Sud blinked in disbelief a couple of time to make sure he wasn't dreaming. But he had to accept the truth: he was in a hotel room with a perfect stranger in bed...both of them naked.
The last time, he had a one night stand was in college!
He was a grown man for god's sake with a son!
Sud put his hands over his face in disbelief, he could feel the telltale signs of the hangover surging in. He remembered all that happened last night, the party was thrown by his colleagues for successfully bringing in a new client to the law firm, he drank way too many champagne glasses since last time he partied like this was in college and that guy who was sitting at the bar...alone.
Sud was bisexual, a fact he hasn't tried to hide from his late wife. He couldn't help but let his eyes panned up and down the young man's naked and tantalizing body which is still safely hidden by the warm bedspread.
What happened between the party and the time, they got to the room was blurry only small impressions, but he remembered the night.
How the stranger has been nothing but a sexy kitten. For a moment, he remembered the perfection of the arched back and the wanton moans that were spilling out of those rosy lips. They did it multiple times last night until they fall asleep tangled in the sheet.
He took a long breath before turning fully towards the stranger and heaved a sigh, the mysterious man was still sleeping. Snoring so lightly that Sud has to get closer to hear him.
Leaning closer, Sud uncovered slowly the other man and he couldn't help but wince in sympathy. The pale skin was covered with bite marks and hickeys. He noticed he did a number on the young man's chest and tights. Sud has never been able to be a tender lover but he certainly forgot himself with the man. Feeling ashamed, he covered the man gently as to not wake him up.
He checked his phone. It was 10.00 AM and he had 10 missed calls and several voicemails...one of them coming from his son.
He cursed lowly, feeling like the worst father on earth.
His son must be wondering why his father hadn't come home last night.
Ming and Sud had an arrangement since Jeerawath died four years ago from pancreas cancer, Sud must always kiss his son good night when he was about to go to sleep. Despite being a workaholic, he managed to honour his engagement until last night. He was relieved to know that his mother was staying with his son.
He sent a quick message to his mother avoiding important details and the lawyer went to take a shower. When he went out of the shower, he realized something was amiss or someone. The pale beauty was nowhere to be found.
Sud stopped dead for a second, he heaved another sigh in disbelief this time.
Gone! The stranger waited for him to take a shower and left like a thief! He was half-amused, half disbelief in front of such a childish act.
He took his keys which were on the nightstand after getting dressed and left the room. Choosing to follow the stranger's behaviour.
'Let's forget this mistake and let's move on.'
"Oh my God! What happened? You look like someone who was run over by a car!" A slightly older man shouted in disbelief when he saw the young man lying lifeless on the couch.
He was holding a small plastic bag with a green cross etched over the surface. Thrown over the kitchen chair was his light brown trenchcoat, he was handsome wearing a little baby blue suit.
His brown eyes were observing the suffering young man who was poorly downplaying his physical pain.
"Go away P'Dan! And I doubt the description is fitting." The younger man answered moving gingerly to find a more comfortable position.
His body was in pain and he was out of painkillers it is not as if he needed them before!
Dan didn't miss the small painful grimace the man tried to repress. Worried he took a step closer but he could hardly give a good diagnostic without touching him...
'Why does he have to be so stubborn?'
"What! Are you kicking out your older brother after he came to bring you your medicine?" Dan asked in disbelief.
He was scared when he heard his younger brother on the phone earlier. He sounded as if he was dying! As soon as Dan finished the meeting with the hospital board, he drove all the way to his little brother's flat.
Dan frowned in confusion when he took in his little brother paler than usual complexion. Wondering if painkillers would be enough.
"What happened last night? You disappear? I was worried?" Dan asked while sitting on the armrest near his little brother's feet.
"Nothing happened." The young man whispered softly, sounding tired.
"Nothing? This doesn't look like nothing, Niram!" He said in anger having enough hearing the same half-baked excuse.
Why was his little brother so troublesome?
First, Niram didn't want to become a surgeon like him and mostly everyone in their family, but instead, he wanted to be a teacher!
And now this!
'Always keeping secrets from me...' Dan laments.
Niram kept his eyes closed with an arm was thrown over his eyes. The other arm was over his flat belly. He was wearing a light blue hoodie and a light brown short. Dan took in his little brother's form and he sighed softly. It was useless to raise his voice at Niram. He had always been like this. If something bad happened to him, he will shut himself out and bottled it inside him until he could no longer bear it or someone found out.
That's how Dan discovered Niram was bullied at school when they were younger. Niram has always been different than most kids in his eyes. Always smiling, bookish like Dan but quiet and sometimes too quiet even when he was a young child.
A true introvert.
"Here is your medicine! If needed, take a day off from work and rest, you look awful!" Dan ordered while shaking the small bag to force his younger brother to pay attention to him.
"Thanks, P'Dan." Niram raised his arm and fixed his half-lidded eyes to his older brother before closing them again and covering them with his arm.
No smile.
"Go rest in your bed! You, idiot! What do you think they are made for?" Dan scolded.
"Well, I am sure you and Daw are doing more than just sleeping, right?" Niram teased back finally giggling cautiously as to not exert his ailing body.
"You!" Dan said while raising a hand to smack Niram but seeing him like this, he put his hand down.
Niram chuckled softly when nothing was falling on his head.
"By the way Niram, will you be able to take care of your nephew this coming weekend?" Dan asked him with a concerned voice.
"Of course I can! I told you I will do it." Niram reassures him, feeling better at the mention of his cute nephew.
"Good but there is a change of plan...Gan is invited to one of his classmate's birthday party on Saturday." Dan explained.
"Okay. Don't worry, go have fun with Daw."
"...yeah..." Dan said while standing up, he took his trenchcoat and reached the knob of the door but before opening it he turned in direction of his little brother who was still lying on the sofa "rest well, Niram and I hope you will give me a good explanation next time."
On these parting words, Dan left.
"You are just my older brother, not my dad..." Niram muttered to his no longer present brother.
Small dust of pink was painting over his pale cheeks.
"I can't believe I called him daddy, last night..." He trailed off, blushing brighter.
It has been his first sexual experience and he had never dreamed he would lose his virginity to a man...it has been intense.
When he woke up in the hotel room, he could hear the sound of the shower. His body felt like it weighed tons. His hips were hurting and his ass...was ancient history. Niram sat up gingerly and bite back a cry, his ass was painful. He looked around him in disbelief, he had a one night stand! He never had one before, what the heck! This was too embarrassing, he couldn't stay there anymore and even more met face to face with the man from last night.
'At least I could save face and avoid the walk of shame.'
Speaking of said man, Niram remembered he was still in the shower maybe he was giving him the chance to escape he had pondered. Anyway, he didn't stay to check and as soon as he found his keys, he got dressed and he left the room quietly.
When he went home, he was about to shower but before he took a proper look at his body and he froze in disbelief.
What the hell!
Bite marks and hickeys were decorating his body.
'More like branding!'
Niram touched the area around one of his nipples, to his horror a moan rose from his lips, it was still sensitive, puffy and red. No wonder, the man last night has been sucking them so much!
He had a flash of himself riding the stranger while the latter's mouth was fastened to one of his nipples while pulling and rubbing with his long finger the other one. The sensations have been new to him, all he could do was moaned and pushed the stranger's head closer to his chest.
Mortified, Niram jumped into the shower and noticed only then the faint marks shaped like hands on his narrow hips.
"Damn!" He swore in disbelief then he turned the shower on.
When he was done, he dried himself avoiding all along to look at his body. It was only after he was dressed in comfortable pyjamas, Niram started looking for medicine until he realized it was a lost cause. With reluctance, he called his older brother, knowing Dan will try to know what happened.
He stood up and went to take the medicine. Not feeling in the mood to cook, he called for some takeaway food and decided to look at some sitcoms in the meantime.
When the deliveryman rang at the door, Niram has fallen asleep. He woke up in a jump, a bit disoriented before reminding him he was home. Niram opened the door groggily, tipped the happier deliveryman then he took the food. He ate a bit and went to sleep hoping tomorrow will be better a better day.
Sud was pinching the bridge of his nose in exasperation while staring at his son who was jumping up and down his bed.
"No, no, no I am not going to sleep. I am not sleepy." The little boy kept repeating with conviction.
It was tonight that his son had chosen to throw a tantrum or for his hyperactivity to kick in. Sud wasn't sure which one it was. His son has been diagnosed with hyperactivity a month after the death of his mother. According to the psychiatrist, it was just a passing disorder which will fade with time and patience.
So to canalise his son's energy, Sud has put his son in a couple of after-school activities like karate and judo but it was only spurring the little boy. Next year, he will try to put him some Muay Thai Sud vowed to himself.
In another day, Sud would play wrestler with him before putting him to bed to wear him off but tonight he was just tired.
"Mingkwan Jarnomhul! For the last time, it is time for bed!" Sud said firmly to his son.
Hearing his full name, the little boy stopped jumping up and down on his bed, landing roughly on his bum and turned wide-open eyes towards his father. For a moment, Sud was afraid he might have been too harsh with his son but the latter only stared back silently.
"You can choose a story before sleeping..." Sud trailed off tiredly and a bit grateful that his son had stopped his mini tantrum.
For only answer his son nodded eagerly and took a random book from his little library then climbed up into his small bed. His father sat on the bed next to him and started to read the story but soon he realized that Ming wasn't listening. With a sigh, Sud closed the book.
'The night is going to be long.'
He just had a one night stand and his life was already suffering from his carelessness.
"I am sorry I wasn't there last night, Ming." He apologised meaning every word.
His son looked at him with curiosity and a bit uncertain. Sud frowned already in high alert, a silent Ming wasn't a good thing!
"What's going on? I didn't mean to be angry at you, I just had a...bad day yesterday."
Bad was far from what he was feeling about last night but that wasn't important right now.
Only Mingkwan matters!
"Daddy?" Ming called him shyly.
"Yes?" Sud was already hopeful, Ming started speaking again so everything must be fine...
"How do you know if you are in love?"
Or not.
Sud looked at his son, the little boy looked at him hopeful.
"In love? Do you have a crush on one of the girls in your classroom?" Sud teased noting the small flush spreading on his son's cute little face.
Ming grimaced in disgust before shaking his head in denial. Sud raised an eyebrow in astonishment.
"A boy?" He ventured slightly surprised.
Gone was the scowl of disgust. Instead, a happy smile was plastered on his son's face.
"Oh! Then who is he?" Sud asked curiously and a tad amused.
"His name is Gan and he is cute as a kitten..." A frown marred his son's face before he continued "but each time, I tried to tell him I like him, he ran away to hide behind P'Niram".
"Oh? So he doesn't like you back?" His father wondered amused by the description.
"I don't know! He is always blushing and he ran away to P'Niram but it is okay because he is coming to my birthday party!"
"So, are you sure you like him?"
"I don't like him, Daddy. I love him!" Ming answered petulantly, correcting his father.
"Okay...so what do you want to know?"
"Is it the same as you and Mae?" Ming looked at his father shyly.
Sud smiled witnessing his son's cuteness.
"Is Gan always on your mind?"
Ming nodded in earnest.
"Then yes it is."
Sud stood up and switched on the small light next to his son's bed and kissed him good night. He was closing the door when he heard his son muttered sleepily:
"Then, I have to make him my wife starting tomorrow!"
Sud smiled softly and couldn't help but have a thought for the poor Gan. If his son was as persistent as him then Gan would need all the patience in the world.
After trying to work fruitlessly for thirty minutes, Sud gave up. He couldn't stop thinking about the stranger. He remembered how flexible the younger man has been and eager for more. It is lost in his memory that he fell asleep.
The next morning was a continuation of the disastrous of the one night stand. Sud woke up late. He had to rush. As if things weren't bad enough the nanny who was supposed to bring Ming to the daycare called in sick. It is twenty minutes later that Sud dropped his son but unfortunately, the gate was closed so he had to ring the bell.
Seeing he won't make it in time for his work, he called his work. At the same time, the gate opened and he saw him...the mysterious man. He froze in disbelief when he heard his son's words:
"P'Niram! I am so happy to see you! Is Gan there?"
Well, at least he had a name.
'Oh, wait!'
His one-night stand was his son's teacher.