THENEXTPRINCE, Special Chapter 2: This is the most special status.
The morning sky of London was particularly gloomy, without any sunshine, unlike in Emmaly, perhaps because it was autumn, and the air was quite cold, to the point where people walking together had to tighten their outerwear to cover their bodies when the cold wind blew, colliding with their bodies.
“Is it cold, do you need to go back and change your shirt at home, and come out again?” Khanin greeted with concern, the young man’s eyebrows seemed to show that he didn’t really like the cold weather, as indicated by the red tip of his nose that had now appeared.
“It’s okay, we won’t make it to the reservation you made, let’s hurry.” Charan replied with a soft voice, grabbing the small hand and placing it into the coat pocket. They’ve been in London together for almost a week now. Today, they met to go on a date according to the plan they had made.
The day’s first goal was to have breakfast at a famous restaurant that Khanin really wanted to go to, and of course, it was a popular restaurant that did not accept reservations in advance. Charan thus decided not to go back to change his shirt, for fear of being late for the appointment.
They arrived in less than twenty minutes, thanks to getting in line early and not having to wait long. This morning, Khanin opted for an avocado toast with tomatoes while Charan stuck with his classic English breakfast.
There was a shared plate of pancakes with whipped cream and maple syrup drizzled on top for snacking. The size of the dish in front of them was rather larger than usual, causing a slight grin to form on the face of the young ones after the server left.
Are you sure you can finish all that?… Sorry for ordering more pancakes.” said Khanin as he took a small breath and started to eat. “I think I might need to roll back home after this, and our plan to take Phii Ran to the fencing association might have to be canceled.”
“No problem, I can finish it for you.”
“Are you sure you can?… Even the pancakes? Phii ran doesn’t really like sweets.” chuckled Khanin before he took a savory bite of his pancake.
“Yeah, I’m not a big fan of sweet foods. They’re just too sweet. But if you’re afraid you won’t finish it, I can help you.” said Charan, who was busy cutting his steak on the plate.
Khanin smiled slightly. As something from his memory came flooding back into his mind.
“Actually, Phii Ran, you don’t like sweet things.”
Whenever we stayed at Emmaly’s, I always received thoughtful care from Charan. Butler Narong often served a variety and generous amount of sweets to go with tea for you to pick from. Meanwhile, Charan only ate Bubble Cake that he enjoyed, which usually came from the Royal Palace.
Phii Ran didn’t touch anything else, even when he ordered different pastries to be prepared at home.
With suspicion creeping in more frequently, Khanin decided to ask butler Narong. The answer he received almost took his breath away and barely whispered a request for more sweets on the plates of their meals at Charan’s home afterward.
“Actually, Khun Charan doesn’t like to eat sweet things…”
“Then why does he have them on the table every day?”
“Because they’re Young Prince Khanin’s favorite food”
“And why did he eat all the Bubble Cake just now?”
“Uh… that’s probably because you asked me to serve it. Charan agreed to eat until it was finished.”
The more Khanin thought about it, the more jealous he became of himself. Ever since he realized that Charan has been going along with everything he wants to do, he never complained even once and accepted everything even if it was something he didn’t like, only because he was the one who cooked it.
This was too much to follow his heart. Khanin didn’t mind feeling good, but it was all wrong. He had to figure out what to say. It was fine if they love each other and do what they want to, but it was too much when Charan automatically agreed to something they didn’t want to do.
Just as he thought that, the pancake in his mouth lost its sweetness and only the taste of plainness remained. His brain ordered him not to pay attention to the taste of deliciousness in his mouth and instead fill it with thoughts.
The young man secretly looked at the person he loves hating breakfast across from him and pondered how to manage someone who so stubbornly followed his wants. He wanted Charan to be his own person and do what he wanted and choose what he likes most. It was not necessary to defy one’s mind if they did not truly want something.
The corners of his small mouth pondered just like the thoughts crossing his mind. Khanin didn’t want to judge Charan yet. Therefore, he decided to try approaching the subject of love once more and if he was refused again, he would let it go. But if he was refused again, he would grumble a bit.
“Phii Ran, say aah.” As fast as his thoughts. Khanin chose the cream filled and raisin topped pancake in front of the bigger person. His cute face showed nothing out of the ordinary, in stark contrast to the deep desire inside him wishing that the person in front of him would confidently reject him, whilst the other side just looked up and put the pancake in his mouth, and confessed to him like that.
“What’s up, are you teasing me?” Charan smiled when he saw Khanin raise his hand immediately, the younger person ate the words he had spoken, as well as putting words in his mouth about his elder sibling.
What kind of teasing is this? Nin, not missing out on anything either.
“Not teasing, but I just wondered. If I feed you something, even if it’s something that you don’t like, will you just eat everything?”
“If you feed me, then… yes.” The answer received made Khanin’s thin lips curve down into a bowl shape, the younger person held his breath, before pulling the pancake that used to be in front of Charan to be in front of him alone.
“If you don’t like something, just learn to say no, make it clear whether you like it or not. I will understand, no need to force yourself.” Khanin didn’t want Charan to do something that went against his will anymore, he didn’t want the other to follow his own wishes so much that he lost his personality. Because he was afraid that one day he would accidentally hurt the feelings of the person he loved without realizing it.
He wanted Charan to be his own person, to see Charan in every way, every aspect of his life, not just have to endure being the person who always catered to his wishes.
“I never go against my will.” Charan confirmed, the young man meant it seriously, he never went against anything that Khanin had offered him even once.
“Never go against anything, but it doesn’t mean you like it.”
“Sometimes we have to eat things we don’t like.”
“That’s right. If it’s something beneficial, but this is flour, sugar, fat, it’s really fattening. If you don’t like it, then you don’t have to eat it, what you want should be up to Nin and Phii Ran. Just tell me what you don’t like, just talk straight to me. That way, I will be okay with everything.” Khanin’s voice softened at the end, before he picked up the pancake and put it into his mouth shyly.
The young person’s face trying to defend himself with a simple method of just speaking up about what he didn’t like, to avoid having to force opposing hearts, made Charan think that he wanted to capture a picture of his loved one’s face in front of him, like drawing a picture.
He watched over Khanin with a smiling face, paying attention to every little thing, just like Khanin meant so much to him.
“Okay. If I don’t like something, I’ll tell you… alright, don’t worry about it, Babe.” Khanin’s sweet pronoun made them reignite good feelings.
The younger man’s face pouted as he continued, “That’s great, then just speak up according to… just say ‘I don’t like it’ like this. If you don’t like something, just say it, I will accept it all, I promise.” His thin lips dotted with a small smile that invited purity.
“Okay, I promise.” Charan replied, sending his little finger to touch Khanin’s.
“Thank you, okay.” Khanin stored that promise with himself, only then did he begin to eat again with pleasure.
The end result was that Khanin ate more than Charan this time, even though they didn’t roll out of the restaurant as expected, the plan for the date had to be slightly changed.
Instead of taking the subway to Khanin’s university, they changed their plan to walk aimlessly down the street while talking about random things about their lives until Khanin began to feel better.
Heading down the pathway, their destination was a small market not far from the breakfast restaurant they had just visited. At this location, they mainly sold odds and ends such as stationery, household items, or small treats like donuts, cupcakes, and chocolate.
“Who said I’m too full to walk? I still want to buy chocolate and eat it.”
Khanin hesitated as he was about to choose the small black piece right in front of him and moved closer to hear what the other person was saying.
“I am full, but this looks so delicious. Another thing is that Nin asked me not to buy and eat here. He wants me to eat at home instead.”
“That’s right, but the chocolate here is not very sweet. It’s dark chocolate, so Nin can eat without worrying too much about gaining weight. Also, it’s been a while since he had it, so he misses it.” Khanin corrected himself with a groan, trying to make a sound of complaint, as the young man hurried to make a careful selection of chocolate, wanting to pass through this area quickly because he did not want to keep Charan waiting.
However, just as he lifted his head again, the tall person did not stand next to him as before. Instead, he went to stand at the cashier to pay.
He talked to the employee and pointed to the chocolate, making gestures as if to buy so much that it seemed like he was going to empty the store of chocolate.
“Hey… no, I have to pay if I eat it.”
Khanin, about to walk to the big guy, suddenly had to retreat automatically after being called back to the original position by someone.
“Hey, Khanin… is that you?”
“Uh… Rachel?” Khanin greeted the person who suddenly appeared in front of him, blocking the way as if by accident. She was an older girl, a tall, black haired boy who hid himself behind eyes with an expression like those of Asians, with a smiling face that looked neat and tidy, and had a distinctive accent.
There was no way he could forget her.
Rachel was Khanin’s ex girlfriend… They had dated a long time ago.
‘How did you appear here?’
“Yes, it’s me. I’m glad to see you.”
“Ah… haha, I’m also glad. If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave now.” Khanin made a face like a child caught by a ghost in the middle of the day and smiled shyly, before bidding farewell in an indirect way, then turned to leave quickly so as not to keep Charan waiting.
His eyes sneaked a peek at the tall figure. Phii Ran was still fidgeting with the payment to the employee, so the young man smiled wryly at the older girl as a way to say goodbye, then pretended to slip out.
But it looked like she didn’t want to leave him alone. It was evident in the small hand that reached out to hold his own.
“When did you come back? Why didn’t you tell me?”
Khanin tried to withdraw his hand gently, but the grip of the girl was tighter than before.
The tray he was holding became a mess. The young man had to turn to put it down beside him and use his newly freed hand to pry Rachel’s hand open.
“Oh… can I come see you at your home?”
“No, you can’t… I…”
“Do you miss me? Is that why you came here?”
“Huh?”
“You never used to come around this area before. It means you were thinking about me.”
“You misunderstood me, Rachel. I just came to visit.” Khanin looked perplexed, furrowing his eyebrows, struggling to understand how the situation had turned out like this.
Rachel continued telling her story while Charan walked over with a big bag of chocolate. On the other side, a guy walked over and stood next to the girl. He didn’t say anything, nor did he even think about helping the young lady out of Khanin’s grasp.
“Do you know how shocked I was when Samantha told me that you became a Prince? Everyone at the university kept asking me about her all day long.”
“Well…”
“You are interested in me because you remember that I used to be your girlfriend.”
Jesus…
Why are you saying this now?!
Khanin had a dumbfounded look on his face, trying to gently pry Rachel’s hand off. At the same time, the other saw his eyes widen, still without showing any signs, but making his hair stand on end.
This kind of gaze, Khanin hasn’t seen for a long time. The last time may have been when he suspected that Prince Kalavin liked him.
If that’s the case… this condition really sucks.
Actually, when Phii Ran is jealous, he is happy. But, it’s not like being jealous would be better.
Otherwise, he probably wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight, the punishing sex would almost guarantee to kill him.
“I’m asking you seriously. Have you forgotten about me?” Maybe because Khanin was too preoccupied, Rachel kept talking in a strange way.
“No, I came with…”
“Okay, let me try again. I understand. I’m different because I can’t forget you. Actually, I’ve tried to contact you several times, but because my old phone broke, I…”
Holy sh*t.
Khanin’s face was as if he had seen a ghost, he didn’t even know what
Rachel was saying. Because the only thing he was focusing on was Charan’s body language: raising his hand, hugging his chest, and looking beautiful, like he was waiting to see how he would fix this situation.
“Rachel, sorry, I’m in love with someone else.” If this were a boxing match, you could say Khanin delivered a knockout punch without any warning.
The young girl remained silent for several seconds before finally finding her voice.
“And…”
“I’ve fallen in love with someone I want to share a future with.”
“Well, at that time when you broke up with me, you said you didn’t like to think about the future, this is not an excuse.” She squinted her eyes. Khanin used to like Rachel’s headstrong personality, but now it doesn’t seem like that anymore.
“So…” The young man tried to find the right words to explain to the person in front of him, but it seems like Charan’s patience has run out. In the end, the older guy cleared his throat, beckoning the young lady to turn and look.
“Oh… You’re with Khanin? Hi, I’m Rachel. I’m Khanin’s ex girlfriend. As for you…” Rachel’s straightforwardness allowed her to speak boldly.
Khanin turned and grabbed his arm, intending to introduce the other party, but hesitated.
“This is Phii Ran, by the way…” The quiet young man searched for words in his head to describe his current status to Charan, without wanting to provoke him into a fight.
Well…they’re not actually a couple yet, nobody has asked anyone out.
“Hello there. I’m Charan, Khanin’s new boyfriend.”
Before he had the chance to properly gather his thoughts, Charan found himself having to introduce himself and quickly ended the conversation with his status.
“Uh…hello, I didn’t know you brought your boyfriend. Sorry for my bad manners.”
“It’s okay, Rachel.” Charan smiled, while to Rachel he seemed to emit a frightening aura…unlike the friendly smile from before.
“Umm…congratulations, Khanin. I didn’t realize you had a date, I have to go now.” Rachel quickly excused herself, her voice breaking as she hastily left the couple behind.
Her instincts warned that it was not OK for her to hang around anymore, she was aware of how much the other party loved and longed for Khanin, so much that even a smile could show the level of love. If she was to do something to make him angry, not even Marmot can make him calm down!
“Phii Ran. There’s nothing going on between me and Rachel. She just happened to bump into me and said hello.” Khanin tried to explain his relationship with the person who had just confronted them upon leaving the chocolate shop.
His explanation ended abruptly. His dark brown eyes scrolled through the person walking beside them, expectant and inquisitive. He knew Phii Ran wasn’t pleased, but he tried to control his emotions because he didn’t want to spoil the atmosphere.
Even though he smiled politely and amicably, with this person with whom he had been together for so long, why wouldn’t he know what Phii Ran was thinking?
“Okay.”
“She came to say hi because she thought I was still single. I don’t want to end things badly even after I broke up with her.”
“Okay.”
“But we haven’t seen each other for a long time, and I don’t like her anymore. So there’s nothing to worry about.” Khanin was like a child who made a mistake and wanted attention, he explained in detail because he wanted Charan to understand that now…
Rachel was just the past.
At present and in the future, he was Charan.
Only Charan.
“Oh…This is the person that you told me about, who is his senior and you met at a party.” Khanin had just been talking non stop, but all of a sudden Charan decided to say a different sentence that made Khanin feel awkward and unable to respond appropriately.
Who would have thought that the words he had told the other person when they first met would become the evidence that bound him today, the feeling of jealousy…
“Do you remember?”
“I remember everything about you Nin.”
“Phii Ran.”
“Yes?”
“Jealous?” Khanin asked with a raised eyebrow and a flicker of the spoon in the direction of Charan, hoping that his awkward gestures will help Charan feel better. Khanin did not expect much from his answer, as he guessed Charan might say something ambiguous, but this time seems different.
“Yes… I am jealous.” Charan admitted simply, his brows furrowed as he controlled himself, as if trying to manage his own emotions.
Charan thinks he’s foolish, and the other side is just an ex-girlfriend who unexpectedly appeared. Khanin did not care about anything, but he still could not let his thoughts slip away.
Because there was something wrong, and it made Charan feel restless and dissatisfied.
“…”
“Nin, you told me to speak straight.”
“Yes, Phii knows best! But I no longer like her.” Khanin quickly responded after nearly a minute of silence, unable to contain his smile, mainly because Charan appeared too adorable now.
So cute that it hurts!
“I know.”
“The person I love is you, Phii.”
“Yes, I know well.” Charan seems to be starting to struggle with his thoughts again, and the young man claps his hands a bit to follow him, heading to a large tree in a secluded place. His earnest gaze reminds Khanin of his worries.
“Phii Ran if you know, so why do you still look unhappy?” Khanin took the opportunity to ask, lowering his face to his broad shoulders, his voice sounding whimpering, in an attempt to calm Charan down.
“Because I just… don’t like it you didn’t say what we are.”
The answer he received made Khanin stunned for a moment, the young man opened his mouth and blinked while remaining silent for nearly a minute “Phii Ran… Does that mean you want me to say we are a couple?”
“Yes.”
“Well, how do I say this, just… Wait. It’s not that I don’t want to say it, but we… we haven’t asked each other to be a couple yet.” His eyes blinked. Looking at the reddened face that kept going up and down, he realized that this was a good opportunity to talk about their relationship. There were many things that had happened before that made them forget that they should make their status clear.
The young man resolutely tightened his hands and was about to speak first, but someone else intervened, a bigger person who knelt down and sat on his knees on the ground, making the younger one confused.
Khanin realized that this was a good opportunity to talk about being a couple, as they had been through so many things that they forgot they should make their status clear.
Firmly determined, the young man began to open his mouth to say that he wanted to be the first to propose to date, but he was interrupted by someone else, a larger person who knelt down and sat on his knees on the ground, which made the young man so confused he stumbled.
Hold on a sec… asking me to be your boyfriend, and why are you kneeling, Phii Ran?
“I don’t want to wait any longer.” With a muffled voice, he reached out and grabbed a red lacquered wooden box with golden lettered branding from his bag and opened it. Charan handed it to him, revealing a simple yet elegant diamond studded ring that shimmered in the afternoon sun.
Charan couldn’t wait any longer. He had waited far too long, crossing oceans to come and find Khanin, and this ring was commissioned at no small price.
He had planned to say these words at the most romantic moment, perhaps under the starry night sky or while holding hands on the balcony and whispering how much he loved Khanin.
It could have been a witness to the stars; however, everything seemed to have gone astray.
Charan realized one thing; the most important thing now wasn’t the place or the fancy words spoken but the love they had for each other, which was unique to them.
“Let’s be together, everything for and with each other, Nin.”
“…”
“I promise to protect, take care, love, and remain faithful to you, Khanin.”
“…”
“Let’s get married, my love.”
“Uh… what is going on, you haven’t even asked me to be your boyfriend yet, and you are already proposing?! [sobbing].” Khanin appeared to be shocked, with tears streaming down his face, but he smiled broadly, looking into each other’s eyes with love.
“Yes, because I want Nin to be able to tell others what kind of relationship we have.” Not just as close friends, a mentor, a guardian, a brother, or just someone whose hearts are aligned in the present.
But from now on, Charan wants to stand by Khanin’s side as someone who will be together until their last breath.
“[sobbing]… Phii Ran.”
“Are you crying with happiness? the ring bearer is waiting.”
“Let’s get married, mmmhpf… definitely, hurry up and put on the ring.”
The atmosphere between them at this moment wasn’t a sweet, romantic scene like the one in Khanin’s romance novel. It was a warmhearted feeling that was difficult to describe.
Charan carefully slid the ring onto Khanin’s left ring finger before pulling the younger boy into an embrace, whispering a few words into his ear, causing him to blush.
“Non? Do you know… I have been yours for a long time.”
“…”
“Since the first time you and I kissed, I belonged to you Nin since then.”
“Phii Ran…” At this point, Khanin burst out laughing, his thin body bouncing, and he took turns kissing this older guy, scolding him for bringing up the past and making him feel embarrassed about being a thief who stole kisses from the other side.
“Nin?”
“Yes, sir.”
“From here on out, our status has changed. Next time someone asks what we are, Nin, how will you answer them?”
“I will say that this man’s name is Charan, currently and in the future, and that he Khanin’s husband, the person that Khanin loves the most in his life.” With that, they both smiled as the chilly breeze passed by.
Even though the place may not be romantic or beautiful, London is a city with great significance for them.
Because it is a place that is like a starting point… and a point where their life paths intersect.
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