I arrived at the office to find James and Phi Tan in the meeting room, deep in discussion about the photos they planned to submit to Advertimes. Nok was waiting outside the room.
"You're here? Let's go get coffee from Starbucks for them," she said.
As we walked over, Nok leaned in slightly and said, "We might have another project coming soon."
"Oh?" I replied. "Who's the model this time? James again?"
She shook her head. "Nope. It's going to be Phu—and a girl model named Ariya."
My eyes widened. "Phu? Really? But… who's Ariya?"
"She's one of the up-and-coming models. Gaining traction fast," Nok explained.
I nodded, feeling a surge of excitement. Working with Phu again would be amazing.
But then she sighed deeply.
I turned to her, curious. "What's wrong?"
"Well… there's a rumor going around that Ariya likes Phu," Nok said, lowering her voice. "I don't know if it's true, but here's the kicker—she's five times worse than James when it comes to handling new people."
I blinked, unsure whether to laugh or worry.
I added, "Nok, don't worry. We can do this—with a positive mindset."
Nok laughed. "Yeah, sure we can."
We grabbed our Starbucks and walked back to the office. James and Phi Tan were already out of the room. James was heading out when he saw me. He walked over and, in a quieter tone, said, "Hey… I'm sorry. I didn't know he was serious."
I met his eyes and replied softly, "Don't worry. I'm good."
He nodded and reached for the coffee cup I brought him. "Thanks. Oh yeah—next project, I heard it's going to be Phu and Ariya."
I smiled. "Yes."
But he didn't smile back. He looked… concerned.
"Why?" I asked, noticing the shift in his expression.
James hesitated, then said, "Well, all the best to you. But… you might want to be more careful."
I frowned. "Why, Phi James?"
He sighed. "Ariya… she's not just a model. She's Phu's fiancée. And… she's the girl you saw Phu kiss the other day."
I was concerned by what Phi James said. Deep down, I knew that if something happened, things could turn bad quickly. But I decided to stay calm—no matter what.
Phi James left, and a moment later, Phi Tan stepped out of the meeting room.
"Let's wait for Phu and Ariya. They might arrive in 30 to 40 minutes," he said. "In the meantime, let's get our pending tasks done."
Nok and I nodded. I began tidying up—cleaning and arranging some files on the desk. We were still waiting for Phu and Ariya to arrive. They were supposed to check out the location and decide whether they preferred to shoot indoors or outdoors, especially since the weather hadn't been great these past few days.
By 2 p.m., there was still no sign of either of them.
I knew I could message Phu, but this was work, so I decided to wait for them to show up on their own.
"I'm hungry," I said to Nok.
"Me too," she replied.
Phi Tan overheard us. "Go get something from the mixed rice shop by the roadside. We don't know what time they'll be here."
"I'll wait here," he added. "You two go."
Nok and I nodded and headed out to get some food.
We got the food and returned to the studio. As we walked in, we noticed quite a number of people already there—so we knew Phu and Ariya had arrived.
We placed the food down and made our way into the room. Inside, Phi Tan, Phu, and Ariya were in the middle of a conversation, but they paused the moment we stepped in.
Phi Tan turned to us. "Ah, you're back. Let me introduce you."
He gestured toward us. "This is Nok, and this is Ian," he said.
Phu gave a small nod. Ariya simply looked at us.
"Sawadee," Nok and I said politely.
"Please have your meal first," Phi Tan said. "After that, join us—we're going over the plan."
Both of us nodded and turned to leave. As I glanced back, I caught Phu smiling at me.
Ariya noticed.
While we were having our meal, we noticed the three of them—Phi Tan, Phu, and Ariya—coming out of the meeting room and heading toward the pantry. It seemed like Phu had suggested they eat first before continuing the discussion.
As we continued eating, Phi Tan joined us, while Phu and Ariya waited for their food. They had ordered pizza.
Pizza? I said in my heart. Oh, I love pizza.
The pizza arrived in about ten minutes—they had already asked their manager to place the order earlier. Phu and Ariya joined us in the pantry.
I suddenly felt a little choked—not from the food, but from the pressure in the air. Ariya was staring at me.
She kept looking.
I had packed some rice with vegetables and chicken. Everyone was eating quietly.
Phu noticed I hadn't looked up much. He gently offered us some pizza.
"Would you like to try?" he asked.
Nok and I both responded, "Thank you, kaa/krub," and each took a slice.
Phi Tan shook his head. "No thank you," he said, politely declining.
As we continued eating, the silence was broken by Ariya.
"You're new?" she asked, looking directly at me.
"Yes, phi," I replied respectfully, assuming she was older.
She gave a small laugh. "Just Ariya is fine. No need to use honorifics."
"Okay," I said, nodding slightly.
"How long have you been here?" she asked again.
"It's going to be two months now," I answered.
She smirked. Not warmly.
The tension in the room was unmistakable. Everyone could feel it—even if no one said a word.
We finished eating and headed back to the meeting room to continue the discussion.
Most of the talking was done by Phi Tan and Ariya. Phu, as usual, was easygoing—he simply nodded along and said he was fine with anything.
Finally, by 6 p.m., they confirmed that the shoot would be held indoors.
I let out a quiet sigh of relief—something Nok noticed right away. She smiled knowingly, understanding exactly how I felt. I smiled back at her.
As I turned my head, I caught Phu looking at me.
I quickly looked away. I didn't want anyone to assume anything.
But… I couldn't help myself. I stole a quick glance.
He smiled.
We all agreed to close the studio for the day since we needed to be back a bit earlier tomorrow to prepare everything. The shoot was scheduled to start at 2 p.m.
Phi Tan locked the studio and confirmed, "I'll drop you and Nok off."
Just then, I got a text from Phu.
"Wait for me. I'll drop you."
Outside, I saw Phu talking with Ariya. She was asking him to join her for dinner.
"Come have dinner with me," she said, her tone almost playful but with a hint of demand.
Phu shook his head. "I can't. I have somewhere to be."
Ariya's mood shifted. She threw a small tantrum, her voice slightly raised.
Phu's face hardened. "Ariya, you better stop this. And don't forget our promise."
She didn't reply right away. Instead, she turned and walked slowly toward me.
She stopped close and said, with a sharp smile, "You're lucky… he's not my lover."
I looked up at her, calmly.
"I know what your relationship with Phu is," I said steadily. "But I trust Phu. So I don't think this will work."
Her smile faded just slightly—but she didn't say anything more.
She turned and walked toward her car, her heels clicking sharply against the pavement.
Just before getting in, she glanced back at Phu and said, "You're lucky you found one, Phu."
Then her eyes shifted to me. "Congratulations, by the way, newbie." Her tone was sugar-coated but laced with warning. "Don't think I'll handle you softly tomorrow. I don't like mistakes."
I smiled—not out of fear, but because now she knew exactly who I was.
I waited at the corner, keeping out of sight. I didn't want anyone to notice Phu picking me up.
When his car pulled up, I quickly got in and closed the door.
"Wanna eat anything?" Phu asked, glancing over at me.
"Still full," I replied with a small smile. "But maybe… we can grab some boba on the way home."
He smiled too, eyes softening. "Boba it is."