CHAPTER 25 💖

-Next Day, Bunny Café-

Bryan walked in nervously, spotting Perth already seated by the window. The older man's aura was calm but sharp, the kind of presence that made anyone think twice before speaking.

"Phi Perth..." Bryan bowed slightly, taking the seat across. "I-I heard you wanted to see me."

Perth stirred his coffee slowly, eyes fixed on him. "I'll get straight to the point. Stace cried last night. She saw you with another girl. Care to explain?"

Bryan froze, color draining from his face. "Sh-she saw that?"

He pressed his palms together, voice trembling. "I-it wasn't what she thinks, I swear."

"That girl... she's my cousin. From London. We grew up together, and she just flew in yesterday. I asked her for quick catch up."

Perth raised a brow, skeptical. "Your cousin?"

"Yes!" Bryan fumbled in his bag and pulled out a small velvet box, sliding it across the table. Inside was a delicate silver necklace with a tiny gemstone, paired with a matching bracelet andring.

"I asked her to buy this for me in London. For Stacey. Our second monthsary is next week."

His voice cracked, guilt heavy in his tone. "I didn't tell Stacey because... I wanted it to be a surprise. But instead, I've made her think the worst of me. I never wanted her to cry, Phi. Never."

Perth studied him carefully, reading every flicker of his expression. Finally, he leaned back, exhaling slowly. "So that's the truth."

"Yes," Bryan said earnestly, eyes pleading. "Please, believe me. I love her more than anything. Hurting her is the last thing I'd ever want."

Perth's gaze softened a fraction. He picked up the box, closed it, and pushed it back toward Bryan. "You'd better tell her everything yourself."

"Don't ever leave room for her to doubt you again. She's not just your girlfriend, Bryan; she's my sister too. If you ever make her cry like that again..." His voice dropped, low and dangerous. "I won't be this polite."

Bryan nodded rapidly, swallowing hard. "I understand. I'll make it right, Phi. I promise."

...

For days, Bryan had tried everything to reach Stacey; texts, phone calls, even emails. But no matter the effort, Stacey refused to hear him out.

He had even come by the Pongsapak house more than once, hoping to talk face-to-face, only to be turned away at the door. Desperate, Bryan even pleaded to explain everything to Santa.

At first, Santa didn't even want to see his old classmate, furious over the hurt he caused his sister. But seeing Bryan's genuine remorse, he reluctantly gave him a chance.

Now, the three boys were quietly plotting how to get Stacey to listen. Coincidentally, tomorrow finally marked Bryan and Stacey's second monthsary, an opportunity they couldn't waste.

Meanwhile, Stacey sat on her bed that evening, staring blankly at her phone. Her inbox, once buzzing with messages from Bryan, had fallen silent. For the first time since that incident, he hadn't tried to call or text. Biting her lip, Stacey hugged her pillow tightly.

"Did... he really give up on me?" she whispered, her chest tightening at the thought.

...

-06:30 PM, Grand Bangkok Restaurant-

The actual day, Bryan and Santa (with Perth supporting from sideline) had managed to piece together a quick plan.

Bryan, desperate to make things right, had gone all out. He booked a private dining space at a five-star restaurant for what should have been their second monthsary celebration.

Santa played his part, casually telling Stacey that he had somehow gotten a free reservation from a friend and didn't want to waste it. "Just come with me, Jee. It'll be fun. And dress nicely, okay?" he said with a little grin, masking the truth behind his request.

Though suspicious, Stacey eventually agreed. "Fine. But only because it'd be a shame to waste such a rare chance," she muttered, still carrying the heavy weight of her doubts.

That evening, she arrived at the restaurant, with white long dress and cute pink bow resting on her hair.

As she was about to go in, the sight waiting for her made her stop in her tracks. There was Bryan, dressed neatly, holding a bouquet of fresh flowers with nervous determination. Beside him stood a woman she didn't recognise; slim, fashionable, and wearing an apologetic smile.

"Stace..." Bryan's voice wavered, relief washing over him the second their eyes met. "Thank you for coming."

Before Stacey could turn around, the other woman stepped forward and gave her a small bow. "You must be Stacey. I'm Lena, Bryan's cousin."

"I-I owe you an apology."

Stacey blinked, momentarily thrown off. "Cousin...?"

"Yes," Lena nodded earnestly. "I didn't mean to cause misunderstandings. Bryan invited me for coffee the other day because I brought something for you from London. I didn't realize that meet up had caused you pain."

She lowered her head again, her tone sincere. "I'm so sorry if I did."

Bryan quickly held out the small velvet box with shaking hands. "This is what I wanted to surprise you with. A matching ring and necklace set. I never wanted you to think I was hiding someone else."

Stacey's chest tightened. Seeing the two of them together, Bryan pleading, Lena apologising, made her heart ache. It wasn't the simple picture she had built up in her head when she cried alone at night.

Her lips parted, but no words came out. She only stared at the gift, at Bryan's face full of regret, and at Lena's gentle sincerity.

...

The room went quiet, and so was Stacey. She stayed frozen, her fingers twitching slightly but refusing to reach for the gift. Her voice was low, heavy.

"Bryan..."

"Do you think a bouquet and some jewelry can erase those painful nights I've gone through?"

Bryan flinched, his hand trembling as he lowered the box. "No... I don't. I know I've hurt you, Stacey. But I swear, everything I said was the truth. There's never been anyone else but you."

Lena quickly added, "I know I don't have a place to say this, but he's telling the truth, Stacey. I swear it wasn't some random girl he met."

Stacey bit her lip, her walls still up, her heart screaming at her to stay guarded. Just as the silence stretched unbearably long, another voice chimed in.

"See, Jee ? I told you."

Stacey's eyes widened when she saw Santa strolling into the private room with Perth right behind him, both dressed neatly. Santa crossed his arms, giving her a knowing look. "I wasn't lying when I said my friend got me this reservation. Bryan planned this for you."

Perth placed a gentle hand on Stacey's shoulder, his voice calm but firm. "Stace, I don't usually step into your love life. But I saw Bryan practically begging Santa for days just to find a way to make this right. If he didn't care about you, he wouldn't have gone this far."

Bryan's eyes glistened, desperate. "Stacey... you don't have to forgive me now. Just... please believe me when I say I only love you."

The restaurant felt painfully quiet. Stacey's chest rose and fell with uneven breaths as her gaze flicked from Bryan, to Lena, to her brother and Perth. Every single one of them standing behind Bryan's words.

Her hands clenched in her dress, trembling. She wanted so badly to stay angry. But surrounded by all these truths, her armor began to crack.

Stacey's eyes brimmed with fresh tears, her chest tightening as silence pressed in around them. She shook her head, stubbornly wiping at her cheeks, but the sobs still broke through her composure.

Bryan looked like he wanted to step closer, but he didn't dare... Not when she still hadn't lowered her guard. His hands stayed clenched by his sides, trembling with restraint.

Finally, in a voice so soft it almost cracked, Stacey whispered, "If you're here to apologise..."

"...Then why didn't you hug me if you're sorry?"

Bryan's breath hitched, his whole body trembling as if she'd just opened a door he'd been knocking on endlessly.

Without hesitation this time, he closed the distance, wrapping his arms around her with all the desperation and gentleness he'd been holding back.

Stacey buried her face against his chest, sobbing harder now, her hands weakly pushing against him at first before clutching his shirt as if she hated herself for still needing him this much.

"I'm so sorry, baby," Bryan murmured into her hair, voice breaking. "I should have held you from the start. I'll never let go again if you let me."

From the side, Santa nudged Perth, whispering, "Looks like she finally cracked..."

Perth smirked softly, pulling Santa against his side. "Told you love wins when you stop running from it."

...

The tension that had once weighed so heavily over the table had finally melted into laughter and light chatter. The five-star restaurant's soft glow set the perfect atmosphere, but it wasn't the chandeliers or polished silverware that mattered. It was the people around the table, finally breathing easy again.

Stacey, though her eyes still carried faint traces of tears, sat a little closer to Bryan than before. Every so often, he'd steal a glance at her, relief washing over his face each time she didn't push him away. When she finally allowed him to intertwine their hands under the table, his shoulders eased, as though a heavy weight had been lifted.

Lena, meanwhile, turned out to be far livelier than anyone expected. Outgoing and quick with her words, she had everyone laughing within minutes.

"Psst, Stace!" Lena leaned over to whisper conspiratorially.

"What is it?" Stacey's eyes sparkled with curiosity.

"Wanna know Bryan's darkest childhood secret?"

Stacey perked up instantly. "Oh? Tell me, tell me!"

Lena grinned. "Back when we had to perform for Grandma's birthday, all the cousins went up one by one. But Bryan here-" she tried to hold back a laugh, "was such a scaredy-cat he actually peed his pants in front of everyone!"

"Lena!" Bryan groaned, slamming his hand gently on the table. "We agreed never to bring that up again!"

But Lena was already cackling, clutching her stomach. "You even cried while doing it! Oh, it was priceless!"

Stacey giggled, leaning in closer to Bryan. "I didn't expect my boyfriend to have such 'cute' moments as a kid. You better spill more stories like this from now on, bae." She winked playfully, and Bryan buried his face in his free hand, clearly defeated.

Lena wasn't finished, though. "Oh, by the way! Santa and Perth, right? Bryan's told me bits here and there, but I've been dying to hear it from you two directly. How did you meet?"

Santa nearly choked on his cocktail while Perth just smirked, clearly amused.

"W-what? Uh, nothing special really... right, phi?" Santa mumbled, tapping Perth's thigh in panic.

Before Perth could answer, Stacey jumped in. "Nothing special? Excuse me, we practically had a love triangle back then-"

"Stop it, Jee! That's embarrassing!" Santa yelped, trying to cover his sister's mouth.

But Perth only leaned back, smirk widening. "No, no, let Stace finish. I'd like to hear her version."

Stacey grinned victoriously. "Ahem, well, long story short, I thought I had feelings for Perth. But in truth, it was Santa who had genuine feelings for him, while mine was more admiration than love."

"It was confusing back then, but it worked out. You could say their story started like a tragedy, but it ended sweeter than any of us could've imagined."

Lena gasped, covering her mouth dramatically. "Oh wow, such a drama! Straight out of a series!"

Santa's face was crimson while Perth chuckled lowly beside him, clearly enjoying every second of his boyfriend's torment.

"It's so nice to see the four of you loving each other dearly, but please...spare me, the single community."

"I didn't sign up to be your mosquito," Lena sighed dramatically, leaning on her hand at the edge of the table.

"Aww, don't say that," Stacey chuckled, opening her arms to pull her into a side hug. "You'll get your turn too. I'm manifesting it! Someone's going to show up one day, just like Bryan did for me."

"Exactly," Santa chimed in with a grin. "You're the complete package. Just wait for the right one who matches your standards, Lena."

The group laughed softly, the earlier tension replaced with warmth. Conversation drifted into lighthearted topics, but Perth stayed unusually quiet, his gaze never straying from Santa. Every time his boyfriend laughed or smiled, Perth's lips curved into a softer one of his own.

Noticing, Santa tilted his head. "Hm? What's wrong, phi? Why are you staring at me like that?"

Instead of answering right away, Perth simply slipped his arm around Santa's shoulders, pulling him closer into his embrace. His voice dropped low, meant only for Santa but loud enough for the others to hear.

"I'm just... thankful. For you. For us. For the people around us. Thank you for letting me back into your heart, and for accepting all of me. I love you so much, Santa Pongsapak."

Santa froze for a moment, his chest tightening. Words jumbled in his head but nothing felt big enough to carry the weight of what he was feeling. Happiness, love, gratitude; they all spilled together at once.

"Phi..." he whispered, eyes stinging. "Thank you for fighting for me. For never letting me go, even when it was difficult. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Forever and ever. I love you so much too, Perth Tanapon."

Their foreheads pressed together, and soon their lips found each other's in soft, lingering kisses. Warmth spread through both of them, the world momentarily fading away, until they noticed three pairs of eyes staring into them deeply.

Santa jolted, immediately pushing Perth back so suddenly the older nearly toppled out of his chair.

"Don't mind us," Stacey giggled behind her glass. "Keep going."

"Mm-hmm, yeah, just pretend we're invisible," Lena added, spooning another bite of her ice cream with zero shame. Bryan only smirked knowingly beside them.

Santa groaned, face burning. "You guys are the worst."

But Stacey wasn't done. "So, Tata..." she leaned forward with a mischievous grin. "What are your future plans with this guy, hm?"

Before Santa could stammer out anything, Perth caught his hand. He looked at Santa again, eyes steady, before lifting the younger's hand to his lips and pressing a tender kiss against his knuckles.

"I'm still preparing the dowry that Tata deserves," Perth said firmly. "So you'll have to wait a little longer for me."

The table erupted in chaos.

Stacey practically screamed, "OH MY GOD!" Lena gasped so loud half the restaurant turned. Bryan clapped Perth on the back with a grin, and Santa, completely red to the ears, covered his face with both hands.

Laughter and cheers filled the air, overflowing with joy that wrapped around the table like a blessing.

"At the end of the day," Stacey mused with a soft smile, "it's always the least expected person who turns out to be the one meant for us."

Perth tightened his arm around Santa, pressing a kiss to his temple. "Exactly. And that's why our story will always be called 'Not the One You Thought.'"

He smiled knowingly, almost like he was sharing the secret directly with us. ❤️

THE END.

...

PIIPP PIIPP THAT'S THE END OF THE STORY BOOOOOS 😚❤️💕💕💕 Thank you, so so much for staying with me till the end! I appreciate every one of you guys who had been with me from the start! I really feel so thankful for all your support and encouragement I got, especially through comments 😭🙏🏻❤️ (I laughed, sobbed, and felt touched every time you guys commented!)

This marks the end of "Not the one you Thought" story! I decided to put all of the remaining pieces in this one long chapter, so you booos can read it nicely☺️.

I will now move on to figure out other random ideas I have in my head for another PerthSanta AUs so stay tuned to that! Definitely have few of them, but I want to get one that's more interesting and engaging 🥰

(NOW I HAVE MY SECOND PERTHSANTA AU, just released "Thread of Sound" I hope you guys can support and look forward to it! HEHE 😚💖✨)

As always, I see you boooos in my next update and thank you so much for always supporting my story! 🧎‍♀️🧎‍♀️🧎‍♀️LOVE YOU LOTSSS 🖤🤍

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