Chapter 5: The Answer He Was Waiting For
1786 Words
"Holy crap!"
Rachane exclaimed in shock upon seeing the beautiful girl standing behind his friend's younger sister. As for Mawin, when he saw the young girl walk in, he was just as startled as his friend because he never expected the girl he fancied to be his sister's friend. Once he regained his composure, Mawin immediately smiled, thinking it was destiny and that she was meant to be his.
"Are you stunned by my beauty, Rachane?"
May teased with a playful expression, thinking her brothers were surprised by her outfit. In reality, they were more shocked by the beautiful girl behind her. It wasn't until Dindan gathered his thoughts and focused on his girlfriend's outfit that he was taken aback.
"Bee, what are you wearing?"
Dindan asked as he walked over to wrap his arm around his girlfriend's small waist.
"I dressed up to surprise you for your birthday, Bee. Don't you think I look pretty?"
May's expression fell immediately upon hearing her boyfriend's comment.
"You look beautiful, but can you save the outfit for when we're alone? I’m possessive."
Dindan replied truthfully because he was very possessive of his girlfriend. With her dressed like this, there was no way she'd be going downstairs to dance today.
"Let me dress up for a day, Bee. Oh, by the way, this is Phlengkwan, my dear friend. I’m very close to her, just so you know."
May stepped away from Dindan, took Phlengkwan's hand, and introduced her friend to her older brothers.
"Hello, everyone."
Phengkwan greeted politely, raising her hand in respect. She had been shocked ever since she entered the room because of the tough-looking man. She didn’t expect him to be her friend’s older brother. When she looked up at him, it was as if she saw the man who had made her lose her composure, smiling at her.
"Hey, this is P'Dindan, my boyfriend. The one sitting in the left corner is Rachane, and this is P'Mawin, my brother."
Phengkwan didn’t know how to react. She just gave a small smile and lowered her head, unable to hold back from the intense gaze of the stern man who couldn’t stop staring at her.
"Have a seat, girl. Win, can you sit with Rachane so my friend can sit with me?"
May requested from her brother, as the seating was arranged with three two-seater sofas in a triangle with a glass table for drinks in the middle.
"If you've got a boyfriend, go sit with him. Are you going to let your boyfriend sit alone? If you let him sit alone, I'll call another girl to sit with him instead of you."
Mawin's words left May stunned, as he wasn't usually this difficult.
"What's this? You're threatening with another woman over something so trivial? If you think you can, go ahead and try."
May complained to her brother and then turned to give her boyfriend a stern look.
"Damn it, Win, you're getting me into trouble out of nowhere. Bee, come sit with me, let Phlengkwan sit with Win."
Dindan glared at Mawin and then turned back to pull his girlfriend onto his lap, coaxing her to sit with him. Meanwhile, Phlengkwan, who was watching the situation, felt unsure because she didn't know where to sit.
"Why don't you sit with Chen, Win? Let Phleng sit alone."
May continued to question her brother, not understanding why he was acting this way, as he usually didn't let anyone get close to him.
"I called some PR girls to try out for work, May. Those girls are supposed to sit with me, or should I let Nong Phlengkwan sit with me instead?"
Rachen spoke up, pretending to invite the pretty girl to sit with him, observing Mawin's reaction.
"No way."
Mawin immediately spoke in a stern voice after hearing Rachen invite his girl to sit with him, showing his displeasure. This made Dindan and Rachen exchange glances and smile.
"Why the stern voice, Win? You're scaring my friend."
After May spoke, Mawin looked up at the girl standing there, feeling guilty because she looked shocked and scared of him. Phlengkwan was frightened by the stern voice of the person in front of her, thinking how intimidating he could be.
"I'm sorry. Come sit with me, don't be afraid of me. Or if you're uncomfortable, I can have someone bring an extra chair."
Hearing Mawin speak gently made her fear vanish instantly. On the contrary, she felt her heart race when she heard his soft, deep voice, wondering if he was interested in her. Phlengkwan shook off that thought because Mawin already had someone he liked. He probably spoke gently like this to every girl.
'Don't get swayed, Phleng,' Phlengkwan thought to herself.
"It's alright. I'll sit there."
Phlengkwan responded and walked over to sit next to Mawin because she didn't want him to think she was being difficult, and besides, being close to him made her feel an unusual warmth she had never felt before. On Mawin's side, when he heard that the girl he was interested in agreed to sit next to him, he immediately smiled widely, which May noticed and whispered to her boyfriend.
"Bee, why is Win acting strange? Normally, he doesn't let women get this close. Why does it seem like he wants Phleng to sit with him? Didn't you say Win already has someone he likes? Is he changing his mind to like Phleng?"
May asked her boyfriend curiously, which amused Dindan due to her inquisitiveness.
"It's as if you don't know your brother's nature. Win isn't the type to easily change his mind and go from liking one person to another, Bee."
Dindan whispered for only May to hear.
"But Win's behavior now seems like he likes Phleng, Bee. Oh! Did Phleng go to the engineering building today? Is the person Win likes Phleng?"
May spoke to Dindan with hopeful, sparkling eyes.
"Yes, you're right, Bee. We met Phlengkwan when we were getting off the elevator. Win saw Phlengkwan and immediately showed signs that he's enamoured, even saying he would pursue her."
Dindan nodded and recounted the incident of Mawin and Phlengkwan meeting to May.
"Oh my goodness, really?"
May's loud, excited reaction caught the attention of others because initially, Dindan and May were whispering so no one could hear, but once May found out that the person her brother liked was Phlengkwan, she reacted loudly.
"Why are you so happy, May? Are you going to give me a niece or nephew to take care of?"
Rachane asked with an excited expression, thinking there might be good news with this couple.
"Niece or nephew, my foot, Rachane. She's still studying; how could she be pregnant?"
Dindan replied to Rachane in their friendly manner.
"Well, you were so excited, anyone would think that, right? Haha."
Rachane replied to Dindan with a teasing look, making Phlengkwan smile at their natural camaraderie.
"Does it make you uncomfortable to sit and listen to them bicker like this?"
Mawin asked Phlengkwan in a gentle, soft voice, prompting her to turn and look at him. As she turned, her face came so close to his that their noses almost touched, because she didn't realize he had leaned in to ask her. They locked eyes for a moment before Phlengkwan turned away, feeling her heart race.
"N-no, I'm not feeling awkward. It's fun, more lively than just sitting quietly."
Phlengkwan replied, still flustered from the earlier close encounter. Mawin was equally flustered, not expecting the girl he fancied to turn so close that their noses nearly touched. 'She smells amazing, and her lips are so tempting,' he thought. Seeing her up close, with her rosy, full lips and sweet fragrance, made him want to kiss her right then and there. But he restrained himself, fearing she might be startled and run away. Their friends noticed the interaction and exchanged knowing smiles, especially May, feeling bashful for her friend. 'Is my brother starting to make a move?' she thought, feeling shy for Phlengkwan.
"What would you like to drink, Phlengkwan? Would you like liquor or wine? I'll order for you."
Rachane asked Phlengkwan while mixing a drink for May, as he wasn't sure what Phlengkwan preferred.
"You can just call me Phleng. Um, do you have Coke or orange juice? I don't drink alcohol."
Phlengkwan said, and her answer made Mawin smile at the innocence of the girl he fancied. She seemed like she didn't go out much. Her modest outfit couldn't hide her curves. She didn't show much skin, but it didn't diminish her beauty at all.
"Alright, I'll order orange juice for you, Phleng."
Rachane replied, pressing his phone to order more drinks. After ordering, he exchanged a knowing glance with Dindan, signaling the start of their plan to help their friend woo the girl. Dindan nodded in understanding, knowing what Rachane intended to do.
"Hey, Phleng, can I ask you something? Coming out like this, doesn't your boyfriend mind? If I were him, I'd be so protective."
Mawin furrowed his brows immediately after hearing his friend's question, but when he looked at Rachane's face, he raised his eyebrows in acknowledgment. Seeing that, Mawin smirked, leaned back on the sofa, and draped his arm over the backrest behind Phlengkhwan, his arm lightly touching her back, giving the impression that he was embracing her. He waited to hear how the young lady would respond. Phlengkhwan froze, feeling tense as if he were holding her. Part of her wanted to pull away, yet another part found the closeness strangely comforting, so she decided to stay still and answer Rachane's question.
"I don't have a boyfriend, Rachane," Phlengkhwan replied with a smile to Rachane. When Mawin heard the young lady's answer, he grinned widely, pleased with her response. Realizing she was single, he decided to pursue her immediately.
"Phleng doesn't have a boyfriend, but she's got plenty of admirers, let me tell you. They're all handsome and rich," May teased her brother, curious to see his reaction. As she anticipated, his cheerful smile quickly shifted to a tense, serious expression as he glared at May, who grinned mischievously, pleased to have successfully teased her brother. What she said was entirely true; in the nearly two weeks since starting school, many guys had been trying to woo Phlengkhwan, and they were all quite handsome. On Mawin's side, knowing that many people were interested in his young lady, he thought he needed to quickly win her over. 'Phlengkhwan has to be mine and mine alone,' he thought, smirking as he downed his drink in one go.
When the girl’s single, the guy wastes no time making a move!
Will Phengkwan accept Mawin’s pursuit?
- Writer
