AN: I'm dedicating this fluff to perawathirst. 😘
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"P'Arthit, come here! Try this one. It's leather and I like this color."

I look across the showroom to where Kongpob is excitedly bouncing up and down like a kid. His hand is running up and down the armrest, admiring the leather of the said sofa. If anyone sees how excited he is right now, you would think he is shopping for a Lamborghini or Ferrari instead of a few pieces of furniture.

Yes, we're shopping for furniture. After being together for five years going on six, we've finally decided to take the next step. We've decided to move in together. A place we can call "our place." After missing and waiting for him to finish his studies for two years, I was done with waiting. I just didn't want to be apart from him anymore but at the same time, like always, I was too embarrassed to say anything. I didn't know what to do. I wanted to see him every day, but that sounded awfully clingy. Yet, that's what I really wanted. Luckily, Kongpob felt the same and he asked if we should move in together. And of course you already know what my answer was. I mean, why else would we be here.

So, here we are, trying to fill our new empty condo with a few pieces of key furniture.

Kongpob beams at me with his bright smile as I approached him. "How much is this one?" I try to look around for the price tag.

"The quality is very good, P'Arthit. Sit down and try it first." Kongpob pulls me by my hand that is tucked inside my jean pocket and makes me sit down next to him.

"I can tell this is out of our budget just by the way you are avoiding my question, Kongpob."

Kongpob sheepishly looks away while I lean back onto the sofa. It is indeed very comfortable, I'll admit that. I can tell it's expensive just by the feel of the soft leather even without Kongpob telling me the price.

"Well, maybe we can pick a cheaper coffee table. Just think about it, P'Arthit. If we spend a little more on a good quality sofa, then we can keep it for many years. Maybe even after we get married."

"Kongpob!" I look around the store to see if anyone is paying us any attention.

"Fine. We can still get a new sofa when we get married. So wasteful." Kongpob shakes his head.

"Aish." I slap on Kongpob's arm and he just laughs harder. He's seriously never tired of teasing me. I swear I can feel the flush on my face but I can't help feeling a little giddy inside. Marriage is still a bit far away for us but we've touched on the subject.

Getting to this point of our relationship was no easy feat. We have truly supportive friends but meeting both our parents was extremely nerve wracking with him as the only son, and me as the only child. Fortunately, we got through that too. But aside from friends and family, I'm still a bit awkward and shy. The old me would have bolted from this store already. I'm just not comfortable with too much PDA.

I still have to tell myself sometimes that I shouldn't care about what other people think or say because they have nothing to do with us, but Kongpob has also gotten more brazen these days. I think he purposely pushes my limits just to see what I would do but he's usually careful not to go overboard. And I'm very proud to say that I've managed to surprise him a few times.

"Stop spewing nonsense. All we've picked out so far is the dining set. At this rate, we'll just be sleeping on the floor."

"That's alright with me, P'Arthit. I like sleeping on top of you." Kongpob winks at me with a mischievous smirk.

"Kongpob!" I quickly cover my mouth, afraid that I'm actually drawing more attention to us. "Shut up. Stop fooling around." I half-shout, half-whisper at him.

Kongpob leans in closer to me, "but I love fooling around with you. It's my favorite hobby."

Oh my God. Someone stop me from committing murder. "Sss... I'm going to leave you here if you don't stop it, right now."

"I'm sorry, P'Arthit. Please don't be upset." Kongpob tugs on my arm, giving me his sad puppy eyes.

I quickly look away from him because I don't want to give in like I always do. Dammit! He steals a kiss on my cheek the moment I turn away. That sneaky brat. When will he grow up?

"I'm leaving."

"No, I promise I'll stop. Please stay, P'Arthit." Kongpob says in a soft pleading voice and puts his hands up like he's surrendering. "But I really like this sofa and I know we will be very comfortable on this for many years. It's a nice size too. We can lay down comfortably together to watch movies."

I look at the sofa again and it does look perfect for movie nights. "Okay, let's take the sofa. I like the color too."

"Thank you P'Arthit. You're the best." As if I can really say no to him.

"I love you, Ai-Oon."

Kongpob then smiles and looks at me like I'm some hero or I hung the moon. I always feel overwhelmed when he does that. It makes me half want to hug him and half want to run away because I don't know what to do with myself. But if we were home, I know what I would choose now.

No matter how many times I've heard him say those three words to me, I still get affected. I still feel flustered and warm all over. "I...I love you too." I mumble back softly and then I quickly get up before he can say or do anything else to me.

"P'Arthit, where are you going?"

"I'm going to look around more. You take down the sofa's item number."

I make my way over to the bed section. We need a new bed and a new mattress. I think these will be the last items we can buy before we start moving in two weeks. The rest will have to wait until next month. Although, I really want to get a desk too because that would make working at home easier. But I also don't want to go over our agreed budget because if I made an exception, Kongpob will try to push my limits again or insist on paying for it on his own.

And I really don't want to do that because we are already staying at a condo his parents gifted him. I had originally rejected living there as I didn't want to take advantage of his family. But Khun Kerkkrai was right. There's no sense in paying someone else when Kongpob, well really his family, had vacant property. So I decided to pay rent to Kongpob and cover half of the utilities. I was surprised and glad when he didn't argue about my plan to pay, but not even a minute later he said he'll save the money for our wedding. And ever since, he has been teasing me with marriage. I really can't win with that boy.

So I guess working on the dining table will have to do for now. Sigh.

I look around at all the mattresses and walk over to the double beds. Our bedroom is pretty big so I guess we can get a bigger bed if we want to. I walk over to the king size beds and they're just so big. They can easily fit three grown adults comfortably. I walk towards one that's labeled extra firm and look at the price tag. It's only slightly more expensive than a queen size on the other side. So I guess it's worth it if it's more comfortable. At least I know that's what Kongpob would say.

I decide to try out the mattress by laying down on it. I'm careful to keep my shoes on top of the protected plastic.

"P'Arthit, there you are." Kongpob practically leaps into the bed, laying on his side next to me with his elbow propped up.

"Kongpob, do you have to make such a big commotion?" I lay my head back down and try to really feel the mattress.

"Sorry, P'Arthit."

"It's okay. Try the mattress. It's extra firm. You like firm beds."

Kongpob plops down laying on his back. After a little while, he wiggles oddly around a bit, inching closer and closer to me. What the heck is he doing?

"What are you doing?"

"Trying out this bed of course. And I've decided I don't like it, P'Arthit." Kongpob stops wiggling and plops right back down.

"Is it not firm enough? We can try another one, but I don't like it too firm now. I don't want to feel like I'm sleeping on the floor."

Kongpob turns to look at me. "No, P'Arthit. It's just too big. I've already tried to scoot closer to you but you're still all the way over there."

"Stop exaggerating. You're only an arm's length away." I roll my eyes at his ridiculousness.

"And that's too far for me. It's like we're a world apart. I like waking up with you right next to me." He gives me his disarming smile that no one is immune to and I'm no exception.

I look away from his gaze and a small smile creeps up on my overly warm face. Why is he always so dramatic and cheesy? I tilt to my side and roll myself over to him like a five-year-old until our shoulders bumped.

"Now, am I close enough?"

He smiles at me again and I nearly melt. What the heck! He's always making me feel things.

Kongpob props himself up on his elbow again staring at me. "That's perfect. See, we don't need such a big bed. It's also easier for me to wake you up for work this way."

"Well, our room..."

"Ahem, my name is Tee. Do you two gentlemen have any questions or need any help?"

I immediately shot up hearing the man's voice. "Uh...uh, we're just trying this bed."

Kongpob slowly gets up, completely unfazed by the sudden audience we have while I'm here wishing this bed would swallow me whole. "Yeah, we're shopping for a new bed. But we would like something smaller, a little cozier." Kongpob tells the salesman.

"Sure. How about a queen size? It's just big enough to fit two people comfortably. Did you like the firmness of this one? It also comes in a queen size. If not, we have others to choose from. Follow me and I'll show you."

Kongpob and I both hop off the bed to follow the salesman.

"I like the firmness. What do you think, P'Arthit? Is this too firm for you?" Kongpob and the salesman turn to look at me expectantly.

"Uh, it's okay. It's not too firm."

"I personally like firmer beds too. It's better for the back but my partner likes softer beds. So we had to get dual side adjustable beds. That's an option for you guys too if you can't settle on one. But a traditional bed is way more budget friendly." Tee the salesman explained.

"Thanks, Khun. I actually picked out a few items earlier too. Maybe you can help me with them later. Come on, P'Arthit." Kongpob waves to me with a smile as he follows the chirpy salesman without skipping a beat.

I silently watch and listen to the salesman casually talk about his partner's bad habits like leaving socks all around the house and then Kongpob spouts something about my laziness in collecting my dried clothes before it rained again. Ugh, so annoying but I guess it's true.

Kongpob then turns around looking for me and then he reaches his hand out for me with a smile. I look at him and then quickly take a big step forward to grab his hand.

"I was just right behind you."

Kongpob leans in a little and whispers, "I want you to walk alongside me."

I smile hearing the words I said to him years ago being repeated. I know one day I'll be just as comfortable and as open as them. Slowly but surely, I'm getting there.

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AN: Sweets, this is the fluff I promised in "My Sotus - Meet The Rojnapats." I hope you enjoyed this.

Happy Holidays!

Curtsy,
Lana ❤️