Moonlight Bar

"Phi…" The boy called Tharn finally broke down, sobbing without a care as he lifted his head to look at his friend.

That was when Anurak finally saw the face. There were palm prints on both cheeks, and his neck was red from getting choked. Apart from that, the boy was cute with a small oval face, small lips, and long eyelashes.

There was also a cut on his lower lip, but this cut only made him cuter.

Compared to Anurak, his look was nothing to write home about, therefore, even though Anurak noticed that Tharn was cute, it did not affect him. To him, Tharn's look was normal.

The just-arrived guy hurried over to Tharn and hugged him, letting the boy cry into his chest.

"Tharn, who was it?" He said with a surprisingly soft and indulgent voice.

New rolled his eyes and looked away.

This was when Anurak figured he had dragged New into an uncomfortable situation. He hurried to New's side and took his hand, shocking him.

Since they met, each time New grabbed Anurak's hand, the guy had always put up a resistance and New was already being cautious around him. Just now, after realizing that he was subconsciously replacing Tharn with Anurak, New had promised himself not to be that careless again.

But now, it was Anurak himself who picked his hand up. New didn't know what to make of this. He gazed into Anurak's eyes, then his eyes traveled down to their hands. Anurak noticed and wanted to let go, but New suddenly tightened his hold. He felt that it felt right.

This is Anurak, not Tharn. And there is no reason why I shouldn't let him hold my hand if he wants to. The most important thing is that he is Anurak and not Tharn. I must not mix them up again…

Anurak felt that something was wrong, but it wasn't the right moment to think about it. Presently, he just wanted to take New out of this place.

"Let's go." He whispered.

"Okay." New nodded and let Anurak drag him away.

A picture of another hand, dragging him along like this, flashed across his mind, but New shut it out. It's not the same. He reassured himself. This is Anurak, not Tharn!

"New…" The new guy called out. This time, his voice wasn't angry, but it was still stern.

"I don't know who did it, Bank." New threw over his shoulder. He was a little angry that Bank cut into his thoughts. He just wanted to concentrate on the feel of Anurak's hand in his. If he could feel the difference, he would not mix them up again…

When they got to New's car, Anurak dropped New's hand, making the guy frown a little. He wanted to pick that slim and dainty hand again but couldn't think of a reason to, so New clenched his fist and tucked his hand into his pocket.

Anurak looked into New's eyes, oblivious to the guy's thoughts.

"What was that all about?" He asked.

"It's nothing." New shrugged.

Just then, his phone beeped. It was a message from his brother. "Let's go." He muttered loud enough for Anurak but didn't wait to see if he followed.

I need to mind myself. It's not that I even like him. I just met him. So why am I being like this?

Knowing he had dipped his foot in a puddle but not knowing how he messed up, Anurak was pissed with himself. He wanted to resolve this blunder right away, but he also understood that this wasn't the right time for it. New's brother was waiting for them, and first impressions matter.

He followed New, and they walked back to the entrance of the bar, where another tall, broad-chested guy with big biceps was waiting in a black shirt with rolled-up long sleeves.

At first glance, Anurak knew immediately that this was P'Smooth, New's brother. They were two peas from the same pod. Apart from their hairstyles, every other thing was the same.

"Phi!"

New brightened up on seeing his elder brother. He hurried over to Smooth with sparkling eyes. The gloomy air around him was suddenly gone, throwing Anurak for the second time within the hour.

This New, is he on his period? Anurak mused inwardly. He chuckled to himself as Sophea's face flashed in his mind. He had never seen anyone so swift at changing their moods at the snap of a finger, except for her.

"What took you so long?" Smooth asked angrily.

"We ran into some guys from our class. Sorry about that Phi." New lied smoothly, while Anurak raised an eyebrow at his slyness.

"Phi, meet my friend. Anurak… Anurak, this is my brother, P'Smooth."

Anurak placed his two palms together and gave a decent bow. "Sawasdee Krab Khun, P'Smooth."

"Sawasdee."

Smooth hardly glanced at Anurak before turning back to New, who instantly caught the rudeness and frowned immediately at his elder brother.

"Phi." He whispered reproachfully but Smooth ignored the look, turned, and started entering the bar.

"Follow me," Smooth said in a stern voice.

Anurak shouldn't have been surprised at Smooth's condescending attitude. He expected it from all the rich kids. But when his expectation was finally met, Anurak was unprepared. He had met New. New had been cool and accommodating. So Anurak had pushed his prejudice to the back of his mind. New had made him lose his guard. Maybe he wouldn't have felt this pissed off if it was someone else who was this rude to him. But because New was cool, Anurak had subconsciously expected his elder brother to be just like that. How was he supposed to know that New and his brother were opposites?

Anurak's dark gaze landed on the proud back of Smooth. If a look could kill, Smooth wouldn't have been able to make it back into the bar.

"Anurak," New called with a wry smile. "I am sorry about that. My brother is quite cool. Something must have pissed him off."

"Hmm." Anurak nodded.

He was unable to look New in the eye. He didn't want New to see his eyes. He was sure they were red already. Anurak was someone who wears his emotions on his sleeves.

All it would take is a look and one would be able to tell whether something was wrong or not.

"Let's go in." New urged gently.

Anurak nodded and started moving his legs towards the bar's entrance reluctantly.

Left to him, he would have gone back to his hostel, but New had been good to him all day. Anurak couldn't bring himself to disappoint New. So against his better judgment, he entered the bar.

The first floor of the Moonlight bar is a typical arrangement of tables and chairs, with enough space for walking around unobstructed.

The real bar is massive, with four bartenders in black body hugs under wine-colored aprons. There were tall stools lined up by the bar and some patrons were seated on them, getting served by some bartenders.

There is also a standard stage with a live band playing.

On entry, the first thing one will notice is the lights. They are in all colors and their bulbs come in different shapes.

Looking up, A huge chandelier hung in the middle of the high ceilings. Its light is like teardrops, and it's neither white nor warm. It has an off-white feel. No matter how long one stares at it, it would never hurt the eyes.

The other colors easily play around it without overshadowing it, even though it isn't as bright. Because of this chandelier, the bar is consistently low lit and unless one went looking for someone, or they have a bright-colored light close to their seat, no one would be able to make out the face of a stranger.

The waitresses were all the same body type; Slim with some foldable flesh on their tiny butts. They were all wearing the same outfits as the bartenders, but the body hugs were micro mini and hardly covered their butts as they ended with pleated, flaring short skirts. The skirts were so short that their butt cheeks could be seen when they turned their backs.

The wine-colored apron was long enough to cover their frontal up to the mid-thigh.

Even though the number of waitresses out-did the waiters, one could still see the boys because they were dressed in black tank tops and biker's shorts that clung to their upper thighs. Their wine-colored aprons also covered their frontal, but their backs were left for customers to feast on.

For a boy from a remote town in Surin, this was too much skin. Anurak gulped as he tried not to look too much.

Staying celibate will be harder than I thought. He signed to himself.

Two sets of stairs lead to the second floor, which is an open space overlooking the first floor from both sides of the hall. On these stairs, there were security men who verified whoever wanted to climb.

When New and Anurak entered, Anurak paused to take everything in. He had never seen such a large and vibrant bar before. The waiters' outfits alone were enough to wake him up, downstairs. Even though he didn't go out much, he was sure that back at home, no club would dare to let their staff dress this outrageously.

From the look of things, the club would be crazier than this. Anurak mused as his imagination ran wild.