14. Chapter Fourteen Park

Chapter Fourteen: Park

I wake up feeling a little achy but much better than I did the day before. I remember Spin bringing me home but not him putting me to bed. Realizing I have a cooling patch on my forehead, I peel it off and slowly sit up. That's when I notice I'm not alone.

Spin lies asleep on his side facing me, looking adorable with his hands curled underneath his ear and his dark hair falling over his forehead. Rather than wake him by moving, I reach for my phone, which Spin has thoughtfully left charging on the table on my side of the bed, and scroll through social media. He's tagged me in a post from last night of more of the photos taken in the park on Thursday, and there are over a thousand comments.

Spin's cell phone rings, and I reach over him to grab it before it wakes him up. Seeing P'Big's name on the screen, I answer.

"Nong Park? I guess this means you're feeling better. So, you and Spin will be at the mall at one?"

"Yes, we'll be there," I say. I thank him and we disconnect. Beside me, Spin stirs .

"P'Big?" Spin asks, voice hoarse from sleep. It's sexy.

"Yeah. I told him we'll be there."

"Are you sure you feel up to it?"

"Yeah. Thanks for taking care of me." Flipping back the covers, I climb out of bed, hesitating when I realize I'm only wearing my underwear. When I look at Spin, he blushes and looks away.

"I, uh, helped you get comfortable last night."

I nod, trying not to imagine him undressing me. Clearing my throat, I say, "I'm going to take a quick shower and then go get Anya so she can come home for a while before we have to leave. What, exactly, is this event we're going to?"

"It's at Siam Paragon and mostly for Prince and Gift's promotion of beauty products. Daeng and Aod will be there with us to greet the crowd and promote our ship. By the way, how exactly do we do that?"

"Promote our ship? We just stay together and act like a couple."

"Oh, okay," Spin says, looking unsure.

"Just follow my lead," I tell him and head for the bathroom.

After a quick shower, I walk next door to get Anya, who Auntie has dressed for school. When we get back, I'm surprised to see that Spin has made congee for all of us. We sit down to eat, with Anya insisting on sitting on my lap.

"Why did you leave me at Auntie's?" she asks with a pout.

"Because of work. You know that, Nong. Sometimes I get back so late, you're already asleep."

"But you could still carry me home."

"P' wasn't feeling well last night," Spin tells her. "I brought him home and gave him some medicine, and he's better now." He looks at me. "I'm going to have to change clothes before the event. We'll have to leave early, unless you want to drop me at the nearest Skytrain terminal and meet me at the mall. "

I notice Anya has barely eaten. "Something wrong, Anya?"

"Are you really okay now, P?" She looks worried.

"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.

"I'll drive you home," I tell Spin.

"Thanks. Wow, I can't believe I got that much attention. "

"They love you," I say. It's the truth—the fans went crazy over Spin and his cute smile.

"If I'm so wonderful, why didn't I get more attention at university?" he asks, smiling.

I laugh. "It's amazing what a little hype will do, right?"

"If I remember correctly, you had your fair share of girls falling all over you at school. A lot of them wanted to scratch my eyes out when we were in the play together. I'm pretty sure a couple of the girls at work have a thing for you, too."

"Most of the fans will want me to be with you." I say as I pull up to his building. "See you on Monday. We'll be on location at the house for the whole week."

I catch the brief frown that passes over Spin's face before he tries to hide it.

"What's the matter?" I ask.

"What? Oh, nothing. Thanks for the ride!" He opens the passenger door.

Wondering if he could still be worried about those scenes we'll be shooting, I grab his arm. "Wait. Actually, it might be a good idea for us to rehearse a little on Sunday, if you have time. Would you mind? We'll have to do it at my house because of Anya."

Spin brightens, and I'm immediately glad I suggested it. "Of course I don't mind. Let me know when to be there." He waves before turning and walking into his building.

I start home, singing under my breath. If I can take some of the worry from Spin's mind about filming the love scene next week, I'm glad to do it. I can't believe he drove me home last night and took care of me. I don't have a single other person besides Khun Anong who would do that for me. Well, Pear probably would if I asked her to, but that would be awkward, and I really don't want to encourage her. She's been giving off vibes that she's interested in renewing our relationship, and I am so not into that idea. Pear is a nice girl, but I don't have strong feelings for her. Dating her was easy, but Anya was getting too attached, and I knew we wouldn't last. I need to make sure I don't do anything to give her the wrong idea.

It feels really good to have Spin in my life again. I lost track of most of the friends I made at university because I was too busy taking care of my sister and trying to find work. Having someone to lean on is nice. I ignore the voice inside my head that's telling me there is more to what I feel for Spin than what I'm acknowledging.