บท 17: Chapter 16: Performance
"Shiaa!" Milk quickly picked up the camera from the floor, but the damage had already been done. "Karthot kha! I hadn't meant to drop it."
Love came rushing to her side, bending down to pick up the pieces of her broken lens. She didn't know how to react anymore…
Should she be happy that P'Milk had come all the way to her faculty to return her lost camera? Should she be elated that she finally got back her precious camera that she had spent her entire savings on? Should she be anxious that her camera lens was now gone and she'll once again need to buy a new one to replace it? Or…should she be horrified that her camera…the one that she had used to take several pictures of P'Milk…had been in her hands all this time?
Several emotions ran through her head all at the same time, and it made her stand still while looking helplessly at P'Milk.
Milk wasn't doing all that great either as she tried her best to compose herself after her little disaster.
This wasn't how she had planned the meeting to go when she finally saw N'Love…
Awkwardly, she stood back up on her feet, looking at the camera in her hands. It looked really expensive, even though it was a tiny device. And since she was the one who broke it…she wanted to be the one to fix it as well.
"It's okay na…" N'Love took the camera and the shattered lens from her hands, and even though Milk could see the sadness in her eyes, she still tried to smile through it. "It's just the lens. I'll get a new one."
"That won't do." Milk immediately shook her head. "Since I was the one who broke it, I'll buy a new one for you. Shall we go shopping today? After classes end?"
Love was shocked at P'Milk's offer, so much so that she almost dropped the camera a second time.
"Like…go…shopping?" She asked again, trying to understand if she heard her right.
"Chai." P'Milk offered her a bright smile that turned her into a devastatingly gorgeous woman. "Let's go after classes end. Why don't you give me your number? So I can call you to fix an appointment?"
Appointment wasn't a word Love wanted to hear… for her "date" would've been a more appropriate term. But it was still a great start.
P'Milk had come all the way to her faculty and was now asking her out on a da-appointment! She corrected herself. It was a simple appointment to fix her camera. But that still meant progress in her books!
"Dai Kha!" Love exclaimed, a little too excitedly. "I'll give you my number, kha."
She saw P'Milk smile at her enthusiasm and felt her cheeks heat at the embarrassment, but still her biggest achievement yet seemed to be her number getting saved in P'Milk's phone.
"I'll have to go now, na." P'Milk told her, placing her phone back inside her pocket. "I'll text you when to meet. Let me know if you still have class, I'll wait."
"Kha." Love gave a small bow and was rewarded by P'Milk ruffling her hair a bit.
The moment caught her completely offguard and yet it felt so magical.
The moment P'Milk's hands touched her hair.
And then, she was leaving, after waving her a quick goodbye.
Love stared after crush, in awe of everything that happened. The rays of the sun seemed to be illuminating the path as P'Milk walked back out of her faculty building.
Love looked down at the broken camera in her hands remorsefully. If only she could capture this moment…
"Love!"
Another voice right next to her almost startled her out of her skin. "Kha! Chai kha?" She turned around only to find Becky standing in front of her with a frown on her face. "Oye! You scared the crap out of me!"
"Oh? I scared you? If you don't stop standing in the middle of the hallway like a scarecrow then everyone else can stop getting scared of you already!" Becky hit her friend's arm lightly. "And what's with your hair? It looks like a crow's nest! Let me fix it fo-"
"MAI!" Love dodged out of the way before her friend could touch her hair, and it almost made her collide with someone else in the hallway. "Karthot kha!" She apologized to the person before turning back at Becky to find her hand on her forehead.
"You know what? Never mind!" Becky reached out to grab Love's shoulders before she started to push her towards the direction of the class. "Let's get you to class. Safety first!"
Love didn't mind her friend's teasing anymore, because she was more than overjoyed.
She now had a date with P'Milk after school! And P'Milk had touched her hair!
She was so glad that she had washed the oily, greasy mess that her hair had been the night before. And now…she couldn't wait to go on her happy little date!
*
*
"Phuwin, where are you headed to?"
Phuwin stopped at the top of the stairs, looking back to find Hia Dunk coming out of his room looking like he'd been through a tornado.
"Oho! What happened to you, Hia?" He gave Dunk a thorough look from head to toe. "Who did you just spend a hot, hot night with?"
The mention of 'hot, hot night' itself was enough to get Dunk blushing like an overripe tomato.
"What hot night?" He snapped at Phuwin, who only gave him an amused look. "It's six thirty in the evening! I just woke up from an afternoon nap."
"Ahh! I see." Phuwin nodded with a smirk. "So? What did you want from me?"
"Where are you off to? Got a performance?" Dunk pointed at the guitar case in Phuwin's hand. "Where are you playing tonight?"
"At Venom, Hia." He told Dunk, adjusting his guitar strap over his shoulders. "Why do you ask?"
"Wait for me a bit, I'll go with you." Dunk announced before turning to go back into his room.
Phuwin's heart sank.
Not only did he know that Pond was going to be in the club today as well, but he was going to miss a major chance at making a move on him.
So far, he had left things unattended between them for far too long, hoping that Pond, being older than him by five whole months, would be the one to make the first move. But unfortunately, the man was happy being the secret admirer who stalked him from afar and was content with drawing his pictures.
Well, Phuwin certainly wasn't.
He wanted more than him admiring him from afar. And tonight, he had everything planned out. Starting with helping Aun and Pond get reservations despite the whole club being booked in only half an hour after the Club's Facebook page announced the artists program for the night.
"Hia! I'm already late!" Phuwin complained now, in a futile attempt to stop Dunk from coming to the club with him. "Can't you go some other day?"
"Mai ao!" Dunk gave him a scowl. "I'm free today, that's why I wanted to go. I won't be free from next week onwards. Wait for five minutes, you little brat! You make me wait for hours while you get ready for college everyday!"
"But…Hia…" Phuwin tried to protest but was rewarded with the door being slammed shut on his face.
Now he had no choice but to wait. Because even if he went ahead without Hia Dunk, he'd still be in trouble since he had already told Dunk the address of where he was going.
So he decided to wait instead. It was the safest option.
Exactly ten minutes later, Dunk came down the stairs in a pair of jeans, a white T-shirt and a white and black jacket thrown on top of it. It was a contrast to the black jeans and black fitted T-shirt that Phuwin wore on top.
"Ready to go?"
"Been ready forever, Hia!" Phuwin groaned. "Pai! Quickly!"
Phuwin was thankful that Gemini wasn't home yet, otherwise, they'd have had to wait for him to get ready as well and this little bar hopping would've turned into a family outing, which he was not looking forward to.
Dunk knew that he's get a seat since he was related to the singer, so he was not worried about the last minute arrangements. And frankly, he wanted to get out of the house and do something fun instead of staying cooped up and studying all day.
He winced at the memories of the last time he had decided to have fun. It had ended with him being in the Jirawatthanakul house and on Joong's bed.
He could only hope that today was different.
*
The bar was jam-packed when Dunk and Phuwin finally arrived at the venue. Thankfully, the security ushered them inside safely before Phuwin's FC could get a hint of their arrival.
Luke Wongratch was an excellent businessman who took care of all the artists who performed live in his bar. It was no wonder that his business was such a booming success.
"Phuwin!" Luke now came to greet him personally. "Glad you could make it in time. Why don't you go sit with your friends while we get the stage ready? You'll be performing from eight to nine."
"Thanks Phi." Phuwin gave the man a hug before introducing his brother. "This is Hia Dunk. Do you think you can squeeze him a seat?"
"Of course." Luke motioned for the sitting area. "Go right ahead."
They were then led to the sitting areas where Phuwin's bandmates were already waiting for him.
"Hey, Phuwin!" One of his bandmates called him over. "Over here!"
Dunk went along with Phuwin and sat on the empty seat around the table when a waiter got him an extra chair. "Nice ambience." He mused to no one in particular.
"Isn't it?" Ford, another one of the band's backup vocals and the keyboardist, asked him in delight. "I can't believe we're finally playing here! Venom is the talk of the town right now."
Since Phuwin had formed the band with his classmates last year, Dunk had come to know all the bandmates already, even though he didn't see them all that often. But he knew each and everyone here, except for the two new members.
Ford Arun, the keyboardist. First Kanaphan, on the drums. Khaotung as the bassist. And finally, Phuwin as the lead singer as well as the guitarist.
"Sawadee Khap, Phi." The other boy, who seemed to be about Phuwin's age, folded his hands in a wai, along with the boy next to him. "I'm Tutor and this is Yim, my faen. We're from the same Uni, just different faculties. I'm in the same book club as Khaotung and I really wanted to see them perform today."
"Sawadee ja!" Dunk greeted them happily. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Dunk, Phuwin's Hia."
Drinks were served on the table as the exchanged greetings around the table, thanks to everyone being over 20. However, Phuwin and Ford didn't have anything cold or alcoholic since they were to perform next.
"So…who's gonna be performing now?" Dunk asked curiously, just as the stage lights turned on and women all over the club went wild, screaming at the top of their lungs when the club owner announced that the performance was about to start.
"Oh, he's quiet famous. See the girls screaming?" Khaotung raised his eyebrows as another round of screams went around the large room. "I think he's from our Uni as well, right Phuwin? I heard he also works as a part-time model."
"Chai, chai." Phuwin nodded. "But…I can't really remember his name. Anyway, we'll know once he's on stage."
But Dunk's mind was no longer on his younger brother or the conversation around the table. His face paled considerably and he felt his hands and legs go cold from nervousness.
Because a man stepped onto the stage right then, a guitar held in his right hand as he made his way towards the seat at the centre of the stage.
And Dunk knew exactly who he was…a little too well.
Because it was none other than Joong Archen Jirawatthanakul.
The bane of his existence.
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