Kit:
Kit didn’t know how long he slept for but as he slowly came to consciousness…it felt like someone was watching him. As he opened his eyes, feeling panic rise in the pit of his stomach, the first thing he noticed was dark brown orbs staring right back into his…a very familiar pair of dark brown eyes.
Was I…dreaming?
The panic begun to subside almost immediately when Kit started to connect those eyes to his memories of last night…and then the panic returned full force.
“P’Kimhan?” Kit rose from the bed, surprised to see the covers drawn up to his waist. How long had he been sleeping?
“Yes,” Kim looked at the boy’s tired wide eyes with a soft smile. “I thought you were going to sleep through the night.”
“Phi…what? How?” Kit looked around the room in confusion, noticing that he was still inside the room that he had entered earlier. He was at the house of his sister’s friend…P’Kim…
And that was when it clicked.
Kimhan…Kim…
It didn’t take a genius to figure out that Kimhan, the man who had saved him last night was the same man who was his sister’s friend from University…Kim. They were one and the same person…which meant that P’Kim, the owner of this humongous house, was the leader of the Bangkok Chao Pho, the Mafia… the one who had asked his sister to be the surrogate to his children.
“You’re P’Kim…” Kit swallowed his saliva, looking at Kim with fearful eyes since the first time they had met and it made Kim suddenly uncomfortable.
“Yes.” Kim nodded with a sigh. “I’m guessing you were able to connect the dots just now.”
When Kit didn’t say anything, avoiding looking at Kim as if he was still afraid, Kim couldn’t help but narrow his eyes at him. He didn’t understand how the passionate boy that he had met the night before…the one who had showed no fear of him even when he had shot a person in front of him…had suddenly turned into this scared little mouse. Was it all because of the drugs? Did this boy make him loose his cool only because he was high on the stimulant and needed release?
Kim placed his hand on Kit’s chin and tugged his head up so he had no other choice but to look into his face with startled eyes. Kim’s eyes were narrowed as he looked into his hazel eyes, bringing his face closer to Kit while holding onto his jaw so he couldn’t turn away.
Kit found it shocking that the man who had been so gentle with him last night could suddenly turn forceful.
“Speak.” Kim’s voice was hard as he brought his face so close that their breaths mingled. “I can’t read your mind.”
“You…You’re…” Kit swallowed nervously, wondering what happened to the man he had met last night, the one who had been so kind to him? But then he realized that the drugs had probably made him view this man with rose colored glasses.
Hadn't he shot a man in front of him in cold blood? Hadn't he announced it himself that he was the new head of the Mafia family?
“You can’t be with my sister!” Kit said at last, even though his hands were cold from fear. “I won’t allow it!”
Kim looked into Kit’s eyes in amazement. “You think your sister needs your ‘permission’, Kit?”
Kit swallowed hard. No…his sister didn’t need his permission, she was old enough to know what was wrong and what was right. But did she know who this man really was?
“Kaya knows about me. She knows who I am and she has known me since the first day of University.” Kim spoke this time as if reading his mind, even though he had claimed only a second ago that he couldn’t. “That’s why I asked her for help. I know that that you and Kaya are trying your best to make ends meet, but it isn’t enough and the debt collectors are threatening to do a lot worse in case you don’t return the money. I’m willing to help.”
Kit’s hands felt numb with fear. The debt collectors were getting fierce each day, going as far as to offer to take his sister away so they could pay the debt. He didn’t like how those men looked at P’Kanya…he didn’t like how they looked at him either…but what else could they do? Their rascal father had thrown then under when he ran and it had been over twelve years since they had heard from him.
“H-how?” Kit asked nervously, looking into P’Kim’s eyes. His hands were still on his chin in a tight grip, but not enough to hurt him, just keep him in place.
But now that Kit was willing to listen to Kim, he released his hold on the boy’s chin slowly and his hand cupped his cheek instead, caressing the softness of his porcelain white skin.
“I asked your sister to be my surrogate; the mother of my children.” Kim said simply. “If she accepts the offer, I’m willing to take care of her and you forever. But to do that, she wants your approval.”
So everything now depended on him? Kit thought to himself as he experienced a sharp feeling in his chest.
The man who he had spent his first time with…was now going to be with his sister? And he was asking him for permission?
“A-are…are you going to marry her?” Kit asked, almost scared of the answer even though his sister had told him that they weren’t.
“No.” Kim said immediately. “And I won’t sleep with her either. The whole process will be done by doctors.”
Kit didn’t know why but he felt his entire body sag in relief at Kim’s words. For some odd reason, it made him feel less guilty.
“I want to think about it.” Kit told him finally, removing Kim’s hand from his cheek because it was a distraction…the warmth of those large hands on his body.
“Take your time,” Kim said as he got up from the bed. “But not too long. Since you’ll be here for the weekend, I think it should give you enough time to think it through. Come on now.”
Surprised, Kit blinked up at Kim. “Where?”
“It’s dinner time.” Kim told him. “We always have dinner with the entire family. You’ll find out more once you reach the dining room.”
But before Kim could turn away, Kit jumped out of the bed to catch his arm. “Phi wait!”
Kim turned to look at him in surprise before he looked down at the thin hands clutching his upper arm tightly. “What is it?”
“About us…about last night…” Kit said nervously, afraid to know Kim’s reaction. “Please don’t tell anyone! Please don’t tell my sister!”
Kim stayed silent for a short time and Kit counted the seconds as he felt his heart hammering inside his chest. But then, he saw a small smile appear on Kim’s lips, leaving him utterly confused.
“Really?” Kim raised his eyebrows slightly. “And what are you willing to do in return?”
Kit let go of Kim’s arm immediately, looking at the older man in shock. “What?”
Kim turned towards Kit once again, his smile still in place. “And what will you do in return, Kit? What are you willing to give to protect our secret?”
Kit couldn’t believe what P’Kim was saying. Was he seriously the man he met last night? ...Or was this who he had always been and the man from last night had been just a fragment of his imagination?
“W-what do you want from me?” Kit felt almost afraid to find out the answer.
This time Kim reached out to wrap an arm around Kit’s tiny waist and pulled him flush against his chest, making Kit lose his balance for a second.
“Let’s continue, shall we?” Kim smiled slyly, looking at the boy’s flustered expression in amusement. “I’ll let you know what I want once you’ve made a decision.”
Why did it make Kit feel like P’Kim wasn’t exactly talking about going to the dining hall?