### First of all, I have to start by apologizing, I was supposed to post my fanfic update on the 3rd, but seeing as that was my birthday (which I spent working 12 hours, and going to school for 6. Yay me!) I couldn't get to it. Anywho, it's here now so "Y ay!"

This is the fist chapter being told from August's perspective, and it is a bit slow in the beginning, but I swear, the ending is amazeballs. I should know, I wrote it! Hehehe!

And from henceforth, the introductions are over, and we can get to some really boys love excitement and hot banging. Yes, please!

***

August couldn't wait to go back to Bangkok. It was all he could think about as he trekked back from the beach to the high land regions where his grandparents' house stood. While he initially enjoyed the always welcomed laziness that the Chang Rai had to offer, a few hours in and his craving for the city would commence again. Atleast there, he didn't have to feel like such a failure. Atleast there he could disappear into the vastness of the concrete jungle. 

Chang Rai, you see, except for a few tourist hotspots, was still very much a village community. The kind of environment where everyone knew everyone, and their business. So, when August had gotten a role in the highly publicized Lakorn, Love Sick, it was not only his grandparents that had celebrated, but the whole d@mn town. Overnight his grandparents' house had become the ultimate tourist hotspot of Chiang Rai for angsty teenagers on field trips to the countryside. Thankfully August's grandparents were just as much fans of the show as the students so they allowed them take selfies and groupies infront of their home. 

But just as seemingly quickly as it had all begun, so had it ended. A year later and the crowds had dispersed, three years later, and he was lucky if he got so much as one fan passing by to see the house of the once relevant teen heartthrob. As much as he had struggled to admit it to himself, he had loved his time as Pete. Everything had seemed so easy back then when he had a fan base. He was earning a healthy amount of money from the series, but even more from special appearances, fan meetings and modeling gigs. Now, however, it was a completely different story. He'd thought taking some time off like his ma and pa had suggested to "focus on school" was a good idea, but now as he looked back on that decision, he realized more than anything that he had made a grave mistake. If he had kept modeling, and acting, and singing, maybe he wouldn't be half as worried about his future as he was now. Maybe his bank account wouldn't be threateningly close to low double digits as it was now... But most importantly, maybe he would be in the position to help Aim realize her dreams.

Yes, Aim. No, not that Aim. Of course, not that b*tchy, cheating, sk@nk. That Aim was after all just a fictional character. His Aim was real. She was beautiful, and above all, she loved him as much as he loved her.

I should probably call and check how the audition went. August thought to himself, searching through his pockets and pulling out his phone. Like him, Aim too was a struggling actress, model and singer, unlike him, her biggest break had been featuring in a Starbust commercial about a year ago. Regardless, August couldn't have been prouder of his girl, and how relentless she worked to achieve her dreams. They had met four years ago at a runway show back when he was still very popular. The first thing that had attracted him to her was how quiet she had been, standing in the corner, meekly, observing the other models. She had seemed so small, so out of place. From a mile away, anyone could tell she was novice. And they would've been right. As August later found out when he went across the room to where she stood, eyes down cast, it was actually her first show. He had done his best to cheer her up with jokes and encouraging words until the organizers had assembled them into a line as the show began. Afterwards, the organizers had hosted a small gathering for all the models and crew to celebrate a successful collection, that was when they'd really gotten to talking. Infact, the two had been practically inseparable all night. A kakaotalk ID exchange, and seventeen messages later, they had had their first date. And just like that four years of love had ensued.
 

Four years. 

"Hello?" Aim's sweet voice came spilling through August's phone speaker.
Uh-oh. Aim never answered the phone with a simple "Hello", unless they were her parents on the other line--or something was seriously wrong. In this case, August didn't have to think twice to figure out what the issue could have been.
"I take it you didn't get the call?" Auggie prompted. The silence on the other end of the line was deafening. 
Yup, she didn't. He thought to himself. "The call" was a callback she had been expecting since last week for an audition she had attended. Before he'd left for Chiang Rai, he had practically promised her that the call would come in. From the way she had come home last week, gushing about how she had aced the auditions, he'd figured it was guaranteed she'd make the second round of auditions. 
Apparently not. 
Groaning with guilt, August walked the rest of the way to the thatch-roofed bungalow his grandparents lived in, and dumped himself on the veranda. The air felt stiflingly humid all of a sudden, but August wasn't sure if it was from his mounting frustration, or the descending sun.
"Look," He said, "there will more auditions okay? This is just one of many. You know this."
"I know." She answered, "it's just... I really thought I'd get it this time, you know? Humph--anyways, my agent called me in for another reading, so, I have to go prepare myself. Bye."
August heard the line go dead before he even had a chance to reply. Why did he feel so at fault? He knew he wasn't to blame for her not going through to the next round of auditions, but the words he'd said to her that night haunted him; "That's my star, you got it this time. I can just feel it!" That's what he had said to her after she had told him for the umpteenth time how great it had gone. And he really had meant what he said. He really had felt she would get the role. Why not? She was beautiful and talented, and funny and bright, and if it had gone as smoothly as she had claimed, why the  not?! 
Ugh! But such was the life of a struggling actor, always waiting on the call that never came. So caught up in his thoughts had he been that he had barely registered the old woman hovering behind him with a basket clasped at her side.

"What's with long face, child." She said, jolting August out of his trance. She stepped down unto the compound and with great effort lowered herself unto the veranda next to her grandson. 
"Oh, grandma, I didn't see you coming."
"I noticed. So, what is the matter, you look like the sky is about to fall on your head. Heaven knows we don't need that coconut of yours getting any bigger." She teased, nudging him slightly. August burst into laughter, despite himself. The two sat in silent companionship for a minute more before she asked, again what was wrong.
"Nothing, really. It's just Aim had a really big audition, but she hasn't yet gotten a callback from the producers."
"Oh, well, that's unfortunate." Grandma consoled. August nodded slowly in agreement. "But I'm sure they'll be more auditions in the future."
"That's what I said as well," August added, "But truth be told, I don't know, ma. I don't know how much longer I--I mean ,she, can take. Going to castings and hearing everyone else getting the role but you." Dammit! His tongue had verbalized what his heart had been refusing to accept for months. It wasn't just Aim's inabilities to land roles that was truly weighing on him, but his. When they'd first met he could take care of her, all her wants, her needs. From vacation trips to Europe to moving in together. Now however, the checks just weren't flowing as they used to, and more and more, August found himself relying on Aim to provide. As it was even now, the salary from her Starburst commercial almost a year ago was what they'd used to pay their rent for months now.
"Remember when you were really young and I used to take you to the temple for offerings?" August nodded with a loud sigh. Actually, there were several temples in Chiang Rai, but one specifically that August loved. The White Temple. He would sometimes run off and spend hours just observing and basking in the intricate beauty of it's design; But after being scolded on multiple occasions not to disappear on his own for hours, August would often try coaxing whichever grandparent was free, into escorting him.

"You used to love going there so much, and spending hours on end just walking about, appreciating it's beauty. But what you never thought about was the time and effort it must have taken for it to be built. And not just you, we all never think about it. Not deeply anyways. How can we with such beauty surrounding us? I guess what I'm trying to say, child, is that sometimes it takes a long time for a thing of beauty to come to realization, but when it does, we forget all the trials and tribulations that came before and simple exist in awe of its greatness. When it happens for you--I mean, the girl, it will be just as great as the White Temple." 
Grandma finished, shooting August a mischievous smile. He had hoped she wouldn't catch his slip of tongue, but that obviously hadn't been the case. For an old woman, she certainly still had sharply tuned ears, nothing ever seemed to go past her.

Despite himself, yet again, August couldn't keep the smile off of his face. His grandma always had that effect on him. She always knew what to say, and how to say it. In her presence, even his greatest worries seemed to disappear. 
"Thanks, grandma."
"Now go take a bathe, and come help me finish preparing dinner." She said, nonchalantly, making sure to give August a reassuring hug before leaving him on the porch alone, once more. 
 

***

Less than four hours later, and August found his planted on a third class sitting on the overnight Chiang Mai train, back to Bangkok, despite the fact that he'd only just arrived at his grandparents house in Chiang Rai less than 24 hours prior. He had originally intended to stay two more days, as he usually did, then return on Sunday morning. But his worrying over Aim wouldn't let him stay put.  After he had tried calling her a few more times to no avail that evening, he'd decided to run back to Bangkok to check on her. Not that he was really expecting anything unusual to happen, but there was just this feeling in his chest... He had to go back. Tonight.

Ofcourse, his grandma had put up a fair fight, in an attempt to keep him around.
"We barely see you, as it is," she'd chided. "Are two more days away from that girl, going to hurt you in anyway?"
But his mind was made up. So after dinner, he packed up the few things he had brought on his weekend excursion, kissed his grandparents goodbye, and practically flew to the waiting taxi that would take him to the bus station. He'd barely caught the late bus from Chiang Rai to Chiang Mai. And after two hours of travel, he found himself at the train station, buying a ticket for the last train of the night heading to Bangkok.

August felt bad, running out of his weekend with his grandparents as he did, but he reasoned that in a month he'd be back, anyways. It was a system they'd come up with so that he could spend more time with his grandparents. Every third weekend of each month, he was all theirs, that way he didn't neglect his duties as their grandson, and they didn't miss out on a chance to pamper their big baby.

***

August wasn't sure exactly when he'd fallen asleep, but he only woke up to the sound of the train chimming as it slowed into the Bangkok platform. Thirty minutes later, he was climbing out of a lime-yellow taxi, and up the stairs of the six-storey building where he and Aim had moved into two years ago after he graduated college.

With every step, he couldn't help but relish at the thought of the welcomed shock he was about to give Aim. It was barely after 4 AM, so, he knew for certain she would be fast asleep. Aim loved the high life, no doubt, but she never went clubbing when he was not around. She would often call nagging and begging him to come back home from Chiang Rai because she hated sleeping alone. August hated sleeping alone, as well. He hated spending time without her, the love of his life.

The mischevious smile splayed on his lips slowly receded when he finally arrived their floor, and stood before their apartment door. The door was open. Not widely so, just slightly ajar... But still, it was sufficient to send off enough of an alarm. Without a second thought, he pushed open the door, and hurried into the apartment. 

August froze; His darting about as his mind tried to process the sudden shock. It wasn't so much what he saw, no, instead, it was what he heard. Souns. sounds. Heavy, breathy... org@asmic?

Out of habit, August quietly dropped his duffel bag to the floor, by the door, and kicked of his shoes, before proceeding through the tiny living space, letting his ears guide him towards the corner of the apartment that housed their bedroom. Though the parlor was crammed and almost pitch black, he expertly manuevered his way through it, due to years of familiarity. 

And then he saw it. His worst nightmare. Right before his eyes, in the darkness, on his bed. August didn't need a soothsayer to interpret for him what was happening at that moment, the smell of it was thick in the air. Salty, musty. . And from the sound of it, August knew without a doubt whom one of the accomplices were, her gluttonous groans made certain of that. Those same gluttonous groans he had heard while he was ontop of her. The love of his life. Aim. Now here she was, burging them out for--whom exactly? Thanks to his eyes adjusting to the darkness, and the soft rays of fluroscent lighting seeping in through the window from the street lamps outside, August could make out his back. Muscularly sculpted and defined, and his @ss cheeks, clenching with every trust, as he pounced up and down on Aim. Something about that back looked familiar, but August was far too lost in his own disbelief to care for further investigation, so, without further ado, he his heels and made his way to the door, slamming his foot into the wooden chair post along the way, prompting him to give an audible yelped in pain. Suddenly, silence. He squeeking of thier bed halted, and so did Aim's verbal display pleasure.

--! Was the last thing August thought to himself as he made a dash for the door. He wasn't sure exactly why or where he was running to,  all he knew was that he had to get out of there. He couldn't bear it, seeing her, rushing out towards him, , eyes wide in wonder as she realized she'd just been caught being unfaithful. He couldn't bear listening to her try to explain the scene he had just walked in on. He couldn't bear any of it. he just couldn't. So, he did the only thing he could bear to do at that moment. He ran like his sanity depended on it, and in more ways than one, it did.