August was gone.
August was gone when Ngern woke up.
August was gone when he checked the bathroom, and the balcony.
August was gone when he threw on his slippers and ran out of the building still only dressed in his cvm drenched boxers.
August was gone when he stood on the pier looking out into the sea, as the reality of all that had happened finally smashed into him with so much force it took his breath away.
August was gone.
Ngern was devastated.

The flight back to Bangkok was a dreary one, as it seemed even Mother Nature was expressing the sadness in Ngern's heart with the droplets of rain that showered down against his oval jet window.
Just a few days ago they had shared this jet. They had talked and laughed and pigged out on snacks. They had been happy.
But now August was gone.
Ngern was devastated.
Devastated because for a quick second there, in his arms, Ngern had felt happiness. True happiness. The kind that caused you to smile without even understanding why. The kind that beckoned you to cry tears of gratitude for its presence in your life. The kind that caused you to hold on tight and never let go.
But he'd let go.
August was gone.
Ngern was devastated.
Devastated because he'd fallen in love. Devastated because he'd dreamt of the many futures they could have shared together. Devastated because he had imagined what they would name their first adopted child from Cambodia. Their baby boy. With big, emotive eyes like his, and a beautiful slanted nose like August's. Then their second, their baby girl. Long, jet black hair like his mom's with a firmly planted and confident personality like August. Then their dog, was it to be a pit bull or a Boston terrier? Were those safe amongst toddlers? Maybe they would have settled for a chihuahua, because though Ngern had a love for big dogs, August's practical thinking would have urged them more towards something a bit more toddler appropriate. Rex. That would have been his name. Rex, the baddest barker in town. The last of three adopted children of their house hold.
But August was gone.
Ngern was devastated.
And when the jet landed, and Ngern climbed into the back of his black sedan, he couldn't hear anything beyond the beating of rain against the roof of the car and the wailing of his broken heart.
August was gone.
He must have been devastated.
Devastated because Ngern had taken advantage of him whilst he was drunk. Devastated because Ngern had made him do things he hadn't wanted to do? But whose fault was it? Had he not been the predator, Ngern the prey? Had his eyes, too, not been filled with longing for Ngern's touch, his kiss? Had he not grounded his hard against Ngern's and on his neck until he ed? Had August ed?
Ngern couldn't remember. He couldn't remember anything beyond that ory moment. The reflections of himself he'd seen against tinted windows, and hanging mirrors all painted a distasteful look on his face. Dried tear marks ran down his cheek. Had he cried the night before? Ngern couldn't remember. Nothing was certain, nothing was sure.
Nothing except August was gone and devastated.
Ngern was...
Numb.

But then the chauffeur cleared his throat. Then he did it again. And again, before succeeding in pulling Ngern out of his trance. He was home. The Bright Sukhumvit 24 building loomed over the car. How had he gotten home so fast? He had just been standing on the pier in Ariara. Where had all those hours gone? Had he ever truly been in the Philippines? Had the sun against his skin, and the beauty of the ocean scape all been a figment of his imagination? Please say so. Say that he hadn't lost August. Say that he had been in the studio all day and on his way back home had fallen asleep and dreamt it all. Say that when he ran to that elevator and pushed his access card for the penthouse suit it would lead him to an empty house with August sited at the foot of the stairs waiting on him with a sore ankle and a scowl on his face. Say that the past four days had not happened.
But when he ran to the elevator and pushed his access card for the penthouse suit it led him to a fully furnishing duplex. Beautiful tapestries hung against the Windows and modern chairs filled the space. A mixture of vintage and modern, western with hints of oriental. But what did Ngern care for chairs and stools if August would never sit on them? What was the use of them if they would never cuddle as they watched movies on the ginormous flat screened tv that now occupied the the right wall in the room? What did he car for the way the sun rays filtering through the glass walls glistened against the crystal decorations of the center piece?
They were all just shells. Every thing he'd purchased, from the lounging chaises, to the antiques. There were all just side shows to the main attraction like crust without filling.
August was the main attraction. The essential piece which without, everything else just looked like light bulbs without electricity.
Dull.
Dead.

*****

"Omygosh!!! Ngern, I love you!!" The chubby girl screamed as she pushed up the glasses on the bridge of her nose. She was just one of a few hundred gathered outside the studio were Ngern was to be making an appearance on Good Morning Thailand, to officially announce his casting in Malicious.
And though he'd spent the past two days caged up in his apartment, Ngern wanted nothing more than to fold himself under his duvet and forget the world. But the contract had already been signed and the last thing he wanted was for news to get out that he cancelled his appearance as that would put the gossip blogs and papers on high alert. That would mean paparazzi at his front door step and gift baskets from concerned fans wishing him well. Ngern wanted none of that, so he did what he knew would get him off the hook. He played himself. But surprisingly it was proving to be the toughest role he'd ever played. The smiling and waving and posing, it was all too much. The screaming fans reaching for him, the security guards at either side of him fighting them off. The declarations of love.
Ha! As if they knew anything about love. As if if they got to know him, the real him, they'd still love him. Nonsense. They didn't love him. They fancied him. His clothes, his cars, his apartment. The celebrity lifestyle. That was what they truly loved. Not him. Not the real Ngern. 

It was just barely past six, and he was supposed to have been at the studio by five. His segment was coming up within the next twenty minutes, and he had yet to even walk into the studio. Ofcourse Kim had left a dozen and one messages on his phone, but Ngern had decided to do thesame thing he had originally done when he heard the phone ringing in the first place. Ignore them. He was exhausted. He was tired. He hadn't eaten in two days, and there was a dull ache in the chest that made him feel like he was seconds away from a heart attack. 

He was led through the studio doors by the guards, up an elevator to the third floor, then down several twisting hallways before he came to his designated dressing room. When one of the guards opened the door for him, he wasn't surprised to see Kim's scowling face shooting daggers his way.

"You're late!" She sneered, visibly making an effort to keep her voice calm and controlled as she wasn't the only one in the room. "Jesus, what happened to you? You look like you haven't slept since you came back."

Ngern didn't feel like being bothered. He walked to the corner of the room where a makeup compartment was set and plopped himself in the chair. Looking now at his reflection, he had to admit, Kim was right. He did look like sh*t. His eyes were hollow and baggy and circled. His lips were dry and chaped. His hair was heavily unruly and his skin was dry and pale. Truthfully, apart from this morning, he hadn't taken a shower since his return two days prior. And seeing how ashen his face looked, Ngern tried to remember if he'd lotioned himself. 

The makeup lady rushed to his side and immediately started applying foundation to his face, while another tried combing out his hair.

"Please, move as fast as possible," Kim said to the make up team, "We only have twenty minutes before his interview and he hasn't even changed yet. Geez Ngern you know how important this is for us. This is your official coming out to the rest of Asia. Kareena and Yi fan are going to be announcing theirs today as well which means by the end of the day you will no doubt be on the top most googled name list on Thai, Japanese, Indian, and Chinese soil. Do you know how big a deal this is? And you show up looking like this? Did you even look at yourself in the mirror before stepping out of your house--"

"Jesus, Kim, can you please just shut up. Please." Ngern's voice was drenched in venom, despite it's calmness. Everyone in the room gasped.  No doubt this was not the nice and always polite Ngern they had read about in all the blogs. No, this one was... well, he was a bit terrifying. There was something violently off puting about the way he sat, perched on his chair as if nothing in the world mattered to him. As if he didn't care about the fact that he was about to make the biggest announcement of his life. As if wearing running shorts and a black crew neck with an old sweater was the best way to present himself on such a day. Yes, this Ngern was scary, and the most terifying thing about him was that he just didn't seem to give a sh*t about sh*t.

Fuming, Kim excused herself out of the room, and even after Ngern was all dressed up in the suit provided to them by one of Thailand's best designers, with his face beaten to superficial perfection, when he came out of the dressing room and was led backstage, Kim didn't say one more word to him. And if Ngern wasn't half way out of his mind already he would have been shaking with fright because Kim only got that deadly quiet when she was about to drop an atomic bomb on someone's head.

"Our guest for today is a multi-award winning actor, who has topped the Thai box-office for the past three years with his strings of hits like Pirates of Ko Samui and The Danger Games. I'm sure you all know who I'm talking about, please help me in welcoming to the set, Thailands very own heartthrob, Ngern Anupart!" The screams were defeaning as Ngern stepped onto the set with the biggest smile he could muster, waving the whole way to the seat that stood waiting for him opposite the two talk show hosts that would be his interviewers for the day. 

"Thank you. Thank you." Ngern said, bowing to the crowd as he sat down. Honestly, he just wanted them to shut the heck up so that he could get the show on the road. The sooner, the better. It was horrendous enough that he still had to be on set all day today, and fly out around midnight to be in Beijing at the wee hours of the morning for a whole day of press junkets. 

"Oh, Ngern we are so happy to have you back here." The female interviewer said, oggling him all over. "It's been quite a while, hasn't it?"

"Yes, too long, too long."

"Last time you came on our show you were promoting the last Pirates movie. That was about a year ago, and I have it on good record that the next in the franchise is already in the works?" The male interviewer this time.

"Yes it is, and though I can't really go too far into the details, I can assure you it is just as action packed, hilarious and heart-warming as the previous ones. A great adventure film for the whole family."

"Great, great. Sounds like you've already finish filming it, so ofcourse, I have to ask, what is next on your radar? Should we be expecting the next Danger Games installement, then, or do you have something else in the works?" That was his cue. He knew they were well aware of his purpose of coming unto their show, and they had just given him a major cue to announce his involvement in Malicious.

"Well, not right away. The Danger Games production has been post-poned, but I do have another project in the works that I am very very excited about because of not just what it could mean for me as an actor, but for all those in the Thai film industry, and maybe even outside of the industry."

"Oooh! This sounds good, please do share, Ngern." The female interviewer said, leaning forward like a child being bated with candy.

"It's actually a multi-national collaborative effort between China, Thai and India based on the classic novel Les Laison Dangeruese that will star Kris, Kareena and I." Ngern said, struggling with the french word. "And if it does half as well as we hope it would, then there will no doubt be more collaborations between our industries, as the gap between our various countries would have been bridged."

"Wow! And ofcourse by Kris and Kareena you wouldn't be referring to Kris Wu and Kareena Rai, would you?" The female interviewer gushed leaning even further.

"Yes, I would."

"Well, with an all-star cast like that, how could this film not break box office records? Seriously! I'm getting so excited just thinking about it. Imagine our very own Ngern sharing the screens with other superstars from around the continent! This would mean amazing thing for the rest of us in the industry."

"Exactly." Ngern chipped in with a humble smile, "And eventually we're hoping these collaborations go beyond the big screen and into our everyday lives as we try to look beyond our differences and work together for the betterment of our various countries." With that the audience went into an uproar of applause and whoots! He couldn't have given a better answer. Diplomacy for the win.

But within himself Ngern felt like a fraud, making a speech about bettering the bonds between the various countries because he knew all too well that his motives were purely self-centered. Neither Oak nor his investors gave a rats @ss about fortifying the bridge between China, and India beyond their own selfish gains. It was all about money. Money money money. And Ngern was their link to it. He was just their puppet. Yes, he could see that now. He was just their play thing to manipulate as they wished, as long as it added more bank notes to their pockets. That was all he was, all he had ever been to any of them. A walking, talking piggy bank.

"Now that's great and all, but being a hug fan as I am of The Danger Games, I just have to ask, what does this mean for the franchise? I mean I had it on good Intel that the filming was to begin within the week, but now we've been informed that you'll be making appearances in Beijing tomorrow as part of the pre-shoot promotional tour. So, I gotta ask what I'm sure all your fans are wondering... What does this mean for the Danger Games franchise?"

"I'm glad you asked, and I'll like to take this moment to assure all the fans that the third installment of the franchise is still in the works. Being the perfectionists that they are, P'Oak and P'Heard had to postpone the filming for a script revision. We know how much you all love the franchise, so the studio wants to make sure that they put forth the absolute best they have to offer for the sake of the fans. So, we'll definitely be shooting the sequel, just not as early as we'd hoped."

"Wow! Sounds like you've got a busy few months coming up, so I've gotta ask what the fans REALLY want to know about," the female interviewer jumped in with a sly smile pressed across her lips, " with all that you've got going on, how do you find time for just you and that beautiful girlfriend of yours?"

Now, that, Ngern had not seen coming. What girlfriend? When did he ever announce that he had a girlfriend? What was she talking about?

"G-G-girlfriend?" He stuttered, breaking into a cold sweat.

"Oh, come off it, Ngern. I'd have to be living under a rock not to have seen those pictures. It's been trending on every blog, magazine and entertainment station for the past few days. Aim, that's her name right? Such a beautiful name for such a beautiful girl. It's no wonder you fell in love with her."

Wait, what?! Who said anything about falling in love? When had any of that happened? Why was she saying all these things?

"I-I-" Ngern's face grew red as he tried to come up with a response. It was a tricky situation he was in, you see, because that girl, Aim, might have gone about saying whatever she wanted to, and if he wasn't careful, he could give the wrong answer that would refute something she might have said without him knowing, and that would lead to either him or she being hounded by the press for lying. Their stories had to match up to the Ts, or risk a scandal. That was the thing about recorded interviews, on one hand they were great, because the journalist couldn't go behind the artists back and twist what they said to their benefit and the artists peril, but on the other hand they immortalized everything, thereby making it impossible to refute a statement.

Kim should have prepped him for this. She should have!

"Aw, look at him turning red all over. How cute. Every girl wants a guy that would blush like that for her, I tell you."  She laughed.

"W-we'll figure it out as we go along." That was the best reply Ngern's mind could summon up.

The rest of the interview went by slowly, as Ngern was quizzed more and more about his "girlfriend", Aim, and their supposed relationship. Ngern had never felt more unprepared for anything In his life. 

*****

Ngern slammed his dressing room door behind him as he fumed at the sight of the staff that was gathered, giggling in his space. 

"Ngern, stop acting like a child." Kim said, reopening the door and stepping into the room. 

"Acting like a child?!" Ngern howled. "You sent me out there without any preparations to get devoured by some stupid rumors, and you think I'm acting like a child?!"

Kim opened and closed as she bit back whatever reply she was about to launch at him. Instead, she let out a loud sigh, then pushed the door open further as she motioned with her head towards the costume crew gathered in the room.

"Please excuse us, my client and I have a thing or two to go over." Without needing to hear another word, they all huddled past Ngern and Kim.

"What the hell has come over you?" Kim said, with the door firmly closed behind them.

"Shouldn't I be the one asking you that question? Huh?" Ngern spat back. " What the he'll is wrong with YOU?! Sending me out there with no prep what so ever to go make a fool out of myself. Goodness, I must have looked so ridiculous up there."

"Not half as ridiculous as you look now, that's for sure." Kim said folding her arms over her chest and giving him one of her warning glares.

"What'd you say to me?" Ngern said, inching closer.

"You heard me loud and clear." Kim retorted." Look, I don't know what's going on with you, or why you're being such an @ss, treating everybody like sh*t, but I'd have you know that I tried calling you all weekend long to brief you on where we stood as far as the Aim situation, and even this morning--"

"Excuses, excuses! ing excuses! I was sitting right here, and you could have said whatever the you had to say instead of b*tching like you always do."

"How dare you talk to me like that!" If looks could kill, Ngern Anupart would have been a dead man. "now, I don't know where any of this is coming from, but if you ever talk to me like that again, then you better start looking for Be management, because if there's one thing I won't take from you or anybody, client or not is disrespectful insinuations that I don't know how to do my job."

"Well then I guess it's a good thing that I'm firing you, you know, so that way you don't have to put up with my disrespectful insinuations about how much you at your job."

Kim looked like she was about to fall over. Her eyes grew wide, and hung open. Her lips trembled as tears formed at the corner of her eyes. 

Ngern's heart broke all over again.

"Well then," She croaked. "I guess I'll see myself out."

With that, Kim, his P'Kim, turned around, opened the door, and exited Ngern's dressing room, and his life.

*****

"CUT! CUT! CUT!!!" Heard shouted over his megaphone. Anyone looking at him would think he was three seconds away from a heart attack. "What the was that, Ngern! Goodness, how many times are we supposed to do this ing scene before you get it right?! Ko is watching his comrades turn into killer zombies right before his eyes because of the curse, he's confused, hungry, tired, and bat scared, not whatever the that is you're acting out! What is wrong with you today? You've done this scene before, and it only took us a few minutes and less than ten takes to round it up. Here we are sixty-three later and you're still ing everything up!"

Ngern scowled defiantly as he looked at Heard directly in the eye. Today was just not the day for him to pu up with all the dramatics. He hated how everyone was trying to twist everything to make it seem like he was the one in the wrong, when it was obvious they were! He was right about sick and tired of everyone treating him like some little kid who didn't know his way around the set. He was Ngern Anupart. He was the star! They needed him, not the other way around. All of them from Kim, Oak, Heard and the whole ing cast and crew! He was the star!

He was the star!

"Well, if I'm doing it so badly, then how about you get over here and do it yourself?!" Ngern spat back, not caring who heard him, which obviously was the whole of the room as they all su tenuously let out stunned gasps. "I'm sick and tired of you guys talking down on me like I'm the unprofessional one here. I case you haven't realized, I'm star here. I'm the one everyone wants. If you don't want me here the  that's fine! The whole world does. The whole ing world."

Why did the words taste with charcoal spilling out of his lips? Why did his eyes sting with tears unshed? Hell, why did he even have anymore tears to shed? After all the crying he'd done within the past two days how was it possible that his tears had not yet run out?

"if you don't want me, that's fine! You hear me, that's fine." Why was he heaving so hard? Why did his heart ache so bad? "I don't need you! I don't need any of you!"

when did he fall on his knees? Why was everyone looking at him like some kind of monster? Or worse yet, was that pity in some of their eyes? Why the heck were they pitying him? He was rich, he was y. He did not need their pity. He was everything they would never be. He had won in life. He did not need their pity.

He did not need their pity.

He did not need...

Were those his tears making a puddle on the dusty terrain on the set?

Not able to take anymore of the pitiful glances being shot his way, Ngern got off his knees and dashed for the door. Heard's voice permeated his senses, but the worlds were all muddled, and thankfully so because he didn't care to hear whatever he had to say. He just needed to get away. From their glances. From Heard's shouting. From the aching in his chest that threatened to swallow him whole.

No sooner had he climbed into the backseat of his sedan had the ringing started. His phone.

AIM.

"What do you want?" He croaked, choking on the bitterness that segwayed from his heart to his tongue.

"Hi, Ngern! It's Aim! I'm so happy you picked up. I was worried you might be busy, but I couldn't help myself after seeing you looking so y on Goodmorning Thailand this morning." She chirped. " Actually, I'm a little mad at you for not letting me know you were back in town. I've been waiting on you, you know."

"Join the list." Ngern said, suppressing the sob that almost escaped his lips and wiping his eyes with the back of his hands. "What do you want?" He asked again.

"I already told you what I wanted, Ngern. You know what I want." Her Answer was simple and direct. And had this been any other day Ngern would have hung up faster than he could say 'no'. But as fate would have it, it was one of those days he needed someone to hold. Someone to talk to. Someone to whisper sweet nothings in his ear. 

Someone to kiss the hurt away.

*****

It was little over eight when Ngern entered the elevator smelling of , v@gina and cvm. And no, he still felt no better. If anything, he felt even worse. Now he felt silly to have thought Aim could make him feel better. She wanted him for thesame reasons everybody else did. His fame. His fortune. That was all she saw when she looked at him. That much he was certain of now. When he'd arrived at her apartment, it had all looked so different from the first night they had spent together. Something about it felt so lived in. So homey. He might have been mistaken but the game consoles under the glass cabinet and the masculine touches all over made it very clear that it was not a bachelorette pad. It was a home. One where love had been nurtured and cared for. One where she had professed her love for whomever she had shared it with as he d*cked her further into the mattress. Thesame mattress she had ushered him onto and rode his c0ck like it was him she had shared her home with. 

No, Aim hadn't made him feel better, if anything she had made him feel worse.
Worse because when he had ed it wasn't she he had been thinking about. Worse because her soft lips had not been enough to distract him this time. Worse because now, even though he could still smell her all over him, it was August that occupied his mind.
The elevator dinged! To alert him that he had arrived his destination, before the doors slid open to either side and he stepped onto his floor.

His apartment was dark and chilly, and he didn't even bother turning on the lights as he climbed the stairs and made his way to his bedroom.
After a long, warm shower to cleanse himself of the dirt of Aim's sweetness, Ngern took it upon himself to look through his hordes of clothing to find the appropriate outfits for his press conference the next morning. Undoubtably Kim would have already had some designer send some things for the events, but seeing as he had relieved her of her duties earlier that day, he figures he had to make do with whatever he already had.
Kim.
His P'Kim.
Why had he let her go? Why had he let it get so far? If he called and apologized would she take him back? Did she care about him half as much as he thought she did? If so then why hadn't she fought to stay? Could she not see it was his anger talking? Could she not hear the pain him his voice?
No! He wouldn't call and he wouldn't apologize. She always preached about how much she cared for him and how she would always have his back, and yet she had run at the first sign of distress. If she really cared for him wouldn't she be ringing his doorbell right now, trying to understand what was wrong?
But she hadn't. She'd completely disappeared. After all the big talk about companionship she had left him as soon as she realized she would no longer be siphoning out ten-percent of everything he earned. He was right about her. She was just like the rest of them. They all just wanted to use him to better themselves, after which they'd abandon him at the first sign of discomfort. That wasn't love. They didn't love him.

It was a little past ten when Ngern made his way down the stairs with a black duffle bag in-hand. He was already running late for his flight to Beijing, but fortunately the studio had come through with their promise to provide a private jet for him to be able to fly to and fro until he finished filming Pirates.
When Ngern opened the door, he gasped.
Kim.
His P'Kim.
She looked up from where she'd been seating on the floor, by his door and he felt his heart drop into the pit of his stomach. The look she gave him, so full of understanding . So full of acceptance.
So full of love.
Slowly, she rose and turned to face him. It is only then that he realized in her left hand was a bottle of hard liquor.
"W-what..." His tongue failed him, his gut clenched. His P'Kim had come after him. His P'Kim had shown up to save him from himself.
It was all suddenly too much for the poor boy who couldn't hold back the tears any more. The poor boy whose face flushed red as snort ran down from his nostrils. The poor boy who was lost in himself, but couldn't figure out his escape. The poor thing up until that moment had managed to convince himself that nobody loved him enough to stick around.
But here she was, his P'Kim. She had returned to him. For him. And suddenly, the poor thing didn't feel so alone anymore.

Taking him by the hand, she led him into his apartment, lingering by the smart screen to turn on the lights, before walking him further into the room and sitting him on his ne designer couch. Then she did thesame, her hand never leaving his all the while.
Ngern felt her eyes on his face, but the shame of his words wouldn't allow his meet hers. That was the thing about words, once spoken there was just no taking them back. And God, had he said some horrible things to her, his P'Kim.
His protector.
"I love what you've done with the place." She finally said after his sobs had softened. "It's like East meets West. Classic and modern. Very chic, really. Are you sure your true calling wasn't in interior design?"
What?! Had she really just said those words? After all that had happened were those really the first things she had said to him? Where was the tantrum? Where was the death glare?
"P'Kim..." His lips trembled as he tried to find the right words to express to her just how sorry and ashamed he was for the things he had said.
"It's okay, Ngern." She said, her free hand cupping his chin and pushing his head upwards so that their eyes met. "I know... And I also have to apologize for focusing only on business when I was well aware of what had happened. You needed Kim the friend and not the manager at that moment, but I was unable to see that. I should've been there for you, Ngern. All the signs were there, when you flew back home alone, when I called a million times and you answered none. The way you acted this morning... All the signs were there and I just ignored them. I of all people know how deep the first cut runs, how painful the first heartbreak is...but I...I am sorry."
"Y-you know...?" Ngern asked, even though he already knew the answer to his own question before Kim nodded her head. "H-how? Since when?"
"Since the very first time I saw you two together. I mean, granted, I wasn't entirely sure of myself, but the more I saw you around him, the way you smiled. The way you laughed. The way your eyes always darted towards his when you thought no one was watching..." Kim smiled as if the thought of their interactions was a treasured memory. "I mean, I'd have had to be blind not to notice all the signs."
Silence.
"Hmph... I guess I'm not as great and actor as I thought." Ngern said leaning back on the chair, and stretching out his legs as his walls came crumbling down.
"You're an incredible actor, Ngern, I made sure of that, but not even you can fake love." P'Kim huffed, also leaning back against the pillows. "Besides, I'd wondered before if you were indeed--you know--I mean, I've worked in this industry for a few decades now and you're the only one of my male clients who has made it this big and hasn't tried to sleep with at least half of his female co-stars. So I figured, you either didn't care for them, or your parents were Mary and Joseph."
What started as giggles turned into roaring feats of laughter within a few seconds as relief flooded Ngern's entire body. He hadn't realized before how desperately he sought Kim's approval, but the few hours without her had truly been a nightmare.
"I really missed you, you know that?" He said when he finally got his laughter under control. "A-And I'm really sorry for the things I said. It doesn't matter what I was going through, I never should have talked to you in that manner. You're the only one I trust in this crazy world, and I should have never let anything make me second guess that. Never!"
For the first time all night his eyes were able to hold hers.
"I know, Kiddo." She said, wiping away a rogue tear from her cheek. "Besides, did you really think I was just going to walk away and let some much less talent manager come and reap what I sowed for all these years. That ten-percent is mine, Ngern, and I'll assassinate anybody who dares to say otherwise, got that?"
"Yes, sir!" Ngern replied with a chuckle.
"Good, now, do you want to drink first and strategize later, or vice versa?"
"Strategize? About what?"
"How to nail that ugly son-of-a-b*tch on a bad publicity cross so that he can never ever work again in this industry."
"Oh my God, P'Kim!, that's horrible!"
"That's what you say now, but trust me, nothing helps heal a broken heart like watching the heartbreaker get buried alive while you enjoy a cocktail. What'd you think I brought the scotch for? Revenge is best served hard." Kim laughed.
"No one is getting buried alive, P'Kim. It's not his fault that things turned out this way. Really, it isn't. I guess I just misread some signs."
"Really?! You mean to tell me you had me waiting outside your front door for two hours to give you that awesome speech and it was all just a big fat misunderstanding?"
"Two hours?! Why didn't you ring the bell?!"
"I did you er! After thirty minutes of no response I figured I should just wait until you come out on your own before ambushing you. I knew you where still in because I came here immediately after I got Heard's call when you decided to act like a diva on set. But when I rang, and no one opened, I called your driver and he said you'd asked him to drive you to his apartment. I had another appointment so I left and came back right after it ended, and saw the driver exiting the gate. I knew you'd have to come out eventually if you wanted to make your flight to Beijing." Kim said with a conniving smile.
"Aw, P'Kim, it was probably when I was in the shower. I swear, I really didn't do it on purpose." Ngern said, blushing. So P' Kim knew he'd stopped by Aim's apartment? Why had she said his though? Probably just a slip of the tongue.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Don't think saying sorry is enough. I'll definitely make you pay for this." With that, she sat up and got off the couch, dragging Ngern up, along with her."Okay, enough of this mushy sh*t. Get your to Beijing and wow those Chinese ers with your awesome personality. Your sorry @ss better not come back here until every soul in China is in love with you, got it!"

"Aye, aye, Captain." He howled, standing up and allowing himself to be dragged towards the door. 

Yes, August was gone, but with his P'Kim there to pick him up and put him back together, Ngern was no longer devastated.