Teeradon hummed his way into the office, but the sight of his usually vivacious secretary sitting in a daze brought him up short. More troubling still—Toey hadn't called to wake him this morning, despite his being egregiously late for the morning meeting.
"I pay you to work, not to daydream," Teeradon said, slapping his hand down on the secretary's desk. "Keep this up and you'll be out on the street."
Toey startled, looking up at Teeradon with an unreadable expression. He reached for the newspaper and handed it over to his boss without his usual banter.
"What's eating you, Toey? Mooning over some guys again?" Wittawin smiled indulgently. "Oh wait—I forgot. There's only room for one person in that heart of yours. Don't know why I even ask."
"No," Toey replied quietly, seeming on the verge of saying something more before thinking better of it.
"What time's the meeting?" Teeradon changed tack.
"Ten-thirty, sir. The Japan and Korea market presentation. Marketing's already set up the files in the conference room. Khun Darren will sit beside you in case you have questions during the meeting. Should I take personal notes for you? Though Khun Tin will be there too, and Khun Butsaba takes ridiculously detailed minutes."
"Butsaba still hasn't gotten over it?" Teeradon grumbled. "My little brother's married now—when's she going to move on?"
"What can you do?" Toey shrugged, his voice barely above a whisper. "When someone's heart is set, you can't just switch it off." He ducked his head back to his work.
"True enough." Teeradon glanced at his watch and started toward his office, but froze at the door when his secretary's voice rang out, crystal clear.
"Khun Don, sir. I'd like to request a transfer back to Khun Tin."
"What?" Teeradon spun around.
"Khun Tin's swamped. Mountains of work, staying late constantly. Khun Euang wants me to replace Khun Butsaba—she's uncomfortable having her so close to her husband." Toey's explanation was delivered in that same flat tone.
"Did Euang put you up to this, or is this your brilliant idea? Because Euang doesn't meddle in company affairs. Don't make up flimsy excuses." Teeradon's voice hardened as he stalked back, planting himself in front of the secretary's desk with his hands on his hips, glowering down.
"You don't need me anymore anyway. Everything's falling into place perfectly. Things are working out just fine without me around."
"Working out how? I'm running myself ragged here, nearly dead on my feet."
"Who told you to run around? You're making your own life difficult."
"Toey—"
"I want to go back to being Khun Tin's secretary. You know how hard he works. He's coming home late when he should be spending time with his new wife, and Khun Euang's expecting. He needs to take care of her. A good secretary could make all the difference." Toey pressed on with his reasoning.
"How do you know she's pregnant?"
"Please. They were on their honeymoon for over a month—they weren't just staring into each other's eyes." The young secretary rolled his eyes before returning to his main point. "Khun Tin is drowning in work. He can barely keep up. He needs me there to help. That's the only way things will run smoothly."
"I'm the CEO, Khun Toey. Tin is the deputy."
"But you don't control finance directly. You don't handle sales directly. You don't manage HR. You don't oversee the factories." Toey's voice took on a challenging edge.
"Oh, so you're telling me Tin's the real CEO, is that it?" The chairman's voice rose.
"You said it yourself—when there's work to be done, make Khun Tin handle it." Toey's chin lifted defiantly. "You don't really need me anymore. Let me help Khun Tin instead. He's in over his head. Don't you feel sorry for your brother?"
"Fine." The word came out clipped after a long pause. "But don't come crying back to me. I'll find a new secretary—someone young and pretty with a sweet voice." His tone turned deliberately cutting. "Speaking of which, do I have any important appointments this afternoon? I need to leave by three. Cancel whatever's scheduled. And put the motorcycle keys on my desk. Don't forget the helmet."
Go ahead, find whoever you want...
Toey pursed his lips, his face darkening as he watched Teeradon storm off. He felt the urge to reach into the box beside his desk, grab that nearly twenty-thousand-baht helmet, and hurl it at his boss's retreating figure.
Go ahead, go find your fun outside the office. See how you feel without Toey around...
***
Monday morning arrived with a vengeance of paperwork and deadlines. The later it got, the more chaotic everything became. Toey pushed the stack of files away from himself and stood up, stretching his aching back before heading out of the office toward the restroom. But as soon as he stepped through the doorway, he stopped short.
Someone stood blocking his path. Someone he's very much familiar with.
"Khun Toey?"
"Yes?" The secretary's response was curt as he tried to step around Sarayoot.
"I've been trying to call you." Sarayoot's smile was thin, his manner hesitant. "Why have you been avoiding me?"
"I haven't been avoiding anyone. I'm here at the company every day, working." Toey shrugged.
"Every time I call, no one picks up."
"My phone's broken."
"I called the office."
"No one left me any messages." Another shrug.
"Are you angry with me about something?" Sarayoot's face fell. "Just tell me what happened. You've just... disappeared."
"I'm busy right now. Work stuff, plus Khun Don's love life drama. I have to handle things for my boss both during work hours and after." The young secretary's voice carried a note of weary frustration when speaking about his notoriously difficult employer.
"I came to see Khun Don about the club's computer system, but he wasn't..."
"Oh, if you want to see Khun Don, you need to book way in advance. He's hardly ever around—always out chasing down reckless motorcyclists causing trouble in the city. He's really into that whole thing right now."
"I didn't see you in the office either." Sarayoot's voice was soft as he watched the slim young man cross his arms, shift his weight to one leg, and tap his foot against the floor while glancing left and right as if looking for an escape route.
"So are you here to see Khun Don or me?" The secretary's question was pointed. "Pick one. Don't waffle."
"Are you angry about Pirayu?"
"Why would I be angry about Khun Pirayu?" Toey shrugged, affecting indifference. "You can't control feelings. Physical attraction even less so. I understand you need time to decide."
"I..." Sarayoot struggled for words, feeling the weight of guilt and self-reproach for making everything so complicated. His already confused heart felt more tangled than ever.
"I've been thinking too. Maybe I need time to decide as well. Maybe I was too impulsive, too pushy, like you said. Perhaps I should reconsider—not just think about love, love, love all the time. I forgot to consider what's appropriate, what's right and proper. You can't run on heart alone without using your head. You have to think about what's suitable and unsuitable. And you have to see clearly that the person you claim to love might actually have someone else in their heart."
"You mean..." Sarayoot met the secretary's eyes with a sorrowful gaze.
"Exactly what I said." Toey's smile was wry. "We should love people who are right for us."
***