It had been 2 weeks since the announcement had been made that all universities in Bangkok had to implement hazing practices in all faculties. Gulf and Mild were exhausted because they were working full time at the sports shop and doing an average of 5 hours hazing every night because people were acting out.
The fourth years from Engineering were not going easy on them because not only did they need to be hazed, they needed to train to haze others, all in just 3 months. Even weekends weren't free because the hazers realized very quickly that any freedom was taken advantage of.
"Let's go home, Mild." Gulf barely got the words out; his eyes were drooping and he could barely walk straight back to the locker rooms.
Mild took his friend's arm and they supported each other on their way back inside. After showering and changing, they caught a taxi back to their apartment, too tired to walk or wait for public transit.
"I'm so tired!" Gulf bellowed out as he walked into their freezing cold apartment. They had decided to live off campus together in their second year in order to gain some independence (and stay up playing games all night). Mild flopped onto the couch and Gulf lounged on the single armchair they had set up in the living room. This was their usual ritual before they fought over who would shower first.
Ding!
Mild dug his phone out of his pocket and read the message.
"Boat has invited us out for drinks tonight. Do you want to go? We are off from work and hazing tomorrow because of the school fair." The open house for interested students was tomorrow. Luckily, Gulf and he had gotten out of having to work it because they had jobs.
Gulf half listened to his friend's words, already dozing in and out of sleep.
"I don't think I can do it tonight. You go ahead though. I'll probably just go to sleep early." His eyes were already slipping closed.
"You can always come later if you're interested! We will be at the usual place for who knows how long. I'll shower first then, okay?"
Gulf hummed out an agreement and settled more fully into the chair. I don't know how much longer I can keep this up.
*A few hours later*
Ring! Ring! Ring!
"What the hell is that sound??" Gulf blearily opened his eyes to see his phone ringing on the table. He reached for it and saw that it was an unknown number calling.
"Hello?" He answered, his voice deep and rough from sleeping.
"Hello, krub. Is this Gulf?" An even deeper voice came through the phone, tinged with a hint of sweetness. It reminded Gulf of honey and warmth, making his body relax unintentionally.
"Yes, this is Gulf. Who is calling?" Gulf cleared his throat when he realized how scratchy his voice sounded. How embarrassing...
"This is Mew, I won the contest at the sports shop to go out with you. I'm sorry it took me so long to reach out, I've been overwhelmed lately." This honey voice belonged to P'Mew? The thought snapped Gulf out of his sleep addled state and he sat up straight, clutching his phone tighter as his brain tried to process what was happening.
"I know it's short notice but would you want to go out tonight? I know a great restaurant that we could go to," Mew said. If Gulf could see him, he'd probably smile at the nervous pacing and the veined hand that kept constantly tousling the black hair.
Gulf looked at the clock on the wall and saw that it was only 9:30 pm.
"Um, I could do it tonight if you don't mind picking me up? I still have to shower and get ready though..." The anxiety could barely be heard in Gulf's voice and he couldn't stop himself from biting his thumb. Will he say yes?
"That's okay! Send me a text with your address and I will pick you up in about an hour. Does that work for you?" Mew couldn't help the grin that spread across his face. A hand rose to cover one blushing cheek.
"That works great, Phi. I'll see you soon!"
Gulf hung up the phone and sent his address. He ran to his room, put his phone on the charger and started preparing what he needed to shower. As he walked towards the bathroom, a sudden thought entered his mind. What do I wear?? Before he could panic, a text came in. He walked back over to his phone and saw that P'Mew had texted him.
"No need to dress up, Nong. The place we are going is casual."
A sigh of relief came from Gulf's lips and he softly smiled as he sent back a thumbs up.
After showering and getting dressed in jeans and a soft pink shirt, Gulf sat down in the living room to wait for P'Mew to arrive. He checked his watch for the 10th time in 5 minutes only to see it was just turning 10:30 pm. He twisted his phone in his hands out of nervousness and started shaking his leg in anticipation.
What will he look like? I hope he doesn't expect a lot out of tonight. It's just a meal for the contest...
Ring!
Gulf answered the phone after the first ring, fumbling to not drop it in his shock.
"Hello, P'Mew?"
"I'm outside, Nong. Are you ready?"
"I'll be right out, Phi!"
Gulf rushed out of his apartment, barely remembering to turn off the light and lock the door. He took the elevator down and stepped outside of the building hesitantly. It was so dark and he hadn't thought to ask P'Mew what type of car he drove.
"Nong Gulf!"
Gulf looked up at the call and felt his eyes widen and his jaw drop at the same time. Shit, it's him! It was the guy that was watching him hand out flyers the day of the contest. He had noticed him for a second but figured he wasn't interested after he had walked away. He never saw him enter the shop after his shift ended.
He slowly approached the sexy figure that was dressed in a red and white hoodie and dark wash jeans, leaning against an all-black sports car. Why do I feel under dressed? How can he look like a model in such simple clothes?
"P'Mew?" Gulf asked softly, not wanting to get into the car with the wrong person. He gazed into Mew's face, noticing how his eyes seemed to shine even in the darkness.
"That's me. It's nice to meet you, Gulf. Shall we go?"
Gulf nodded and got into the tinted car. It looked expensive and Gulf was even more curious as to what P'Mew did. He seemed to be the same age as him, maybe a year older, which means he's still in school too. Gulf smoothed his hands down his pants to get rid of the clamminess from his nerves. He glanced at P'Mew as he started driving and noticed a soft smile on his face.
A blush crept over Gulf's cheeks as they sped off into the night.