Chapter Text
Keng immediately looked over to Engfa for help, but she decidedly ignored him and continued to polish a glass.
Traitor.
“Well, why didn’t you ever come to say Hi?” Angel actually pouted at him. Keng felt the blood rise to his face, cheeks burning as he could do nothing but stare at the dancer. He was in big trouble.
Keng took a step back unconsciously, but Angel didn’t even hesitate and closed the distance right back up. The dancer completely invaded his personal space and put a hand on his bicep, holding eye contact. He felt like going into cardiac arrest at any minute.
How is he even more beautiful up close?
The sultry smell of jasmine overwhelmed Keng’s senses, and his brain very unhelpfully supplied the question as to how a person could still smell that nicely after an hour of uninterrupted dancing. Angel leaned forward and put his lips very close to his ear. “If you ever want a private dance, just say the word, and I’m yours. For free, of course. Because you’ve been so generous to me,” he whispered, running his hand down Keng’s arm, touch feather-light.
Well, he didn’t have to worry about a red face anymore because all of his blood was rushing south now.
Keng was a very logical person. He knew that this was Angel’s job. He also definitely knew that he was not special by any means. But, wow, did he feel like the luckiest man on planet earth right now.
At the lack of a reaction, Angel took a step back and really looked at him. “Engfa was right, you’re a total sweetheart, huh? And much younger and a lot more handsome than I thought,” he added with a wink.
Yeah, Keng had to leave right now, or he would actually faint. “Uh. Well, I just… wanted to uhm? Show you some appreciation. Yeah. For being so hardworking. And stuff,“ Keng managed to stammer out.
Angel’s eyes went impossibly soft at that, and he changed his tone. “Seriously, you’ve been helping me a ton. I truly appreciate it, thank you.“ His voice sounded sincere, like he wasn’t just playing the temptress for him anymore.
Keng just nodded and coughed out a “See you!”, before throwing the envelope on the bar counter and fleeing the club. He was almost certain that he heard Engfa‘s laughter behind him.
•
The only way to clear his head was to take a long walk and get some fresh air. That’s why Keng decided to go into town the very next morning, instead of eating breakfast at home.
He was mindlessly walking down a busy road when he smelled fresh coffee and baked goods. His growling stomach reminded him that he hadn’t eaten anything since last night before he visited the club.
So, he decided to take a little break from wallowing in self-pity and entered the nearby café, which is where the scent was seemingly coming from. A little bell chimed above his head when he entered the shop, and Keng noticed that it was surprisingly empty.
Well, good for him. The quicker he was out of there, the better. He had a lot to think about.
“Welcome in, how can I help- Oh, hell no!” Keng looked up at the barista at the counter in surprise before freezing on the spot.
He wasn’t wearing any make-up and had a cap on top of his hair, but this barista was undoubtedly Angel.
Oh. God. No.
Keng immediately panicked and tried to leave the store, but Angel had already recognised him. He pointed at him and raised his voice accusingly. “Are you stalking me? I thought you were one of the good ones!”
“No, no, no, no!” Keng held his hands up defensively. “This was an accident! I’m so sorry, I’m leaving!”
“Namping, is everything alright? Why are you shouting?” a gruff voice came from the back.
Engfa had explained to him in detail why all the dancers had stage names and kept their private lives completely separate from the club. There had been a few incidents that left some girls traumatised or worse.
And now he involuntarily found out not only Angel’s other occupation, but also his name. Keng was ready to call the police on himself.
“Everything under control!” Namping yelled back, before narrowing his eyes at Keng again, who was practically shrinking under his pointed stare. “You know, the only thing that’s making me believe you, is the fact that you seem awfully lost right now. And Engfa actually loves you. She’s usually excellent at figuring people out.”
“Really, I did not know you work here, I am so sorry. I just wanted breakfast. I can leave, and you’ll never see me again.” Keng practically begged.
Namping let out a sigh. “Well, too late now. What do you want?” “No, it’s fine. I’ll be on my way!”
“Keng. What do you want?”
Keng’s brain almost didn’t catch that. “Uhm. You know my name?” “Obviously. Did you think Engfa wouldn’t tell me everything I asked about you?”
Well, in hindsight, he should’ve known that. “Just an americano and a cheese sandwich, please.” Keng awkwardly stepped closer to the counter.
“Coming right up,” Namping replied with a forced customer service voice, and ushered him to the side.
After a minute, he set down both items. „On the house because I doubt that you’ll ever cash in that dance. Now, please forget about this and leave.“
Keng just nodded and almost tripped over his feet while rushing out of the store.
So much for clearing his head.
•
He could not concentrate for the rest of the day. Tossing and turning that night, he was unable to fall asleep. Keng felt horrible for invading Namping‘s privacy like that. He knew he had to stop his visits to the club immediately, but not before apologising properly and bidding farewell to Engfa.
That’s why he found himself pacing in front of the club the next afternoon, still practicing what to say exactly.
Just when Keng finally decided to just get it over with, he heard some shouting coming from the alley right next to the club. Against his better judgement, he slowly stepped around the corner and tried to see what the altercation was about.
A massive man was towering over someone pressed against the wall of the club. “Oh, come on, sweetheart, just give me your number, what’s the harm in that?”
“You can piss off, or I will call security!” a very familiar voice shouted back. It was Namping. “I have a boyfriend, anyway,“ the dancer spat out. Keng felt an unreasonable pang of jealousy and disappointment at that. The stranger slowly raised his hand and Namping shrunk back even further.
Keng moved before thinking about the consequences of confronting this much taller man, and stepped up right next to them. “Excuse me, is there a problem?” he asked, trying really hard to keep his voice from shaking.
Namping looked surprised for a second before grabbing Keng‘s arm and moving behind him. “There he is, that’s my boyfriend! Now, can you leave me alone?“
The man narrowed his eyes at them and then turned around with a huff. “Whatever, you’re ugly anyway.” And with that, he stomped out of the alleyway.
Namping slumped against him, the hand around Keng‘s arm now shaking. “Thank you so much,“ he muttered against his shoulder.
Keng suddenly remembered why he was here and that this was not how today was supposed to go. He slowly stepped away from the dancer and started fiddling with his sleeves.
“It looked like you had everything under control,“ he awkwardly chuckled. Namping mustered him with an unreadable expression.
“It didn’t feel like I did. And I wouldn’t even have had a chance to call security if he actually tried to do anything. You came at the right time.“
There was a moment of silence where they just looked at each other. After taking a deep breath in, Keng decided to rattle off his prepared speech right there and then.
“Listen, I want to apologise again for yesterday. I only came here today to tell you that I did not mean to scare or upset you and I will leave you alone from now on. I’m not coming back. To the bakery or here. I just want to say goodbye to Engfa, and then I’ll be on my-“
“Keng, breathe. It’s fine,“ Namping suddenly interrupted his monologue. He grabbed his elbow and started to pull him inside the club. “I’ll get us something to drink, and then we can talk.”
And because Keng was very weak-minded when it came to Namping, he let himself be dragged along.