Chapter Text
By the third day, William realized something very important.
The Sangaworawong family had absolutely no respect for personal space.
Not in a bad way.
Not in an invasive way.
Just...
In a we've known you for years and you've been adopted whether you like it or not kind of way.
Which was concerning.
Very concerning.
Because somehow, despite knowing them for less than seventy-two hours, William was currently standing in their kitchen making pancakes while Mrs. Lee argued with Daou over coffee.
"This is my mug."
"No."
"It literally has my name on it."
"I don't read negativity before breakfast."
Mrs. Supha looked ready to throw a spoon.
William laughed into the pancake batter.
Across the room, Mr. Supha was reading the newspaper while pretending not to listen.
The cousins occupied half the dining table.
Someone was playing music.
Someone else was trying to convince Est to go surfing.
And Est—
Est looked like he'd rather wrestle a shark.
"I said no."
"You say no to everything."
"I say no to stupid ideas."
The cousin pointed dramatically toward the ocean.
"Surfing is beautiful."
"Surfing is drowning with extra steps."
William snorted.
The entire table immediately looked at him.
Caught.
William raised both hands.
"He's not wrong."
The cousins looked betrayed.
Mrs. Supha pointed at William immediately.
"See? The smart one agrees."
"Traitors. Both of you."
William laughed again.
Honestly?
He couldn't remember the last time he laughed this much.
Maybe university.
Maybe before that.
Maybe never.
The realization appeared unexpectedly and vanished just as quickly.
William ignored it.
Instead, he focused on flipping pancakes.
A much safer topic.
"How are you this good at everything?" one cousin asked suddenly.
William blinked.
"What?"
"Tattoos."
Flip.
"Baking."
Flip.
"Languages."
Flip.
"Apparently pottery."
Flip.
"How?"
William laughed.
"I don't know."
"That's not an answer."
"It kind of is."
"No."
William grinned.
The cousin groaned dramatically.
Across the room, Est watched the exchange quietly.
Observing.
Listening.
The thing about William Jakrapatr was that he was incredibly easy to talk to.
People naturally liked him.
The problem?
The more they learned about him, the more questions appeared.
Successful tattoo artist.
Oxford graduate.
Speaks eight languages.
Professional baker.
Pottery instructor certification.
Dance training.
Self-defense license.
The list never ended.
Yet somehow—
none of it explained him.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
"Earth to Est."
Est blinked.
Mrs. Supha was staring at him.
"What?"
"You've been staring."
The entire table turned toward him immediately.
Traitors.
All of them.
"I wasn't staring."
"You absolutely were."
"I wasn't."
Daou grinned.
"Oh my God."
Est immediately regretted everything.
"Oh no."
"Oh my God."
"No."
"HE HAS A CRUSH."
The dining room exploded.
William nearly dropped a pancake.
"What?!"
"Ignore him," Est said instantly.
Daou pointed dramatically.
"He notices everything about this man."
"Because he's interesting."
The silence lasted exactly one second.
Then:
"OHHHHHH."
Est considered moving countries.
The cousins were useless.
Mrs. Dara was worse.
Mr.Anton had stopped reading entirely.
And William looked dangerously amused.
Wonderful.
Absolutely wonderful.
—
Later that afternoon, William escaped.
Not because he disliked the Sangaworawongs.
The exact opposite.
They were exhausting.
Affectionately exhausting.
Like being hugged by a tornado.
So after lunch, he decided to walk along the beach.
Alone.
The ocean stretched endlessly beneath bright blue skies while warm sand shifted beneath his feet.
William carried his sandals in one hand.
The water looked beautiful.
Children played nearby.
Families relaxed beneath umbrellas.
Tourists took pictures.
Life.
Everywhere.
Normal life.
For a while, William simply walked.
Listening to waves.
Listening to seagulls.
Listening to the world.
No expectations.
No schedules.
No responsibilities.
Just movement.
Freedom.
The feeling was strangely addictive.
Eventually he reached a quieter section of the shoreline.
Large rocks bordered the coast while the ocean crashed against them rhythmically.
Beautiful.
William sat down.
Then pulled out his sketchbook.
A habit.
Whenever he traveled, he drew.
Not professionally.
Just for himself.
People.
Landscapes.
Random observations.
Memories.
Today he drew the ocean.
Then the villas.
Then—
without realizing it—
the neighboring villa.
And after that—
a certain annoyingly handsome CEO standing on a balcony.
William stared at the sketch.
Then immediately shut the notebook.
Nope.
Absolutely not.
We were not doing that.
The universe, unfortunately, disagreed.
"Is that me?"
William nearly launched himself into the sea.
Est stood behind him.
Holding coffee.
Looking entirely too pleased with himself.
"Oh my God."
Est laughed.
The sound surprised William.
Deep.
Warm.
Nice.
Dangerous.
"Sorry."
"You scared me."
"I noticed."
William glared.
Est sat beside him anyway.
Without asking.
For some reason, William didn't mind.
"Coffee?"
He handed over a cup.
William accepted automatically.
Then paused.
"How did you know I like coffee?"
Est looked confused.
"Everyone likes coffee."
Reasonable.
Fair.
Incorrect.
But fair.
William laughed softly.
The ocean stretched quietly before them.
Comfortable silence settled.
Not awkward.
Not forced.
Comfortable.
Strange.
Most silences felt uncomfortable around strangers.
This one didn't.
After several minutes, Est finally spoke.
"You seem happier."
William blinked.
"Happier?"
"Than when you arrived."
The observation surprised him.
Because it was true.
He was happier.
Lighter.
The realization felt strange.
Like noticing sunlight after standing in shade.
"I like Italy."
Est smiled slightly.
"I figured."
"The ocean helps."
"It usually does."
Another silence.
Then:
"You booked three months."
William looked over.
Est was watching the waves.
Not him.
The ocean.
Somehow that made the question feel less intrusive.
"Yeah."
"Most people don't."
William shrugged.
"I wanted time."
The answer seemed to satisfy him.
At least partially.
Good.
Because William wasn't sure how to explain it properly.
He wasn't running away.
Not exactly.
He just...
Wanted more.
More life.
More experiences.
More memories.
Simple things.
Normal things.
Things people took for granted.
The thought lingered quietly.
Then vanished.
Because Est stood suddenly.
"Come on."
William blinked.
"What?"
"We're going somewhere."
"Where?"
"You'll see."
"That's suspicious."
"Correct."
William laughed despite himself.
And somehow—
ten minutes later—
he found himself following Est through narrow Italian streets toward a destination he knew absolutely nothing about.
Which, admittedly, was becoming a pattern.
One he wasn't entirely sure he disliked.
That realization was significantly more concerning than anything else.
Especially because every time Est glanced back to make sure he was still following—
William found himself smiling.
And he wasn't completely sure why.