Page 83 of Baby Love

“Okay, okay. I’ll call her when I leave here.”

When we reach the front of my building, I turn and give him a tight hug. We’re about to go our separate ways when raised voices in the parking lot sends us jogging over to find P’Daeng and P’Gift in the middle of a heated argument.

“You are impossible!” P’Daeng yells, the look on his face pure exasperation.

Crossing his arms over his chest, P’Gift doesn’t raise his voice, so I can’t hear him, but I can tell by P’Daeng’s face that he’s getting an earful from the calmer man.

“Oh, really? Well, maybe you ought to look for another partner. I totally understand now why Prince found a way out of your ship.”

Bass and I look at each other. When we get closer, I can see P’Gift’s face is red with rage.

“P’Daeng,” I admonish, “you’re outside where anyone could hear you.”

“You don’t understand how difficult it is to work with this guy! He’s unreasonable.”

“P’Gift, why don’t you come inside with me? P’Daeng needs some time to calm down. Take a walk or something.” I say to P’Daeng before I tug P’Gift away toward the building, waving goodbye to Bass.

“That jerk,” P’Gift says under his breath.

“I know P’Daeng can be a little abrasive,” I say soothingly. I want to ask what the argument was about, but it’s really none of my business. To my surprise, P’Gift—who’s usually tight-lipped when it comes to his privacy—starts talking.

“He expects too much. He wants us to be friends, and I just can’t do that.”

I frown. “You can’t be friends with him?”

“Not like he wants us to be.” We enter the building, and I lead him over to a sitting area where sun pours in from the huge plate-glass windows.

“I’m sorry, P, I don’t understand.”

P’Gift sighs. “I can’t do it again. I can’t become close to my working partner like I did with Prince.”

He looks so miserable, I feel sorry for him.

“You two seemed very close. I’m sorry about what happened.”

P’Gift sits ramrod straight, shoulders back, his slender hands folded neatly in his lap. The only sign of his current vulnerable state is the dampness of his doe eyes.

“We weren’t lovers. I know some people believed we were, and we let them because it helped our ship. But we were best friends and really good partners, and I’m so angry at him for ruining all of that by fooling around with Book. He never thinks before he does anything. Now, he may never work in the industry again, and I have to start over with another partner. I miss him. I miss what we had. And I don’t want to risk getting too close to P’Daeng.” He laughs sardonically. “When we first started working together, I thought I’d never have to worry about that. But the guy gets under your skin.”

“I understand what you’re saying. But…is it really fair to P’Daeng—and to yourself for that matter—to keep a wall between you, all in the name of being afraid of getting hurt?”

P’Gift turns his sharp gaze on me. “Sounds like you have some first-hand knowledge of this kind of situation.”

My face heats. “I got pretty close to my last partner at Hearts, and it was hard to let go. But we were nothing like you and Prince were, although I admit I had a little crush on P’Bang. So, when I came to SPPT, I told myself I couldn’t let that happen again, but that’s easier said than done with the fanservice and all.”

“That’s for sure.” P’Gift smiles and stands. “Thanks for the talk. We’d better get back to the studio. Our meeting is in fifteen minutes.”

When we get upstairs and gather for the meeting, P’Park waves me over to the chair he’s saved for me. P’Gift is looking around, probably for P’Daeng, whom I don’t see.

Khun Hom calls us to order and P’Gift sits down in the empty seat on the other side of me. I look at him questioningly, and he shrugs as though to say, “Daeng’s a big boy. He can take care of himself.”

Khun Hom begins to read a statement about what’s coming up for SPPT Productions in the next year. I would be nervous about the future of our ship if P’Park and I hadn’t signed those contracts. As it is, I can relax and listen. P’Gift’s arm is brushing mine, and I feel him relax when Khun Hom calls out “DaengGift” as a continuing ship. It’s a good thing that, despite his annoyance at his partner, P’Gift still wants to work with him.

I see P’Daeng slip into the room. When he spots us, he settles in an empty seat behind us.

A few seconds later, my phone vibrates with a text.

Has she already said my name?

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