Chapter 18

Singapore’s Chinatown felt alive in a completely different way from the polished business districts surrounding their hotel. Warmer. Noisier. Brighter somehow.

Red lanterns stretched overhead between old shophouses while crowded streets overflowed with tourists, locals, food stalls, souvenir shops, and the constant mixture of conversations spoken in different languages all at once.

William loved it immediately. “This,” he announced dramatically while stepping onto the crowded street beside Est, “is exactly what my soul needed.”

Est glanced toward him calmly.

“Your soul needed dumplings?”

“My soul is very specific.”

The weather was bright without becoming unbearably hot, sunlight spilling warmly across Chinatown’s colorful streets while the smell of roasted duck, noodles, tea, and fresh pastries drifted through the air. Beside him, Est wore sunglasses and simple dark clothes that somehow still made him look unfairly expensive.

William looked down briefly at their hands swinging near each other as they walked. Then back at Est. Then immediately looked away again before embarrassing himself publicly. Because after last night-everything felt different now. Softer. Closer. Dangerously couple-like.

“You’re staring,” Est said without looking at him.

“You’re attractive in daylight too,” William answered automatically.

Est sighed quietly.

“You’ve become bold.”

“I suffered emotional growth.”

“You suffered brain damage.”

Very possible. William grinned anyway before immediately getting distracted by a food stall selling steamed buns.

“Oh my God.”

Est watched him turn toward the stall with visible predictability.

“You say that every five minutes.”

“Because Singapore keeps cooking things.”

“You sound personally betrayed.”

“I am.”

Eventually they settled at a small restaurant tucked between souvenir shops, sunlight filtering softly through red paper windows while crowded conversations filled the warm atmosphere around them.

William ordered enthusiastically. Aggressively even. Meanwhile Est watched him with faint amusement while pouring tea calmly across the table.

At one point during lunch, William caught himself staring again. Because honestly-Est looked ridiculously handsome sitting there beneath warm afternoon light. Relaxed now. Less guarded. The faint tiredness lingering around his eyes from last night somehow only made him look softer.

William’s chest tightened immediately. Then he remembered something.

“You okay?”

Est looked up slowly.

“With?”

“…Everything.”

Very smooth, William.
Excellent recovery.

Est stared at him for exactly two seconds before understanding immediately. And unfortunately-his ears turned faintly red again.

“I’m fine,” Est answered calmly.

“You sure?”

“Yes.”

“You walked like your ancestors disappointed you this morning.”

“William.”

William laughed helplessly into his tea while Est shook his head faintly. But underneath the annoyance, warmth still lingered there too. William noticed.

“I already told you,” Est continued quieter this time, “it barely hurts anymore.”

The casualness of the statement nearly made William choke on tea. Hearing Est talk about it openly still felt unreal somehow. And dangerously intimate.

William looked away immediately afterward before his expression betrayed him completely. Unfortunately Est noticed that too.

“Why are you blushing now?”

“We are in public.”

“We’re discussing physical condition.”

“We are absolutely not.”

Est looked suspiciously entertained afterward. Cruel man. Very handsomely-beautiful cruel man.

After lunch, they wandered through Chinatown slowly afterward, stopping at random shops filled with tea sets, jewelry, decorations, silk fabrics, and endless souvenir displays.

William bought gifts recklessly. Sea received snacks. Keen received expensive coffee after William remembered Keen pretending to be “mature” lately. Their mothers somehow ended up receiving half the district.

Meanwhile Est moved through stores more calmly beside him, occasionally stopping to examine something quietly before purchasing it without explanation.

At one point William turned around while holding several shopping bags-and found Est standing near a jewelry display inside a small boutique. Sunlight spilled across him through the window. Beautiful again. Always.

William started walking toward him automatically. Then his phone rang.

Earn.

William answered immediately.

“Hello?”

“Willy.” Earn sounded deeply serious.

William instantly became suspicious.

“What happened?”

“I called Phi Est earlier.”

William blinked once.

“…And?”

“He talked to me about business projections for two minutes before I decided it’s not worth it and hung up.”

William burst into laughter immediately.

“That sounds like him.”

“I asked how Singapore was,” Earn complained dramatically. “Why was I suddenly hearing about district investment structures?”

William could already imagine Est calmly answering completely wrong questions while thinking he was being conversational. Cute. In his own emotionally unavailable way.

“So,” Earn continued suspiciously afterward, “I thought calling you would be more useful”

William suddenly felt nervous.

“Why?”

There was a brief pause.

Then:

“…Did something happen?”

William nearly dropped the shopping bags. His eyes widened instantly. Psychic. She was actually psychic. Because something absolutely had happened. A lot of something. Last night specifically.

William looked instinctively toward Est across the boutique. Est still stood near the display shelves now, speaking quietly with a shop employee while examining something small inside a velvet box. Completely unaware.

Meanwhile William internally panicked. “How do you always know things?” he whispered accusingly.

Earn gasped dramatically through the phone.

“WAIT. SOMETHING DID HAPPEN?”

“No-“

“William.”

“That depends how you define something.”

“Oh my God.”

William rubbed his face weakly while trying not to combust inside a crowded Singapore street.

“You’re terrifying.”

“You ound guilty.”

“Because you interrogate people like a detective.”

Earn immediately lowered her voice dramatically, “Did you finally kiss again?”

William looked toward the sky briefly. Technically yes. Very yes. Several times actually. Then more afterward.

Much more.

“Oh my God,” Earn whispered suddenly before William even answered. “YOU DID.”

“We’ll talk later,” William said quickly.

“William Jakrapatr.”

“Later.”

“Did P’Est confess?”

“No.”

“…Then what happened?”

William’s ears burned instantly.

Across the boutique, Est finally glanced toward him. William immediately looked away. Dangerous mistake. Because Est narrowed his eyes slightly afterward like he already sensed William behaving suspiciously.

“We’ll talk face-to-face,” William muttered weakly into the phone.

Earn gasped again. “IT WAS SERIOUS.”

“Goodbye, P’Earn.”

“WILLIAM-“

He ended the call immediately. Then stood there emotionally destroyed while holding shopping bags beneath Chinatown sunlight. Meanwhile Est approached calmly a few seconds later.

“What did Earn want?”

William stared at him suspiciously. Because somehow-Est was now holding two small matching black boxes.

William blinked.

“…What’s that?”

Est looked entirely too calm.

“Nothing.”

Liar. Very suspicious liar. William narrowed his eyes immediately.

“That answer sounds illegal.”

Est looked entirely unbothered while slipping the two black boxes smoothly into one of the shopping bags.

“Earn was loud enough that I could hear her from across the store.”

Deflection. William knew this man too well already.

“She’s nosy.”

“She’s your future sister-in-law. That’s genetically unavoidable.”

William almost chocked hearing the ‘future sister-in-law’ casually from Est. But then he survived and continued staring suspiciously at the shopping bag anyway. Because those boxes absolutely looked like jewelry boxes.

Or couple items.
Or something emotionally dangerous.

Meanwhile Est simply adjusted his sunglasses calmly before stepping past him toward the exit.

“We should keep walking before you overheat from curiosity.”

“I am already overheating.”

“I noticed.”

William followed him out again while internally trying to solve the mystery of the black boxes. Sunlight turned warmer against Chinatown’s crowded streets while tourists continued flooding between shops and food stalls. Somewhere nearby, music drifted softly through the air alongside conversations spoken in Mandarin, English, Thai, and languages William couldn’t immediately identify. Beside him, Est finally removed his sunglasses briefly while stopping near another souvenir store.

William watched him quietly for a moment longer than necessary again. Because honestly-he still hadn’t fully recovered from this morning. Or last night. Or the fact that Est now occasionally reached toward William naturally without thinking.

Like just now-while crossing a crowded street corner, someone brushed roughly past William from behind. Before he could even react, Est’s hand closed naturally around his wrist, guiding him slightly closer away from the crowd. Simple gesture. Automatic. Yet William’s brain immediately malfunctioned anyway.

Because Est didn’t let go immediately afterward.

Their pace slowed slightly while walking side by side through the crowded street, Est’s fingers still loosely around William’s wrist beneath the noise and movement surrounding them. Warm. Comfortable.

William looked down briefly at their hands. Then toward Est. Then immediately smiled helplessly to himself. If someone had told him months ago that Est Supha would casually hold onto him while walking through Singapore Chinatown after spending the night together-William would have passed away on the spot.

“You’re smiling at nothing again,” Est said calmly.

“You’re holding my wrist.”

“That’s because you walk like you’re sightseeing for the first time in human history.”

“With you? I basically am.”

Est hummed softly. Still didn’t let go. William’s chest felt unbearably warm afterward.

“You okay?”

William asked after awhile.

“You ask me that every fifteen minutes,” Est added.

“That’s because your legs survived a traumatic event.”

“My legs are fine.”

“Your dignity isn’t.”

Est stared at him flatly. Then, without warning, lightly kicked William’s shoe while continuing to walk.

William gasped dramatically.

“Violence.”

“You deserved it.”

Eventually, after another hour of wandering through shops and aggressively buying unnecessary things, both of them finally slowed down near the edge of Chinatown where an outdoor dessert center sat beneath rows of lantern lights and shaded awnings. The atmosphere felt softer here.

Less crowded.
More relaxed.

People sat around open-air tables eating shaved ice, mango desserts, pastries, sweet soups, and iced drinks while evening sunlight slowly deepened gold across the streets.

William stopped immediately. “Dessert,” he announced firmly.

Est glanced toward the café.

“You sound emotional.”

“I survived heat and emotional vulnerability today. I deserve shaved ice.”

Fair argument.

A few minutes later, they settled into a quieter corner table near the café windows overlooking the busy Chinatown streets outside. Cold air wrapped around them instantly. William nearly cried from happiness. Meanwhile Est sat across from him looking significantly more relaxed now compared to earlier.

The slight tension around his shoulders had faded.
The soreness too, apparently.

Though William still watched him carefully whenever he moved. Unfortunately Est noticed that immediately.

“If you ask whether I’m okay again,” Est said calmly while opening the menu, “I’m leaving you in Singapore.”

William grinned shamelessly. He the proceed to ordered enthusiastically again. Naturally.

Mango sago.
Black sesame paste.
Ice desserts.
Vanilla.
Something involving strawberries purely because it looked expensive.

Est watched the ordering process quietly before saying, “You always order like the world is ending.”

“What if it is?”

“Then society deserved it.”

William laughed immediately.

God.

He really liked this version of Est lately. The lighter one. The one who teased back. Who lingered beside William naturally. Who looked at him softly sometimes before realizing and pretending nothing happened.

Precious.

The dessert center glowed warmly around them while evening slowly approached Singapore’s skyline beyond Chinatown. William leaned back in his chair once their food finally arrived, letting out a satisfied sigh.

“This is happiness.”

“You say that about every meal.”

“Because food understands me emotionally.”

Est shook his head faintly before taking a spoonful of mango dessert. Then paused. William noticed instantly.

“What?”

“…This is good.”

William gasped dramatically.

“You doubted me?”

“I doubted your ability to choose reasonably.”

Est calmly took another spoonful. William felt fondness attack him violently.

Outside the windows, Chinatown continued glowing warmly beneath the late afternoon sun while people drifted endlessly through crowded streets carrying shopping bags and drinks. Inside the café, however, everything felt strangely slower. Comfortable.

William leaned back against the chair while lazily stirring melting ice cream. Then quietly, “This trip’s nice.”

Est looked toward him over his mango sago cup.

“Because of Singapore?”

William paused briefly. Then smiled slightly. “Not only Singapore.”

Something soft shifted across Est’s expression afterward. Tiny. Almost hidden. But enough. William’s chest tightened again. Completely hopeless.

Maybe it was the exhaustion from emotional whiplash over the past two days. Or maybe William simply felt too happy. But eventually, without thinking much first, he asked quietly:

“Are you happy?”

Est looked up from his dessert again.

“With?”

“Everything.”

Small pause. Then Est answered simply, “Yes.”

The warmth inside William’s chest immediately doubled. Then Est added calmly:

“You?”

William stared at him for a second. At the soft lighting. At the familiar calmness in Est’s eyes now whenever he looked at William. At the quiet comfort surrounding them. And suddenly the answer felt almost embarrassingly obvious.

“Yes,” William admitted softly.

Very.

Est held his gaze for a brief moment longer afterward. Then, because fate apparently hated William emotionally, Est casually reached across the table and wiped a small drop of condensed milk from the corner of William’s mouth with his thumb.

William froze instantly. The world stopped. Singapore disappeared. Civilization disappeared. Only Est remained.

Meanwhile Est blinked once afterward like he hadn’t just destroyed William’s nervous system publicly.

“You missed a spot.”

William stared at him silently. Then weakly, “You can’t do things like that casually.”

Est looked genuinely confused.

“I cleaned your face.”

“That wasn’t cleaning.”

“What was it then?”

William opened his mouth. Closed it again. Because honestly-he didn’t know how to explain that simple gestures from Est felt more intimate now after everything. Especially when Est looked at him like this.

Warm.
Calm.
Fond enough to hurt a little.

Then Est tilted his head slightly. And smiled. Small. Real.

“You touch me so much more.”

William immediately covered half his face with one hand.

“Oh no.”

“What?”

“I’m falling harder.”

~*~

Morning came quietly inside Est’s suite. Not bright yet. The curtains were still half-drawn, leaving the room washed in soft grey-blue light from Singapore’s cloudy morning sky. Somewhere beyond the glass windows, the city had already awakened-cars moving below, distant sounds muffled beneath the height of the hotel tower.

William opened his eyes slowly. Warmth lingered around him immediately. The blanket. The faint scent of Est’s shampoo on the pillow beside him. The messy evidence that someone else had slept here too. His chest tightened before he even fully woke up.

Then the sound of running water reached him from the bathroom.

Est was already awake.

Of course.

William stared quietly toward the ceiling for a long moment afterward, one arm resting beneath his head while sleep slowly faded from his body. And naturally-his thoughts drifted back to last night. Not the first night. Not the overwhelming intensity of it.

Last night felt different. Softer.

After returning from Chinatown exhausted and carrying entirely too many shopping bags, both of them had simply shower and changed into comfortable clothes before collapsing onto the massive sofa inside the suite.

Dinner had arrived soon afterward. Too much food again naturally, because William apparently believed starvation remained a constant threat even in five-star hotels.

They had eaten while watching some random action movie. Est sitting beside him with one arm resting lazily against the couch while criticizing plot holes with the same seriousness he used during business meetings. William remembered laughing so hard at one point that Est actually smiled openly afterward. Not small. Not restrained. A real one. Beautiful enough that William forgot the movie entirely for several seconds.

After that, neither of them fully paid attention to the movie anymore. Mostly because talking with Est had become more entertaining than anything on-screen lately.

Later, somewhere in the middle of the movie, Est had asked:

“Do you want wine?”

William remembered blinking toward him.

“You drink wine while watching action movies?”

“Do you always question free alcohol?”

Very fair.
So they drank. Not enough to become drunk. Just enough for warmth to settle beneath their skin and soften the edges of exhaustion after wandering through Singapore all day.

William remembered the atmosphere afterward more than anything else. The quietness. Comfortable silence. The kind where simply existing beside someone already felt nice enough. At one point during the movie, William’s head had ended up resting against the sofa cushion while Est sat close enough that their shoulders touched occasionally whenever one of them moved.

Neither pulled away.

William remembered thinking then-dangerously, helplessly-that he could probably spend hours like this without getting bored. Maybe years. The thought startled him enough at the time that he reached for his wine immediately afterward.

Then later, after dinner and movie and half-finished conversations, they had eventually gone into the bedroom. William remembered standing awkwardly near the bed afterward, internally debating positioning like his life depended on it. Because technically-he had slept on the right side the night before.

But maybe Est preferred that side normally?
What if William accidentally stole someone’s lifelong sleeping arrangement?
What if-

“What are you doing?”

“…Thinking.”

“You look stressed.”

“I’m trying to determine your preferred sleeping geography.”

Est stared at him for two seconds. Then sighed softly. And pulled the blanket open beside him.

“William.”

Just his name. But somehow William had crossed the room immediately afterward anyway.

The memory warmed his chest even now.

And somehow-the moment they laid down beside each other, the atmosphere shifted naturally again. Beneath dim hotel lights and lingering exhaustion, they had ended up kissing again. Slowly. Sleepily. Nothing desperate about it. Just mouths brushing softly in the quiet room while their bodies remained tangled loosely beneath warm sheets.

William remembered Est’s fingers sliding lightly through his hair. Remembered kissing Est until both of them started smiling helplessly against each other’s mouths. And at some point, when William had deepened the kiss slightly without thinking, threatened the momeng becoming something far less innocent again-Est kissed him back for several seconds before eventually murmuring quietly against his mouth:

“We’re tired.”

William remembered laughing softly afterward because Est sounded equally affected.

Then Est added, “Sleep before you start bad decisions again.”

Which was deeply unfair considering Est had absolutely kissed him first.

Now, lying alone in the bed while morning light slowly brightened the suite, William smiled helplessly into the pillow. Because honestly-he had never imagined relationships could feel like this. Not dramatic. Not overwhelming. Just…safe.

The bathroom door opened several minutes later. William looked up automatically. And there Est was. Fresh from the shower, dark robe tied loosely at the waist, damp hair pushed back while faint steam followed him into the room.

Beautiful.

But softer in the mornings.

Less polished. More real somehow. William liked this version most.

Est noticed him immediately. “You’re awake,” he said calmly.

William stared for approximately three seconds too long. Then,”…You’re unfair in the morning.”

Est raised one eyebrow slightly.

“You say that every morning now.”

“You walked out looking like that. What did you expect?”

“A peaceful morning.”

“Wrong fiancé.”

That earned him the faintest exhale of amusement before Est walked toward the wardrobe area. William watched shamelessly the entire time. Naturally.

Eventually Est glanced back toward him again.

“You’re staring.”

“I’m emotionally committed to the activity.”

“Go shower.”

“Yes, sir.”

Est sighed softly. But William still caught the tiny smile threatening near the corner of his mouth before it disappeared again.

~*~

Their afternoon flight back to Thailand felt calmer than the flight to Singapore.

William walked beside Est through the VIP boarding area while rolling their luggage behind him, still feeling strangely soft inside after the past few days. Their trip had somehow ended too quickly.

Business meetings.
Late-night conversations.
Rooftop kisses.
Their first time.
Morning after.
Chinatown.
Movie night.

Them.

William glanced briefly toward Est walking beside him. And honestly-something had changed between them permanently during this trip. Steadily. Like both of them finally stopped standing cautiously at the edge of the relationship and quietly really stepped into it together instead.

Once seated inside the first-class cabin later, William stretched slightly into his seat before sighing dramatically.

“I think Singapore emotionally altered me.”

Est glanced toward him while fastening his seatbelt calmly.

“You bought six bags of souvenirs.”

“That’s cultural appreciation.”

“You bought Sea a gold-plated keychain.”

“He deserves luxury.”

“Why?”

“He supports my emotional journey.”

Est looked suspiciously unconvinced. William grinned anyway before relaxing further into the seat. The cabin remained quiet after that, private enough that conversations naturally softened.

For a while, both of them simply sat there peacefully. Est proceed to opened his tablet calmly to review something work-related. William stared immediately.

“You’re working already?”

“I’m reading emails.”

“That’s worse.”

Est simply responded with silence. Then-

“You did well during the meetings.”

William blinked in surprise before turning toward him.

“…Really?”

“Yes.”

Simple answer. But Est rarely praised people carelessly. William looked down briefly at his hands afterward. Honestly-he had worried more than he admitted. Not about embarrassment. About belonging. The business world surrounding Est often felt so sharp and polished that William sometimes wondered whether he truly fit beside him there.

Est noticed the silence immediately.

“What?”

William hesitated. Then answered honestly, “I thought maybe I’d just slow you down.”

Est frowned slightly at that.

“You never slowed me down.”

William laughed softly, “You say that after watching me nearly emotionally collapse over hotel wine.”

“That happened after work hours.”

“Professional distinction.”

“Yes.”

William smiled despite himself.

Est continued quieter this time, “You notice things other people miss.”

William looked toward him again.

“The entertainment project,” Est said calmly. “The public spaces. Audience reactions. Emotional engagement.”

Pause.

“You understand people well.”

The sincerity in Est’s voice made warmth spread slowly through William’s chest. Because compliments from Est never sounded exaggerated. Only thoughtful. Which somehow made them stay longer afterward.

A flight attendant passed by offering drinks moments later. William accepted juice dramatically while Est ordered coffee.

“You drink coffee like a divorced businessman.”

“And you drink juice like a child.”

“I’m youthful.”

“You’re exhausting.”

“Well, It’s true. I exhausted you two days ago.”

“William.”

William grinned again before relaxing sideways slightly in his seat.

Outside the window, sunlight stretched endlessly across white clouds. Inside the quiet cabin, Est had calmly shut his tablet and set it aside. William watched him for a moment before asking:

“Do you think this trip changed us a little?”

Est looked toward him. Then after a moment:

“Yes.”

William’s heartbeat sped up slightly. It wasn’t only him then. “How?”

Est stayed quiet long enough that William thought he might not answer.

Then finally:

“…I think I stopped trying to keep you at a distance.”

The confession landed softly between them.

Small.
Quiet.
But intimate.

William looked at Est for a moment longer afterward. Then smiled slowly. “You know,” he said softer now, “I had fun.”

Est looked toward him this time. Not teasing. Not distracted. Just looking. And somehow-that still affected William embarrassingly fast.

“…Me too,” Est answered quietly.

Warmth spread instantly through William’s chest afterward.

Outside the windows, Singapore slowly faded farther behind them. Meanwhile beside him-Est remained close enough that William no longer felt like he was dreaming anymore.