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“Okay, thank you P’Yai,” Rain says. He ends the phone call and sits staring out the window lost in thought.
“Oh, what did P’Yai want? Is it about the sequel to Starlight Angel?” Sky asks. P’Yai is Rain’s manager.
Rain shakes his head, “No, he wants me to go to an audition for a park in that new series. He thinks I would be perfect for the secondary character.”
“That is a great opportunity,” Sky says. “Don’t you want to do it?”
“I do,” Rain says.
“But?” Sky asks.
“But it would mean going to Korea for several months. I would miss…I mean it would be hard being away from home for so long.”
“You mean you would miss a certain architect. Rain, he will be here when you get back if he cares about you, and I am pretty sure he does.” Sky says
“We’ve only known each other a couple weeks, why would he wait?” Rain asks.
“Sometimes it only takes a couple weeks. You need to talk to him about this. If you are thinking of something more than short term communication is important.” Sky says.
Rain knows Sky is right, but it doesn’t mean he isn’t scared to have the conversation. What if he is overestimating P’Phayu’s feelings?
“Sky, are you going with me to P’Phayu’s for Christmas?” Rain asks.
To his surprise Sky blushes at this, “I can't, I'm going to have dinner with P’Pai’s family.”
“Already meeting the inlaws, and I thought I worked fast,” Rain laughs, “Kidding, but I have met P’Pai’s sister, and she seems really nice. I’m sure you will have a wonderful time.”
Rain and P’Phayu watch the twins rip into their presents. They coo and exclaim over each one as if they hadn’t been the ones to buy them. They have to try on their angel costumes immediately and Rain helps them make different shapes out of the magnetic blocks while P’Phayu criticizes the architectural stability of them.
Rain gives P’Phayu the picture he had put on a canvas. P’Phayu looks at it in amazement, “wow I didn’t know you took this, it’s beautiful.” He turns it so the twins can see. “Do you think we should hang it in my office upstairs?” The twins agree readily with this.
P’Phayu give Rain a necklace with a teardrop magenta sapphire pendant. Rain had told him his favorite color was magenta.
By the time they eat lunch the twins are pretty well worn out and getting cranky. So, Rain reads them a story until they can nap.
When he comes back downstairs P’Phayu hands him a cup of tea. “Are they asleep?”
“Finally,” Rain says, feeling a little exhausted himself. P’Phayu sits on the sofa and pats the spot beside him. Rain sits down but leaves a little space between them, this is the best time for them to talk and he doesn’t want to be distracted by the older man. This is going to be hard enough to say anyway.
Rain takes a deep breath and rushes out, “P’Phayu, my manager called yesterday, and he wants me to audition for a new role. It’s a great opportunity and I really want this role, but I would have to go to Korea. Between workshops and filming I will be there for several months. The thing is, I like you, I mean I really like you and I guess I want my cake and eat it too because I want to stay here with you, but I want to go to Korea both. If you don’t want to wait for me, I would understand. I just didn’t want to leave without letting you know how I feel and maybe I’m just being stupid, and you don’t feel the same way. It’s okay if you don’t.”
P’Phayu puts a finger over his mouth and says, “Rain, breath. If you get this part, I think you should take it. I will be here when you get back and we can video call while you are in Korea.”
“You mean it, you would wait for me?” Rain asks.
“Rain, I have waited my whole life to meet someone like you. What’s a few more months?” P’Phayu says, then leans over to kiss him. He pulls away and says, “I think we need to make one thing clear before you go.”
“What’s that?” Rain asks.
“Our status. Will you be my boyfriend, Rain?” P’Phayu asks.
Rain feels his heart speed up at the question, “yes.” He leans in for another kiss.
Rain goes for his first audition in January, the same day he gets to meet the twins' parents, fresh off their cruise. The twins greet their parents by happily telling them that Uncle Rain is Uncle Phayu’s boyfriend. .
Rain blushes at this but at least they didn’t tell them that they were getting married.
“Boyfriend? Since when?” P’Fah asks.
“Since Christmas day,” P’Phayu answers. “We met a few weeks ago.”
“Phi chai, you work fast.” P’Fah says.
“Just because it took you five years to ask Heam for a date doesn’t mean that’s the way it works for everyone.” P’Phayu says, clapping him on the back. “I found the one I like, why should I wait?”
“Pa, did it really take you five years to ask Mae on a date?” Tay asks.
“We were friends.” P’Heam informs them. “And your Pa was a bit of an idiot.”
The twins giggle at this.
“I wised up in the end,” P’Fah says.
“Yes you did,” P’Heam says leaning in to kiss her husband.
Since the couple is exhausted from their trip, P’Phayu suggest they all order dinner in that night.
“Pizza!” the twins suggest.
“Fine, pizza,” P’Phayu says.
Rain got a call back for a second reading a week and a half later. Two days later P’Yai called to say they wanted him for the part. Rain immediately called P’Phayu who said they should go out and celebrate. Sky and P’Pai went with them. The club they went to was owned by a friend of P’Pai and he got them a table in the VIP section. Rain pulled them all onto the dance floor and arranged a Korean line done in honor of his trip to Korea.
After that, they all sat down laughing at their table.
“Nervous about the trip?” P’Pai asks him.
“A little,” Rain admits, “and about the job as well, it’s going to be bigger than anything I have done before.”
“You’ll be brilliant.” P’Phayu tells him. “I’m sure the presidents of your fan club here, Tay and Tee, will support you.”
Rain laughs at this. “And you? Will you support me too?” He asks P’Phayu.
“Always,” P’Phayu says with a smile.
Rain’s time in Korea is a learning experience. Except for short filming trips and fan meets he hadn’t been away from Bangkok much and Starlight Angel hadn’t been large enough of a production to have fan meets outside Thailand at all. This is Rain’s first visit to another country. Thankfully he speaks Korean fluently, so he doesn't have a language barrier.
He was busy with filming and promotion but managed to video call P’Phayu three or four times a week. He missed his boyfriends, he missed the twins and Sky, he even missed Tato. Now Rain knew what people meant when they used the phrase homesick.
By the time production wraps, Rain is just really to go home, but he is expected to stay at the postproduction party. Then there is a small promotional tour.
It’s late November by the time Rain steps off the plane in Thailand. He has never been so glad to see a place in his life. P’Phayu picks him up at the airport.
“Do you want to go home or back to my place?” P’Phayu asks him. Kissing him on the cheek. Part of Rain wants to just melt into the other man and part of him wants to go home and sleep for a week straight.
“I probably won’t be very good company.” Rain admits. “I am exhausted.”
“Then we’ll go to my place, and you can rest while I take care of you for the weekend. How does that sound?” P’Phayu says.
“Honestly, like heaven.” Rain answers.
“I didn’t tell the twins you would be back today, or they would be waiting at my house. I thought you might want to rest first so I told them next week.” P’Phayu says.
Rain is dying to see the twins but P’Phayu is right he doesn’t have the energy now.
“Thank you,” Rain says.
P’Phayu does take care of Rain, letting him sleep and feeding him well, until Rain finally starts to feel rested by the end of the weekend.
“Ready to go see your house.” P’Phayu asks on Monday morning.
Rain hadn’t even thought about the house, “You finished the renovations?”
“Last week.” P’Phayu says.
The house was gorgeous, a mix of modern with bright splashes of color like Rain wanted. Rain is pretty sure his boyfriend is a genius.
“Like it?” P’Phayu asks.
“Love it.” Rain sighs, “It’s beautiful. Where’s Sky?” It seemed to early for his friend to be at work already.
P’Phayu laughs at this, “I think he spends most nights at Pai’s condo these days. They have grown very close. You’ll see him tonight; I’ve invited them and Saifah’s family for dinner to welcome you home. The twins are about to lose their mind, they called me this morning before you were even awake.
“I want to see them too; I brought them souvenirs back.” Rain says.
“What about me,” P’Phayu teases, “don’t I get any souvenirs?”
Rain does indeed have souvenirs for his boyfriend in his still mostly packed suitcases, but he kisses P’Phayu on the cheek and says, “There your souvenir.”
P’Phayu smiles, “I’m not complaining, best souvenir ever.”
Rain is practically tackled by the twins when they run in the house. “Uncle Rain, you have been gone forevers, we counted.” Tay says and Tee nods.
“Saifah got them a calendar and they have been marking off the days until you came home.” P’Phayu explains.
Rain kneels down and hugs the twins. “Well, I’m home now and I got you lots of things. He motions to the two piles of souvenirs he laid out that afternoon and the twins happily dive into them, squealing over each thing.
“Can we watch your new series when it comes out?” Tee asks.
“Hmmm, you may not understand it.” Rain says, “but I have an advanced copy with me if you want to try watching it later.” There aren't any adult themes in the series, it’s just an innocent little romance about a fairy and a human. Rain plays the human’s best friend who also falls in love with the fairy’s best friend. He isn’t sure the twins will understand the plot, but they might enjoy the fairies and the bits of magic.
Two weeks after Rain comes home, P’Phayu invites him over to help decorate the Christmas tree with him and the twins. “Saifah and Heam wanted to do some holiday shopping so I thought we could decorate. It is our one-year anniversary after all.” P’Phayu says.
Rain stops short counting back, “How is it our anniversary? That would be in two weeks, Christmas day.”
“It’s the day the cat brought a certain cute boy to my door and my niece and nephew informed me I was going to marry him.” P’Phayu says.
Oh that was one year ago today.
“I’ll be right over.” Rain says.
“Good, I already have the tree and decorations and in honor of the day, I am making chocolate chip pancakes for lunch.” P’Phayu says.
“Yay,” Rain says. “I missed your pancakes.”
P’Phayu and the twins are waiting for them, and Rain notices with amusement they have even brought Tato with them. The cat is already sniffing the tree, probably considering climbing it.
P’Phayu and Rain put the ornaments on the tree while the twins color pictures that P’Phayu has printed out. They will hang those on the walls.
Rain looks at the tree critically, it looks pretty good. “Are we finished?” Rain asks.
“Not yet, there is one more ornament.” P’Phayu says. For some reason this makes the twins burst out in giggles.
“This one’s not for the tree.” P’Phayu says. He pulls out a blue velvet box.
“Uncle Phayu, you have to get down on one knee.” Tay informs him.
“Do I?’ P’Phayu teases.
“Yes,” the twins say in unison, obviously experts on the matter.
P’Phayu smiles and kneels down on one knee and opens the box to reveal the ring. “Rain, would you do me the great honor of marrying me?”
“Now you say yes.” Tee says, making Rain laugh.
“Yes.” Rain says.
“Now you kiss,” the twins squeal together.
“I think I can handle this part, brats.” P’Phayu says, causing them to giggle harder. He gives Rain a soft kiss on the lips.
Behind them Tato knocks one of the ornaments off the lower branches and starts pawing it around the house like a ball.