Tokyo

The first meeting with the Mitsubishi Estates group was a lot more complicated than anticipated. The local government in Japan had just recently approved the depth proposed for excavation. Therefore, all subsequent plans, and architectural designs were held back until now. And without confirmed architectural plans, BKK Engineers couldn't complete their designs as well. So, now it's crunch time for all parties involved. Everyone was anxious to get things moving.

The meeting went on all morning, and into the afternoon. Arthit and Knot met people from all over the world. Other than local Japanese professionals, there were many from other countries as well just like BKK. There were engineers from India and Germany, interior designers from Spain, architects from the US and Dubai, and many more. It was like a mini United Nations meeting with all the translators in the room. Mitsubishi Estates had six teams dedicated to the project, and each team had a project manager. Sora Fudosan was one of the project managers.

This project is very important for BKK Engineers to leave their international mark. It's the first time BKK Engineers is part of an international project at such a grand scale. Even though they are participating in the Susus Project back in Bangkok, it is still domestic. Also, their role is much smaller in that project.

Knot was trying really hard to keep up with everyone's pace. He was like the fish from the little tank that got tossed into the sea. He needed to swim fast. He is more than capable, and he has prepared himself for this. Arthit had more or less prepped him for this too. What really surprised him was actually his friend Arthit. He has never worked with Arthit at a professional level until recently.

However, the past few weeks at BKK Engineers did little to show this side of his friend. The professional Arthit was someone completely different from the reserved friend he has known all these years. Arthit was confident, assertive, and sharp. He was able to tactfully point out errors in calculation without damaging egos in the room. When Arthit spoke, people actually wanted to hear what he had to say. Arthit was even.... charming? Knot was impressed, and in awe of his friend.

When Arthit said he would be fine when he gets to Tokyo, Knot didn't believe him for a second. But he stands corrected. How the lovesick Arthit that was hogging the bathroom all night whining to his boyfriend turned into this Arthit is a complete mystery to him.

The meeting finally wrapped up for the day. Everyone parts with a farewell, and contacts were being exchanged. Tomorrow will be another meeting, but not with everyone again. Knot saw Sora making his way over to them from the corner of his eyes. So he straightened up, and tapped Arthit's arm for his attention.

"Hello gentlemen. That was a very very long meeting. We didn't even get a chance to speak earlier. How are you two?" Sora asked smiling between Arthit and Knot.

"Hey Sora! Yes, the meeting was indeed very long, but I think we've accomplished a lot today. So, it's a good meeting." Arthit smiled brightly.

"Yes, I agree. The meeting was good. Now, we can move forward with confidence. This meeting has allowed us the chance to build a good rapport with others that are part of this project as well." Knot added.

"I'm glad to hear that. It was not our original intention to bring all you guys here all at once, but due to the tight schedule, we had no choice. But I'm glad it worked out this way, and we can all see the synergy between designers and engineers."

"Yes, this definitely helps minimize confusions, and things from getting lost in translation." Arthit said picking up his bag sensing Knot was ready to leave.

"Well, enough about the meeting. Do you two have plans tonight?" Sora asked the two of them, but was really just looking at Arthit.

Arthit turned to Knot, and Knot just shrugged his shoulders. "We don't really have anything planned. We talked about getting some good sushi for dinner. Maybe at that place you took me to the last time."

"Okay, what about after that?" Sora asked again.

"Uhm, nothing much I guess. Maybe we would head back to the hotel early, and prepare for tomorrow's meeting."

"Would you....uhm you two be interested to come see me perform tonight?" Sora asked sounding hopeful.

"Perform? What are you performing?" Arthit asked curiously.

"I'm in a band, and we are performing at a club tonight. I know it's Wednesday, but you guys don't have to stay too long."

Arthit looked at Knot, and again Knot just shrugged and smiled.

"Okay. Text me the location and time. Knot and I plus Aki will go later after dinner."

"Great. I will send you the details. You guys won't need tickets or anything. See you guys later." Sora said excitedly before taking his leave. Sora was practically skipping.
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"Mmm....the sushi is really good here. So, are we really going to the club to see Sora?" Knot asked while stuffing another piece of uni nigiri in his mouth.

"Yeah, why not? It might be fun. We can leave early if we want. He seemed like he wanted us to go."

"Correction. He wanted 'you' to go. I'm sure I'm an add-on that he doesn't want."

Arthit chuckled. "Well, if you don't want to go, I won't force you. You can go back to the hotel first, and I can go to the club."

"Oh no. No way are you going alone." Knot picks up his sake for a sip.

"I'll be fine. I'm not really alone anyway. Aki will be around. So, if you don't want to go, you don't have to."

"Nope. I'm going if you are going. You know he is interested in you, right? He has heart eyes for you."

"Heart eyes? What the heck is that?"

"He looks at you like the way you and Kongpob look at each other. Like the other hung the moon or something."

"Hmm....well, he did ask me out last time I was here."

"So you know he is interested in you?" Knot asked surprised. Arthit has always been oblivious to others advances. There were always girls interested in Arthit when they were in school. Nobody at school knew he was gay except their gang of close friends. People couldn't even wink at him because he barely looked up long enough.

If someone didn't knock him over, or corner him with a confession, he would never know anything. Arthit used to pretty much keep his head down, and avoided any unnecessary contact with strangers. And the only one person that had literally knocked him over with his moped, and cornered him with a confession was Chet. Okay, confession is an overstatement. It was really just 'let's have dinner, and see where it goes' kind of thing. Boom. That disaster lasted five years.

"Well, I didn't know until he asked me if I was single. My gaydar isn't working."

"So, did you tell him about Kongpob?" Knot raised an eyebrow at him holding his chopsticks in midair.

"Well, we weren't together yet, but I told him I was interested in someone else already." Arthit told Knot. Although, he had actually told Sora he was in love with someone else. Also, Sora had seen Kongpob too. Their encounter was quite memorable with Sora's pant off and all. Does Sora remember?

"Maybe Sora does not know you are with Kongpob now, and he wants to try his luck again. He might still think you are single. You need to tell him."

"Well, I can't just suddenly go up to him and say I'm dating someone already. That's a bit presumptuous, don't you think?" Arthit stuffs a big piece of otoro in his mouth, and covered it while chewing with his other hand. Moaning just a little bit at the deliciousness.

"Well, don't play with fire if you don't want to get burned." Knot warned.

"I'm not playing with fire. If he asks me again, I will tell him I have a boyfriend. So, don't worry."

Knot nodded, but internally he was shaking his head vigorously. He has a bad feeling about this.
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The club Sora was performing at was called Star Lounge 渋谷スターラウンジ. It was located in Shibuya not too far from the famous Shibuya crossing, so Knot and Arthit went to take some pictures in the area too. Aki showed them around for a bit before it was time for Sora's show.

The club was already pretty packed when they arrived. Arthit showed his text to the ticket user, and they were led to the front of the stage. There were no seats for sitting. Everyone there was standing with drinks in their hands chatting happily. So, Knot offered to go buy drinks from the bar in the back of the club. Aki declined as he needed to stay alert, especially in a crowded place like this.

Knot came back with drinks just in time for the show to begin. The lights went out, and the spot lights came on around the stage. Three guys dressed in mostly black and white walk across the stage, and got into position with their instruments. Arthit and Knot didn't see Sora anywhere. The three men on stage started warming up by playing some preludes. Then the crowd started cheering when another guy walked up to the stage.

It was a little too dark to really see the man's face from the side. The man walked near the drummer, and picked up a drink in his hand before he turned around to face the crowd. It was Sora. He was wearing black leather pants, and a black vest over a white shirt with his buttons undone. The crowd cheered even louder now. Sora smiled, and took a sip of his drink. This Sora seemed so different from the Sora that Arthit had met earlier in the day. The Sora right now looked nothing like the clean cut, and all serious business Sora from this morning. This Sora was sexy in a mysterious way.

"Good evening. Thanks for coming out tonight to see us. I know it's not easy being in the middle of the week. But we should all still live in the moment, and enjoy breathing even on a Wednesday night, right?" Sora said smiled raising his glass to the crowd.

The crowd cheered and whistled.

Sora switched to speak in English. "I have a couple of guests this evening. Thank you for coming. I hope you will enjoy the show. I hope to show you the many sides of me." Sora's eyes landed on Arthit's, and he raised his glass again. Arthit smiled, and raised his drink a little as well in return.

The crowd cheered again hearing Sora speak English.

Sora, turned around to his band members, and flicked his two fingers three times. And then the music began.

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

(Seriously play this. ❤️)

Sora sang very well, and he was a great performer. Every few songs he would engage the crowd in a few words. He sang with a lot of emotions be it romantic, rock, or rap. He captivated the whole audience. There was also something sensual in the way he held and caressed his microphone while singing into it. Arthit couldn't really understand the lyrics that Sora was singing, but the music spoke to him nonetheless. He was mesmerized by Sora's stage presence. He was humming and swaying along.

The night went by very fast. It was almost eleven when the show was over. Arthit and Knot were exhausted. They couldn't wait to get back to their hotel. Aki drove Arthit and Knot back to the hotel with both them already snoring in the backseat. Upon arriving at the hotel, Arthit felt a buzz in his pocket indicating he had received a text. He pulled his phone out to see the text.

Messages

Sora: Thanks for coming out tonight. I hope you enjoyed the show. Let's grab dinner tomorrow night, just the two of us. Get some rest. I'll see you at the meeting tomorrow. Goodnight.
11:47 pm

~~~~~
AN: I hope you played the attached song by Jin Akanishi. I really like it. 😍

So what do you think Arthit will do? Arthit is pretty impressed with Sora's performance.

*Side note, I have a smut playing in my mind, and it won't leave me alone. I almost want to skip all these chapters just to get to the smut. What is wrong with my brain? 😅