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Alan was walking back from his shift at the bank. He had just suffered through a 13 hour shift and was completely shattered. As if that wasn’t already bad enough, his car was getting repairs and he had just missed the bus. So, he settled for having a slow stroll back to his apartment.
However, it wasn’t all bad. As the evening came to an end, the sun lowering below the horizon, the warm bangkok breeze starting to lose its strength, Alan found his phone buzzing inside his pocket.
As he pulled it out and scanned the contact name at the top, his eyes lit up with bliss. The screen lit up Gaipa’s name, a little smiling emoticon on the end that Gaipa put whilst entering his LINE number.
Alan swiped to answer, holding the phone up to his ear as he waited for Gaipa’s to speak up on the other end.
“Hey, Alan?” His voice called out, slightly muffled but Alan could still hear his gentle voice.
“Gaipa!” Alan said, trying not to sound too excited l, but truthfully, Gaipa was his favourite customer. He has been ever since he became his new finance manager. “can i help you with anything?”
“yes, would you be free to meet tonight?” A small pause fell between them until Gaipa spoke again, his voice wavering slightly. “i’m sorry it’s so last minute.”
“no, no it’s totally okay.” Alan assured, his smile evident as he was speaking. He knew he didn’t have to, but Alan had stayed hours overdue his shift times whenever he was with Gaipa. He would rant to him about finances all day if he had the option to. “do you have a specific place in mind?”
“actually, yes!” Gaipa smiled through the line, the change in pitch evident. “there’s this food place near Jim’s shop, would that work for you?”
“sounds great,” Alan agreed, i’ll see you soon Mr. Ratanakitpaisan.” Alan said, ending the call and turning around almost instantly. Despite already having a long day, he seemed eager to meet with one final client.
Alan saw Gaipa from a distance, already sitting outside one of the outdoor venues of the food place. It was similar to Jim’s, not too classy, on the verge of being ran-down, yet it felt like home in away. Alan unknowingly started to pick up his pace, now dragging out the chair opposite Gaipa.
They both exchanged a polite greeting, Gaipa’s face instantly lighting up once he saw the man in the suit. “Hello, Mr. Lertwongsa!”
“please, just Alan.” He corrected, sitting down with a friendly smile. He tried to keep his meetings with clients as professional as possible, but Gaipa just made him lose all sense of authority. The latter was so bubbly and friendly with everybody, the type of person that you just naturally feel close with. So, he decided to drop the formalities. “so, what did you have in mind that you wanted to discuss?” He asked, curiosity getting the better of him.
“oh, that.” Gaipa remembered, his usual smile still hanging high on his face. “it’s a silly question, but i thought you’d be the best to ask.”
“well then, ask away.” Alan smiled, patiently waiting for Gaipa’s questions, hoping to provide him with some suitable answers.
Gaipa parted his lips slightly, thinking a little longer before vibrating his vocal cords. “Hypothetically, if someone wanted to save money, but they also wanted to spend money on someone that makes them happy…” He explained, his gaze shyly wandering around their surroundings after each word. “which one should they prioritise?”
Alan quietly blinked from across the table, a chuckling forcing past his lips. “well, i’m assuming this ‘hypothetical’ is about you?”
Gaipa shrugged sarcastically, giving away the fact that it very much was about him. However, Alan thought about the question a little longer, weighing out both options and their outcomes.
“i believe if you think spending money on that somebody is more valuable than the money itself, then there’s no harm in expressing gratitude towards them through gifts.” He explained, earning a small nod from Gaipa before he continued. “Although, i would consider how much you are spending toward this person.” Gaipa nodded along, a small smile on his face.
“i think they are definitely worth it.” He confidently nodded, his smile as dreamy as ever, Alan almost couldn’t look away.
“if you don’t mind me asking,” Alan started, looking away hesitantly, unsure if he was being too nosy. “what gift did you have in mind?” Alan asked. Gaipa paused for a moment, a shy smile on his face. Alan quickly backtracked, realising he sounded far too curious in personal information. “i mean- i could help you decide what price is most suitable.”
Gaipa laughed softly, his voice so ethereal to Alan, just like music. to his ears. “nothing special, i was just going to buy them a few drinks.” Gaipa explained, yet Alan’s smile seemed to slowly fade.
He knew he had no reason to be annoyed, Gaipa was just his client, but buying somebody ‘a few drinks’ sounds awfully similar to a date. “ah, i see.” Alan said, his voice falling flat. “well, i’d make sure they are appreciative of your gift, otherwise it could result in being a waste of money.”
Gaipa chuckled, shaking his head. “i think they’d be pretty appreciative.” The fact that was so confident made Alan doubt himself, internally frustrated with no good excuse.
Alan bit the inside of his cheek, annoyed at this anonymous figure that Gaipa was going to go on a very obvious date with. Even if he didn’t specifically say it, Alan could connect the dots. “that’s great.” Alan sighed, trying to keep his tone professional and neutral, even if it was slipping.
Shortly after, the food Gaipa had ordered before Alan had arrived had just been served. They continued chatting over their hot meal, steam swirling between them with ease. Gaipa continued to ask some questions about his current financial plan, making some minor adjustments along the way. Alan was completely oblivious to the fact that Gaipa was staring at him more than the sheets of paper he was showing him, and apparently that Gaipa was offering most of his pork belly onto Alan’s plate. Alan assumed it was just Gaipa being his usual kind and giving nature.
“just sign here, and all the changes will be approved.” Alan pointed at the bottom of the page, sliding it towards Gaipa.
Gaipa’s friendly smile returned, his hypnotic lips alluring Alan’s gaze. He quickly shook his head, trying to maintain the professionalism he earlier declined. He knew that his attitude had changed ever since Gaipa mentioned his plans for later, but he couldn’t help but be consumed by his unreasonable jealousy.
“do you have a pen?” Gaipa asked. “i forgot mine.” He casually explained, patiently staring at Alan again for a response.
Alan felt uneasy under the pressure of Gaipa’s gaze, swiftly handing him his pen. As they exchanged the pen, Gaipa’s fingers momentarily brushed against Alan’s. Gaipa offered an apologetic smile, but Alan could already feel his heart beating faster. He quickly let go of the pen, letting Gaipa scribble his signature.
Gaipa smirked silently, oddly pleased at the reaction. The pen glided across the paper, injecting the ink onto the paper permanently. His wrist flicked at the end, securing his signature. “all done.” Gaipa said, handing the pen and paper back to Alan. Alan promptly took it, leaving no room for any accidental contact.
Their ‘business meeting’ slowly started to wrap up, Alan packing the documents away snugly in the safety of his briefcase. As the empty bowls laid beneath them and they both stood to leave, Gaipa quickly interrupted his farewell, scratching the back of his neck.
“wait!” Gaipa interjected, a shy smile back on his lips. “actually, i was wondering if you wanted to…grab a couple drinks?” He asked, eventually meeting Alan’s gaze. “that’s if you would like to, of course.”
Yes.
Alan wanted to leap at the invitation immediately. However, the unwanted thought of Gaipa’s date inconveniently popped into his mind. “what about your date?” Alan asked, his eyebrows loosely knitting together. “weren’t you going to go and buy them a couple drinks?”
“my date?” Giapa chuckled lightly, raising his eyebrows imperceptibly. “i never said it was a date.”
“oh, i’m sorry,” Alan hiccuped, realising he might have overthought the entire situation. Maybe Gaipa wasn’t actually going on a date and maybe this person was just a friend. “i shouldn’t have assumed, it’s just-“
“i get it.” Gaipa assured, his smile widening ever so slightly to the point where his small, pointy cuspids were revealed. “honestly, i was hoping that they see it as a date.”
“oh, right.” Alan smiled faintly, yet he could feel something in his chest sitting uncomfortably, unable to shift into a restful state.
“so…drinks?” Gaipa reiterated, waiting for the latter’s reply.
Alan blinked cluelessly, the timeline in his head not arching what Gaipa was saying. If they got drinks now…Gaipa wouldnt be abel to make it for his date. Part of Alan wanted to accept the offer, selfishly having Gaipa to himself for the night and beign the cause for Gaipa cancelling his date. However, he cousin already fell the guilt of that decision sitting in his guilt. He didn’t want to ruin Gaipa’s date. For Gaipa, not the lucky bastard that is going with him. “uhm…but-“
“Alan.” Gaia chuckled, unable to hold it in anymore. “i’m asking if you want to be my date.” He confessed, suddenly feeling shy, a light blush creeping across his face.
Alan’s jaw loosely fell open, like it had a faulty screw, unable to produce any sounds. The realisation rendered in his head, yet he still couldn’t fully believe that Gaipa was asking him to go on a date. “yes!” Exclaimed Alan, immediately clearing his throat as that sounded far too straightforward. “i mean, yes, that would be nice.” He mumbled, his tone barely above a whisper.
Gaipa could feel tears forming at the corner of his eyes by how hard he was trying not to laugh. Alan internally dragged his hands across his face, mortified at how awkward he was around Gaipa. He knew it was because Gaipa wasn’t just any other client, he was his personal favourite client.
“then let’s go!” Gaipa said through a wide smile, tugging on the fabric of Alan’s blazer suit, delicately dragging him along to his favourite bar for drinks. As the sun started to set lower, barely peaking from above the horizon, They walked off from the food venue, their hands occasionally brushing when they accidentally inclosed in on the small distance between them. They both met each other’s gaze every time, laughing it off and ignoring the pale pink it caused on the tip of their ears.