My Moon, Chapter 17 pg 5
My Moon, Chapter 17 pg 5
Klai gave a small smile before saying, “Sometimes he’s cute, sometimes he’s cool… but it’s not just sometimes that that one makes me smile, makes me smile every time we’re together.”
“Now that’s someone worth sharing cookies with.”
The sweet-faced woman chuckled, then said, “But, uh…”
“But what?”
“Well… they don’t eat much,” Klai said, catching himself. He almost slipped and said Moon’s name.
“You’ve gotten so good at keeping secrets… not even the name slipped out.”
“I’ll tell you later, okay? His name is beautiful, both his real name and nickname. Phii Jeab will definitely love it.”
“With you this smitten, how could I not love your special person a lot too?”
Klai held back a smile as he glanced at the glass jar filled with butter cookies. Phii Jeab must have prepared them for him to take back to his condo.
“The cookies from last time are probably gone by now, so I prepared a new batch for you,” Phii Jeab said.
“Thank you, Phii Jeab,” Klai replied before walking over to look at the food neatly arranged on plates. “Your cooking always looks delicious, as ever.”
“Always such a sweet talker,” she said.
The complimented woman gave a faint smile before glancing toward the kitchen entrance. Klai noticed three new maids standing awkwardly there. He figured they might feel uneasy around him since he wasn’t as close to them as he was with Phii Jeab.
“Phii, you can come in,” Klai said.
“Th-thank you, KhunKlai,” one of them replied.
“Have you finished setting the dining table?” Phii Jeab asked.
“Yes, Head Housekeeper,” they answered.
“Then help bring the food out to the table. The master will probably arrive soon.”
“But Ms. Lin got home first,” one of the maids said.
“Really? Didn’t she say she had errands today and would be back late?” Phii Jeab leaned to look outside, then waved her hand lightly, signaling the three maids to take the plates out. “Hurry up and get everything ready.”
“Yes, yes,” the maids replied.
Klai shifted his gaze from the three maids carrying the food out of the kitchen and turned to ask Phii Jeab, who was putting the cookie jar into a white cloth bag.
“Didn’t Ms. Lin go to work with Dad today?” he asked.
“No, I heard she took her parents, who came from upcountry, to run some errands around Sukhumvit,” Phii Jeab said, then met his eyes. “But it seemed like an urgent matter. She rushed out this morning. Originally, she was supposed to go to work with the master.”
“Oh…” Klai nodded lightly before continuing, “While I was away, was everything okay?”
“By ‘everything,’ do you mean whether Ms. Lin took good care of the master?” Phii Jeab asked.
Klai gave a smile to the person who understood him best in the world and nodded again. “Yes.”
“For Jeab… Ms. Lin does a decent job as a wife. She wakes up before her husband to prepare his clothes, helps me make breakfast for the master. From what I see, she tries her best to do everything a woman can for her husband.”
“That’s enough to put my mind at ease,” Klai said. “At least while I’m happy, Dad isn’t suffering.”
Phii Jeab gave him a warm smile and reached out to gently hold his cheek. “KhunKlai… even if the master or anyone else is suffering, you still need to keep being happy, okay? Everyone can handle and overcome their own heartache. But right now, while you’re happy, hold onto it, my dear.”
“…”
“Think about yourself a lot, love yourself deeply.”
Klai placed his hand over Phii Jeab’s, which was gently stroking his cheek, and said, “Yes, I’ll love myself a lot, okay?”
“I love you so much.”
He never imagined that coming home this time would transform his overwhelming longing into a profound sense of fulfillment that nothing could replace. Klai leaned down to hug the person in front of him, whispering softly, “I love you too, Phii Jeab.”
“Uh, sorry to interrupt.”
Klai pulled away from the hug with Phii Jeab and turned toward the small voice. Ms. Lin stood at the doorway, looking slightly worried. He raised his hands to greet her with a wai and said, “Hello, Ms. Lin.”
“Hello, KhunKlai… I’m sorry for disturbing you and Phii Jeab.”
“It’s okay.”
“Well… I was wondering if I could bring my parents to join us for dinner?”
“…”
“They’re in Bangkok for business for just two days and are leaving tonight. I’d love for them to meet your Dad and you too.”
Klai nodded with a smile. “Of course, I have no problem with that.”
“…”
“Ms. Lin, you can have them wait at the dining table. Dad will be here soon, and I’ll head out shortly.”
Ms. Lin let out a relieved smile and said, “Thank you, KhunKlai.”
Klai didn’t say anything more. He just returned a smile—a genuine one from the heart—hoping his sincerity would ease Ms. Lin’s worries.
Even if the divide between us is thick and obvious,
that doesn’t mean we can’t work together to make it thinner.
“I’ll have the staff add more plates, okay, Ms. Lin?” said Phii Jeab.
“Yes, thank you, Phii Jeab.”
“Want more braised eggs, dear?”
“That’s enough, Dad,” Klaijai said, shaking his head to decline.
His father, instead of adding more braised egg to Klaijai’s plate, scooped it onto his own. Throughout the family dinner, his father hadn’t stopped smiling and had even kissed Klaijai’s head multiple times. Ms. Lin’s parents teased that he must still be a little boy in his father’s eyes.
“Will you be staying over tonight?” Ms. Lin’s mother asked.
“Uh…”
“he won’t be staying, dear,” his father answered. “Tomorrow morning, he’s going to the beach with Dom and the others.”
“Oh…”
“I’ll come back to stay next weekend, though,” Klaijai added.
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