Wednesday

Kim has been busy with tennis stuff these past few days. She has to attend practice every after office hours because there is an upcoming internal club competition in two weeks. Fortunately for her, Pie is also busy doing some errands for her mom. They've mutually agreed to postpone their talk next month.

It was after a tennis practice one day when Kim's friend, Pii, approached her. "You done there, buddy?"

"Yup, almost," said Kim, putting the racket inside her bag.

"Why don't we grab some ice-cold coffee first before we head home?"

Kim checked her watch. "I say why don't we get a dinner instead? It's past 7 o'clock."

Before she could answer, Pii turned her attention to the footsteps coming her way. "Hey," she said to the approaching person.

The girl wrapped her arms around Pii. "What's taking you so long? Don't tell me you two are still putting on makeup?"

Pii and Kim laughed at that. "Pii is still busy trying to look pretty for you, Fah," said Kim.

Fah turned to her girlfriend and pouted her lips. "Awww, but honestly darling, you're better off handsome than pretty."

Pii laughed again. "And who says I'd like to wear makeup? It feels so itchy," she said, grimacing.

Fah buried her face on Pii's neck and mumbled, "I'm hungry now, Pii."

Pii sighed and rubbed Fah's back. She turned to Kim. "You're right, we really should get some dinner or else this baby will turn into Chucky later on."

"Pii!" Fah exclaimed, slapping her girlfriend's arm.

---

They went to the nearest mall restaurant in the area and ordered some Chinese foods.

"So, how are you guys with the practice?" asked Fah.

"Good. I think I got the best teammate here," sad Pii.

Kim elbowed Pii. "You're too humble. She's way a lot better than me, Fah."

Fah just giggled at that. The lovers were still teasing each other when a passerby couple caught Kim's attention. It was just a simple glance but she had to take a second look because there's something about the girl that made her curious. That’s when she realized who the girl is.

What the —

She could not be mistaken. It is Pie walking along with a tall guy.

Although they could be mistaken for a couple, the two were just plainly talking while walking. Kim observed the two until they disappear from her sight. She felt relieved that Pie didn't do anything physical like clinging to him or what. They were not even sweet and Pie's hands were glued to the strap of her bag.

Could be her friend?

Kim creased her forehead in anxiety. For a second there she suddenly felt insecure, worried that there is a possibility that someone will take away Pie soon.

The next day, everything was normal. Pie was in her sweet mode towards Kim the entire day. Kim didn't bother to mention what she saw yesterday because she doesn't want to sound like a jealous girlfriend.

We're still the same. It was just probably a friend.

---

It was Friday noon when Pie, Jane, and Puey decided to go out for lunch. The guard approached them when they were about to head to the lift.

"Oh, you're here Ms. Pie. I tried calling your extension just now but you're no longer answering."

"I'm going out for lunch. Why?"

"A visitor of yours just came in," said the guard, pointing at the waiting area.

Pie cocked her head aside to peek and flinched at the sight of Mike sitting on the couch.

Oh my gosh! What is he doing here?

She can't explain why but she's not comfortable with the idea of him being in the office. One of the reasons is because her friends, who are all waiting for her to have a boyfriend, will surely relentlessly. And another reason, unconsciously the main reason for her, is Kim. Although nothing romantic has been officially declared between them yet she still doesn't want to give Kim the wrong idea about Mike.

"What's the matter?" asked Jane, noticing her friend's turmoil. She followed Pie’s line of sight and saw a slender guy already approaching them.

"Hey..." he said.

"Oh, my gosh, a hottie," Puey whispered.

"M-Mike, it's a surprise to see you here," said Pie.

"Sorry for coming here unannounced. I had a meeting just around the corner and thought of inviting you out for lunch."

"No worries. We were just about to go out anyway," said Pie. She felt Jane nudged her secretly. "Oh, by the way, these are my colleagues, Jane and Puey. Guys, this is Mike, my friend."

"Ahhh, it's a pleasure to meet you, Mike," said Jane, stretching out her hand for a shake.

"We're all delighted to see you..." Puey had a wide smile on his face.

"Pleasures all mine." Mike politely shook their hands.

Wanting to exit the area right away, Pie turned to Jane and Puey. "So, um, I guess I can't join you guys for lunch. I'll see you later then."

"Why don't we all go together?" asked Mike. "It'll be unkind for me to steal you away from your friends when you guys had already planned something."

"Yeah, we should go altogether, the more the merrier, right?" Jane agreed right away. "Don't worry, we won't disturb you."

Pie shot Jane a death glare before turning to Mike. "Are you sure you're comfortable with that?"

"Yeah, don't worry. As long as your friends don't bite then I don't mind."

Puey laughed and playfully hit Mike's arm. "I like your sense of humor."

Pie mentally facepalmed herself, already regretting that she told Mike where she's working. She looked around the area to make sure that a certain individual isn't passing by at the moment. When she confirmed that the coast is clear she strode towards the elevator.

"Okay, let's go." Pie repeatedly pushed the elevator button. She needs to escape the area ASAP because it is where all the employees are passing by during lunch.

20...

19...

C'mon... c'mon... c'mon... hurry up...

18...

Ding!

The lift opened on their floor and Pie hurried inside, making sure to stand beside the control panel so she could close the door right away. She was glad that everyone got in immediately.

"Hold it! Hold it!" somebody shouted.

Pie's eyes widened when she saw May trying to catch up with them. Before the intern gets in, she turned to her left and shouted at somebody, "Hey, you two, hurry up. Let's catch this elevator down."

Oh. My. Gosh.

Pie felt cascades of ice-cold water being poured over her when Kim and Dang followed May in. The elevator door closed after.

Pie massaged her temples, attempting to calm herself down. The thought of Kim standing beside her and Mike at her back is giving her headaches.

"KIM!" Puey exclaimed, hugging Kim from behind. "I thought you guys are staying in the pantry?"

"May changed her mind for the 5th time and decided to go down instead," said Kim. She then turned her head aside and noticed Pie. "Oh, hey."

"Hey."

"You should join us too, Kim," said Puey. "Oh, by the way, have you met Pie's friend?"

Kim turned to look at the guy beside Pie and noticed the same guy she saw the other day.

"Mike," he said, stretching out his hand.

Kim shook his hand firmly. "Kim."

Pie closed her eyes and slump her head against the wall. Without her knowledge, excited Jane already informed May about Mike.

Ding!

"Hi, I'm May, and this is Dang," May enthusiastically introduced herself after they get out of the elevator. Mike shook their hands too. "Can we join you guys for lunch?" she asked, obviously wanting to snoop around.

"We'd love to, May," Jane answered after May acted according to what they've just planned.

Pie brought her hand up to massage her temples again.

Ugh. What could be worse?

"Are you okay?"

Pie looked up and met Mike's concerned eyes. "Yeah, just a little stress at work I guess."

Mike patted her head. "You should stop being workaholic for once."

"Yeah, maybe I should take a break," she responded, feigning a smile. Her eyes wandered to search for a particular person, finding her already looking at them.

Kim had a dull look in her eyes. She slowly turned around and walked ahead after their eye contact.

Pie let out a loud sigh before she resumes walking.

I've got a bad feeling about this.

---

I've got a bad feeling about this.

Kim pulled out her phone from her pocket and pretends to be busy looking at it. Of all the places she could dump her lazy on, she ended up sitting in front of Pie and her friend. It's the only available chair she saw after everyone had settled in.

Although the two weren't sweet, like lovey-dovey sweet, Kim knew that there is something already going on, and it bothers her big time. Pie is obviously bashful around the dude while he looks at her like she's a delicate flower.

Ugh. What an eyesore.

An unpleasant feeling is starting to spread through her chest and Kim doesn't have any idea how to handle it. Is it okay for her to act jealous even though they aren't officially together? And she can't blame Pie for entertaining this dude because technically she's still single, right?

But what brings Kim to confusion is what Pie had shown her these past few days. What was all that sweetness for? Is there really something going on between them or was it all just in her mind?

"This place is cozy, huh," said Mike, looking around the area.

"Is this your first time here?" asked Pie.

"Yeah. If it weren't for today's meeting I wouldn't be able to explore this part of Bangkok."

"You were never really the explorer, huh?"

"Told ya, I'm a house bum."

Kim scoffed to herself, still pretending to do something on her phone.

Pff. What a boring dude. Pie needs to be with someone who can show her the world and not someone who's contented with the four walls of his house.

"I'm glad that we brought you here," said Pie. "The food here tastes great, right, Kim?"

Kim was unprepared for the sudden inquiry. "Uh, yeah..." she simply said, going back to her phone and browsing the calendar this time.

"You seem silent, something wrong?" asked Jane, leaning in closer to look at what Kim is doing.

"Uh, no. I'm just busy..."

"Busy looking at your calendar?"

"I-I'm reorganizing my schedule."

"I see. Managing your time to be spent with your girlfriends, huh?" Jane sniggered.

"Haha, you're funny, Jane, haha." Kim hoped that her laughter sounded natural.

"No, I'm not kidding. Zee told me that you're an expert playgirl," said Jane, elbowing Kim.

"What? And you believed her? C'mon, you should know by now that Zee was just kidding you..." said Kim.

Jane raised her skeptical eyebrows. "Oh really? Well, she told me that you weren't really trapped in Indonesia, you just met a hot girl in Bali that doesn't want to let go of you yet."

"WHAT?" Kim gaped at Jane. She put down her phone on the table and pretends to laugh. "Haha, that Zee surely is good at playing pranks on me, hah."

. I'm going punch a bar owner in the nose later!

Jane browsed something on her phone and showed them a picture. "Honestly I did not believe her first until she showed me this..."

Kim's jaw dropped when she saw a picture of herself with a girl whose arms were trailed around her waist. Pie borrowed Jane’s phone to look at it too.

! I'm seriously going to slaughter a friend now!

"I didn't know you have this side of you, huh?" said Jane, not having any idea that the girl in the picture is Zee's ex-girlfriend whom Kim met in Bali. Kim sent that picture just to tease Zee.

"The first time I saw you earlier I already knew that you were a chick magnet," said Mike, trying to blend along.

"Nah, it's not like that, dude. That girl is a friend I met there."

. Did I just call him dude?

"Yeah, we believe you, don't worry," said Mike, chuckling.

Kim felt a kick under the table, making her look at Pie who's aiming death glares at her now.

Your battery was dead for days, huh? Pie made a face.

As if getting what Pie was thinking, Kim shook her head in denial and made a face in response. I'm not lying!

Pie rolled her eyes and turned to Mike this time. "Hey, would you like to have dinner at MY PLACE later?"

Kim's eyes twitched at that.

"Sounds good. I missed your mom's cooking already," said Mike, casually leaning his arms on Pie's chair backrest.

Kim gritted her teeth.

Pie playfully hit his arm. "Hey, you just had dinner with us the other day, remember?"

"Still it feels like decades ago."

Kim rolled her eyes and scoffed.

Mike checked his watch and says, "My meeting is until 5:30 pm. I guess I'll pick you up after work?"

Kim slowly grabs her phone, already thinking of canceling her practice with Pii later.

"Sure. I'll wait for you then."

Kim closed her eyes, feeling her day has already been ruined.

♫ Feels like I'm walking on tightrope, my heart is in my throat, I'm counting on high hopes to get me over you ♫

Kim was rubbing her eyes in disappointment when her phone rang, making her almost jump in surprise. The ringtone was too loud making everybody at the table look at her.

"Sorry," she said. A smile drew across her face when she saw the caller's name. "I gotta take this first, excuse me."

Pie watched Kim stood up and walked outside. A pang of curiosity hit her when she saw that picture of Kim and Yam again flashing on the phone screen.

Her eyebrows furrowed as she watched Kim outside laughing while talking on the phone.

---

"Tell me, do you have a magic or something? You always call just in the nick of time," said Kim.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I just had a customer here who was in Indonesia last week. Then I remember that a certain someone had totally forgotten to call me," said Yam.

Although she doesn't feel that cheery Kim laughed at that. "Sorry, I've been busy."

"Busy with her?"

Kim just smiled at it, suddenly feeling a light pinch on her chest. "So, what's up?"

"Still drowned in flowers. You?"

Kim peeked inside and saw Pie laughing with her friend. "Doing fine, I guess..."

"What's with the sigh? Are you not with Pie?"

"We're out for a lunch but something came up."

"Something like?"

"H-her friend joined us."

"A friend? I assume it's a 'he' based on the timber of your voice."

"Y-yeah…"

"So, what's the matter, are they sweet or what?"

Kim turned to peek inside again and saw all of them laughing with him. "Not really sweet, but you know, I can feel that there is something going on."

"Ooooh, Kim is a jealous frog..."

Kim shoved her free hand into her pocket and turned away from the eyesore. "Don't I have the right to?"

"Jealousy isn't something you can just dodge, Kim. It's normal to feel it once in a while."

"But what should I do?"

"Is there anything you still can do?"

"What do you mean?"

"You said something is going on between them, right? Do you think Pie likes him?"

Kim felt her heart being pulled down from her chest. Based on what she heard and from what she saw the other day, the two might have been going out for quite a while now.

"Honestly, I think she does."

"Oh, that's a blow..."

Kim sighed. She brought a hand to her heart. "Yeah, I know. Quite a hard blow actually."

"I always thought that she has something for you, really. But maybe I was wrong. At least the sooner this happens that sooner you can accept it, right?"

"Yeah.... But there's something bothering me, Yam..."

"What is it?"

"Before this guy came into the picture, or before I was even aware of his existence, Pie's actions towards me had changed. She's making me feel special, like — I don't know if it's just me — but she's making me feel that she likes me too..."

"Really? When did this start to happen?"

Tok... tok... tok...

A knock on the window interrupted Kim's thoughts. She saw Dang signaling that their food has been served. She gave him a nod.

"Uh, I have to go, Yam. Our food is ready. I'll drop by your shop later, okay?"

"Sure. I'd prepare dinner for us. Or would you prefer a drinking session instead?"

Kim laughed. "We'll see. Thanks for the call, I'll see you later."

---

Kim didn't enjoy her lunch at all. Aside from May and Jane teasing her about her recent call with Yam, she can't stand the sight in front of her. She feels irritated seeing those two talking low, almost whispering things to each other from time to time like they were having their own little world.

And what's bringing Kim to misery is the idea that Pie obviously likes him. It'll just be a matter of time before Pie announces that she finally had chosen a boyfriend. Kim would be lying to herself if she'd say that the two don't look good together. Although they aren't sweet yet, it is obvious that they have good chemistry, and it torments her more.

On the other hand, she also started questioning herself on what could be Pie's motive in showing her all that sweetness before. It confuses her because she knows that those affections were real. But what happened? Why is this guy here now? Was it just a momentary fling where Pie woke up one day and realized that she wants to be with a guy instead?

The pit that had started during lunch got deeper eventually. Kim and Pie didn't get the chance to talk to each other after that. It's not like they were avoiding each other, but nobody initiated a move to talk about it first.

Truth is she's trying her best to act cool about it and at the same time trying to stay away from Pie for now. That lunch alone had ruined her day. Hearing more stories about him isn't something she needed now.

By the end of the day, as Kim was passing by their office, she saw a black car picking up Pie in front of the building.

Ugh. Dammit.

Her knuckles were white as she clenched the steering wheel with both hands, frustrated by the idea that maybe Pie doesn't really like to be with someone like her. And what's damaging her pride more is the fact that she hates and envies Pie's friend at the same time. In a fair competition she knows she has a chance, but if gender is the real issue then it's going to be a mismatch.

And here I was thinking that I had a chance. As if I had the chance in the first place. Stupid me.

---

"I think I know what's happening here," said Yam after hearing the story. Kim narrated everything that had happened after Pattaya. "I don't want to give you false hopes but I still stand by my statement that Pie likes you."

"I wanted to believe that too, Yam. I mean, I once believed that, but look at what's happening now." Kim ran her fingers through her hair and sighed. "Is she just playing on me?"

"I don't think that's her intention, Kim. Maybe she's just... confused…"

"Confused about her feelings for me?"

"Could be." Yam shrugged. "She could also be confused about her feelings for the guy, or confused about telling her mom about you, or maybe... confused about your feelings for her?"

"Confused about my feelings for her? I'm sure she knows how special she is to me, Yam."

"Maybe. But I'm sure that's what you're thinking with Nam too before, right? That she knows what exactly she meant to you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Apparently, based on the stories you told me, all the time that you were thinking that everything was cool, that you and Nam were okay, she was already thinking that you weren't serious about her, remember?" asked Yam.

Kim was speechless.

"I don't know if this is the right time to confront Pie about this," said Yam, raising her feet on her chair, "but I've heard this story before, Kim; you and Nam, now it's you and Pie. Don't you think what's happening is just a cliché?"

Kim slumped back against the backrest of the couch, realizing how their situation right now is somewhat similar to what she had with Nam before: a blurred relationship that led to an unclear ending.

Hearing no response from her friend, Yam continued, "You need to act on this one. I'm not saying that this is the best solution to your problem, but you should do it for yourself. If Pie will choose him, then so be it. At least you guys made it clear and that will set you free."

Kim is now realizing that maybe Nam wouldn't have left her in the first place if everything was clear before between them. But if she'll clarify things now will that make Pie pick her instead of him?

"You think that's my only way out?" asked Kim.

Yam nodded. "You wouldn't want to commit the same mistakes as before, would you?"