OST: I Knew I Loved You by Savage Garden

Please listen while reading.

Hmm ohh, I will come
Maybe it's intuition
Somethings you just don't question
Like in your eyes, I see my future in an instant
And there it goes, I think I've found my best friend

I know that it might sound
More than a little crazy
But I believe

I knew I loved you before I met you
I think I dreamed you into life
I knew I loved you before I met you
I have been waiting all my life

There's just no rhyme or reason
Only a sense of completion
And in your eyes, I see the missing pieces
I'm searching for, I think I've found my way home

I know that it might sound
More than a little crazy
But I believe

I knew I loved you before I met you
I think I dreamed you into life
I knew I loved you before I met you
I have been waiting all my life

Ooh hoo ooo, hoo hoo ooo ohh
A thousand angels dance around you
(Ooh hoo, hoo ooo hoo ooo hoo hoo hoo)
I am complete now that I have found you

I knew I loved you before I met you
I think I dreamed you into life
I knew I loved you before I met you
I have been waiting all my life

I knew I loved you before I met you
I think I dreamed you into life
I knew I loved you before I met you
I have been waiting all my life

I knew I loved you before I met you, I knew I loved you
(Ooh hoo ooo, hoo hoo ooo)
I knew I loved you before I met you, I knew I loved you
(Ooh hoo ooo, hoo hoo hoo)
I knew I loved you before I met you
(Oh oh, ohh ohh, oh oh oh ay ay yea oh)
I knew I loved you before I met you, I knew I loved you
I knew I loved you before I

***********************************************************************************************************

“Mike agreed to meet her. You better tell Aom about this arranged marriage as soon as you can” she told phan on the phone.

“Oh, dear. Alright, I’ll tell her later when she comes home”

“Do you think I should be there?”

phan chuckled, “Hey, Aom is my daughter, not yours!”

“She will be mine too, very soon!”

“I don’t get it, why do you like her so much?”

“I’ve always liked her since she was in school. Maybe because she’s so nice to you”

“I hope she’ll still be nice to me after I tell her about the marriage.....”

“She might cry for a day, and hate you for a week, but in the end, I’m sure she’ll listen to you”

phan sighed heavily.

“Tell me about it tomorrow?”

“Yes, good night”

“Good night!”

Mike’s mom felt excited, while Aom’s mother felt scared.

**********************************************

It was a hard day for Aom at the magazine, and even harder at the cafe. There were several cranky customers, and she’s tired having to smile when she’s actually feeling annoyed to those demanding people.

All she wanted was supper, a shower, then her bed.

So when her mother asked her to talk after she showered, she declined and begged to let her sleep, but her mother insisted, so she couldn’t do anything else except listening.

“Aom, my dear, I have something important to tell you......”

She had a bad feeling about it.

“What is it, Mom? Is it Father? Is the hospital asking us to pay the bills immediately?”

“..........it’s not really about father, but it’s related to father”

“Is his condition getting worse?” she asked with dread.

“No...his condition is still the same. But........”

“What is it? Tell me, tell me quickly, now!”

“............Aom, what if there’s a way for you to live better?”

“Huh? What do you mean, Mom?”

“What if you can quit from your second job, or even from your full time job too, without having to worry about the bills? What if you can focus on writing novels and really be an author, like how you always want to? What if......you can live like you used to? Wealthy and......and never having to worry about money anymore?”

“Hahaha. That would be nice, but eventhough I’m very tired, I know it’s not possible, Mom. Life is like this, and I’ll just go with it. Don’t worry, I will work hard for all of us”

“Aom.......I agreed not only to pay the bills, but mostly because I want you to stop suffering. Because I want you to be happy”

Aom was really scared then.

“What is it, Mom? What do you mean?”

“Aom, just stop shouldering all the burden of this family and marry Mike Pirath”

“What??? Marry who???”

“Mike”

“Mike who, Mom?”

“That – that famous superstar. That guy that plays in the drama Full House and Kiss Me”

“You know I don’t have time to watch TV, Mom”

“He went to the same high school with you. Don’t you remember? He’s a year younger than you, and I and his mother are good friends”

Aom thought hard for a few seconds, before finally remembering.

“Ah. That Mike. He’s a singer”

“He plays in dramas and movies too, now”

“I see”

“His mother wants you two to marry”

Aom widened her eyes.

“Is she the lady we met at the temple a few days ago?”

“Yes”

“And she—“

“She wants you to marry Mike”

“Why would she want it?”

“Because she thinks you’re a very good girl. Mike is having a lot of problems recently, so she thinks he needs a good girl as his wife, to bring stability and peace in his life”

Aom laughed bitterly.

“And........she agreed to pay all of your father’s medical bills”

Aom’s smile was instantly wiped out from her face.

And she went speechless.

To never worry about father’s medical bills again, to be able to give him the best medical treatments.......

“Mom..........”

phan reached for her daughter’s hands.

“I know I sound so cruel to you. But this is not only for your father, Aom. This is for you, too. Nitipaisankul family is rich. It breaks my heart to see you having to work double jobs. Going out from home early in the morning and coming home late every single day. We burden you too much, I make you suffer too much—“

“No, Mom, I’m your daughter, I –“

“If you marry him, your life will be really comfortable. It’s not for me. I can live in this house well. I’m fine with it. But I wish you can be happy, and don’t have to work so hard. Please listen to me and accept this marriage, Aom. It will be good for you”

“I—“ Aom answered with difficulty, since she was already crying, “no matter what, I wish I could marry someone I love, Mom........”

“Then learn to love him, Aom. Learn to love Mike”

“I don’t even know him!”

“Then get to know each other”

“I can’t, Mom.........”

“Meet him first. See what he is, think about it well. Don’t say no, Aom. Maybe this is God’s way to help you, so you don’t have to suffer anymore”

She really cried after that, and phan led her to bed. Aung, her sister, was shocked to see her crying, and asked repeatedly what was the matter.

But phan told her to let Aom sleep.

Aom was too sad to talk to her sister, so she climbed her bed and cried herself out.

What made her heart broke was because the condition of their life made her mother even thought that marrying her to someone rich was a good way out. She knew her mother meant well, but......how could she be happy marrying someone she didn’t even know?

This poverty had taken her time and energy. Because she worked double jobs, she had no time to socialize and to have as much fun as other girls her age. Would it have to take her love too? Should she trade her heart for money?

Unable to find a satisfactory answer, she cried until she fell asleep.

*********************************************

Ying, Mike’s sister, decided to visit Mike in his photoshoot location the next day. It was obvious that he’s having a bad mood. She stood for a while to see him posing. It didn’t affect his work, but he only stood at his corner during breaks, unwilling to chat with anyone. He was polite to the photographer and stylists, but it was as far as it went.

She greeted him cheerfully, bringing iced tea and lunch for him.

He was happy to see her, and gratefully ate the lunch she brought.

“So, how are you feeling?”

“How does a guy who’s asked to marry a stranger by his overactive Mom would feel?”

Ying just grinned at him.

“But you will meet her next week, right?”

“I think if we meet once and it doesn’t work out, and if I speak clearly to Mom, she’ll stop bothering me”

“And if it works out?”

“It won’t”

“You haven’t seen her yet, Mike. Don’t be so judgemental”

“Look, I have no problem with her, ok? If Mom says she’s a good girl, then ok, maybe she is. But marriage is my last priority now. I just started my skincare company, Esperma. I’ve accepted several acting projects in China, my schedule this year is so full already. I have Maxwell to take care of, and an ex who suddenly have the hobby to ruin my image. Can’t you see? I have my hands full now. I have no time for girls or marriage”

Ying looked at her brother thoughtfully. She loved all her four brothers, but Mike had always been the closest to her. She had seen him changed since Maxwell was born. He used to be flirty with girls. She knew he was a player, but was it really his fault, to be so handsome and attractive, with girls throwing themselves at him all the time?

He had stopped since his son was born, though. He said once, he wanted to be a better man for his son. He wanted Maxwell to be proud of him.

“I’m starting to get what Mom means.......”

Mike glared at her.

“Maybe she is the solution for all the problems in your life. Don’t you want somebody to take care of you?”

“Really, Ying. Don’t start”

“Well, who knows? Maybe she could really make you happy”

“You’re starting to sound like Mom”

“You went to the same high school with her, right?”

“Mom said so”

“Do you remember her?”

“No. I tried hard to remember, but I really don’t. Mom sent me her picture, and I can’t remember seeing her at school. I was still busy singing with Golf at the time, and going to Japan back and forth. Maybe she knows me, but I don’t”

“Don’t keep your hopes up, maybe she doesn’t know you, too”

Mike raised his eyebrows.

“I was famous in high school, ok? Girls always asked me out. I didn’t say she liked me too, but at least I’m sure she knows my face”

“Won’t it be challenging if she doesn’t like you?”

“What???”

“I mean......girls always like you. They’re so ready for you, all the time. Wouldn’t it be interesting if this Aom doesn’t like you? Won’t it make you want to........conquer her?”

“.........Ying, you watch too many dramas”

Ying laughed at that, making people around the photoshoot turned at the good looking siblings at the corner of the room. “Great genes” somebody praised.

“I can always coincidentally go to the cafe where she works........”

“Coincidentally???”

“I can’t with this, you know. This is so romantic! The poor, super nice girl, with the rich, ex playboy. Doesn’t it spell romantic to you?”

“Go get a guy and stop fawning over my life. You and mom are both the same, you’re both crazy!”

“Oh, come on. This is like, straight out of a romance novel. Ok, decided. I’ll go to that cafe tonight. I’m gonna see for myself how this Aom Sushar looks like”

“What’s her full name again?” Mike asked.

“Sushar Manaying. And her nickname is Aom”

“Sushar Manaying”

“Awww.........you’re saying her full name!!!” Ying squealed giddily.

“..........what the hell is wrong with you?”

“I need to go to my friend’s boutique now, but I’ll go to Aom’s cafe tonight and report to you how she looks like”

“Whatever”

“And answer my call when I call you, Mike, or I will hunt you down. Oh, this is so exciting!”

Mike was called by the photographer and returned in front of the camera, after waving to his sister.

Ying nearly skipped along the way to her car, somehow getting excited about this “romance” of his brother and that stranger-soon to be sister in law.

*************************************************

Author’s Note:

Since I’m so addicted to Aomike, I’m addicted to write this fic too, hahaha. Writing has always been entertaining to me.

I don’t mean to prolong the time before their first meeting. It will happen very soon, don’t worry. I just want to write enough background and build the anticipation before their first meeting.

I hope you like this update. Do share me your thoughts of the story so far.

PS: spazz Aomike with me on twitter @vanillasoul257