Page 34 of Baby Love

“I feel great,” I assure her. “Eat, Nong, so we can take P’Spin to the terminal.”

An hour later, I walk Anya to school in order to spend some extra time with her. I told Spin I would pick him up on the way to the studio, and when I pull up to his building at noon, he’s waiting at the curb.

“Mm, you smell like baked goods,” I say as I pull back into traffic.

He chuckles. “I made cookies for Nok’s club meeting. She’s going to pick them up later. Here, I brought you some.” He pulls a bag out of his satchel.

Grinning, I ask eagerly, “Will you feed me one now?”

Spin pulls a cookie that smells like heaven out of the bag and holds it to my mouth so I can bite into it.

“So good. You’re a good brother to make these for Nok.” I lick crumbs off my lips.

“You’re a good brother, too. Anya’s lucky to have you.”

I sigh. “I don’t feel like one at the moment. Anya’s been upset lately. It started when she overheard Khun Anong’s son say he wants her to move to the States to be close to him. Anya got clingy after that. You saw how she wanted to sit on my lap during breakfast—that’s not normal for her.”

“I’m sorry. I’m sure that’s hard to deal with. She’s probably worried about losing someone again, like she lost her parents. And then, like an idiot, I mentioned you were sick last night. That was stupid of me.” He looks dismayed.

“Don’t be silly. You couldn’t have known.” I think about it for a moment. “What can I do about it? I want Anya to feel secure.”

“Other than reassure her and spend as much time with her as you can, I don’t think there’s anything you can do.”

“And I don’t have any time to spare,” I say miserably, feeling like a failure.

We pull up next to the SPPT vehicle in the parking lot. Spin rests his hand on mine and looks me in the eyes. “You’re doing the best that you can. Don’t be so hard on yourself.”

I try to smile and give him a nod before we get out of the car.

Our assigned bodyguards are waiting to escort us into the mall.

“I feel ridiculous having a bodyguard,” Spin murmurs to me.

“Just wait until you get rushed by a crowd. You’ll be glad to have him,” I say.

“I can’t even imagine that happening.”

“It will. Probably not today, but later, after the series comes out, you’ll have a lot of fans,” I assure him.

“You really think this series will be that popular?”

“The way everyone’s already noticing it, I wouldn’t be surprised. Plus, P’Big’s series always do well,” I say, hoping that will prove true again. Wrapping my arm around Spin’s shoulders, I squeeze him close to my side as we come into view of the crowd.

It doesn’t take long for people to notice us. I might not have a steady ship in this business, but I do have fans. Some of them call out to Spin and wave, and it’s cute how red in the face he gets at the attention. He shyly waves back at them, and the girls squeal and take pictures with their phones. There are a few male fans in the crowd, too, along with older women, but the majority of our fans are girls between the ages of around fourteen and thirty. We meet up with Aod and Daeng and their security detail in front of the store where Prince and Gift sit by a large banner advertising beauty products, a crowd standing behind a low partition taking pictures and making videos. They’re both dressed in light-blue suits and are smiling and answering questions from the MC while a couple of professional cameramen film the event.

Tee, the producer’s PA, spots us and hustles us behind a screen, telling us that we’re going to be sitting at a table to the side where we’ll autograph photos. Khun Lee appears, clipboard in hand, and looks us over, then has us change into matching mint-green shirts before the makeup department gets to work on our faces. Pear heads for me, but another makeup artist sits down in front of me first, so she changes direction and sits in front of Spin. By the time we’re ready, the promotion is ending, and Tee escorts the four of us to our designated table. I tease Spin about his blushing, and the crowd coo’s at him when his skin turns even redder. He takes my hand under the table, and I squeeze it reassuringly.

One girl asks me if I like working with Spin.

“Yes, of course. I am happy to take care of Nong,” I say, wrapping my arm around him while the crowd snaps pictures.

“What about you, Spin? Is P’Park taking good care of you?” a girl asks.

Spin nods, looking at me shyly. “P’Park takes very good care of me.”

His words give me an unexpected blush, and the crowd likes that, cheering and teasing me. I notice that Daeng and Aod are ramping up the PDA at the other end of the table, with their own group of supporters surrounding them. Aod seems very comfortable in front of fans and seems to have no trouble hanging all over Daeng.

By the time the event’s over, it’s after five and I’m exhausted. Whatever sickness I came down with the day before left me drained. Thankfully, the actors are escorted out a back exit so we avoid the crowds on our way out.

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