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England is good. Great, even. Nueng likes the new weather and new lifestyle and the way everything is so different from back home. It feels like a fresh start.
He feels lonely sometimes, though. He misses the bright sun and food stalls and his room and the salty beach air.
He misses Palm.
Nueng misses having his boyfriend within arm's reach, he misses kissing and holding hands and waking up on the same bed and just - being around Palm. But he's miles and miles away with an entire ocean between them, and Nueng misses Palm but - it's just for a while. They'll be back together soon.
And they have phones, too.
Propping up his phone, Nueng straightens, making sure his t-shirt doesn’t have creases. Not that Palm will care about that, but still. He wants to look the best he can.
The phone rings - once, twice, three times -
“Nueng!” Too close to the camera, Palm’s delighted cry makes something warm settle in Nueng’s chest, and he’s unable to hold in the laugh that bubbles up in his chest.
“Palm,” he replies, grinning. “Where are you?”
There’s some rustling, and Nueng finally gets to see his boyfriend in all his handsome glory - or at least waist up. “In my bedroom,” he replies, setting down the phone. “I just came out of the shower.”
And that Nueng can see - the way the shirt clings to Palm’s chest, slightly damp, and the way his hair is still dripping water onto the towel around his neck -
Blinking, Nueng straightens. Not that kind of call. “Mm. How was your day?”
Settling onto the bed, Palm stretches, smiling. “It was good. There were a lot of customers today at the bar, we made good money,” he declares, like an eager puppy. “What about you?”
“That’s amazing,” Nueng’s smile widens. His cheeks always hurt after these video calls from smiling too much. “My day was okay,” he hums. “Mostly just working on assignments.”
“Is it cold there now?” Palm asks, glancing at something over Nueng’s shoulder.
Turning to check, Nueng nods. “Oh, the heater? Yeah, it’s autumn now, so it’s starting to get chilly.”
“Stay warm,” Palm says automatically, brows furrowing. “Don’t get sick, okay?”
Nueng laughs. “I won’t, don’t worry.” Palm still has the habit of worrying about Nueng before himself, and while it bothers him sometimes, right now Nueng just finds it ridiculously endearing. “You take care of yourself too.”
Palm nods, eyes softening. “I will.”
That expression makes something flutter in Nueng's stomach, and he shakes his head slightly. "Oh, what happened with the kid yesterday? Did you find a translator?" Palm had sent a text about how he needed a translator to talk to one of his customers but his 'super intelligent boyfriend isn't here to save the day'. It had made Nueng laugh, then want to cry.
The question makes Palm's eyes widen. "Oh, right! I managed to talk to him in English by myself," he proclaims. A pleased smile settles on his face, and Nueng has the sudden urge to kiss it away. "Are you proud of me?"
"Very proud," Nueng responds instantly. He wishes he could hold Palm and show him exactly how proud he is. As it is, he settles for leaning closer and laughing, light and airy. "I'm always proud of you, darling ."
The English endearment is clumsy on Nueng's tongue, but Palm's ears turn bright red anyway. "You went out with your friends yesterday, right? How was that?"
Nueng grins - it's a blatant topic change, but he can let it slide. "Yeah, I did. Here, let me -" He picks up his phone to open his gallery and share his screen with Palm, making sure to keep the phone angled towards his face. “I saw something cool yesterday, I wanted to show you,” he explains, scrolling down to the picture he’s talking about. “Here.”
There’s a moment of silence. “Nueng,” Palm starts hesitantly. “What is that?”
Laughing, Nueng switches back to the call. “It’s a corn maze!” he says, translating it the best he can. “My friends explained it’s like - an October thing people do? They create these mazes out of corn fields, and people go through them on Halloween.”
At the explanation, Palm brightens. “That sounds cool, Nueng,” he nods. “Are you going to go to one?”
“I want to go with you,” Nueng says before he can think about it. A beat, and then - “Whenever you come, of course. Not this Halloween.” He wants to bite his tongue, because Nueng knows how much they both desperately want to be together, but their schedules are so hectic right now they can’t even consider visiting each other.
“I’d like that,” Palm nods, smiling. He looks so soft like this, damp and sweet and so Palm it makes Nueng’s chest hurt. "I'm working hard, so you can be proud to call me your boyfriend."
Oh, he is so - “Palm?”
Humming, Palm focuses on the camera. “Mm?”
“I miss you,” Nueng pushes out before he can swallow down the words. “So much.”
The expression on Palm’s face flickers, something like sadness that disappears before Nueng has a chance to blink. “Me too. All the time,” Palm shakes his head slightly. “I love you, Nueng. Study hard and then come back soon, okay?”
Pressing his lips together, Nueng nods. “Of course. I’ll be back before you know it.” He misses Palm so much, and he knows Palm misses him too, but this - Palm in the tiny screen of his phone, smiling and sweet, is enough for now. It’ll have to be.