Chapter 5: Who said I was flirting?

The glowing sign of Siam After Dark shimmered above the street like a secret waiting to be uncovered. Nestled between luxury hotels and high end boutiques.

Outside Siam After Dark Lounge, Pat and Tee came out of Tee's car, walked into the lounge

As the sleek black doors opened, a wave of cool air kissed Pat’s skin. The scent inside was intoxicating, a blend of aged whiskey, expensive cologne, soft jasmine incense, and polished wood. Dim amber lights glowed beneath smoked-glass shelves lined with crystal bottles of premium liquor, making the entire bar shimmer like liquid gold.

Tee stepped in first, effortlessly confident as always. His fitted black shirt hugged his frame perfectly, the top buttons left undone just enough to reveal the silver chain resting against his collarbone. Beside him, Pat adjusted the sleeves of his dark blazer, his eyes slowly scanning the lounge with quiet fascination.

The interior of Siam After Dark was breathtaking.

A live jazz band played from a small elevated stage near the center of the room, their smooth saxophone melodies blending perfectly with the deep bass of modern lounge music. Velvet sofas curved around low marble tables under hanging lantern lights inspired by traditional Thai temples. Behind the main counter stood towering mirrored shelves displaying luxury spirits, aged Japanese whiskey, rare cognac, premium tequila, and imported champagne glowing beneath soft LED lighting.

VIP sections lined the upper floor balcony, hidden behind sheer black curtains for privacy. Gold-trimmed staircases curved elegantly upward, while the polished black floors reflected the city lights pouring through the massive glass windows overlooking Bangkok’s nightlife.

Waitresses dressed in fitted silk uniforms moved gracefully between tables carrying crystal trays of cocktails decorated with orchids and slices of dragon fruit.

Pat exhaled softly.

“This place is insane,” he muttered.

Tee smirked faintly, slipping one hand into his pocket.

“Told you I’d take you somewhere worth leaving the house for.”

Hostess guided them toward a secluded corner booth near the window. The crescent shaped sofa was wrapped in dark emerald velvet, the table illuminated by a small golden lamp that cast warm light across their faces.

The moment they sat down, Pat loosened slightly for the first time that evening. From their seat, they had a perfect view of the entire lounge, the crowded dance floor glowing beneath neon lights, bartenders flipping shakers behind the counter, and wealthy guests laughing over glasses of sparkling liquor.

A bartender approached their table with a respectful nod.

“Sawasdee khab, gentlemen. What can I get for you tonight?”

Tee leaned back casually, his fingers tapping once against the marble table.

“Two drinks first,” he said. “Give him something smooth.”

The bartender turned to Pat with a knowing smile.

“Sweet, strong, or dangerous?”

Pat laughed under his breath.

“Depends what kind of night this is.”

Tee’s eyes flickered toward him, amused.

“Dangerous, then.”

The bartender nodded before disappearing toward the glowing bar counter.

“Go all out tonight, Pat. I’m here for you,” Tee said with a reassuring smile.

Minutes later, the drinks arrived.

Pat’s cocktail was served in a smoked crystal glass filled with dark violet liquid, topped with edible orchid petals and a single sphere of clear ice. The aroma carried hints of blackberry, rum, and spice.

Tee received a glass of expensive whiskey poured over ice, simple yet elegant, matching his composed demeanor perfectly.

The city lights reflected through the window beside them as the music deepened around the lounge.

The jazz music drifted softly through the lounge as conversations and laughter blended into the warm atmosphere around them. From the balcony above, the mysterious figure remained still behind the sheer black curtains, attention fixed entirely on Pat.

Pat, however, knew nothing about it.

He leaned back against the velvet sofa, swirling the dark violet cocktail slowly in his hand before taking another sip. The drink burned pleasantly down his throat, warm enough to loosen the tightness that had been sitting in his chest for months.

Tee observed him quietly from across the table.

For the first time in a long while, Pat’s face looked less lifeless.

Less haunted.

“You’re finally breathing like a human again,” Tee commented casually before taking a sip of whiskey.

Pat scoffed faintly.

“So dramatic.”

“I’m serious,” Tee replied. “You’ve been walking around like a ghost.”

Pat lowered his gaze toward the glass in his hand.

The playful atmosphere around them suddenly felt distant again.

“I didn’t realize it was that obvious.”

Tee’s expression softened slightly.

“To me? Always.”

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

The saxophone player on stage transitioned into a slower melody, the golden lights reflecting gently against the crystal glasses between them.

Pat forced out a small smile.

“You dragged me all the way here just to emotionally attack me?”

Tee chuckled.

“No. I dragged you here because sitting alone in that condo every night is destroying you.”

“No. I dragged you here because sitting alone in that condo every night is destroying you.”

Pat looked away toward the crowded dance floor below.

Couples laughed together beneath the neon lights. Friends toasted glasses. A woman in a red silk dress danced near the bar while her boyfriend held her waist from behind.

Everywhere he looked, people seemed alive.

Meanwhile, he still felt stuck somewhere two years in the past.

Tee noticed the shift in Pat’s eyes immediately.

“Khun,” he called gently.

Pat blinked and looked back at him.

“You don’t have to keep punishing yourself because someone left.”

Pat’s fingers tightened slightly around the glass.

“It’s not that easy.”

“I know.” Tee sighed softly, leaning forward against the table. “But Way made his choice, Pat. And you’re still here letting the memory of him ruin you little by little.”

Pat laughed quietly under his breath,

though there was no humor in it.

“You make it sound pathetic.”

“No,” Tee said firmly. “I make it sound painful.”

That answer silenced Pat.

The music continued around them while the city lights flickered through the towering windows beside their booth.

Then Tee suddenly smirked.

“Besides…”

Pat narrowed his eyes suspiciously

“That face of yours is too expensive to waste on heartbreak.”

Pat stared at him for a second before letting out the first genuine laugh Tee had heard from him in months.

“Seriously?”

“I’m completely serious,” Tee replied confidently. “Look around this lounge. Half the people here would risk financial bankruptcy for one chance with you.”

Pat nearly choked on his drink.

“You’re insane.”

“And you need attention,” Tee shot back instantly. “A dangerous combination.”

Pat shook his head, smiling helplessly despite himself.

“There’s the Pat I know,” Tee murmured quietly, satisfied.

Above them, the figure behind the balcony curtains finally moved.

The night deepened around Siam After Dark, the lounge growing louder as more guests filled the glowing space. Jazz slowly gave way to deeper lounge beats, and the city lights outside shimmered against the towering glass windows like scattered diamonds.

Empty glasses had begun to gather around Pat and Tee's table, the warmth of alcohol slowly settling into Pat's veins

For the first time in a long while, he was no longer thinking too hard

And Maybe that was the problem

Another round arrived

Then another

Tee frowned slightly as Pat tossed back a shot without hesitation

Pat had already finished six cocktails shot

Then seven.

Tee noticed immediately.

“Oi, You’re drinking too fast, slow down” he warned, watching Pat pour another shot into his glass.

Pat only shrugged lazily, reaching for the next glass

“I’m fine”.

“That sentence never ends well. you said that four drinks ago

Pat ignored him and tossed the shot back anyway and leaned back deeper into the velvet seat, as he laughed under his breath. The alcohol burning warmly down his throat. His cheeks had begun to flush faintly beneath the amber lighting, the tension in his body loosening more and more with every drink.

Tee sighed under his breath.

Then suddenly,

“Mind if I join you gentlemen?”

A calm, smooth voice interrupted them.

Both men looked up.

Standing beside their booth was the same man from the VIP balcony.

Tall.

Sharp.

Effortlessly intimidating.

He wore a tailored charcoal suit with no tie that fits his frame flawlessly, the collar slightly open, revealing the elegant line of his neck. His face was striking beneath the dim lights, cold eyes, defined features, and an unreadable expression that somehow carried quiet authority without trying.

Even Tee paused briefly.

The stranger offered a faint smile.

“Sawasdee, You looked like you were having a more interesting conversation than the people upstairs.”

Tee leaned back against the sofa, studying him carefully.

“And you are?”

“Yut… uh Chayut Athiwat.”

His gaze shifted toward Pat almost immediately.

“And your friend looks like he could use better company than cocktail. I've been watching him”

The stranger's attention, however fixed on Pat

“ I've been watching you laugh” Yut said smoothly, “ It seems rare enough to deserve a drink”

Pat blinked slowly before letting out an amused scoff

“That line probably works often"

Yut smiled faintly

“Only If the person is worth approaching”

Tee leaned back against the sofa, watching the interaction carefully.

Meanwhile, Pat lifted up his glass lazily

“ To late for that”

Yut’s lips curved faintly at the response before he slid smoothly into the empty seat beside Pat without waiting for permission.

Tee noticed it instantly.

The confidence.

The deliberate closeness.

And most importantly,

the way Yut looked at Pat.

Like he had already chosen his target.

A waitress arrived shortly later.

“Another round?” Yut asked casually.

Pat tilted his head slightly toward him.

“Trying to get me drunk?”

“No,” Yut replied smoothly. “You seem determined to do that yourself.”

Tee nearly laughed.

Yut ordered for another round without looking at the menu..

Pat narrowed his eyes at the stranger before unexpectedly smiling.

“Yut is my name, Chayut Athiwat,” Yut said to Pat with a bright smile.

“You mentioned it earlier,” Pat said, sucking his teeth lightly. He swirled the remaining liquor in his glass

“Um… yeah. I just wanted to remind you again,” Yut replied with a chuckle.

“Don’t mind my friend. I’m Tee,” Tee said warmly.

“And this is Pat,” Tee added.

“Pat”

Yut repeated the name quietly, almost thoughtfully.

Something about the way he said it made Tee glanced between them.

Pat narrowed his eyes at the stranger before unexpectedly smiling.

For the next hour, Yut stayed with them.

Mostly talking to Pat.

“So,” Yut leaned back comfortably against the velvet sofa, “what brings you two to Siam After Dark tonight?”

“Tee dragged me here against my will,” Pat answered before Tee could speak.

“That’s a lie,” Tee scoffed. “You were dying alone in your condo.”

Pat raised his glass lazily toward him.

“And now I’m dying publicly.”

Yut laughed softly at that, clearly entertained.

“Well, I’m glad your friend forced you out,” he said, his voice lowering slightly as he looked at Pat. “Would’ve been a shame for someone this handsome to stay hidden at home.”

Pat barely reacted.

“Hmm.”

Tee almost smiled into his whiskey glass.

Yut was attractive, confident, polished,

but Pat looked emotionally unavailable beyond repair.

Still, Yut didn’t give up.

Occasionally teasing him.

Subtly flirting.

But Pat never fully gave in

A waitress arrived shortly later, Yut ordered for another round without looking at the menu.

Another round arrived at the table again.

Pat drank every shot handed to him without hesitation.

The warmth spreading through his body slowly dulled the ache sitting permanently inside his chest. His face became flushed beneath the amber lights, his posture loosening more with every glass emptied.

Every time Yut leaned closer, Pat leaned away slightly. Every smooth compliment was brushed off with dry humor or careless indifference.

Still,

Pat kept drinking.

Shot after shot.

Cocktail after cocktail.

He drank every shots handed to him with a detached smile, the alcohol steadily pulled him further away from himself.

Tee's concern deepened with every glass.

Pat wasn't drinking for fun anymore.

He was trying not to feel.

Yut noticed it too.

Eventually his words started slurring together.

“Fuck you… Wayu… ha ha” Pat stuttered

Tee rubbed his forehead tiredly as Pat nearly dropped his glass for the second time.

“You drink like you're trying to forget someone” Yut remarked calmly.

Pat laughed softly, though it sounded tiredly.

“And you observed too much”

“Occupational habit”

“What occupation?“

Yut took a slow sip of whiskey.

“Reading People”

Pat smirked faintly

“Then you should know I'm not interested in being flirted with tonight “

“ Who said I was flirting?“

“Tou sat at our table”

“That alone counts?“ Yut asked smoothly

Pat rolled his eyes, though a faint smile tugged at his lip again.

Tee watched the exchange quietly, sipping from his whiskey.

Pat wasn't encouraging Yut,

but he wasn't also pushing him away completely.

“You always this hard to impress?” Yut asked eventually with an amused smile.

Pat tilted his head slightly before downing another shot.

“I’m not trying to be impressed.”

Tee sighed quietly.

This was getting dangerous.

“Pat, slow down,” he warned again.

“I’m fine,” Pat muttered immediately.

He absolutely was not fine.

Less than twenty minutes later, Pat attempted to stand from the booth,

and nearly collapsed straight back onto the table.

“Whoa, shit.”

Tee caught him quickly before the glasses tipped over.

Pat groaned and blinked lightly, clearly drunk out of his mind.

He leaned against Tee.

“Okay… maybe I drank a little too much”

“A little?“, Tee stared at him in disbelief

“You can barely stand”

“Okay we're leaving”

“No”, Pat protested weakling with eyes closed “One more”

Pat attempted to stand on his own,

It ended disastrously.

“Oi, Khun… get your act together,” Tee scolded lightly, trying to steady Pat before he slipped again.

“Besides, you told me to go all out, that you were here for me,” Pat mumbled in protest, his words slightly slurred from the alcohol.

“Really?” Tee scoffed lightly, shaking his head in disbelief. “And this is your definition of going all out?”

Pat let out a lazy chuckled, his eyes still closed.

“You said not to hold back.”

“I meant enjoy yourself,” Tee replied dryly.

“Not drink like your life depends on it.”