Chapter 11 — The Seat Beside Him
1345 Words
Dinner at the Aiyarak mansion somehow became more dangerous the longer it continued.
A serious issue honestly.
Because every single member of Tharin’s family clearly enjoyed emotionally cornering people for entertainment.
Especially Aran.
A complete disaster.
Meanwhile—
inside the massive dining room—
warm lights reflected softly across polished glass and silver cutlery while dishes continued covering almost every inch of the table.
And somehow—
despite the overwhelming luxury surrounding them—
the atmosphere still felt strangely warm.
Comfortable.
Loud in the way real families naturally were.
A dangerous kind of comforting honestly.
At the center of it all—
Tharin quietly sat between Khem and Chai while listening to his brothers argue about food portions again.
A completely normal family activity apparently.
Praew: “Rin barely touched the soup.”
Tharin: “I drank some.”
Praew: “That amount doesn’t count emotionally.”
Reasonable honestly.
Because the Aiyarak family treated feeding Tharin like sacred responsibility.
A terrifying household.
Meanwhile—
across the table—
Aran quietly observed everything happening around him.
And honestly?
The longer he stayed here—
the more he understood why Tharin turned out the way he did.
Because despite the overwhelming wealth,
the hidden bodyguards,
and the terrifying older brothers—
this family genuinely adored him.
In every small detail.
A serious observation honestly.
Like:
* Khem removing shrimp shells before placing them onto Tharin’s plate automatically,
* Arthit refilling his water without asking,
* Praew pushing desserts closer because “Rin likes sweet things after stressful days,”
* and Than silently watching whether Tharin actually ate enough.
Tiny habits.
Still important.
Because suddenly—
Aran realized Tharin grew up surrounded by constant affection.
And honestly?
That explained the softness hidden beneath his cautious personality.
A dangerous realization.
Then unexpectedly—
Praew leaned forward dramatically across the table.
A terrifying sign honestly.
Because every time Praew looked excited—
someone suffered emotionally afterward.
A serious issue.
Praew: “So.”
Silence.
Then immediately—
Praew: “How exactly did you meet our baby?”
Tharin nearly choked spiritually.
Reasonable honestly.
Because hearing Praew call him “our baby” in front of Aran felt emotionally violent.
A complete disaster.
Beside him—
Chai physically lowered his head laughing into his drink.
Coward behavior honestly.
Meanwhile—
Aran answered calmly.
Aran: “He dropped his papers.”
Praew: “And you helped?”
Aran: “Mn.”
Silence.
Then slowly—
Praew narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
Dangerous.
Very dangerous.
Because apparently—
the Aiyarak brothers already knew Aran’s reputation.
A serious issue honestly.
Praew: “You don’t seem like the type to help strangers.”
Real silence settled briefly afterward.
Because honestly?
That statement wasn’t wrong.
Aran rarely involved himself with people unnecessarily.
Most students admired him from a distance because approaching him felt intimidating naturally.
He kept circles small.
Conversations short.
And patience limited.
Yet somehow—
everything changed around Tharin almost immediately.
A terrifying development honestly.
Then calmly—
Aran answered:
Aran: “Rin looked overwhelmed.”
Silence.
Real silence.
Because somehow—
that answer sounded too genuine.
A serious issue.
Beside him—
Tharin looked down toward his plate quietly afterward.
Because honestly?
Hearing someone notice things about him so quickly felt unfamiliar.
Dangerously unfamiliar.
Back at his old school—
people noticed appearances first.
Not discomfort.
Not nervous habits.
Not the way crowded spaces exhausted him.
A serious difference honestly.
Meanwhile—
Than quietly observed the interaction across the table.
Careful.
Unreadable.
Dangerous honestly.
Because unlike Praew—
Than rarely spoke without purpose.
A terrifying older brother trait.
Then suddenly—
Arthit asked another question calmly.
Arthit: “Do your parents know where you are?”
Silence.
Aran nodded once.
Aran: “I told my mother.”
Immediately—
Praew physically gasped dramatically.
A disaster honestly.
Praew: “YOU TOLD YOUR MOTHER ABOUT RIN ALREADY?”
Reasonable honestly.
Because apparently—
the emotional progression happening today genuinely looked insane.
Meanwhile—
Aran blinked once.
Then calmly—
Aran: “She asked why I skipped basketball practice.”
Silence.
Then—
Aran: “So I explained.”
Another silence followed.
And somehow—
that sounded even more dangerous emotionally.
A serious issue.
Beside him—
Chai looked moments away from passing away spiritually.
Chai: “This relationship progressing speed feels illegal.”
Correct honestly.
Meanwhile—
Tharin’s face turned red again immediately.
A complete disaster.
Because somehow—
Aran said every dangerous sentence naturally.
Without embarrassment.
Without hesitation.
Like honesty came easier around Tharin specifically.
A terrifying thing honestly.
Then unexpectedly—
Khem softly asked:
Khem: “What did your mother say?”
Silence.
For the first time all evening—
Aran actually looked slightly helpless.
Tiny reaction.
Barely visible.
Still shocking honestly.
Then quietly—
Aran: “…She asked if Rin was cute.”
Complete silence exploded across the dining room.
A COMPLETE disaster honestly.
Because suddenly—
everyone lost emotional stability simultaneously.
Praew screamed.
Chai physically collapsed sideways against the chair dramatically.
Even Arthit covered his face briefly.
Meanwhile—
Tharin genuinely wanted to leave Earth spiritually.
Reasonable honestly.
Because WHAT kind of family conversation was this?
A serious issue.
Then unexpectedly—
Than laughed quietly.
Small sound.
Low.
Still shocking honestly.
Because apparently—
Than Aiyarak rarely laughed openly.
A terrifying achievement.
Across the table—
Aran froze for half a second afterward.
Because honestly?
Seeing Than relax slightly changed the atmosphere immediately.
Less evaluation.
More acceptance somehow.
A dangerous development.
Meanwhile—
outside the dining room—
one hidden bodyguard quietly updated security reports through the communication line.
Bodyguard: “Dinner proceeding peacefully.”
Another guard answered calmly.
Second Bodyguard: “Any threats?”
Bodyguard: “…Only emotional ones.”
Correct honestly.
A devastatingly accurate report.
Back inside the dining room—
staff members quietly served additional dessert afterward while conversations became lighter naturally.
Praew argued dramatically with Chai over stolen pudding.
Khem gently reminded Tharin to drink more water.
Arthit discussed business calls with Than between bites of food.
And somehow—
without realizing it—
Aran relaxed too.
A serious issue honestly.
Because usually—
family dinners outside his own home exhausted him quickly.
Too loud.
Too personal.
Too forced.
But here?
The chaos felt natural.
Warm somehow.
And honestly?
Watching Tharin smile softly around people he loved made the entire mansion feel brighter unexpectedly.
A dangerous realization.
Then suddenly—
Praew pointed dramatically toward the empty seat beside Tharin.
A terrifying sign honestly.
Because whenever Praew pointed dramatically—
chaos followed immediately afterward.
A serious issue.
Praew: “Aran.”
Silence.
Then—
Praew: “Move closer.”
Tharin immediately froze.
A complete disaster.
Meanwhile—
Aran looked surprisingly calm again.
Which honestly made everything worse.
Aran: “Why?”
Praew: “Because you keep staring at Rin from across the table.”
Real silence exploded instantly.
Because somehow—
Praew casually exposed him without fear.
A terrifying older brother honestly.
Meanwhile—
Tharin’s soul physically attempted escaping his body spiritually.
Reasonable honestly.
Because everyone immediately turned toward Aran afterward.
A serious issue.
Then calmly—
without even denying it—
Aran stood up.
Silence.
Real silence.
Because apparently—
he actually intended to move seats.
A COMPLETE disaster honestly.
Chai physically grabbed Praew’s arm dramatically.
Chai: “YOU CREATED A MONSTER.”
Correct honestly.
Meanwhile—
Aran naturally sat beside Tharin afterward.
Close enough for their shoulders to nearly touch again.
And honestly?
The atmosphere immediately became dangerous.
A serious issue.
Because suddenly—
Tharin became hyperaware of everything.
The warmth beside him.
The faint scent of Aran’s cologne.
The quiet sound of his sleeve brushing against the chair.
Dangerous.
Very dangerous.
Then softly—
without looking directly at him—
Aran asked:
Aran: “Are you uncomfortable?”
Silence.
Because somehow—
even now—
Aran noticed his reactions immediately.
A serious issue honestly.
After a second—
Tharin quietly shook his head.
Then very softly—
Tharin: “…No.”
And somehow—
that single answer affected Aran far more than it should have.
- Writer
