Augustus Lee needs a break. Life has been terrible lately. Aside from dealing with multiple projects at work, he has to break off his engagement with Stanley, his cheating ex-fiancé. He decides to fly to Bangkok for a holiday. He plans to relax and recharge. He doesn’t expect to meet Simon Kongpaisarn, a fellow New Yorker, there.
He’s not sure why he doesn’t refuse when Simon insists on accompanying him everywhere. Maybe it’s because he’s lonely, and in spite of how he feels, having someone traveling around with him is nice. It doesn’t hurt that Simon is attractive. He’s good-looking and he has a great body. That may explain why Augustus doesn’t firmly reject Simon when the man asks him out on a date. He’s not ready for another relationship, but going out on a date should be fine. At least, that’s what Augustus tells himself.
Will Augustus open up his heart to Simon in the end?
“You’ve been acting really weird.”
Augustus was startled upon hearing that, but he forced himself to remain calm. He continued to look through the clothes that were hung on the racks, which were positioned side by side inside the shop. He avoided glancing in Simon’s direction because deep inside, he was nervous and embarrassed.
“I have?”
“Yeah. Ever since we met up at the lobby of your hotel early this morning.”
Augustus briefly smiled at Simon before focusing on the clothes again. “It’s all in your imagination, man. You’re being overly sensitive.”
“No, it’s not, and no, I’m not. Is something the matter?”
Yes!
Augustus wanted to scream that out loud, but he didn’t because then he would have to explain to Simon what was really going on, and he would rather not. He couldn’t tell Simon that he was mortified. He was the affectionate type who would be tactile whenever he was hanging out with his close friends. He didn’t go around hugging colleagues, acquaintances, random strangers, or somebody whom he had just known for less than twenty-four hours. He didn’t know why he had embraced Simon right before going their separate ways the previous evening.
He liked Simon. A lot. Simon was a nice man. He exuded this comforting vibe. He had an awesome sense of humor. He was easy to talk to, and he was obviously intelligent, well-educated, and well-read, judging by how he was able to smoothly discuss several topics with Augustus without sounding like an idiot, getting angry, or resorting to name-calling when their opinions differed. He was also so unfairly good-looking and sexy. If he was rich, had a larger-than-average cock, was an excellent and considerate lover, owned his own house or apartment, had a well-paying job, and had an expensive car, he would be perfect. Beyond that even.
Augustus softly chuckled. That was impossible. No human being on this planet could ever be so incredibly flawless and ideal in every way. Augustus wasn’t the insanely religious type, and he didn’t buy into the bullshit spread around by any single religion. However, he was spiritual enough to believe in a higher being. He would like to think that god, deity, or whatever motherfucker existed up there wouldn’t bless one person with everything. That would be too much. Too unfair. Augustus grimaced slightly. He didn’t know why he was thinking about all of those useless things.
“Earth to Augustus.”
Augustus turned toward Simon, and he yelped in surprise, attracting the attention of the people nearby. It was all Simon’s fault. Augustus couldn’t understand why Simon had to whisper right next to his ear. Or why Simon’s voice had to be so damn husky and arousing. Augustus certainly couldn’t comprehend why Simon had to stand so fucking close to him until their faces were less than five inches apart. He could hear and feel Simon’s warm breath. He could smell Simon’s cologne. The fragrance reminded him of something citrusy and vanilla, along with something earthy. He loved it. He thought the cologne suited Simon. Then he stupidly wondered if Simon was able to listen to the rapid pounding of his heart.
“What?”
“You haven’t answered my question.”
“What question?”
“Is something the matter?”
Augustus quickly shook his head. “Everything is fine.”
“But --”
“We’re here to shop, aren’t we?” Augustus interrupted before grabbing at a random shirt and pulling it off the rack. After that, he handed the shirt over to Simon. “Take a look at that. If you don’t like it, get something else. Or we can head over to some other shops. Platinum Mall has many floors, and there are several shops we haven’t gone into yet.”
Simon grinned. “Do you plan to visit every single store in this mall?”
“No, but as many as I can manage. The clothes are cheap. I also want to buy a couple of belts and some accessories. You’re not hungry, are you?”
Simon shook his head. “You can take your time. We can have a late lunch. I’ll be fine.”
“Cool.”
Augustus was delighted to hear that. He and Simon ended up leaving that shop without purchasing anything, but they succeeded in finding clothes that they liked in some other stores. The two of them didn’t buy pants because most of the shops didn’t have any fitting rooms. Hence, they could only estimate if the clothes were the right sizes. Augustus didn’t really mind. The quality of the clothes wasn’t that good, but every single piece was affordable. Augustus was satisfied. Happy even. After acquiring everything Augustus desired in the mall, including a few items that weren’t on his wish list, he and Simon decided it was time to head over to another mall for some food. They would continue to shop after filling up their stomachs.
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