The sun was sinking toward the horizon, temperature dropping rapidly—a stark contrast from this afternoon's heat. The air felt fresh, but Wittawin sighed in frustration as he looked down at his lifeline motorcycle, growing even more irritated when he turned to see the tall man who'd followed him from Bangkok now sitting comfortably, sipping coffee.
"Wittawin, go get some coffee. It'll cool your temper down a bit. What do you say? I'll buy it for you." Teeradon called out.
Wittawin didn't answer. He kicked the wheel lightly and pulled out his phone to call the service center again, but the response only made his annoyance spike higher.
"Aren't mechanics supposed to work twenty-four hours? Didn't your ad say 'Wherever your car breaks down in Thailand, we'll reach you within thirty minutes'?" Wittawin's voice strained into the phone.
"What do you mean, Sunday evening? How am I supposed to wait until Monday? Don't you have a single tow truck?" His voice grew more intense, head turning left and right in agitation.
"Figure it out and call me back immediately." Wittawin growled into the phone and hung up, then looked at his broken-down motorcycle before turning to Teeradon, who'd walked over to stand beside him.
"Sunday evening—no mechanic's going to come fix a bike way up on a mountain. Don't get so worked up, Wittawin. Since we're here anyway, let's enjoy nature instead."
"How could my perfectly good bike just break down like this?" Wittawin's voice turned cold. "Are you messing with me somehow?"
"Hey, don't be unreasonable." Teeradon protested. "I've been following you from Bangkok the whole time—when did I get a chance to touch your bike? Talking like that could be called slander."
"Why did you have to follow so close?"
"You came here yourself, Wittawin."
"I don't know why you followed me. If you hadn't, I wouldn't have come this far out." Wittawin blamed the other party.
"Ugh, getting ridiculous now." Teeradon shook his head. "Just stop running from me already. What's the deal? Someone's chasing after you with their heart in their hands, and you keep running away. What now? Your old motorcycle couldn't handle it anymore."
"Teeradon." Wittawin's voice turned weary. "What we talked about—you're just not going to listen, are you?"
"You talked. We didn't have a conversation." Teeradon's voice grew serious. "You did all the talking. It's been over a month now. How long does someone with a broken heart need to come to terms with things? Or are you planning to cheat me? Play games with me? Trick me?"
"Who could be as cunning as you?" Wittawin gritted his teeth. "Want me to spell out what you've done?"
"I'm hungry. Let's go eat. Stop being moody about the bike. It's almost evening now. Say there is a mechanic—it'll take an hour to get here, and who knows if they can even fix it. Even if they can, it'll take hours. By the time we get back to Bangkok, driving in the middle of the night is dangerous. I say we sleep here tonight." Teeradon changed the subject.
"You want to sleep, go ahead and sleep."
"You're really stubborn, Wittawin." Teeradon leaned his face closer. "It's because you don't want to be near me, isn't it? Scared you won't be able to control yourself."
"Full of yourself."
"I believe in myself more than that. I know what I'm thinking, and I don't deceive myself or force my own feelings. Once I'm sure of what I'm thinking, I act on it." Teeradon's voice grew serious, his eyes fixed steadily on Wittawin. "You know what I'm thinking right now?"
Wittawin turned to look at him, slowly raising his eyebrows as if asking what Teeradon was thinking.
"I'm thinking I want to hold you and kiss you. Fair question, right?" Teeradon laughed softly, then followed Wittawin who immediately started walking away after hearing him finish.
His face is red again. Usually his cheeks are already flushed, but now his ears are red too...
"Wittawin, where are you running to now? I'm hungry. Let's find something to eat first. I'll pay someone to watch the bike." Teeradon caught up to the young man standing glumly in front of a beverage stall, then softened his voice. "Please, Wittawin. I went through all the trouble of following you this far. It's not like you hate me. Let's eat in peace first, then we'll talk later. If the service center really can't find a mechanic, I'll hire a six-wheeler truck around here to take your bike back to Bangkok tonight. You can ride with them—we'll be there by six at the latest. But right now, let's eat first. Forget about it for forty-five minutes. Just have dinner with me."
"There's only one restaurant here. Doesn't look good either." Wittawin spoke up briefly.
"I saw one at the foot of the mountain. Nice atmosphere, looks tasty. Let's go before it gets crowded." Teeradon suggested.
"In the middle of nowhere like this, doubt it'll get crowded." Wittawin shook his head and walked to Teeradon's motorcycle, swinging his leg over to wait for the owner.
"I'll drive."
"I'll drive. You brake too jerky—I don't like it." Wittawin argued.
"This is my bike." Teeradon refused to budge.
"Are we eating or not?"
Teeradon stood still, considering for a moment, then thought of something and quickly handed over the keys to Wittawin, jumping on behind him before leaning down to whisper in the young man's ear.
"Drive smooth, okay Wittawin? I've never ridden behind anyone down steep mountains before. I'm scared."
Wittawin didn't answer, started the bike and pulled away slowly before accelerating when they hit the straight road, smiling slightly at his victory. He knew Teeradon wanted him to ride behind on his motorcycle, but this time he'd be the one driving. And he'd take Teeradon on a dizzying ride through these mountains that would make his head spin.
But the person riding behind had other thoughts.
Getting to ride behind isn't bad either. Wittawin doesn't know anything. I'll hold his waist tight and press my body close against his back. My legs will press against the back of Wittawin's...
Just one thing—please don't let that part of my body get stubborn right now. Don't want to get pushed off the bike...
Not much longer now, my dear Wittawin. Teeradon will have much more than this. Since you're calling me cunning anyway, I'll be wicked to the very end. The whole thing about paying someone to sabotage the BMW is just child's play. Teeradon doesn't feel guilty about that at all...
Let's see if you can escape my grasp, Wittawin.
***