***Back to Lien***

Getting into the car, resentment and anger mixed in Lien like the components of an explosive device.

"This must be the end, Nitta..." - Kin's words flashed through the man's mind and he pressed down on the gas pedal even harder.

- The end is the body on the table in my abode! And everything else can be changed! - Raed resented aloud in the car, not knowing where he was going.

- Maybe he wasn't home. Kin said Nan had been drinking.... - A sudden realization and a sharp turn of the car at the intersection.

A little less than an hour later, Lien stopped in front of the Lux, getting out of the auto and slamming the door angrily. The man tossed the keys to the footman and headed straight for the bar. When he looked around, he didn't see Nanfha there, and was even more upset. Sitting down at a table he ordered a bottle of O-De-Vie*.

(from the author: O-De-Vie is a strong alcoholic drink (France, Caribbean. Distillate from fruits and berries with high sugar content: in France (mainly Alsace) - pears (Williams), peaches, raspberries, apples, etc. In the Caribbean - tropical fruits. The strength is about 40% to 45%)

Lien sat and drank alone. Guys occasionally tried to join him, but a glance from the man was enough to keep the chair across from him empty. After finishing the bottle, Lien ordered another.

- Khun, maybe you shouldn't? - The bartender asked with a smile, because the orders from above were to keep the boss's wife from getting drunk to the point of passing out.

- You! You have no right to tell me what to do! I said one more, so one more! - shouted an already pretty drunk Lien, shoving an empty bottle at the bartender.

- I'm sorry, Khun," the man apologized, but slowed down as much as he could to serve the bottle, stirring cocktails for the other customers.

Bang!

The empty bottle flew into the liquor counter, smashing about 7 bottles of liquor.

- Are you deaf or something? - Shouted Lien, glaring unhappily at the bartender who hadn't brought him alcohol for almost 20 minutes.

The guards at the bar didn't budge, but the customers, frightened, started to leave. One brave man who decided to calm down a rioting customer approached Raed.

- Hey! Calm down, kid! You're not the only customer here! - The man reprimanded Lien, grabbing him by the elbow.

- Get your hands off me! You can't touch me! - The handsome man was furious, speaking in a slurred tongue and trying to wrestle his hand from his companion's grasp.

- Pay for the broken bottles first, and then I'll let you go! - The man didn't stop, and that was the last straw.

There was so much going on today that his nerves and self-control were shot to hell. All he wanted now was for Nan to come and hug him.

Suddenly...

The man holding Lien by the elbow was pinned against the bar with his arm pinned behind his back and his face pressed against the countertop. Not expecting such a leap from a drunken debaucher, the man didn't have time to react.

- Khun, please calm down," the bartender coaxed Raed.

Lien let go of the man and instead of sitting still, he threw his glass after the bottle.

- Calm down? Are you telling me to calm down? Why does everyone want me to calm down! - Lien shouted, scattering chairs and knocking over bar tables.

Half an hour later, the bar had the feeling of past hostilities. The bartender, 3 waiters and 4 security guards stood watching the Hulk waking up inside the long-legged handsome man. Lien sobered up a bit after this physical exercise and sat up, leaning his back on the overturned table, catching his breath.

- Bartender! What else do I have to break to finally get my order? How about your hands? - Lien was loudly indignant, and his words echoed through the empty room.

The guy decided not to take any chances and brought a bottle of O-De-Vie from the back room. Along with an empty glass, he handed it to Raed, but the man grabbed the liquor but waved the glass away. Sitting on the floor, the man drank alone, and the guards wouldn't let anyone into the bar. After an hour, Lien fell asleep sitting on the floor with the bottle in his hand, which he had almost finished.

A man entered the bar and lifting the unconscious body in his arms, went with him to the drunkard's car. Putting him in the passenger seat and fastening his seatbelt, the car drove off to Lien's apartment.

The man carried the sleeping beauty in his arms to the door. Holding the body with his knee, he entered the password on the lock. Hearing a squeak and taking Lien in his arms, he entered the apartment. Laying Raed on the bed, the man undressed him, realizing that these clothes were now only to be thrown away. His shirt was torn, his pants had snags from the remnants of the chairs.

Taking off his shirt, the man frowned, seeing the bruises on his shoulder, stomach, and arms. Lien felt the chill from the air conditioning and shivered, making his nipples harden. After undressing the drunk to his underwear, the man was about to cover Raed with a blanket and leave when his hand was grabbed.

- Don't go... - Lien almost moaned in unconsciousness.

- Nan... don't leave me... - A quiet plea through his tears and the man froze.

Running his hand over Raed's cheek, he wiped away the tears.... A gentle touch of lips on wet eyelids and the sobs grew louder.

- Shh, shh, shh, shh.... don't cry, Raed... - the tender voice and warm embrace soothed the sufferer.

- I am yours... - sobbed the landlord, snuggling up to the man on his bed.

- Silly Rabbit... - he stroked Lien's hair, whispering soothingly to him.

Lien smelled the familiar scent of the million and eighteen carat, the owner of which he had been waiting for at the bar.

- Sleep, Lien," he cradled the naked body he wanted to fuck so badly.

Nan sat with him for almost 2 hours and after making sure the handsome man was asleep, he called Kin.

- It's 1 a.m., Nan. What's wrong? - his friend's sleepy voice answered the call.

- I'm at Lien's apartment. Can you come over? - Nan asked, deciding it was better to talk in person.

- Uh-huh... I'll be there in an hour... - agreed the sleepy voice.

- 'Thank you, the door will be unlocked,' Nan instructed and ended the call.

Nan went to the bathroom to get the first aid kit and when he came back, he applied bruising ointment to the tender skin, noting to himself that when he got home he should teach Max a lesson not to get into a fight with his man. Finished treating the bruises and abrasions, the mobster covered him with a blanket and went into the kitchen. Setting the dishes from the open dishwasher in the cupboard, he made himself some coffee, waiting for Kin.

Kin arrived about forty minutes later, entering the apartment and marveling at the silence. Seeing the light in the kitchen, his guest walked straight in.

- Why are we meeting here? - Kin asked the man sitting with a cell phone in his hand.

- Because your friend is hysterical and debauched.... - Nan held out the phone to Kin, on which he was just watching the full video recording from the cameras in the bar.

Kin watched the video and could hardly contain his laughter.

- 'He drove to my house. My men wouldn't let his car through, and he got into a fight with them. Then he went to the hotel... - Nanfha told me.

- Now that's interesting... - concluded Kin when the video started again.

- What are you talking about? - The mobster didn't understand and the man showed him the moment when Lien was clearly being approached by a guy.

- И? He's had someone hitting on him all night! - Nan was getting a little annoyed at what he was seeing.

- You don't get it, do you? When he's not in the mood, he fucks. No matter with whom, no matter where, no matter when.... After Fox's death, Lien only gets drunk on the anniversary of his death, the rest of the time he doesn't drink more than 2 glasses of wine or cocktails. Look, six men approached him, Nan! Six members, but he didn't leave with a single one! - Kin explained, wanting to convey that it wasn't them he was waiting for.

- 'I set my alarm for noon, come by this time,' asked Nan, rinsing his mug and putting it away in the cupboard.

- 'Yeah. I get it if he asks - I was the one who picked him up when he passed out. You weren't here and I got a call from a fellow student who saw him at the bar," Kin came up with the idea and Nan nodded understandingly.

- I, or rather you, undressed him, treated the bruises and abrasions, put him to bed. I left some hangover pills and a glass of water on the table," Nan agreed.

Having discussed all the details, Nan told her that yesterday he had bought an apartment for Molly and a car, the keys to which he would give her in a gift box, along with a check for 5 million baht and a receipt for the entire medical school tuition at the university where Lien had studied.

Taking another look at the sleeping Rabbit, Nan sighed heavily and walked out of the apartment with Kin. Nanfha paid the guard, asking him to tell him that Kin had brought him home yesterday.

***Morning***

The sound of the alarm clock burst into the man's consciousness on the bed, making his head split open. Kin entered the room and turned off his phone, causing Lien to open his eyes abruptly. Seeing his friend upset him, because yesterday he remembered the familiar smell, gentle hugs and affectionate voice.

- Why are you here? - Raed asked in a hoarse voice, feeling his head ache and his whole body ache.

- Don't you think this will soon become our daily routine? You ask why I'm here, and I tell you about what you did the night before. Seriously, Lien. What's going on? - Kin was annoyed, handing his friend a pill and a glass of water.

- What am I supposed to do, Kin? - The sudden question in a voice full of anguish surprised the person to whom it was addressed.

- Did you drink all your brains yesterday? A pill in your mouth, then drink water, it's simple.... - The friend answered nonchalantly, realizing that the question was clearly about Nan.

- You went hunting yesterday, didn't you? Or did you meet the trophy? Was the guy so bad that you trashed the hotel bar because of that? - Kin wondered, while Lien was taking a pill.

- Tell me, do you miss the extreme sensations? Did you get into a fight with someone yesterday? Aren't you afraid of being sued for causing bodily harm? I'm not even talking about what the bar looks like now.... - Kin scolded his friend.

- Get up, get in the shower and get dressed. If you forgot, I'll remind you - tonight is a charity event at our friends' gallery," the man said without changing his tone, as if he was reprimanding a delinquent teenager.

- Kin... I don't want to go... - Lien said in a trembling voice, feeling afraid to see Nan with his ex.

- Are you an idiot, Lien? I said get up and shower! - Pulling the blanket off the bed, Kin ordered.

- Don't yell at me! You're not my husband! Your yelling gives me a headache! - Raed snarled, glaring at his outraged friend.

- Nobody's husband, I've already realized. You can't have a husband, you said so yourself," Lien teased his interlocutor, remembering his own words.

- Now... I guess I do... - the man on the bed.

- Oh! Stop lying here and suffering! You're acting like you got your heart broken! - Kin said it without thinking, but all he heard in response was a sob.

- Ohho... have you gotten it at last? - Kin sat down on the bed next to his friend, trying to comfort him.

- Stop crying. Your eyes will be red and puffy. You think he'll come back out of pity if he sees you like this? I told you, Lien, the longer you deny and lie to yourself, the more painful it will be. Come on. Get cleaned up, have breakfast, and get ready for tonight. Nitta said she called Nan and he confirmed he's coming. Or are you giving up? - Lien's friend encouraged him, knowing full well the state Raed was in.

- Breakfast is on the table. Oh, someone put this on your door.... - Kin remembered and went to the kitchen and returned with a small bag containing a glass of coffee and chocolate.

Lien remembered Faye's words about traveling halfway across the city to get it all and took out the coffee and chocolate, deciding to have breakfast with it. Realizing that the package had been left by Nanfha, his mood improved. Kin saw that his friend was feeling better, smiled and turning on the recorder on his phone unnoticed, decided to find out about last night's hunt.

- Lien, if you want me to help you, you have to be honest with me, do you understand? - The man asked and Lien took a bite of his chocolate bar and nodded.

- You went out with someone yesterday and it wasn't Nan, was it? - Kin started questioning him.

- Yeah... I went out with Baks... - he answered quietly, remembering that nasty feeling.

- И? - The impatient Kin didn't stop.

- We went up a number, he was gentle... I called him Nan as he kissed his back... And then. I kicked him out. - Lien recounted, and the image of Nanfha's caresses and his ex reappeared in his memories.

- Did he do something wrong?

- He... not Nan... damn... No one is Nan but Nan.... - Handsome tried to express his thoughts, but his friend understood him perfectly.

- And then?

- And then I went to his place. And got into a fight with the guards. They wouldn't let me in, Kin... - Raed explained briefly with a bitter resentment in his voice.

- Come on, get in the shower. I've got to get home to change and pick up Rose. I'll meet you at the gallery," Kin pretended to look at the clock on his phone, turning off the recorder.

Kin patted his friend on the shoulder and got out of bed, walking away with a satisfied smile his friend couldn't see.