anurak's pride as a man wasn't something that could be easily cracked like that.
As for the strange sensation he felt just now, Anurak instantly shoved it out of his mind.
Some things are better left alone. He just needed his heart to stop beating so fast…
They continued to follow Smooth who then led them to one of the empty seats.
“Sit here.” He ordered before taking a seat in one of the two-seaters.
New and Anurak sat down in the three-seater like two docile kids.
“Is he the biker you spoke about?” Smooth finally looked in Anurak's direction and asked.
“Yes, Phi.” New nodded solemnly. He was still upset with his brother.
“How good are you?” Smooth turned his gaze to Anurak.
That was when Anurak noticed the anger in his eyes.
Maybe he isn't having a good day for real. Anurak mused. But what does it have to do with me? He rolled his eyes inwardly.
“Not good enough to take your money.”
Smooth nodded, then said, “But you have a bike.”
“Yes”
“What model?”
“It's a Suzuki GSX, an old model.”
Anurak didn't miss the surprise glint in Smooth's eyes at the mention of his bike's model. He wasn't upset about that, though. He went into debt getting and pimping that bike. At this point, Anurak believed that his bike was even better than a new one of the same model. He had done a lot of work on it. He even upgraded some parts, including the engine. Anyone who undermines his bike would have themselves to blame on a racetrack.
“That's a solid machine,” Smooth exclaimed. He finally said something amicable since they started talking.
He tucked his hand into his jean pocket and brought out two cards. He placed the cards on the table and then waved to a waiter who was walking by before turning to New.
“These are your passes. Come to the track field on Saturday with these, and you will be able to enter. Make sure to come early. As early as 8 am.”
“Thank you, Phi!”
New grabbed the two cards and put them away. He was all smiles.
Anurak also placed his two palms together and gave a silent bow.
New's excitement was enough for both of them.