BOUND BY SECRETS

The soft morning light filtered through the windows of the Pongsapak mansion in Bangkok. Santa Pongsapak stretched lazily, rolling over in bed before groaning dramatically.

"Ugh... why do mornings exist?" he mumbled, dragging himself out of bed.

****

Santa walked into the dining room, rubbing his eyes.
"Good morning everyone",he lazily greeted..

As soon as he spotted Emmy, he brightened up and rushed to her side.

"Phi Emmy, feed me" he whined, resting his head on her shoulder.

"Feed yourself," Emmy replied, shoving a piece of toast into his mouth.

Before Santa could protest, his father, Tong Pongsapak, sighed heavily. "Santa, act your age. You're not a child anymore."

His mother, Praew, nodded. "Your father is right. Stop behaving like this."

Santa pouted. "Being mature is boring, Mom."

Joss, his older brother, didn't even glance up from his plate. It was as if Santa was invisible.

Before the nagging could continue, Niran Pongsapak, the head of the family, spoke firmly.

"Enough. Let him be."

Santa grinned. "See, Grandpa gets it."

His father shot him a glare, but Santa happily continued clinging to Emmy.

After breakfast, Santa turned to his mother. "Mom, can I go shopping with Phi Emmy? I'm leaving for Chiang Mai tomorrow."

Praew hesitated. "I don't know if-"

"Let him go," Kirat interrupted.

Santa grinned. "Thanks, Grandpa! You're the best!"

His father sighed in defeat, and Santa dragged Emmy out of the house before anyone could change their mind.

The mall was busy, and Santa was having the time of his life, making Emmy carry half his shopping bags.

"Santa, I am not your personal assistant," she complained.

"You're my beloved Phi Emmy, and I trust you with my treasures," Santa said dramatically, patting the shopping bags.

Just then, he turned too quickly and bumped into someone. He lost his balance and was about to fall when a strong arm caught him.

Santa blinked up at the person holding him. For some reason, he felt... safe.

Before he could say anything, Emmy gasped. "Phi Perth?"

The man was none other than Perth, Emmy's senior from university.

"Swadee kha, Phi Perth!" Emmy greeted warmly. "It's been so long!"

Perth nodded, his eyes briefly landing on Santa before looking back at Emmy.

"Swadee krub, Emmy. It's good to see you."

Emmy turned to Santa. "This is my cousin, Santa."

Santa gave a small nod. "Nice to meet you, Phi Perth."

Perth held his gaze for a moment before nodding back. "Likewise."

It was a short exchange, and soon Emmy dragged Santa away, but Santa couldn't shake the feeling of Perth's eyes on him.

Perth watched Santa's retreating figure, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

-----

Back at University...

The next day, Santa was back at Chiang Mai University, greeted by his chaotic group of friends-Louis, Mark, and Sammy.

"Santa! You're back! Finally, we have our official clown again," Louis said.

"Excuse me, I am the heart of this group," Santa corrected.

"More like the headache," Mark added, making everyone laugh.

They sat down in their usual spot, talking about their upcoming group project.

That was when Title Jirawit entered the picture.

Title, a 25-year-old MBA student, had just transferred to Chiang Mai University for his master's. The moment he saw Santa, something inside him stirred. He wanted him.

During their group project discussion, Sammy suddenly leaned toward Santa. "Hey, earlier, Phi Title was staring at you."

Santa blinked. "What? Why would he?"

Louis smirked. "Maybe he's your secret admirer."

Mark snorted. "Well, considering how many people want to punch Santa daily, that would be surprising."

"Excuse you, I am very lovable," Santa huffed.

"Sure," Sammy said. "But seriously, Phi Title was looking at you like you were his next meal."

Santa rolled his eyes. "You guys are overthinking it."

"We'll see," Louis said with a knowing grin.

Their teasing continued, completely unaware of the dangerous obsession that had just begun.

---

To be continued...🖤🤍