Chapter 10 - The Snap

The hospital was buzzing with its usual rhythm, but for Dr. Aou Thanaboon, every beat felt off. His days had blurred into a rigid pattern-check vitals, prescribe treatment, avoid eye contact with Boom Tharathorn at all costs.

But avoidance only worked when the other person allowed it. And Boom never allowed it.

He watched Aou relentlessly. At meals, during check-ups, even when pretending to be asleep, Boom's gaze tracked every subtle twitch of the doctor's expression. He didn't speak of that night again, but the silence itself was a provocation.

By the fifth day, Boom had had enough.

When Aou entered the room for the evening round, Boom was already waiting, not in bed but leaning casually against the window, dressed in a fresh button-up shirt someone had delivered from his company. He looked less like a patient now and more like the CEO the world knew-powerful, untouchable.

"You're healing fast," Aou said curtly, scanning the chart without looking up.

"Because I follow orders," Boom replied smoothly.

Aou snorted. "Since when?"

Boom's lips curved. "Since I realized the doctor likes being in control."

That made Aou pause. His pen stilled against the paper, his jaw tightening. "Mr. Tharathorn-"

"Boom," he interrupted.

"I told you, we're not on a first-name basis," Aou said sharply.

"Then what were you about to call me that night, when you almost kissed me?" Boom's voice dropped low, silken and deliberate.

The air froze.

Aou's hand clenched around the chart, his pulse roaring in his ears. "That was nothing. A mistake. You're imagining-"

"I'm not," Boom cut in, pushing off the wall and stalking closer. Each step was steady, predatory, like he already knew how this would end. "You can hide behind your white coat all you want, Aou, but I'm not blind. You want me. And it terrifies you."

Aou's chest rose and fell rapidly. "You're crossing a line."

Boom stopped right in front of him, close enough that Aou could feel the faint warmth radiating off him. "Then push me back. Tell me to stop. Look me in the eye and say you don't want this."

Aou lifted his chin, meeting his gaze. His lips parted-ready to issue the denial, the command, the push that would end this dangerous game.

But nothing came out.

Because the truth was louder than the lie.

Boom's smirk softened, victory glinting in his eyes. He leaned in slowly, deliberately, giving Aou every chance to run. "That's what I thought."

And something inside Aou snapped.

He dropped the chart with a thud, fisting a hand into Boom's shirt and yanking him forward. Their lips crashed together, raw and unrestrained, months of tension igniting in an instant. Boom groaned low in his throat, his hands gripping Aou's waist like he'd been waiting his entire life for this moment.

The kiss was messy, frantic-teeth clashing, breaths mingling, a collision of fury and desire. Aou pushed him back against the wall, his usual composure shattered, his fingers digging into fabric like he wanted to tear down every barrier between them.

Boom kissed him back just as hungrily, savoring every second of the doctor finally losing control. His ribs ached with the pressure, but he didn't care-pain meant he was alive, and Aou's lips made him feel more alive than he had in years.

When they finally broke apart, both panting, Aou's forehead rested against Boom's, his chest heaving. His hands trembled against the CEO's shirt, his mind screaming at him to retreat, to rebuild the walls he had just demolished.

"This..." Aou gasped, his voice shaking, "was a mistake."

Boom chuckled, breathless and utterly unbothered. "Then it's the best mistake I've ever made."

Aou shoved him weakly, stepping back with burning cheeks and wild eyes. "I can't... I can't do this. You're my patient."

"And soon I won't be," Boom said smoothly, straightening his shirt with maddening calm. His smirk was back, but there was something softer in his gaze now, something dangerous. "And when that day comes, Doctor, you won't have any excuses left."

Aou turned sharply, grabbing the chart off the floor and storming out, his pulse still thundering in his veins, lips swollen from the kiss he swore should never have happened.

But Boom stayed by the wall, a satisfied smile tugging at his mouth. Because for the first time, Aou had stopped running.

And once a wall cracks, it never truly holds again.