Rainan yelped as the hand yanked him into a small shaded spot near the trees beside the parked truck. His heart raced—for about two seconds—until he found himself face to face with a very familiar scowl.
“Angelo?”
Angelo stood with his arms crossed, brows furrowed, and lips pursed in a pout that was more adorable than intimidating. His jaw was clenched, but there was no mistaking it—it was his Angelo.
Rainan blinked and turn his sight back to the truck, again he saw the man leaning on it and seems like it's just a strager taking a smoke. Then he turn to the man in front of him again and instead of asking if he was okay or demanding answers—
He burst out laughing.
“Wait—” he choked between laughs, “you’re the one who grabbed me?! I thought I was being kidnapped! I nearly threw a punch!”
“You should’ve,” Angelo muttered under his breath. “Would’ve made it more dramatic.”
Rainan laughed even harder, grabbing Angelo’s cheeks playfully. “Oh my god, look at your face. You look like a grumpy bunny!”
“I’m not grumpy,” Angelo protested, though he didn’t pull away. “Okay, maybe I am a little. I just…”
He dropped his gaze for a second before glancing up through his lashes.
“I thought it was going to be our day. Just us. Like a date or something. Then mystery city guy appears. And then Lance shows up and suddenly I’m the invisible third wheel in my own truck.”
Rainan’s eyes softened. He stepped closer, pressing a light kiss to Angelo’s cheek.
“Aww… were you jealous?”
Angelo didn’t answer, but the redness creeping up his ears betrayed him.
“You were!” Rainan teased, grinning. “You thought I was gonna run off with a business guy or my best friend from the city?”
“Well… Adrian's handsome. And they’ve got history. And Lance keeps touching your shoulder like you're made of marshmallow or something,” Angelo grumbled. “You were all laughing and talking about beams and arches like I didn’t even exist.”
“I love beams and arches,” Rainan said dramatically, then winked. “But I love you more.”
Angelo rolled his eyes, but the corners of his lips twitched.
“I brought Adrian because he’s about to leave for the city again,” Rainan explained softly, wrapping his arms around Angelo’s waist. “And I wanted him to see what I’m doing here—how this place is home. I wanted him to feel it.”
Angelo sighed, his voice low. “I know. I just… I missed you today, even if we were together.”
That made Rainan’s heart melt like butter on warm bread.
He rested his head against Angelo’s chest. “Well, I’m here now. And I missed you, too. I was waiting for a chance to pull you away from all the nerd talk.”
Angelo chuckled and held him tighter. “You sure? Because Adrian and Lance looked like they were ready to propose.”
Rainan smirked. “Well, you already beat them to it in your own way. You snatched me like a proper dramatic boyfriend.”
“Desperate times,” Angelo whispered into his hair. “Desperate measures.”
They stayed like that for a moment—bodies close, the sound of birds and soft breeze around them, the occasional hum of distant town life carrying in the wind.
Then Rainan pulled back slightly, cupped Angelo’s cheek, and gave him a gentle kiss—slow, warm, and sweet.
When they broke apart, he whispered, “Let’s go back before they start wondering where I am.”
Angelo nodded. “Yeah, but…”
“But?”
“Can I just hold your hand the whole time? Just so everyone knows?”
Rainan grinned. “Only if you promise not to break Adrian’s coffee tumbler out of jealousy again.”
“I never broke—okay, maybe I nudged it off the bench once.”
“Twice,” Rainan laughed.
They walked back, hand in hand—Rainan glowing, and Angelo still mildly pouting, but now with a grin he couldn’t hide.
--------------
As Rainan and Angelo returned from the shaded spot, hand in hand and glowing like two people who had just shared something secretly wonderful, Adrian and Lance both turned toward them—mid-conversation and mid-snack.
Adrian raised an eyebrow when he spotted their interlocked fingers. Lance, on the other hand, actually whistled.
“Well, well, look who’s back,” Lance said with a teasing grin. “And holding hands like the final scene of a teleserye.”
Angelo didn’t miss a beat. “We’re just making sure Rainan doesn’t get snatched. Safety first.”
“Uh-huh,” Adrian smirked. “That wasn’t a protective handhold. That was a this-is-my-boyfriend-so-back-off handhold.”
“Ding ding ding. Give the man a prize,” Angelo said, completely unapologetic.
Rainan let out a soft chuckle, squeezing Angelo’s hand a little. “You two done with your commentary?”
“Almost,” Adrian said, pretending to think. “Do we get extra points if we noticed the sulking earlier? Because someone definitely looked like he wanted to throw Lance into a rice sack.”
Lance laughed. “Honestly, I felt the glare. I was two seconds away from offering my shoulder to Rainan just to see what would happen.”
Angelo narrowed his eyes. “Try it again. I dare you.”
“See?” Lance threw up his hands. “That right there is possessive behavior. I surrender, okay? No more tapping Rainan’s shoulder. Or complimenting his laugh. Or breathing in his direction.”
“You’re learning,” Angelo said, pulling Rainan a little closer and resting their joined hands on his own knee.
Adrian leaned back and grinned. “I get it now. I should’ve brought a date too. Maybe then I wouldn’t have felt like the third—or fourth—wheel.”
“You’re not a wheel,” Rainan said sincerely. “You’re a dear friend. This day wouldn’t have been complete without you.”
Angelo hummed and added, “Yeah, besides, someone had to witness Lance’s tragic defeat.”
Lance mock clutched his chest. “Oof. Wounded. Fatally.”
“You’ll live,” Rainan teased. “You’ve got business empires to run.”
They all laughed after that, the awkward tension finally melting into something light and easy. Rainan looked around the circle of people—his jealous but sweet boyfriend, his good-natured friend from the city, and a ridiculous businessman who couldn’t take a hint until the hint came wrapped in a handhold and a forehead kiss.
He smiled.
It wasn’t what he expected for the day, but somehow, it felt perfect anyway.