Chapter 28 - The Best Photographer

Nanon's POV

"Nanon, can I walk you down the aisle?" My egg don... errr.... my mom asked me. We were having our monthly lunch with my dad and uncle Tha. I frowned. "Umm... No?" I'm not so sure where this is going. Or why she asked that kind of awkward question. "Dad and pa are going to walk me down the aisle." I told her. "But.. I'm your mother." She kind of forced her way in. I shook my head. "Playing the mom card won't work on me." I told her. "But I'll be happy if you and uncle Tha could come to my wedding." I tried to negotiate. "Of course I'm going to come. You're my son." Again, a little bit too late for that. "But it's final. It's a no brainer. Dad and pa are going to walk me down the aisle. I don't want anyone else to do it." I held my dad's hand. He smiled that very big smile. "Of course we're going to. You're my precious baby." He hugged me and kissed my cheek. He looked at my mom and stuck his tongue out. "You already walked Tay down the aisle. Why can't you let me have this one?" My mom looked not satisfied. "Yeah, not going to happen. I love Nanon, and that's the fact. And I don't care, I'll still walk him down the aisle even if you chopped my legs off." Dad's not backing down. "Is there any way you're gonna change your mind?" She asked me, again. "Sorry, no." I shook my head. We fell silent.

"And why won't you call p'Tha dad?" She suddenly said. Huh? What just happened? "Whaa?" is the only thing that came out of my mouth. I looked at uncle Tha and he looked taken aback too. "Ple, what are you talking about? I'm totally fine with him calling me uncle." He tried to explain to my mom. "No, you're not. You want him to call you dad too." Mom tried to convince him. "Okay, but I did call him uncle because this is super confusing. I already have dad and pa, and soon to be dad in law. Now you want me to call uncle Tha dad too? Between dad, dad in law, and dad Tha, that sure is going to be confusing as hell." I frowned. "Hmm. What about father?" My dad suggested. "Hmm. Maybe we should try that?" Uncle Tha looked unsure too. "Okay." I cleared my throat. "Good morning father Tha." I tried. We fell silent. I tried holding my laughter, but failed. Dad and uncle Tha failed to hold back their laughter too. The three of us laughed so hard. "This is not funny." My mom tried to scold us. "It is. It really is. Hahahaha..." uncle Tha wiped his tears. "True. That was super weird. Father Tha... hahahahaha..." dad couldn't stop laughing. We stopped laughing after a few minutes. "Just call me uncle Tha like always. Or maybe, if you feel like you want to call me dad, that's totally okay too. But father is certainly off the table. Maybe dad, or papa, to avoid confusion between me and your pa." He explained. "Okay, I could totally call you that, father Tha." I teased him. We laughed again.

I went to the bathroom, and when I got out, I saw my dad, my mom, and papa Tha talked about something. I walked to them. "What are you guys talking about?" I asked them. "Hmm... something?" Dad tried to avoid the subject. "Oh, it's nothing. It's just.. umm.." papa Tha tried to arrange his words. "So, umm.. Nanon... since you're my son too, I would like to pay for your wedding too." Papa Tha said. "And I already set aside some budget for your wedding. But it's not much, just ten millions." He kept talking. I widened my eyes. Oh God, not this again. "Huh?" was the only word coming out of my mouth. "If you need more, just tell me, or tell papa Tha, okay. We'll be very happy to spend more for you." Mom told me. "But.. but.. no.. umm, really, we don't need too." I tried to politely turn them down. "I mean, really. Dad already gave us twenty millions budget, plus ten millions from uncle Chane. So now, we already have thirty millions in our wedding bank account. And we also got the venue and the hotel for free from grandpa Break." I rubbed my forehead. "Just use this one to upgrade your menu or souvenir." Mom gave some suggestions. "Hmm.. how about this. I'll transfer the money to your wedding bank account, and you can use it for emergency, in case you need something. Please just accept it, okay?" He looked hopeful. Dear lord, I don't have a heart to crush his hope. I gave him the account number in the end, and he transferred the money almost immediately. My phone chimed, informing me about the incoming transfer. "Son, if you need anything, please don't hesitate to call me, okay." Mom stroked my cheek. That's still feel very weird, to be honest. We said goodbye, and my dad dropped me off at my office.

Ohm's POV

"Okay, this is confusing." I frowned. "I know, right." Nanon frowned too. We were having dinner, and Nanon told me about the whole fiasco with his mom and new papa. "He wanted you to call him papa?" He nodded. "Better than father, I guess." We fell silent. "And your mom wanted to walk you down the aisle?" That one sure is awkward. "mhmm.. super awkward, right. But I turned her down right away. I want my dad and pa to walk me down. How about you? Have you decided yet?" He asked me. "Hmm... not yet. Dad is my number one choice, of course. But the second one, that's just.. umm, how do I say this, I have no idea who's going to walk me down the aisle along with dad. The options are between p'Mew, grandpa Break, or p'Tap. And they all have their own reasons as to why they should walk me down." I thought so hard for this one. "God, I really don't want to hurt anyone's feeling. Can't they all just walk me?" We finished dinner and moved to the sofa. I put my head on his lap and he stroked my hair. "Hmm, how about we eliminate them one by one?" He suggested. "Hmm... Not a bad idea, actually. Okay, first, of course p'Tap is going to get eliminated. I mean, he's my dad's new husband, but he's just my dad's new husband. While p'Mew is my brother, and grandpa Break is my grandpa." I really have no idea which one to choose. "Grandpa Break paid for our venue and all our hotel rooms. Or to be exact, he lent it to us for free. And that's a guilt trip 101 if you don't ask him to walk you down." Nanon gave an input. "Yeah, that actually made sense. But I've known p'Mew since I was born. We are close in our own way." I gave some input too. "Hmm, you're right. But he already got married to p'Gulf. And that's a whole new case, I guess. I think the right choice is grandpa Break." Nanon said. "Hmm, I agreed. Okay, suddenly, I have an idea. But you could totally said no if you disagree." I told him. He nodded. "Do you think it's sweet or creepy if I asked my grandpa to hold the picture of my mom while he walked me down the aisle? So she could be a part of our wedding too?" I'm not so sure. "Hmm. I think it's sweet. Let's ask grandpa Break if he would do it." Nanon hugged me.

"Okay, I know this is so not the right time, but suddenly, I have an idea of how you should announce the person who's going to accompany your dad." He smiled, trying to lighten the mood. "And how do you suggest I do that?" I smiled too. "Let's do the next top model thing. You have to say it with Tyra Bank's voice. Here goes. 'Two handsome guys stand before me, but I only have one photo in my hand, and this photo represent the one who's going to walk me down the aisle along with dad. I'll only call one name, and the name who I do not call must immediately return to your room, pack your bag and go. I'll start with Grandpa Break. Grandpa, we only just known each other for years, but throughout those years, you did good, and we became close. And you also lend us the hotel for free. And then we have p'Mew, my only brother. I've known you my whole life, and we're close in our own weird way. But you already got married, and I think it's gonna be awkward for p'Gulf. So, who stay? Who goes home?' *cue the surprise music*. You should totally do it like that." He laughed. I laughed too. He really knows how to lighten up my mood and cheer me up. I pecked his lips and we started making out for a while.

Several days later...

We're going to do a prewedding photoshoot today. We rented a castle for a day. Yes, a castle. Complete with the garden and stuffs. We wanted to do the royal theme for our shoot. I have no idea who the photographer is going to be, but Nanon found her online. He looked at her work and wanted to hire her. I don't mind at all, or to be exact, I couldn't care less about stuffs like this, so I just went along with it. We arrived at the castle. The weather was nice, not too hot, so we could wear our suits without being afraid of getting a heat stroke. Nanon called the photographer. "Hello phi, have you arrived yet?" He asked. The photographer said something over the phone while Nanon nodded his head up and down. "Okay, then." He hung up the phone. "She has arrived. She's inside now, looking for the best spots for our photos." I smiled and nodded. We got inside and.... "Milk?" I pointed at her when I see her. "Ohm?" She looked surprised too. "You guys knew each other?" Nanon frowned. "Ummm... yeah, we used to..." she was about to say something. "go to the same high school." I cut her off. "Yes, that we did. We went to the same school." She nodded. "So, how've you been?" She asked. "Good. Great. You?" "I'm good too." She answered. Awkward. "Okay, then. Nanon, let's get ready. Let's go to the changing room." I dragged Nanon to the changing room. 

"Okay. Now tell me. What's wrong with you?" Nanon asked me. We changed into our first suits, the matching red and green suits. "Nothing?" I tried to dodge the question. "Come on, just tell me." He forced me. "Okay, but please don't get any wrong ideas, okay." he nodded. "Umm.. Milk and I, umm, we used to date in high school. We dated for three months." I explained. Nanon's expression slightly changed. You can't see it clearly, but it changed. "And? Why did you guys break up?" He tried to keep calm. "She tried to kiss me... and I panicked and pushed her away." He fell silent. "Okay, then. It's all in the past. It's all in the past." He took a deep breath. I could feel him still a little bit uneasy. "Come on, let's go." I held his hand and we went to our first spot.

"Good, put your hand on his hip. Now, chin up a little bit. Good." She directed us. "Mr.Nanon, smile a little bit, please. You looked so stiff right now. And you looked tired." She said to him. "Try to relax, okay. You're going to get married, not going to war." She tried to joke for a bit. Not funny though, cause Nanon's not laughing at all. "Sorry, just nervous, I guess." He said with a flat tone. He looked like a lazy teenager that got dragged by his father to do a photoshoot he don't want to. "Can we pause for a minute?" I asked Milk. She nodded. "Nanon, come with me." I dragged him to one of the room. "Okay, now, what's wrong with you?" I asked him. He just raised his shoulders and pouted. He looked unimpressed. "Why are you acting like this? Tell me. You were fine when we entered the castle." I got impatient. "Say something." I shook him. He tried to shook me off but I'm stronger. "Because I don't want to get shoot by your ex. I don't like it." So THAT was the reason. My guess is correct. I rubbed the bridge of my nose. "But you were the one who hired her." I tried to reason with him. "That's because I have no idea that she was your ex. If I would have known, I wouldn't hire her." He's so stubborn. "What are you gonna do then? Do you want to cancel on her? And just reschedule for some other day? Cause we could totally do that." I was being sarcastic, because to be honest, we couldn't. We're both very busy with our work, so taking a day off like this was a miracle. "I really wish we could." He still looked unhappy. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. "Come in." I told them. Milk entered one second later. "Is everything allright?" She asked. Nanon raised his shoulders, he went back to his mute mode. I shook my head. I love Nanon with all my heart, but he really could act like a little child sometimes. "Ohm, can I talk to mr.Nanon, just the two of us?" Milk asked me to leave. I looked at Nanon and eventhough he's in the mute mode right now, I know he needed this too. I got out of the room and leave them.

Nanon's POV

I really have no idea that the photographer I hired was Ohm's ex girlfriend. There goes my plan to hire her for my wedding, and for my work. I know that nobody is at fault for this incident. But I couldn't help but feel upset about this. And now Ohm left me alone with his ex. I don't feel like talking so I just stayed silent. "Umm, mr.Nanon, I'm sorry. I overheard your conversation with Ohm about me and him, about our past." She explained. "Ohm and I, we are in the past. We dated for three months, like seven, eight years ago, I guess? But it ended, clearly because he doesn't have any interest in girls." She kept talking. Me still mute. "You really have nothing to worry about. Do you know why? She asked me. I shook my head. "Because I'm already married, and have one children, a son." She smiled. "You do?" Shit, I talked. Not mute anymore, I guess. "Yes, I do have a son. A very cute one year old. He's almost as cute as you." Okay, she's good. I started to break a smile. "But I could totally understand if you don't want anything to do with me. To be honest, this feels a little bit awkward, directing my ex and his husband to be. But I'm a professional and I could do it. And I heard you were already running behind on your schedule. So how about this, we could be professional for one day. I'm going to be the best photographer, and you're gonna be the best model. I'll give you my best work, and you'll get the best prewedding photos. You're going to pay me for my work, and you won't have to see my face ever again. Deal?" She smiled and made a 👌🏻gesture. "Hmm.. no deal." I shook my head. "Huh? Why?" She frowned. "I need to see your work first. And if I like it, I'll have another job for you. So, I will have to see your face again if that happens." I smiled. "Okay, fine. I'll do my best so you won't see another photographer." She looked confident. "Oh, and stop calling me mister, makes me feel so old. Just call me Nanon." "Yes, sir." She made a salute gesture. We laughed and walked out of the room.

We got out of the room, and Ohm already waited outside. He said nothing, hugged me, and kissed my forehead. "Sorry I acted like a little kid." I apologized to him. "No worry." He pecked my nose. "So, do we continue the photoshoot, or...?" "We can continue. But we need to do some retouch first. We're going to have the best prewedding shoot, ever." I smiled and we walked to make up room.

Even with a little incident in the beginning, we ended up having a very fun day shooting at the location. We did some shoot outdoor, and some indoor. We also took some photos by the pool. We changed our costume five times, including casual t-shirts, where we stroll around the garden/forest. Milk also did her best, directing us, and taking photos of us. She really knew what she was doing. Overall, we enjoyed the experience of shooting with her.

Several Weeks Later...

Ohm and I went to this cafe to meet up with Milk to see her work. We looked at her work on her laptop, and I have to say, this is a good jaw dropping moment for me (and I guess for Ohm too, judging from his expression). "Wow Milk, these photos are amazing. Superb." I told her. I looked at the one where we strolled along the garden. Our hands intertwined, my other hands pointed at the leaves. We looked at each other and I could see how in love we are. I looked at another photo. This one has a darker theme. In black and white, we stood so close to each other, but we both looked at the camera. The cool expression, not smiling. Oh, so perfect. So good. Chills. And then there's an intimate shoot on the bed. Ohm shirtless, while I wore an undershirt. My hand on his chest, and we looked into each other's eyes. And the next photo, still in the same position, but now we kissed, our eyes closed. But what I loved the most about these photos, aside from how Milk captured our perfection, was the details in every picture. Some people might not be aware about this kind of details, but I do. Like, how the light hit us in the garden photos, or the flowers around us. Or even how the wind blew our hair into the perfect position. If you looked closely, the shadows of the window panes in our intimate photos made it more intimate. Like, we were just chilling in bed on a Sunday afternoon. 

"God, I don't know which ones to choose. They all looks so good." Ohm said. "I agreed. Look how handsome we are. Milk, you really did a great job." I praised her. "Thank you. You guys were so easy to work with. Every shoot looks amazing. Now, you have to choose which ones we're going to put on canvas so we could display them at your wedding." We ended up choosing ten photos for the display. But Milk gave us the soft copy of all edited photos. "You could also display them digitally. Like, make a clip or something and played it on projector." She suggested. "Not a bad idea, actually." I agreed with her. 

"Umm.. Milk.." I started talking. "Would you be interested in becoming our photographer for our wedding?" I asked her. "Are you sure it's okay?" She frowned. "Of course I'm sure. Look at your work, you're amazing, why won't we hire you again?" I tried to convince her. "Okay, deal." She shook my hand.

Extra Chapter - The Wedding Gift

Nanon's POV

"Just accept it, okay." My dad tried to force me. "But we don't want to." I really have no idea how to turn him down anymore. "Is it really that bad?" Pa backed him up. "No, it's not. But Nanon and I, we decided we want to buy it ourselves." Ohm tried to reason with them. "And now you don't have to. Just consider this a wedding gift from us." They won't back down. "Dad, pa, you guys already gave us a lot of things." I don't want to be a burden. "And we're happy to. Giving you stuffs made us feel so good." "But what about my dad? Won't he say something about it?" Ohm tried another excuse. "No, he won't. Because we went halfsies with him when we bought it for you guys." Okay, the excuse failed. "So, you don't want to live next to us?" Dad really aimed for the jugular with this one. "It's not that we don't want to. It's just..." "it's just you don't wanna live next to your old man." Here comes the guilt trip. "............ okay, fine. We'll look at the property tomorrow." Ohm decided to back down. We know we won't win against them in this fight. "Okay, then. See you tomorrow." Dad kissed my cheek and they left. 

Tomorrow came, and we looked at the property next to my dad's house. The first thing I noticed was how beautiful the house is. The second thing I noticed was, wow, it's huge. Honestly, it's so big for two people to live in it. "Wow." Ohm whispered under his breath. "It's amazing, right?" Dad asked us. "Yes, it is. It's beautiful. And also, it's so big. Too big." I told him. "Well, as I told you before, if you don't like the building, we could just destroy it and build a new one." Pa told us. "Des.. destroy? You're going to destroy this beautiful house?" I don't want to. They nodded. "To be honest, we got a great deal for this house. Do you know that this house is totally brand new? No one live here before." Huh? "What happened?" I asked them. "Well, long story short, the previous owner had a gambling addiction, and he got bankrupt, and bank confiscated all of his assets, including this one. We got a tip from the insider, placed our bet, and won this property for a very cheap price." He looked proud. "Wow, I'm sorry for the previous owner." Ohm said. "Don't be. Because of his gambling addiction, in the end, he lost everything. Not only his assets and money, but he also lost his wife and his kids. They got divorced and they don't want anything to do with him again." Dad told us. "Do you know what's sad?" We shook our heads. "Now, he live in a very small rented apartment. And, if you dare him to bet, he's still going to. Like when watching a soccer match, which one is going to win, you could bet against him. That's how bad his addiction is. He didn't try to change, he didn't try to seek help." He continued, a little too dramatic.

"Oh. And how do you know all that?" I glared at them. "Umm. From the insider?" Pa looked guilty. "Really? The insider from the bank?" I looked at them. I lived in this area for more than twenty years, and they just finished this house last year. Surely we'll hear that kind of gossip. "Okay, fine. The truth is, we bought the land several years ago, went halfsies with Ohm's dad, and we built the house for you guys. Please don't get mad." Dad looked guilty too. "But we really put a lot of effort building it while we imagined what you would want. Please just accept it." I looked around, and I could feel that they really do build it like how we would want them. We went to the master bedroom, and it looked so comfy, along with the similiar room from my old bedroom to put all my shoes and clothes. Wow, they really know me so well. "And there's a home gym for Ohm to use." They pointed at the room. "Hmm, I have to admit though, it's not that bad. And this place is closer to our workplace." Ohm and I looked at each other and nodded. "Okay, fine. We'll take the house. But, we still need to adjust a few things. So we're gonna do a little renovation for it." I told my dads. They smiled so big. "You won't regret your decision." They hugged me and kissed my cheeks, and they shook hands with Ohm.

To Be Continued...