Chapter 7

Ngern stood there for a moment, watching as Jes disappeared into the city's quiet hum. The faint buzz of traffic, the distant sound of laughter from a closing bar-everything around him felt ordinary. But somehow, tonight had been anything but.

He glanced down at his camera, flipping through the shots he had taken. Most of them were a mess-bad lighting, shaky hands, poor composition. But there, tucked between the mistakes, was the picture.

Jes, mid-protest, brows furrowed, lips slightly parted.

It wasn't a perfect shot by any technical standard, but there was something about it-something real, something raw.

Something that made Ngern smile to himself.

"Guess I really did get a good one," he murmured, tucking the camera into his bag before finally heading toward his car.

Jes walked home at an easy pace, the night air cooling his skin. His mind should have been focused on anything else-his upcoming work, the edits he still needed to finish-but all he could think about was the way Ngern had looked at him before they parted.

Not in the way most people looked at him.

Not with dismissal. Not with curiosity he didn't want.

Just... like someone who saw him.

Jes sighed, rubbing his temple. This isn't anything.

But then, he found himself glancing at his phone.

There was no message. No follow-up from Ngern.

Somehow, that unsettled him more than it should have.

Jes shook his head, pushing the thought away.

But as he climbed the steps to his apartment, he realized something.

Ngern had asked if they could meet again.

And Jes-though he hadn't said a word-hadn't exactly said no, either.

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

Jes wasn't sure what possessed him to do it.

Maybe it was the memory of Ngern fumbling with the camera, genuinely trying to learn. Maybe it was the silence between them all week, an odd absence that Jes had started noticing despite himself.

Or maybe-just maybe-he just wanted to see if Ngern was still serious about this.

So, against his better judgment, he typed out a message.

Jes: Do you still want another photography lesson?

The response came almost immediately.

Ngern: I thought you'd never ask.

Jes exhaled, shaking his head. Of course, he'd make a joke out of it.

Jes: When are you free?

Ngern: Actually... tonight?

Jes frowned. Tonight? He had expected a time later in the week, something that would give him enough mental preparation to deal with Ngern again.

Jes: That soon?

Ngern: Yeah. But there's a catch.

Jes hesitated before replying.

Jes: What catch?

Ngern: I need to stay home. I'm watching my niece, so I can't leave. You'd have to come here.

Jes blinked at his screen. His niece?

Jes had been prepared for a public place-somewhere neutral. But Ngern's home? That felt... personal. Too personal.

His fingers hovered over the keyboard before he typed:

Jes: Maybe we should just pick another day.

Almost immediately, Ngern replied.

Ngern: Jes.

Jes sighed.

Ngern: Just come. We can use my niece as our subject.

Jes stared at the message, debating.

It felt like a bad idea. A very bad idea.

But somehow, he found himself typing back anyway.

Jes: Fine. Send me your address.

By the time Jes arrived at Ngern's apartment, he was already regretting his decision.

The building was upscale but not overly flashy, the kind of place that suggested wealth but not extravagance. Jes knocked once, stuffing his hands into his jacket pockets as he waited.

A few seconds later, the door swung open to reveal Ngern-dressed in an oversized hoodie and sweatpants, looking far more relaxed than the polished public image Jes was used to seeing.

"Welcome," Ngern said, grinning. "Come in."

Jes hesitated before stepping inside. The place was surprisingly homey, a mix of neatly arranged furniture and a few scattered signs of life-an open laptop on the counter, a jacket thrown over the back of the couch.

Jes was about to ask where his supposed "subject" was when a small sound broke the silence.

A tiny sound.

Jes turned his head toward the couch, and there-wrapped in a soft pink blanket, eyes round and blinking up at him-was a baby.

Jes froze.

Ngern followed his gaze, then laughed. "Oh, yeah. Meet the model for tonight's session."

Jes turned to him, slowly.

"You said your niece," Jes said, voice oddly calm.

"Yeah?"

"You did not say she was six months old."

Ngern scratched his cheek, looking sheepish. "...Would you have come if I did?"

Jes exhaled sharply, dragging a hand down his face. "Ngern."

"Relax," Ngern said, grinning as he walked over to pick up the baby. "She's super chill. Aren't you, Nong Mali?"

The baby-Mali-let out a tiny coo, her chubby hands grabbing onto Ngern's hoodie.

Jes stared. This was not what he signed up for.

"So," Ngern said, rocking her lightly, "still up for that lesson?"

Jes seriously considered walking right back out.

But then Mali blinked up at him, big-eyed and curious, and-against all odds-Jes felt himself hesitate.

He sighed, rubbing his temple.

"Hand me the camera."