Love Case Vol. 1

Atid stood in the corner of the room, watching Anupap and Atikom. He sighed, feeling his emotions simmering. Why couldn't he see that Captain Atikom was courting Anupap? Even though his senior showed no signs of reciprocation, his indifferent attitude—not showing any disgust—was enough to make Atid burn with frustration.

He knew well that Atikom appeared superior in every way—looks, physique, personality, and even more charming charisma. He'd once blamed himself, thinking... because he was much younger than Anupap, still just a kid, Anupap wouldn't look at him. But couldn't his sincerity, his care, his loyalty win Anupap's heart at all?

What's so good about a flirtatious guy like Captain Atikom anyway?

When the director called "Cut" and wrapped for the day, Atikom felt as if a mountain had been lifted from his chest... at least for tonight. He was beginning to think the actual shoot would be many times worse.

It was quite late now. Everyone was dispersing to go home. Atikom demanded fulfillment of the promise for late-night rice porridge because he was tired and hungry.

"I never thought acting would be this exhausting."

"Let me treat the Captain instead. P'Nu probably needs to hurry home since he has an early morning meeting with Khun Trin tomorrow," Atid objected, citing Trin and an important early meeting as his excuse.

No matter what happens, people at this company always bring up Trin as an excuse. Is Trin some kind of ghost-repelling charm or what. Atikom fumed internally.

"Don't trouble yourself, Khun Atid. Khun Nu and I are going home the same way anyway. We can stop for food at the mouth of the alley before going into our house, right?" In the last sentence, Atikom turned to Anupap, deliberately emphasizing his voice.

Anupap felt uncomfortable. The two men before him were beginning to show tense attitudes toward each other. He looked at Sombat, who pretended not to know or care.

"Come on, Poj. Our house is far away," Sombat urged Pojanee.

"Oh, I thought Atid was going to give us a ride," Pojanee looked confused.

"Don't the Captain and P'Nu each go home separately? P'Nu brought his car..." Atid wouldn't give up.

"I happened not to bring my car. Could I catch a ride home with you, Khun Nu?" Atikom looked at Atid's face, then turned to ask Anupap for an answer.

Anupap looked at Sombat, signaling for help. His senior friend made a sighing gesture.

"Come on, Atid. Go eat with me and Poj. I'm hungry. Give me a ride too," Sombat came to the rescue. "Their houses are on the same alley. They have to go together anyway. Let's split up then, Nu. It's late. Poj will have trouble getting into her house. Some bad man might do something evil when she's walking home," Sombat teased.

"I wish that were true. I wouldn't complain at all. Two or three guys coming would be fine," Pojanee joked as usual.

Sombat pulled Atid's arm. The younger man looked at Anupap with disappointment but followed Sombat dejectedly.

"He really protects you, doesn't he?" Atikom whispered.

Anupap kept his expression neutral, then turned to wave goodbye to Pakpoom and the film crew before quietly walking out of the studio.

Atikom followed Anupap, humming softly in good spirits—completely different from when he was in front of the camera, like a different person entirely.

"Are you that happy about arguing with Atid?" Anupap asked flatly, glancing at the cheerful man.

"Not at all. Your subordinate got hostile with me first," he defended himself.

"Fighting like you're competing for a toy..." Anupap stopped mid-sentence, quickly cutting himself off, forgetting that he was opening himself up to someone who loved to tease.

"I've never seen you as a toy," Atikom widened his eyes with a mischievous smile.

Anupap sighed and hurried toward the car, forcing the cheerful captain to jog after him.

"Are you that hungry?" he continued teasing before opening the passenger door.

"Did you really not bring your car, Captain?" Anupap asked, not yet starting the engine.

"Of course it's true. Why would I lie to you? My car broke down. Now you have a car to use, so it's your turn to drive me around."

"It was fine yesterday. How did it break down after all that crazy criminal chasing?"

"That's what I'm wondering too," Atikom leaned his neck against the headrest, looking puzzled. Anupap didn't believe him. He thought the cunning captain had deliberately not brought his car so he could get a ride home.

The two men stopped for rice porridge near the entrance of Sukhumvit Soi 49. Atikom didn't eat much, but ate very slowly.

"I don't want to eat too much—afraid you'll spend a lot of money... treating me all evening."

Deliberately stalling again? Anupap thought, stirring his porridge absentmindedly.

"I can still smell roses in the car," Atikom suddenly remarked, turning to look at the car parked by the road before turning back with a corner smile at Anupap. "Are you still keeping the rose in your car, Khun Nu?"

"No, I threw it away," Anupap replied evenly, lifting his water glass to drink.

"You really threw it away?" Atikom pressed.

"Yes, I threw it away. I don't know why I'd keep it."

"Really..." Atikom smiled, stopping his probing. From his experience interrogating suspects, he could tell when someone was lying or telling the truth—when people lied, the facial muscles moved differently than when they told the truth.

"I thought you kept my flower, in case..." the police detective guessed with a smile, then stopped probing.

On the way home, Atikom sat quietly throughout, picking up this and that in Anupap's car like a mischievous child. At one point he reached toward the glove compartment as if to open it. Anupap glanced down suspiciously at the strong hand and the compartment. Atikom turned to look at him, raised an eyebrow, and smiled knowingly... he now knew where Anupap had kept the rose.

"You can drop me off in front of your condo, Khun Nu. I can walk from there," Atikom put on an innocent face, contradicting his pleading eyes that seemed to say 'Please take me all the way.'

Anupap parked in front of The Granade, a beautiful, luxurious, expensive twenty-story condo surrounded by lush trees.

The security guard exchanged cards, checked the car for bombs, and opened the trunk for inspection like typical luxury condos with strict security.

"It's like driving into an embassy," Anupap remarked sarcastically. "A police officer with a small salary living in a luxury condo."

"I'm handsome with a rich father," Atikom smiled, still not getting out of the car. "Are you thirsty? Want to come up and have some water in my room?"

Anupap thought to himself. Showing your true colors now? I figured you'd play the same old game you've probably played with others.

"Thank you, but I always keep water bottles in my car," he looked down at the water bottle placed in the slot next to the handbrake.

Atikom still smiled. "Khun Nu, my car is broken. Tomorrow morning could you stop by and pick me up for a ride to work? Just drop me off at the police station for a moment—it's on your way anyway." The troublesome captain pleaded, changing the subject with a straight face.

"I think you should have the BMW owner pick you up instead. Besides, I didn't rear-end you, and I didn't cunningly delay the car repairs, so I'm not responsible for giving you rides," Anupap said sarcastically.

"That BMW belongs to Tongrob," Atikom grinned widely... Is Anupap jealous?

"Then you can get to work on your own. Walk out a little and you can call a taxi."

"Ouch, so cruel," Atikom whined, acting like he wouldn't get out of the car.

Anupap pretended to yawn to show he was thoroughly sleepy. The cunning policeman finally got out of the car, raising his hand in a Western-style goodbye wave with wiggling fingers, but his left arm still propped the car door open, refusing to close it.

"Are you jealous of me? Tongrob and I are best friends."

Anupap leaned over to grab the passenger door to pull it shut. Only then did Atikom step back and close the car door for him.

Tonight, Atikom opened his apartment door to find peace because his good friend hadn't snuck in to enjoy himself and disturb his nerves. He quickly showered and came out to stand in the breeze on the balcony. He was staying in a room on nearly the top floor of the building. His bedroom was on the side facing east toward the mouth of the alley.

Atikom stood gazing at the twinkling lights of Bangkok at night and thought of Anupap who was nearby... on the condo of one of the buildings he was looking at.

The more he looked, the more he thought of him. He didn't want to force himself to resist his desires anymore, so he decided to pick up the phone and dial Anupap's home number. He wasn't asleep yet; his voice still sounded fresh.

"You're pretending to be sleepy. Your voice doesn't sound sleepy at all," Atikom complained.

"How did you get my home number... Oh, I forgot. You're a police officer. That's not beyond the abilities of a capable Thai policeman, right?"

The capable Captain laughed softly, not responding to the other's self-answering question.

"Why aren't you asleep yet, Khun Nu... I'm not sleepy at all. I can't fall asleep," Atikom made his voice soft.

"Didn't you say you were dead tired? That shows you were just talking nonsense to disrupt the filming."

"Not at all. I'm tired, really tired, but being sleepy is a different matter. I wanted to hear your voice before going to sleep," Atikom didn't hesitate, beginning his romantic pursuit... couldn't wait any longer...

"Now that you've heard my voice, that means you can go to sleep," Anupap concluded. He tried to keep his voice steady, looking out the window and seeing red lights streaking across the pitch-black sky.

"So, why aren't you asleep yet? You also want to hear my voice before sleeping, don't you?" Atikom asked.

Anupap shook his head. When Captain Atikom was being straightforward, he would say whatever came out directly, without beating around the bush.

"I'm looking at some kind of light in the sky," Anupap looked out the window.

Besides the light he saw streaking across the horizon and the darkness of the night, he saw the other's smiling face floating prominently in his thoughts.

Atikom said it was light from rocket exhaust. He was looking at it too. He said the light from the rocket exhaust formed long streaks paired together across the sky, like him walking alongside Anupap continuously along life's path. But he didn't want to be parallel lines forever; he wanted the lights to come together and become one. 

Anupap said he was talking nonsense. Atikom asked, "Don't you really understand what I'm saying?" 

Anupap was speechless and cut the conversation short, excusing himself to go to sleep.

The now-romantic police officer still gazed dreamily at the sky.

Khun Nu... you can't escape me. I'll chase you down, put handcuffs on you, and close this case soon. Atikom thought.

Closing his case didn't have the same meaning as before, which had been well understood between him and his twin-like friend, Tongrob. 

Closing his case this time had a deeper, more serious meaning.

But the dreamy police officer had no idea that... before he could close this love case, he would have to put in blood, sweat, and tears.

***