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Thap couldn’t read fortunes. That was true. It was his husband who could pull out the cards, stare at the stars, and make sense of the fortunes revealed within. Thap often wished he believed more in fortunes, if only because his husband was so damn impressive at his job.
There, under an archway, In had been setup at a table to do readings during an event. It was Tul’s engagement party, finally, and he and his fiancé had asked In to break his usual rules and do readings for any interested guests. They also offered to pay him rather well. At least, that's how In told it. Normally this wouldn’t have swayed In, but lately he had been picking up more jobs that were outside of his usual style.
After a young woman left In with a wide grin on her face, Thap strolled casually over with a drink in his hand.
“Mm. You know, I heard there was an impressive fortune teller here tonight,” Thap said, leaning on the archway.
In rolled his eyes. “Is that so? Tell me when you see them. I’ll get my fortune read.”
Thap chuckled and held out the drink. “No way. No one is more impressive than my husband.” After In took the drink, Thap sat across the table from him. “Anyway, if anyone needs to read your fortune, it’s me. I’m getting pretty good at this card reading thing.”
To an outsider, In probably looked annoyed or unimpressed. To Thap, he looked like he was going to play along with whatever silliness Thap started. “You? Someone who doesn’t believe?”
“Oh, I’ve had a very good teacher,” Thap promised. He took the cards and spread them out on the table. “Come on. Pick three cards.”
Obligingly, In did with very little fanfare. Thap set them in front of himself, then revealed them with a flourish.
“Aha! The Moon. Could mean you have good intuition or you’re hiding something.” Thap smirked deviously as he said this.
Mostly he was joking, but In’s unimpressed look became a press of lips and a nervous swallow, and that made Thap very curious. Was In hiding something? He’d been taking on more jobs. To earn more money? For what?
“Next, the Star. Hope.” Thap smiled at the card. This was the card In pulled on the day Thap convinced him to give their relationship a chance. “Or maybe the cards know how much this card means to us.”
If Thap believed in the cards, he’d say they were suggesting that whatever In was hiding was a positive thing. In had hope, at least. Or was In hopeful because the secret was bad? Thap mentally shook himself and reminded himself that he didn’t believe in fortune telling.
“And last.” Thap hesitated a moment before he flipped the card. He let out a sigh of relief. “The Sun.”
“You seem more relieved than the customer,” In pointed out in a somewhat pouty mumble.
Thap smiled at him and then gently shook his head, dispelling the notion. “You’ve got a full sky tonight,” he teased. “Based on these cards, I suspect you’ve been keeping a secret, one that involves us and that you hope ends well. But you don’t have to worry. When the truth comes out, everything will be okay.” Then he set his hand on the table. “How did I do?”
Slowly, biting his bottom lip, In nodded. “Not... bad.” He shrugged and then motion to the cards. “The Star was reversed, though, so the meaning is different. If I read these three together, I would say that there was a bright future ahead for the customer. A happy event is coming up. The insecurity they had will clear, and the time for secrets will have passed, and their loved one will not be angry about the hidden truth.”
“Ah, come on,” Thap complained, leaning back. “It’s almost the same thing.”
In waggled a finger at him. “Learn well, my apprentice. Your reading was all about the present, whereas mine was about the future. I already know how I feel right now. People come to fortune tellers to hear about what hasn’t happened yet.”
With a groan, Thap leaned back in his chair. Then he sat up abruptly. “Hang on, so what are you feeling insecure about?”
“You believe in the cards right now?” In asked, collecting the cards back into a stack.
“I do when it comes to you,” Thap corrected. “So tell me what’s going on. Why did you accept this job?”
For a moment, they simply stared, Thap’s expression open but curious, In’s face tight and thoughtful. Around them, people chattered loudly, used up the open bar, gave advice on planning a wedding, and made jokes about being married. But Thap and In only had eyes and ears for each other.
Finally, In sighed and bent down to grab something from his bag. “It was supposed to be a surprise.” He produced a small box – larger than a ring box but only by a little. “I’ve been earning money to buy you an anniversary gift. I know I have my savings, but I didn’t want to pull from that. I wanted to earn it all myself.”
Thap gently pulled the box closer, then popped the lid. It was a bracelet, something like a medical bracelet except there was no medical engraving. Instead, it had three diamonds that sparkled like stars, and then a turquoise and amethyst inlay on either side.
“Amethysts and turquoise supposedly bring peace, protection, and healing,” In explained.
“It’s beautiful,” Thap murmured. “Can I put it on?”
But In shook his head before reaching over, taking the bracelet out, and helping to slip it over Thap’s wrist. “I can put it on you,” he corrected, starting to blush.
Too cute. Thap ran his fingers over the gems, admiring them. “I guess your cards were right again,” he said.
“Hm? How so?” In asked. Another customer was hovering just out of earshot, clearly waiting for Thap to vacate.
“This all ends in a celebration,” Thap explained with a smile. “Not only are we at a party, but on our anniversary, I’m planning to take you on a trip – like a second honeymoon.”
In’s answering grin was almost prize enough. But they’d each get the rest of the prize later, when they were at home.
Thap could read basic fortunes, but in no way was he a fortune teller. He’d leave that up to his husband. Anyway, it was fine that Thap was lacking in that area. He could read In like a book, and that’s all he needed in life.