8: What Else
The Bangkaew was squirming in the bush, nuzzling his head and his nose to himself making him look like an absolute furball, even though he failed to hide his fluffy tail from the man who just scolded him. There was a saying that dogs didn't like mean people and they would avoid this kind of people.
He intended to ignore Carl completely. Didn't that man just make a promise to him last night that we would go together in the morning? Why did he leave him alone while he was sleeping? And not only he was so unresponsible and unreliable but also unreasonable, shouting at Dom who was so nice to him like that. I refuse to talk to him at all.
"Kaew, I can see that your tail is wagging," said Carl in his low voice, calmly examining the situation.
"…!..." Urgh, you dang tail. Stop!
"Should I wait here?"
"…" Stop wagging. Play it cool.
"Your ears are moving towards me now. Just come out and talk to me."
"Grrr Grrr Nggg…" Ouch, that hurts.
Kaew wasn't trying to threaten Carl but he was trying to calm his body language down. These dang ears also didn't cooperate at all!
He sometimes got sick of his own dog instinct, to be honest. Why wasn't he born a cat? So that he could have just acted like a diva with an attitude and all, showing the world who God was, turning all these humans into cat slaves. His life would have been so much easier. Sigh. Who said being a dog is easy?
"Huh!" This time, he let out a sigh but with his pinky lips, instead of his long doggy mouth.
"Um… I'll get you some clothes." Carl saw that the fluffy tail disappeared and was replaced with Kaew's pale booty who was sitting naked on the grass.
It didn't take long to reconcile before sunset. How lucky that Carl told everyone to leave them alone.
Kaew frowned, feeling upset. Eventually, he gave in and came out of his hiding spot. His fair hand reached out to take a soft bathrobe from the man who was smiling sheepishly at him.
"I'm relieved that you're finally smiling."
"…" Nope, don't smile. I'm not done being mad at you.
"Are you hungry? I have ordered plenty of food. A burger that you like or Onigiris that you want to try. Oh, how about the pinky milk tea…"
"I'm not hungry."
The boy kept his head down to his chest, trying to walk away. But his stomach said otherwise, it started growling hard, showing how he wanted all of the lists Carl just said earlier.
His pale cheeks blushed in embarrassment. His round eyes accidentally locked on the person who he was trying to ignore. Before they could stare into each other's eyes, Carl decided to take his hand and bring him to the dining table.
"Let's eat first. Then, we can talk, alright?"
"Once I'm done, I'm leaving." Kaew puffed his cheeks. Urgh, they all look delicious.
Under the man's poker face, Kaew didn't know how hard it was for Carl to hold his laughter to himself. They both started eating quietly.
"Omnomnom."
Carl let out a small smile, watching Kaew inhaling his food and drinking half of his milk tea in one drink. Only just one drink and all the clouds and storms above Kaew's head suddenly disappear, replacing with rainbow and sunshine as if nothing happened. He chewed a couple of bites of salmon sushi and the sparkles in his brown eyes showed. Following with half of a grilled Mackerel, the uneasy atmosphere in the air washed away.
Kaew being mad at Carl was one thing… But when it combined with his 'hanger', it definitely made everything worse.
"I tried to wake you up this morning many times," Carl started the conversation once he noticed that the boy's mood had been lifted.
"I don't remember that." Kaew pressed his lips together. Maybe… what Grandpa said about him sleeping so tight that he wouldn't even notice a wild boar attacking him was actually true?
"You can check the security camera if you need proof."
"Then, why did you have to be so mean when you came back home?"
"I'm sorry for shouting."
"I really don't understand it" Kaew tilted his head.
Carl took a sip of his coffee. He was always so certain of his calmness. It was so rare that he would raise his voice at anyone. The reasons could have been that:
First, he was so disappointed that the boy wasn't happy to see him. But that was so ridiculous to admit.
And second, he was upset seeing that someone was touching Kaew. And he had just discovered that.
"Is your hip still hurt?" Carl tried this werewolf's tactic by changing the subject of the conversation out of the blue.
"Nope. That black-suited man took me out for such a long walk. He even wanted to take me out for an exercise."
"Let me see it," said Carl in his low voice.
"Heh?" Kaew who was enjoying a cup of yogurt as a dessert paused his action.
"Let me see your bruise first. If there's nothing, then we can discuss your activities." Carl's sharp eyes looked at the boy who walked to him obediently.
Kaew parted the slit of his bathrobe, showing his hip and his fair leg that used to be all purple but now was just a light stain on it.
Werewolves were easily recovered as this boy had claimed to be.
"See? I told you. Ah! Your hand…" Kaew's eyes followed the trace of Carl's fingers on his hip.
The scent he could smell from Carl made him frown. The boy sat down and took Carl's right hand for a quick sniff. Kaew's eyes widened, staring at the man in front of him.
He smelled human blood, though a thin scent he could still notice it. Kaew took one step back but Carl's big hand suddenly grabbed his wrist, pulling him in even closer.
"I've handled it well."
"That driver man…"
"But he hurt you," explained Carl.
"You shouldn't have done that. I can heal myself with just two licks, you know? Our saliva contains an anti-bacterial substance and can perfectly heal any wound." Kaew licked his pink lips.
Carl was stunned for a second, picturing Kaew in a bathrobe licking his hands scrumptiously in his head. That gave a soft tickling electric feeling between his hand that was holding Kaew's. Carl let go of the boy's hand and told him to get dressed properly.
The mafia also decided to take a shower to calm his hot head down. He was thinking about planning his day tomorrow with Kaew, so he didn't have to deal with this werewolf's attitude like this evening again.
"Kaew." Carl was waiting for a while and he couldn't continue any longer. He knocked on Kaew's door.
"Come in," called Kaew without looking at the door.
Carl frowned at the way this boy was laying on his belly, his nose digging in his phone. It looked like this boy was so concentrated and determined, even though Carl sat next to him on the bed, the werewolf still didn't look at him.
"Talking to your friend again?"
"I'm working. I need money If I want to travel the world."
The mafia took a glance at the screen where the boy was typing and pressing it nonstop. Seemed like Kaew was working on his Cryptocurrency. What the boy said about him graduating with a bachelor's degree in Investment Management from the USA wasn't just a brag. Look at these tokens, especially Investment Token and Security Token. With just a brief look, Carl could only possibly think of how much they could hold such value. He wondered how many properties and assets Kaew's clan was in charge of. The powerful mafia who had been working on his shady business all his life looked at the world of digital assets with curiosity.
"This token has a picture of you. Don't tell me werewolves are involved in this type of Crypto?" Carl pointed at a token that had a yellow dog with the letter 'D' on it.
"Hahaha. You're so cute, Mr. Carl. This is actually Shiba, a Japanese dog breed. There's nothing to do with us Bangkaew at all," laughed Kaew joyfully.
If someone ever laughed at Carl like this, he would have slapped them in the face or given them a valuable 'lesson' already. But when it came to Kaew's laughter and that ear-to-ear smile, it made him feel at ease, as if he could see how sincere it was. The type of laughter that brightened up his shady world, making it light and warm.
"So, you're not mad at me anymore?" The man lay down on his side, his big hand tucking Kaew's hair away.
"I want to keep being mad at you a little longer, but I just can't. We only have a few hours to talk and we'll need to sleep soon. Thinking about it again, I forgive you now." The boy let out a small cough in his throat, feeling a little strange by the way Carl was looking at him.
"Good boy. What a good boy." Carl's big hand patted Kaew's soft black hair while giving him a compliment.
"…" Luckily, Kaew was able to keep his tail away, otherwise he would have wagged his furry tail like crazy and everyone could feel the earthquake.
"I have something for you." Carl handed a box of a brand-new tablet to the boy.
"For me?" Kaew pointed at himself, raising one of his eyebrows in curiosity.
"This model is dog-friendly, so you can watch YouTube videos, search for travel guides, work on your investment, or even talk to your family. This way, you don't get so bored during the day. And in the evening, I want you to spend time…" with me, Carl said to himself.
"To spend time?" Kaew wondered.
"To spend time… sleeping well, so you can wake up early in the morning."
"You don't really have to do all of this, you know. Soon, I'll be leaving anyway," smiled the boy brightly.
"…" So… you really think about leaving me.
"You've dealt with that suspicious man so easily without my help at all. I'm relieved now."
Kaew didn't take the tablet. Instead, his slim fingers keep scrolling through his own phone, reading about travel guides on Google.
"That man that you're suspecting… I was just giving him a warning but I haven't fired him yet. I want to dig deep into who is hiring him to do all of this. I need solid evidence to get this done precisely." His sharp black eyes stared at Kaew and were expecting a reaction from the boy.
Carl saw Kaew's eyes flicked, those brown eyes full of concern and protection. Just as Carl thought, this dog breed is really loyal to the owner more than anything else.
From now on, he just needed to make Kaew accept him as the owner.
"So complicated."
"This world is more complicated than you thought it would be." Carl patted the boy's soft hair. This is so soothing.
"If I have to protect you, you really need to take me everywhere… for real this time, okay?" He puffed his cheeks, feeling slightly offended. But everyone can make mistakes and since this is the first time, I will forgive you. I have a big heart.
"If you're still asleep, I'll carry you to my car then. Alright?"
"If I wake up alone, I'm leaving for good this time. I'm serious!"
"Why do you keep saying that you're leaving, huh?" Carl sighed, finally admitting that it hurt him in his chest every time he heard that.
"I have my dream to follow," Kaew sat with his crossed legs in bed.
"…"
"Don't do that face to me. Don't you ever have a dream that you really have to do in this life at all?"
The older man paused and thought hard.
Right. His life was always about money and power since he was old enough to remember anything. Only these two had led him to where he was today…
"No."
"Not at all?"
"Not at all," replied Carl indifferently.
"You can borrow my dream if you want." Kaew smiled, his eyes full of playfulness.
"Right, isn't that how you trick me to take you around the world, huh?"
"Hehe! How did you know!? I thought that was quite smooth."
Their laughter brightened up and washed away an uneasy feeling earlier, only a calming and comforting atmosphere spreading throughout the whole room. Kaew was still on his phone before asking if Carl wanted to sit outside by the swimming pool with him. But not long before they could step out of the door, Carl's phone started buzzing.
Carl waved at Kaew, giving a sign for the boy to go ahead while he walked over to the kitchen to speak on the phone. Carl's secretary informed him that the driver was founded dead in his house and it seemed that he was murdered by a thief. However, Carl's crew who had been keeping an eye on this driver closely reported that it was done by professionals. The incident was too quick for them to intervene.
"It's our fault for being so reckless, keeping an eye on him at such a distance. I'm so sorry, boss," said the secretary with guilt through the phone.
"This situation is probably something much more than what we think it is. We need to strengthen our security. Don't let our guard down."
Carl ended his phone call, his black eyes looking through the window to the boy who was swimming peacefully.
"Mister! Come!" Kaew held his hands at the border of the pool, floating himself before waving at him as an invitation. He then jumped back into the water again.
"Mmhmm."
Carl poured himself a glass of red wine and took a bottle of cold water before heading to the poolside lounge chairs. The boy who was floating between the surface closed his eyes, expressing how much he was enjoying the moment.
A bitter taste burned his throat through his chest as Carl took a sip of his drink. He was thinking about the situation that he was facing, which was definitely not the first time that he was targeted.
But this was the first time he started to get anxious about others' safety, not only his. On this shady road, he had always been walking all alone. He never thought of building any relationships or bonding with anyone. That was such a hassle. What a burden.
Carl's put his head up and looked at the moon right in the middle of the sky. Looked like the full moon was coming, not too long before the moon was full again.
Maybe… the life that he thought was perfect… was missing a small piece to fulfill the gap in his heart.
"Can I really borrow your dream?" Carl asked the boy who was still floating in the pool.
"My dream doesn't have a copyright yet. You can rest assured and take my dream. No drama needed, sir," replied Kaew. His thin eyelids blinked open. Suddenly, his eyes widened as he saw the full moon.
"As long as you're by my side, I promise you that…" Carl paused. Before he could finish his word, the werewolf boy was screaming from the top of his lung out of the blue.
"Crap! I'm doomed!!!"