Toey's fingers flew across the keyboard, rushing to finish the work even though his boss had said there was no hurry. But he wanted to get it done quickly—this afternoon he had to pick up his car from the garage, and he needed extra time to sit there and pressure the mechanic to finish on schedule.
As he neared completion, Toey sensed someone standing in front of his desk. The young secretary to the vice president didn't look up, just glanced for a split second, catching sight of dress pants and hearing the sound of breathing. He knew exactly who it was and could picture the scene: legs spread, arms crossed, head tilted, eyes narrowed, lips pursed in a scowl.
"Is Tin in, Toey?" The gruff voice cut through the air.
The secretary to the vice president—the company president's younger brother—nodded and continued typing.
"So he makes you work so hard you can't even lift your head to acknowledge the world around you?"
Toey shook his head slightly and was about to look up to address his boss's 'guest' when the intercom crackled to life. He leaned toward the device, speaking in gentle tones.
"Yes, Khun Tin. Is there anything you need me to do?"
"Nothing urgent. The Hua Hin jazz event documents I asked you to type—you don't need to rush, Khun Toey. Tomorrow afternoon is fine," his boss replied softly.
"I'm almost finished. Less than five minutes and this letter will be on your desk. Though I'm being interrupted right now," Toey responded smoothly. "I'll hurry because I know when a boss assigns work to a subordinate, he probably wants it now. I don't want to get fired."
"Hmph." His former boss's voice immediately rose.
"If Khun Don wants to see Khun Tin, please go right in. I'm sure you don't need the secretary to open the door and escort you," Toey said, finally looking up at Teeradon.
"Such a smart mouth, Toey. I should have Tin fire you," Teeradon leaned down toward him.
"Khun Tin wouldn't dare. He loves this secretary to death. And your father would never fire me because I'm good at my job," Toey replied airily.
"Good at everything."
"If I weren't good, I wouldn't be Toey."
"If you're so good, why aren't you the president's secretary? Why settle for vice president?" Teeradon's voice softened.
"Well, the president doesn't want me," the vice president's secretary shrugged.
"Why are you so angry with me, Toey?" Teeradon asked after a moment of silence. "Either way, we can't escape each other. Think about it—we made this karma together. You're probably stuck with me."
"It's because I thought like that that I—" Toey shot back, then quickly stopped himself. "Don't mess with me anymore. Just let it go. I'm perfectly happy working with Khun Tin now. I don't have to squeeze the special parts of my brain to deal with all sorts of complications."
"Come back and work with me," Teeradon's voice turned gentle. "I can't handle this anymore. Being with Tin is boring as hell. You used to say life needs color, didn't you?"
"Color was just a phase that entered our lives, Khun Teeradon—handsome playboy with irresistible charm. Think of it as a fun life experience we learned from, and now life must go on."
"Don't you think life should return to what it was before that wrench fell on your head and made you dizzy for a while?" Teeradon's voice deepened as he placed his arm on the desk.
Toey smiled faintly, stood up, looked at his former boss's face and said, "I don't see you learning your lesson. Right now I think you're not just dizzy—I think you've completely lost it. Can't stop, can't turn back, can't sleep, can't wake up, can't recover anymore."
"Come on, if you come back I'll give you a raise. Being with Tin is so boring you'll be dying of loneliness. Soon your saliva will go sour because you have your mouth shut all the time. You're the one who likes to talk and analyze, finding solutions to everything, aren't you?" Teeradon tilted his head with a teasing smile. "I promise I'll answer every time you call."
"I won't call you anymore. Wherever and whenever you go chasing after those young party kids, I don't care," the young secretary pouted, then walked toward the vice president's office door.
"You'll regret it if you don't come back, Toey. You won't find another boss like me anywhere. This kind is hard to find in the world. Life experience, phase two—more thrilling than phase one." Teeradon chuckled in his throat before walking out of the office.
"Who else would be so full of themselves?" Toey muttered. "Thinking you're the greatest. Look at you now—a fierce tiger with no stripes left. Can't even call you a meowing cat. Maybe a hamster spinning on a wheel would be more accurate."
Toey shook his head with a smile, then pushed open Khun Tin's office door to consult with the vice president about his older brother, who seemed to grow stranger by the day.
Teeradon was just Teeradon—a special breed. Without someone to look after him both inside and outside the office, his life would probably be endlessly chaotic...
Serves him right, that playboy. What happens when you get tricked into falling in love? You lose yourself completely, nothing left of the old Teeradon...
Sigh, the human heart and this thing called love—it's truly complicated. Who knows what else we'll encounter...
All I know is that love and suitability rarely go hand in hand. And importantly, once you understand your own heart, instead of feeling completely happy, suffering creeps in to make you ache a little from time to time...
But...nobody seems to learn their lesson...
***