The kitchen already smelled of coffee and fresh patong. Kit was sitting at the table, calmly enjoying his breakfast.
"Good morning, Little one. Did you sleep well?" he winked at me.
"I did, yeah," I replied and took a cup of coffee. I sat down across from him.
After a moment, Kit asked me,
"What does Taeng like to do the most?"
"He cooks," I answered immediately.
"And he likes playing computer games."
I looked at him curiously. "Why are you asking?"
Kit just smiled.
"I'm just curious."
For a moment, I stared into my coffee. Why is he asking about Taeng , I wondered.
"What's his favorite color?" Kit continued.
"Blue," I answered without thinking.
"Did Taeng tell you anything about me?"
Kit asked, a little more cautiously.
I smiled slightly.
"Mhm... You'll have to ask him that yourself," I said.
"Please, tell me,"
he begged, a somewhat childlike expression on his face.
I looked at him and smiled resignedly.
"Okay, I'll tell you. He feels something for you, but he doesn't want to admit it."
I leaned closer.
"But... you can't tell him you found out from me. Promise."
"I promise," Kit said, smiling widely.
His eyes lit up.
"So he feels something for me..." he repeated and sighed. "How nice."
I took a patong and started eating. Just then, I heard familiar footsteps on the stairs—Chak was coming. When he entered the kitchen, he was already dressed for work.
"Good morning," he greeted quickly, glancing at the breakfast on the table and silently walking into the kitchen.
Kit and I exchanged glances.
"Looks like Ice Man got up on the wrong side of the bed," Kit whispered.
"No, he didn't," I replied softly, blushing slightly.
"How do you know?" Kit asked with a playful smile.
I didn't need to answer him—I think he already knew.
What is he doing? I wondered. Kit just shrugged. "No idea. Looks like he didn't like the breakfast and will make it himself."
A few minutes later, Chak came back with two bowls in his hands. He placed one in front of me and sat next to me.
In a stern voice, he said, "First, you'll eat yogurt with fruit and cereal, only then can you eat the patong."
I wanted to argue, but when I saw his serious expression, I just quietly nodded and started with the bowl.
Chak got up again and went into the kitchen. Kit took the opportunity and quickly handed me the patong on a plate.
"Hurry, before he comes back!" he whispered.
I took the patong and quickly ate it.
A few moments later, Chak returned with his cup of coffee. He immediately noticed I had already eaten the patong.
He sat next to me, gave me a cold look, and sighed.
"What's going on here?" he asked.
"Nothing," Kit answered quickly with an innocent smile.
Chak shot him a glance. "You gave it to him, didn't you?"
"Maybe a little," Kit said shyly.
Chak looked at me again—with that look that tells you he's read you like an open book—then began eating his yogurt.
When I finished my portion, Chak looked at me and said,
"Now you can eat the patong."
I smiled and had another.
Once we were done eating, Chak and Kit got up.
"Come with me," Chak said to me.
Curiously, I followed him into his room.
Chak opened one of the drawers, which contained various ties.
"Pick one," he said.
I scanned the ties and picked a black one with dark blue tones.
"Good choice," Chak approved. "Now tie it for me."
I stepped closer, carefully took the tie, and began slowly knotting it. My hands trembled slightly, but I tried to stay focused. I wanted everything to be perfect.
When I finished and smoothed the tie along his collar, Chak placed his hand on mine.
His touch was gentle, warm, and involuntarily calmed me. For a moment, I just stood still, as if I wanted to hold onto that feeling as long as I could.
"You did an excellent job, Little one," he said quietly, almost whispering.
I felt a slight warmth in my stomach. For a moment, I wished time would stop.
Chak gently stroked my face with his palm and wiped an imaginary trace under my chin with his thumb.
My heart skipped a beat, but I didn't pull away.
I shyly smiled and whispered softly,
"Really... come home quickly."
His expression became even softer, and in his eyes, I caught that rare moment of warmth he seldom showed.
He leaned in and gently kissed me on the forehead.
"I promise," he said, and briefly stroked my cheek again, as if he wanted to calm me before he left.
Chak gave me a slight smile and motioned toward the door.
"Let's go, Little one," he said.
We walked out of the room. As we walked down the stairs, I noticed Kit sitting relaxed on the couch, typing something on his phone.
When he saw us, he put his phone down and smiled at me.
"Little one, thanks for all the info," he winked at me.
I smiled at him and wished him,
"Good luck."
Chak looked at me, his gaze unusually gentle.
"I'll be home soon, I promise," he said once again.
Without thinking, I hugged him. I held him close, as if I wanted to give him all the warmth I felt for him.
When we slowly pulled apart, I kissed him on the cheek.
I blushed all over and quietly murmured,
"I'll miss you."
For a moment, he stood still. His expression softened even more, almost touched. His eyes spoke more than words ever could.
When Chak and Kit left, I started cleaning up the dishes. Carefully, I loaded the plates and mugs into the dishwasher and wiped the table. When I was done, I went over to the cats' bowls and put fresh food and water in them. Sun, Lon, and Leo were eating from their own bowls.
I went to my art room, grabbed my sketchbook, pencil, and eraser, and went outside to the garden table. I sat down, opened the sketchbook, and began to draw.