Close to You

Hong had been avoiding Nut again. 

It wasn't because he didn't want to be with him; it was because he did. 

The teasing, the smiles, the lingering touches—they were all confusing to him, but every time Nut did something, Hong's heart just beat a little bit faster, and it made him feel like he was losing control. 

So, he distanced himself, convinced that maybe he needed to rethink this whole thing. Maybe he had jumped in too quickly. 

But Nut, as always, wasn't having any of it. 

"Are you going to keep avoiding me like this, or are we going to talk about this?" Nut asked one evening, pulling Hong back from the door as he tried to slip out of their shared dorm room. 

Hong sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I don't know what I'm doing." 

Nut's expression softened. "It's okay to be confused, Hong. I get it. But we can't keep running away from this. I'm not going anywhere." 

Hong turned to face him, their bodies just inches apart. "But what if it's not the right time? What if I'm not ready?" 

Nut smiled softly, his eyes gentle. "We'll take it slow. Together. But don't shut me out. Not now." 

And just like that, everything clicked. Hong realized he didn't have to be scared anymore. This wasn't a fleeting feeling, and Nut wasn't going to disappear. He was there, with him, through all of it. 

Slowly, Hong let his guard down. He pulled Nut into a tight hug, his voice barely above a whisper. "I'm ready. I just needed to know you were real." 

Nut grinned, his arms wrapping around Hong's waist, and the tension in Hong's chest melted away. "Always. I'm real, Hong. And I'm not going anywhere."

The days flew by, each one blending into the next as William and Est's relationship grew more solid with each passing moment. There were still small uncertainties small moments of fear but they were learning to embrace them together.

One night, William found himself standing by the lake in the park where they had first shared their quiet moments. Est was standing beside him, the wind ruffling his hair, a calm silence between them.

"It feels like everything's changing, doesn't it?" William said, voice thoughtful.

Est nodded. "Yeah. But maybe that's okay."

William smiled, glancing at him. "Maybe it's better than okay."

Est reached out, his fingers brushing against William's. "Yeah. Maybe it is."

And just like that, it was perfect.

Est had been right. They didn't need to have everything figured out. They didn't need to rush. They didn't need to force anything. All they needed was each other, and they were willing to take it one step at a time.

William knew now that no matter where life took them, they would face it together. And that, more than anything, was enough.

—

It had been two months since William and Est officially started dating, and things were moving fast. Despite the whirlwind of emotions and the pressures of university life, they had both found a calmness in each other that was impossible to ignore.

One evening, as the sun began to set, casting a warm glow over the city of Bangkok, William and Est sat on the couch of Willam's apartment, their hands intertwined. The thought of moving in together had been floating in the air for a while now, but they hadn't really talked about it until now.