Chapter 26

Jes sighed as he put his phone down, staring blankly at his laptop screen. He had been going through some edits for a few commissioned projects, but his focus had been shot ever since Ngern's texts came in.

An excuse to see him again?

Jes shook his head. That guy was impossible.

And yet, his mind kept drifting back to the garden, to the way Ngern had smiled under the golden afternoon light, his usual guardedness slipping away for just a moment.

And then—that kiss.

Jes groaned, flopping back against his chair. It had been nothing. Just a peck. A spontaneous, thoughtless thing.

Right?

His fingers hovered over the keyboard before he closed his laptop, sighing again.

A break. He needed a break.

Grabbing his camera bag, he decided to head out for a walk, snapping pictures of the city at sunset. It was the best way to clear his mind.

Except it didn't.

Because an hour later, as he reviewed the photos on his camera screen, all he could think about was how Ngern would've struggled to capture the lighting just right. How he probably would've complained about his composition being off.

How Jes would've sat next to him, guiding his hands again, showing him how to adjust for the fading light.

With an exasperated sigh, Jes shoved his camera back into his bag.

Ngern was seeping into his thoughts more than he should.

.....................................................

Jes ended up at a small coffee stand by the river, ordering a drink just to have something to do with his hands. He leaned against the railing, watching the water ripple under the setting sun. The golden glow reminded him too much of that moment in the garden, of Ngern's soft, easy smile right before—

Jes groaned under his breath and took a sip of his coffee.

Get a grip.

His phone buzzed.

Ngern: "Did you get home safe?"

Jes stared at the message longer than necessary. He hadn't even realized he had been waiting for it.

He typed out a response, simple and to the point.

Jes: "Yeah."

Not even a second later, Ngern replied.

Ngern: "Good. Rest well."

Jes exhaled, shaking his head.

He should leave it at that.

But instead, his fingers hovered over the keyboard before he found himself typing:

Jes: "You too."

Jes locked his phone before he could overthink it and turned back to the river, ignoring the way his heart pounded just a little harder than before.

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Jes wasn't sure when it started happening, but Ngern had somehow made texting him a daily habit.

At first, it was just simple check-ins.

Ngern: "Did you eat?"

Ngern: "I saw a camera shop today. Thought of you."

Ngern: "Mali spat out her food at me today. Thought you should know."

Jes would reply sometimes, sometimes not. But Ngern never seemed to mind.

Then the texts became longer, more detailed.

Ngern: "Filming was crazy today. My character had to do this emotional scene, and I think I messed up the first few takes. The director was patient, but I still feel like I could've done better."

Jes found himself replying before he even thought about it.

Jes: "You always overthink things. If they were patient, that means they saw potential in you. Stop being dramatic."

Ngern: "Am I dramatic?"

Jes: "Yes."

Ngern: ":(("

Jes snorted at his phone.

Then one night, the tone of Ngern's texts shifted slightly.

Ngern: "I have to leave the country for work next week. A shoot in Japan."

Jes read the message twice.

Jes: "How long?"

Ngern: "A week, maybe a little more."

Jes wasn't sure why his fingers hesitated before typing.

Jes: "That's not too bad. Have fun."

A pause.

Ngern: "Yeah. But I'll miss annoying you."

Jes stared at the screen for a long time.

Jes: "You're already annoying me."

Ngern: "Good. That means I'm doing it right."

Jes could only shake his head, fighting off the small smile threatening to form.