Chapter 24: I miss you

Chapter 24: I miss you

“How about thia mango, Nong Plub?” “P’Mangkon, come down. Let someone else do it.”

Plub looked worried. No matter how he tried to stop his senior, Mangkon wouldn’t listen. Mangkon had climbed the mango tree near the police residence almost to the top, all because Lukplub had casually mentioned he wanted to eat mango with sweet fish sauce. The next thing he knew, Mangkon was already climbing up.

“P’Mangkon, we can just go buy some.” “Falling down wouldn’t be worth it.”

“It’s okay. Just get the last one.”

The wind up there was cool and refreshing. Mangkon’s beautiful eyes gazed down at the several mangoes below, picked by his own hand, with a sense of pride. Climbing like this helped to reduce the swirling thoughts in his mind somewhat.

But just as he reached out to pluck the last mango, his round eyes widened in shock. He felt a rush of dizziness as the evening sunlight glared, blurring his vision. His grip on the branch weakened and began to slip. His tall, well-proportioned frame began to lean away from where he was standing.

And then…

“P’Mangkon! Hey, be careful!”

“Nong Plub!” A voice from above shouted a warning.

Lukplub rushed to the base of the mango tree, ready to catch his senior if he fell. He raised his small hands above his head, but at the same moment, someone else appeared just in time.

“It’s me, Nong Plub.”

It was none other than Inspector Thian.

The senior officer made a split-second decision, accurately calculating the angle of movement and landing position of the police officer. As Mangkon’s body fell rapidly, his sharp eyes remained fixed on him, unblinking. Thian lunged forward with all his strength, spreading his arms wide to bear the weight of the falling man.

Thud!

Mangkon squeezed his eyes shut as he’ll hit the ground, bracing himself for the pain that was about to come. But what he felt was different. There was no pain, no groaning. Only a strange softness and warmth.

Why is the ground so soft and odd? He thought to himself, before slowly opening his beautiful eyes.

“I-Inspector Thian…”

The first thing he saw was Thian’s face, pale from the impact. He was in the arms of the man from Chiang Mai, and his brain told his heart to beat faster immediately.

This person again, who came to help. “P’Mangkon, are you hurt?”

“Thank you, Inspector,” Plub said, speaking his thanks first. “Are you hurt?”

The one who hadn’t regained his senses remained still, not saying another word. But as soon as his mind had processed everything, Mangkon quickly got up from the strong chest and didn’t forget to say thank you.

“Th… thank you.” “You’re not hurt, right?”

The answer wasn’t a sound, but a shake of the head. Even though he felt happy, he also felt an indescribable pain. The smaller man didn’t waste any time, getting up to brush the dust off his pants and picking up the fallen mangoes from the ground.

“Nong Plub, let’s go make mango with sweet fish sauce.” “P’Aek should already have everything ready.”

With that, Mangkon walked away immediately, not even acknowledging the person who had just helped him. Plub looked at his senior Inspector’s face and could only offer him encouragement, because this path was still long.

“Plub knows everything, Inspector,” Plub said. “Did Mangkon tell you?”

“Yes.”

“Do you think Mangkon will give me a chance, Nong Plub?” He really didn’t know what he had done wrong. They hadn’t even argued.

“If you show your sincerity, I think he’ll get over it eventually.” “Good luck, Inspector.”

Plub himself never thought that Inspector Thian would end up with his close senior. The probability was incredibly low. A flirty and charming man like Thian, so handsome and perfect, always had people lining up to approach him. But he had fallen in love with a police officer who seemed to be the perfect partner.

“I’m serious, Nong Plub. I’m not letting him go.” He’s the last one, really.

The sound of laughter and chatter arose from the front of Aek quarters. Present were Phu, Lukplub, Mangkon, and two new guests – Kanin and Thian

Kanin wasn’t surprised at all to see Thian here. Why can’t I pick lottery numbers as accurately as this? He also knew about the marriage to improve his luck. He also knew about Phuwin and Thian fighting.

“Mango with sweet fish sauce cooked by the one who almost gets hurt.” This was the nickname Aek had given Mangkon, teasing him gently.

The drinking session became lively with conversation. Police Sergeant Aek brought out his special liquor, *lao khao*, for everyone to try. Clear shot glasses lined the table. The most senior person at the table poured the clear liquor, distributing it to everyone, even Mangkon, who was sitting quietly.

“Nong Mangkon, they say drinking *lao khao* brings good luck.”

No one mentioned the bad things that had happened. Not even the name of “Saming” was spoken. They would leave it as a fading memory, not wanting to revive the bad things in their lives.

“Nong Mangkon, have a drink with Sergeant Aek.”

Mangkon reluctantly took the glass, raised it to his lips, and downed it in one go. Cheers erupted around the circle as everyone saw him drink it. Sergeant Aek quickly poured another shot for him, but before he could pass it to Mangkon, Thian reached out to stop him.

“This glass is better off given to me, Sergeant Aek.” His sharp gaze met the eyes of the person sitting directly across from him. Mangkon’s gentle face turned to look, but he didn’t say anything.

“It’s strong stuff, Inspector,” Sergeant Aek laughed, raising his own glass to his lips and drinking it.

The lower-ranking police officers were starting to get drunk, and Captain Kanin’s eyes were also glazed over. The fatigue from many days of hard work seemed to be forgotten. Only Thian’s eyes were secretly watching Mangkon from time to time.

“Hey, Thian, what about Ms Belle? Are you getting back together?” Once liquor enters their mouths, drunk people will say anything. Captain Kanin’s slurred voice asked. The group fell silent for a moment, waiting for the answer.

“Belle is getting married.”

“Oh, heartbreak then,” Kanin laughed, slapping his friend on the shoulder. “Why heartbreak? I’m not the one who dates Belle.”

That answer made several people look at each other questioningly, but before they could ask anything, Thian glanced towards Mangkon. The dark eyes reflected meaning.

He didn’t want to be misunderstood.

“And what about you, Inspector? Do you have a girl?” Sergeant Aek teased. “I don’t like girls anymore.”

The entire group went completely silent. Some were left gaping. Kanin, who seemed to guess what he was going to say next, quickly cut him off.

“Thian, dammit…”

Laughter broke out again, but there was only one person in the group who lowered their head slightly, as if those words had struck him hard. Mangkon quickly drank the cold water in front of him, avoiding eye contact with everyone, especially the cunning Inspector who seemed to be staring at him intently.

Don’t play with my heart again. But would a guy like that really not like girls? More like he doesn’t like flat-chested women, he likes the big-boobed type. What a mess.

Parties must eventually end. The high-proof *lao khao* had made many people heavily drunk. Even Phuwin, who had a high tolerance, had to give in. All of the contestants had to withdraw and go to bed.

“Where will Inspectors sleep tonight?” Sergeant Aek asked, curiously.

“If you’re going to sleep with Mangkon, Thian, Sergeant Aek, I’d like to sleep with you. I’m drunk.”

The completely drunk Kanin chimed in with an idea, trying to help his friend get his wish, but Phuwin loudly interrupted him. He wouldn’t let that happen under any circumstances.

“Our house has a spare room. Thian could go sleep at our place.”

“At P’Phu’s,” Plub pinched his husband’s side, sending him a meaningful look. He knew he was still angry, but he should give them both a chance to talk.

“Oh, it’s okay. I’ll find a place to sleep around here…” He didn’t want to bother him if Mangkon wasn’t ready.

“It’s dangerous to drive, Inspector,” “It’s alright, Nong Plub.”

The owner of the soft eyes who had been listening to the conversation quietly glanced at the two Inspectors before letting out a big sigh. He was too sleepy to prolong the argument any further. Besides, he wasn’t so heartless as to let a drunk person drive off like that.

“Sigh… Fine, you can sleep at my place.” “Really? Thank you, Mangkon.”

The words caused Thian to smile brightly, unable to hide his joy. The others could only grin knowingly, and the drinking session for the night ended there.

“Goodnight, Nong Mangkon, Inspector Thian,” Sergeant Aek couldn’t resist calling out before walking away.

Mangkon didn’t say anything and took the lead. The police sergeant’s house wasn’t far from Fakfaeng’s house. When they arrived, the younger man led the way up to the second floor, with the tall man following silently. The owner of the house didn’t say anything, suggesting that the other person take a shower first, but the cunning superintendent still felt slightly nauseous, so he asked the younger man to take care of his personal business first as well.

Sharp eyes moved around the room, subtly surveying Mangkon’s life. Whether it was here or there, his ex-wife was always neat. However, his gaze fell on the brown teddy bear.

“Looks like we meet again, you.”

“Does Mangkon sleep with you in his arms? Dammit, I’m jealous.” What kind of crazy person is jealous of a teddy bear?

I must be going crazy

The young inspector didn’t sit there smiling to himself for long before he also had to take care of his own business. The warm water washing over his body helped to reduce the intoxication somewhat, but his heart remained troubled. He thought of the amount of longing he’d accumulated over the past seven days and it rushed in relentlessly. Today, seeing his face, being close to him, it felt like he was refilling this withered heart once again.

Happiness was shooting straight to the core of his heart. The moment he stepped out of the bathroom, his mind prepared countless words he wanted to say. But everything came to a halt when he saw the small figure sleeping soundly on the bed, his breath coming and going steadily.

“You must be tired. You were very stubborn today.”

A bed was prepared next to him, but the ex-husband didn’t pay much attention to it. He gently lowered himself to lie down as quietly as possible, while using his sharp eyes to examine the soft, gentle face. The beautiful eyes were tightly closed, the cheeks were flushed faintly from the cold air, and the vivid lips were pressed lightly together.

“If P hadn’t caught you, what would have happened to you?” Thian was talking about the falling off the tree earlier that evening and referring to himself as “P”.

“Why do you always make me worry? But it’s okay, P can handle it.”

You can be even more stubborn than this. He wanted to tame a stubborn child like him.

The Inspector didn’t hesitate, pulling the blanket up to cover both of them before moving closer and wrapping a strong arm around the slender waist, loosely holding him close.

“I miss you so much.”

“I won’t let you go anywhere again.”

Right now, all Thian knew was that no matter what, he would never let the person in his arms walk away again. No way.