“SO, any response from him?” asked Laura when her favourite drama series took commercial break. Although she was annoyingly distracted by the presence of Pinky that walked back and forth behind her, she could not totally ignore her cousin when she was facing the biggest problem in her love life. So Laura guessed it was an official break up then since Mike had left SanFo without telling Pinky.

            “I can’t believe he ignores all my calls and messages!” Pinky frustratingly tossed her phone aside before taking seat beside Laura.  

            “It means he really wants a break up and doesn’t want to have anything to do with you,” Laura blurted out but sealed tightly after she earned sharp glare from Pinky as she realized that she might have hurt Pinky’s feeling. She then pretended to be focused again on TV when the commercial break had ended, giving Pinky the time to think the solution of her problem.

            “No,”

            “What ‘no’?” Laura asked curiously without removing her eyes from TV screen.

            “I can’t let our relationship ends like this. At least I deserve the reasons and explanations from him. He can’t just leave me like this!” she grabbed Laura’s hand to get her attention, but her cousin just gave her weird look. Forget it! She would not share with Laura what was on her mind, but she would make Mike talk to her again.

 ************

IT felt so awkward to have her husband fetched her to workplace today. She was independent woman and only asked the help from her father or Utt to fetch her if she was really in trouble, but today she got her legit husband to look after her which she was still adjusting to his presence around her.  They even had small argument last night when Mike had decided to fetch Aaron and Aom whenever he had the free time to do so.

            “So see you after 5,” Mike said after the Mercedes car stopped in front of building entrance. Aom reflexively moved away when Mike abruptly leaned closer to her, and she immediately ashamed with herself because Mike just wanted to reach her briefcase at backseat for her. She thought he was going to kiss her!

            “What’s wrong?” he asked when he caught her fanning her face. Was it hot inside this car?

            “Nothing. See you later,” Mike frowned in confusion as he watched Aom hurriedly got off from the car. She even tried to hide her face from him like she had done embarrassing thing, but what was it?   

 ************

AOM kept digging her food but not eating it as her mind was somewhere else right now. She could not help but embarrassed every time the incident this morning replayed in her head. Was she expecting a kiss from him? Aom shook her head to dismiss that disturbing memory and chanted out anything for distraction without realizing Utt had given her weird look as he approached the table.

            “Hoi Aom, are you okay?! Why are you talking to yourself?” Aom was startled by trying to conceal it by reaching the drink that Utt just placed on their table and drank it without looking at him.

            “Don’t mind me. Let’s eat now,” she quickly changed the topic. Thank God Utt did not insist in digging what was inside her mind because Mike was still inside there. She seemed could not temporarily eradicated Mike when her gaze fell on Utt’s cup of coffee.

            “That cup will break into pieces if keep staring for few more seconds,” teased Utt as he noticed how inattentive she was at this moment. He badly wanted to know what inside her head, and was she acting this way because of Mike?

            “So, how is the new life with Mike? Is everything okay?” he tried not to look so eager to dig more about that matter. The small part of him wished that they did not get along, but the small smile on her lips somehow made him sighed in relief. After all Aom’s happiness was mattered to him.      

            “We get along pretty well but what makes me so relief is Aaron finally acknowledges Mike as his father. I thought he would take longer time to get along with Mike. I’m glad it was shorter than I’d expected,” Utt listened attentively while trying to conceal the little jealousy he had for Mike. Mike got everything that Utt wanted to have, but he was not that evil to be a homewrecker to his friend’s marriage.

Probably he would be one if Mike wasted the second chance that Aom had given to him. While they were eating lunch, Maria and Lily who sat not far from their table were watching Aom in annoyance. They hated when many of their co-workers favoured her especially Utt which most of them had known the fact that they had been friend since university.    

            “Someone fetched her this morning and it was someone we have never seen before,” Maria accidentally that scene, and she was confident that it was not her father who drove the car although Maria could not see that person’s face clearly.

 ************

GOLF had noticed something different in Mike’s look today, but it was something that probably other people would not notice it. It was just minor change that had significant meaning and impact in Mike’s life, and he glad that Mike was really serious about living a new life with Aom and Aaron. Mike lifted his gaze when Golf cleared his throat with teasing smile on his face.

            “What?” Mike threw the puzzled look and patiently waited Golf to finish chewing the big chunk of meat that he just shoved into his mouth.

            “Nothing. I just want to say you got a very nice ring there,” he pointed at Mike’s ring, and his brother just rolled his eyes before continue finishing the steak on his plate.

            “So, how’s the new life? Is everything okay?”

            “We had small argument last night,” Mike paused to drink water.

            “She refused me to fetch her at work,” he continued, and Golf chuckled when he detected the frustration in Mike’s voice. Yeah, he was frustrated when she declined him, but they had fixed that problem and she finally agreed to let him to do that when he had time for it.

            “Like I’d told you before, you need to give her time and space. She has been doing everything on her own before, so you should try to understand her,” he gave his brother a piece of advice since he knew Aom better than Mike.

            “Congratulation anyway because your son finally has accepted you, and I really hope you will work hard to make this marriage works. I have one more question for you,” Mike lifted a eyebrow as a cue for Golf to proceed.

            “Have you talked to Pinky?” Mike froze when Golf asked him so. Mike did not have to answer him because he already knew it. Aom knew that Mike had someone in his heart, but they hid the fact from Aom that Mike was still in relationship and lived in one roof with Pinky.

            “She called and texted me, but I’m not ready to talk or reply anything to her,” he answered before drinking the juice.

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