Until we meet again

Chapter 20

Airport

Nani has to leave today. As usual, he'll be flying on his family's private jet. The pilot informed Nani that their departure is scheduled in this evening. Nani takes a deep breath, glancing at his luggage. He's used to these trips, but this time feels different. It might take longer than he thought, and the thought of being apart from Sky for so long weighs heavily on him.

As Nani drifts deeper into his thoughts, Win and Groya quietly approach him from behind. Without warning, they shout in unison, causing Nani to jump in surprise, his bag nearly slipping from his hand.

"Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" Nani exclaims, turning around to see their grinning faces.

Bright, Dew, and Prim follow behind them, their laughter ringing warmly through the air.

Nani shakes his head, a soft smile breaking through despite himself. "You guys never let me have a moment of peace, do you?"

Win pats Nani's shoulder, his grin softening into something more reassuring. "Come on, Nani. A laugh is exactly what you need right now. Don't make that face—your puppy is safe with us. There's no need to worry."

Nani raises an eyebrow, trying to keep his composure, but his lips twitch upward despite himself. "He's not a puppy," Nani mumbles, but the warmth in his voice betrays how much the words mean to him.

Prim steps forward, her gentle smile adding to the comfort in the air. "We'll take good care of him, Nani. You focus on your trip and leave the rest to us."

Bright chimes in, his tone light and teasing. "Yeah, we'll make sure Sky doesn't miss you too much."

Nani rolls his eyes, but the tension in his chest eases a little.

Sky looks around, adjusting his cap as if it might help him go unnoticed. Sky swear that this is the first and definitely the last time he is doing something like this. He had been caught up with work, spending the day at a photo shoot alongside other actors. Yet, somehow, he managed to sneak away when his manager wasn't looking.

Nani couldn't help but smile when Sky managed to meet him here. Even he knows that it is not right for Sky to does something like that. Sky shrugs, a sheepish smile spreading across his face as he reach Nani.

Groya and Prim exchange a quick glance, Nani might need a moment alone with Sky. Without hesitation, Groya claps her hands together. "Alright, everyone! Let's go grab some drinks. My treat!"

Bright raises an eyebrow, suspicious. "Since when do you treat anyone?"

"Since now." Groya replies with a grin, grabbing Bright's arm and practically dragging him along. Prim joins in effortlessly, nudging Dew and Win forward. "Come on, Let's give Nani some space." she whispers softly.

The group follows without much protest, leaving Nani and Sky standing there in the quieter.

Nani glances at Sky, his gaze lingering longer than usual, as if trying to memorise every detail of Sky's face. The way his hair falls slightly out of place, the gentle curve of his lips, and the warmth in his eyes that always seems to calm him.

Sky tilts his head, noticing the intensity of Nani's gaze. "What is it?" he asks softly, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Nothing." Nani replies, a small, bittersweet smile tugging at his lips. "Just... making sure I don't forget anything."

Sky tries his best to hold back the tears, not wanting Nani to think he's weak, but as Nani's words sink in, he can't hold it anymore. His lip trembles as he bites it, trying to keep the tears at bay, but they fall anyway, slowly at first, then more steadily, despite his efforts to stay composed.

Nani notices immediately, his heart clenching at the sight of Sky's tears. Without hesitation, he steps closer, his hands gently cupping Sky's face, his thumb softly wiping away each tear that falls, his touch soothing and steady.

"Don't cry, Sky." Nani murmurs, his voice low and gentle, like a secret shared between them. "Don't act like that if you still want me to go. You already know that your tears are my weakness."

Sky's breath hitches at the words, and for a moment, everything feels still, just the two of them, caught in a delicate balance of emotions. Sky's lips tremble, but he stays silent, his eyes never leaving Nani's.

"Promise me that you'll only miss me and come back quickly after you're done."

Nani meets his gaze, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips despite the heaviness in his heart. He leans in slightly, his voice warm but sincere as he replies, "I promise, Sky. I'll only miss you. And I'll come back as quickly as I can."

Sky's eyes soften, a glimmer of relief in them, as he extends his pinky. "Pinky promise." he says, his voice almost teasing but with an underlying sense of trust.

Nani chuckles softly, mirroring the gesture and linking their pinkies together. "Pinky promise." he repeats, the simple act grounding them both.

As the rest of the group returns, they spot Nani and Sky with their pinky promise, the sight of it bringing a soft smile to their faces. But Groya, unable to contain herself, suddenly grabs Bright's hand aggressively, her expression a mix of playful frustration and disbelief.

"Why do they have to be so cute?" Groya mutters, her eyes fixed on the pair. "Look at them... I'm starting to hate Nani's father."

Bright raises an eyebrow, amused but also a little confused. "What does Nani's father have to do with this?"

Groya huffs, shaking her head dramatically. "It's because of him that Nani's leaving, and now look at what he's doing to Sky. They're too cute together, and I can't handle it!"

Prim and Dew laugh softly at Groya's outburst.

Sky and Nani pull apart slightly as their friends arrive, the quiet moment between them softly dissolving into the gentle hum of the group. Win glances between them, his gaze lingering for a moment. He notices the glint of a ring on Nani's finger. At first, it doesn't seem unusual—Nani's always loved wearing rings, mixing and matching them for style. It's just something he does.

But then Win's eyes shift to Sky. He blinks in surprise, realizing Sky is also wearing a ring—a matching one, placed on the same fourth finger of his left hand. Sky avoids jewelry, doesn't usually wear much.

Win freezes, a wave of understanding washing over him. His eyes dart back and forth between Nani and Sky, a slow dawning realization hitting him with full force.

"Wait a minute," Win mutters under his breath, his mind racing.

Groya, noticing Win's sudden shift in expression, raises an eyebrow. "What is it, Win?" she asks curiously.

Win walks over between Nani and Sky. He takes Nani's hand, then Sky's, lifting both their hands up, where the matching rings glint softly in the light.

"Okay, everyone. looks like our dear friends here have been keeping a little secret."

The group's attention shifts toward Nani and Sky, their faces flushing slightly as Win continues, the playful teasing in his voice softening the moment. "I think these matching rings are more than just for style, don't you think?"

Groya's eyes. "Wait, hold on... are you telling me—"

"Yup," Win interrupts, nodding slowly.

Dew stands there, his hand covering his mouth in surprise, his eyes darting back and forth between Sky and Nani.

Prim, who's always been a bit more expressive, gasps, her eyes widening as she jumps slightly, unable to contain her excitement. "F*ck, how did we miss that?" she exclaims, unable to stop herself from letting out a little laugh of disbelief.

Bright, ever the one to voice his thoughts, can't help but join in. "Seriously, how did we not see this coming?" he mutters, shaking his head with a grin.

Prim, still in a bit of shock but now walking toward Sky with a mix of curiosity and excitement, takes a deep breath. "Sky, how could you propose without telling us? When? Where did you propose?" she asks, her tone filled with surprise. Sky, always the one to hide his emotions behind a soft smile, simply beams shyly, his cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

"Okay, first of all," Nani starts "we didn't exactly hide it. You guys just didn't realize." He pauses for a moment, then with a playful smirk, adds, "And I was the one who proposed, okay?"

Win and Groya exchange a surprised glance, their eyes wide as they look between each other. Without missing a beat, they grab each other's hands, the realization hitting them both at the same time.

"Win, did you hear that?" Groya says, her voice a little louder than usual, her expression half-shocked, half-amused. "Nani is the one who proposed!"

"I didn't expect that. Nani being the one to propose? That's definitely a surprise." Win said with a suprise tone.

Prim, still grinning, nudges Dew. "Well, looks like the tables have turned! Nani's got a bit more of a romantic side than we thought."

"Okay, stop," Nani says, his ears turning bright red as he crosses his arms, trying to act unbothered. "What is wrong with you guys? Always overreacting as usual."

But the teasing continues, and Bright, unable to resist, smirks as he asks, "You still haven't told us—where did you propose?"

Nani bites the inside of his cheek, clearly uncomfortable under the attention. With a sigh, he finally answers, "I proposed at the graduation party."

The group falls silent for a moment, the surprise clearly evident on their faces.

"Nani, what is wrong with you?" Win exclaims, his tone a mix of disbelief and amusement. "Why would you propose at your club? My god, you're really an anti-romantic person."

Nani's eyes widen, his cheeks flushed as he shrugs awkwardly. "I had planned to propose properly, but I didn't have time. My dad just told me that I have to go to London, everything was rushed, and that moment just felt right. Okay, that's why I proposed."

Prim, still trying to process everything, looks at Sky with wide eyes. "Sky, you really just agreed to his sudden proposal without even hitting his head first?" she asks, her tone filled with disbelief.

Sky laughs softly, his smile warm and full of affection. "Okay, okay. Stop teasing Nani already," he says gently, placing both hands on Nani's shoulders, offering him a reassuring touch.

Nani relaxes a little under Sky's hands, the tension slowly easing. "You guys make it sound like I did something crazy."

"Khun Nani," Bright says with a playful grin, "I planned my proposal to Groya for two months. Compared to what you did, your proposal is really crazy."

The group laughs, some of them shaking their heads in amusement. Nani, still feeling a little flustered, looks at Bright with a smirk. "Well, I didn't have two months, okay? Everything happened so fast, and it just felt like the right moment."

Groya, laughing softly, shakes her head. "You really are a whirlwind, Nani," she says fondly. "But I get it. When the moment feels right, you just go for it."

"It's not about the planning, it's about the feeling. And Nani knew that." Sky said as he still standing behind Nani and his hands on Nani's shoulder.

Nani's cheeks flush slightly, the warmth of the moment making him feel both a little embarrassed. "Yeah, I guess I just wanted to make it happen while I had the chance." he admits, his voice quieter now.

"Okay, we get it." Dew says, shaking his head with a smile. "No matter how wild or crazy Nani's proposal was, Sky will love it anyway."

The group chuckles, and Nani rolls his eyes, though there's a soft smile tugging at his lips.

As Nani's phone rings, signaling it's time for him to depart, the group falls silent for a moment. Win is the first to notice and quickly rallies everyone into action. "Alright, group hug time!" he announces, guiding everyone to wrap Nani in a tight, warm embrace. Laughter ripples through the group as they share this lighthearted but heartfelt moment.

Nani steps back, giving them a small smile. He waves one last time before turning toward the departure gate, his steps steady but reluctant. Sky doesn't move, his eyes fixed on Nani until he disappears through the door. Dew places a hand on Sky's shoulder, his touch firm yet soft.

Sky nods, forcing a small smile, but his heart feels heavy. As Sky and the F4 gang start to turn and walk away, a voice suddenly cuts through the air, shouting Sky's name. Sky freezes, his heart leaping as he turns back to see Nani running toward him.

For a moment, Sky doesn't think, he just moves, his legs carrying him toward Nani.

When they meet, Nani pulls Sky into a tight embrace, his arms wrapping firmly around Sky's waist. Sky instinctively wraps his arms around Nani's shoulders, holding him close as if to make the moment last forever. For a brief second, time seems to stop, the world around them fading away.

Nani buries his face against Sky's shoulder, inhaling deeply, trying to memorize his scent, his warmth, everything about him. Sky holds Nani just as tightly, resting his cheek against Nani's hair, his eyes closed as he fights back the ache of their impending separation.

Neither of them speaks, words unnecessary in the quiet intensity of their embrace. In this moment, they're just two people who don't want to let go, knowing how hard it is to say goodbye.

The group stands at a distance, their usual teasing replaced with quiet understanding.

Nani finally pulls back just enough for their foreheads to touch, his voice barely above a whisper. "I'll come back soon. I promise."

Sky nods, his eyes shining with unshed tears. "I'll be waiting." he replies softly, holding onto the warmth of Nani's presence for as long as he can.