The evening was young, and their gazes continued to be fixated on one another. Noah's breathing had become laboured as he pushed Kai away, his cheeks flush with heat.
Kai chuckled, obviously entertained by Noah's response. "S-stop messing around, Kai," Noah stuttered before running out of the room. Upon exiting, he found Fist standing outside.
Fist couldn't help but pick up on Noah's agitated demeanour. "You okay?" he asked, concern evident in his tone.
Noah nodded rapidly. "Yeah."
Fist smiled. "Let's go somewhere else, then."
"Sure," Noah said, forcing himself to calm down as he trailed after Fist.
As they emerged into the open area once more, three members of Neon Hype approached them, supporting Cherry in their arms. One of them asked, "Umm, Noah, right?"
Noah nodded uncertainly, taking Cherry at once from their arms. "Yes, I'm Noah. And you are…?"
The man smiled. "I'm Ash Akira Sangwaichaijasang, and to my left, this is Mick Yang Sawaikainawee. And to my right, this is East Thantaimang."
Noah clasped his hands in greeting. "Swadee krub, nice meeting you all."
They reciprocated the greeting with a smile, but before they could proceed, Fist cut in, "And you guys know me, right?"
All of them, except for Noah and Cherry, went straight at Fist in a tight embrace.
"Phi-Fist! How was our concert today?"
"It was damn hot!"
They all chattered excitedly, as if they hadn't met each other for years. Fist then looked at Noah with a questioning look. "Don't you listen to pop music?"
Noah shook his head. "Not really."
Fist leaned in closer, his warm breath caressing Noah's ear. "I'd like to take you out sometime, sweetheart."
Noah came to a standstill. Before he could answer, Kai caught up with them, his piercing eyes settling on Fist with a sinister glint. He smiled at Noah, who immediately frowned in return.
They all got ready to leave, but Noah wasn't fine at all. His heart was still pounding from everything that had occurred. He got onto the bus with Cherry, who was quietly sleeping in his arms. He took his seat, putting Cherry beside the window, while Kai sat beside him on the opposite side.
Noah's heartbeat picked up again. It was so loud he swore Kai could hear it. To distract himself, he took out his earbuds, played his favorite song, and leaned back, pretending to ignore Kai's presence.
Out of the corner of his eye, he stole a quick glance at Kai. His features looked softer in sleep, his face almost angelic. Noah's gaze lingered on the tiny mole above Kai's upper lip.
"Can't take your eyes off me, babe?"
Noah winced, jerking his head away. "Who was staring at you?!"
Kai grinned. "So red that you can't even turn your face my way?"
"I'm not red!"
Kai's tone lowered to a soft whisper. "Hmm… want me to fix that?"
Noah swallowed hard. Before he could move, something warm touched his cheek. He stiffened. Kai had just kissed him.
Noah's mind screamed for help. On the outside, he sat still, refusing to react, but inside, he was completely shaken.
"Not affected?" Kai's voice was teasing. "Want me to—"
Noah shot a glare at him and pressed a finger against Kai's lips to shut him up.
That was a huge mistake.
Kai's smirk deepened as he caught Noah's finger and, before Noah could pull away, slipped it into his mouth and sucked on it.
Noah felt his soul leave his body. Oh my god. His skin tingled where Kai's soft lips surrounded his finger, and the warm wetness of his tongue sent an unsettling shiver down his spine. Hastily, he yanked his hand back and wiped it on his shirt.
"What the devil are you doing?!"
Kai laughed. "You enjoyed it, didn't you?"
Noah had no idea, but the worst part was—it didn't feel so bad. He turned away, gazing at the somber landscape outside the window. Cherry was still peacefully sleeping next to him, while his own heart refused to slow down.
The sun rose the next morning, pouring golden light into the sky.
Cherry yawned, stretching in her seat. "Good morning, dadas!" she said with a cheerful smile.
Kai and Noah returned her greeting, but Noah hardly had time to catch his breath before his phone rang with an incoming call. He looked at the screen. Pong.
"What's up, Pong?" Noah smiled as he picked up.
"I'm good. What about you? Are you ready for the art gallery in two days?"
Noah's stomach fell. The gallery. The painting.
"Wait… I had to do two paintings, right?" Noah's face went white. "I did one, but the other—oh, shit."
He freaked out when he thought of how much work had still to be done. Under normal circumstances, a painting like this would take him two weeks. He had two days.
As soon as the bus pulled up to their stop, Noah bolted out of his seat. He looked at Kai. "Take Cherry home, please—I have something I have to do."
Without hesitating, he took off, going directly to his residence.
The second he arrived home, he picked up his half-done painting and almost broke down at the sight of how much work was left. There's no way I can get this done on time.
Then an idea struck him. He needed help.
Before he could talk himself out of it, he packed his things and made his way to Kai's house.
By the time he arrived, Kai was in the middle of brushing Cherry's teeth, playing with her as she splashed water everywhere. Cherry noticed Noah first and squealed in excitement.
"Dada's home! Yay!" she cheered, running to hug him.
Noah ruffled her hair. "Yes, dada's back."
Then he addressed Kai, getting straight to the point. "I have to stay at your house for two days."
Kai's eyes sparkled with excitement, but he feigned deafness. "What? I didn't hear you. Repeat that."
Noah frowned. "I have to stay here for two days."
Kai grinned. "Sure thing. But on one condition—you cannot go out of the house. I don't want any love scandals surfacing."
Noah groaned. "Fine.
Kai leaned in again, his breath warm against Noah's ear. His voice dropped to a whisper. "You scream so well, babe… I'd love to hear it while doing something else."
Noah's mind begged for salvation, but his traitorous heart?
It was enjoying every second of this.