Page 66 of Baby Love

“Wait. Why are you whispering? Is he there with you?”

“He’s asleep. We can talk about this some other time. How’s my sister?”

“She’s good. I called her last night and she said she was studying.”

I need to ask him. “Bass. Is…something going on with you and Nok?”

He’s silent so long, I’m wondering if he disconnected.

“Bass?”

“I’m here. Listen, Baby. I’ve been scared you’ll get mad at me. But, well, we’ve been talking. Nothing but talking, I swear. Still, I like her a lot. Is that awful? I didn’t mean for it to happen, but that day we had coffee, I learned so much about her. Did you know we like the same music? And I never realized how interesting she is. I can’t help but like her, so please don’t ask me not to.”

I sigh and rub my eyes. “Listen, it’s kind of weird and I need a little time to digest it, okay? And I want to talk to Nok. But I’m not mad.”

I can hear Bass’s relief in his voice. “Okay. Thanks, Baby.”

“And congratulations again on getting the part,” I say.

When I go back into the bedroom, P’Park has turned over and is out on the bed spread like a starfish. I climb into the other bed and burrow under the covers, even though, more than anything, I want to crawl back in next to him. I wonder if having sex will change things between us. We have to be a successful ship. We just have to. I tell myself I won’t let it change anything. I can’t let down P’Park, Nok, and the producers who believe so much in me that they paid off my father.

That’s all there is to it.

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Park

We have to be up early the next morning. Even though Spin and I have very few lines in the scenes we’re filming today, our characters are present in all four.

Spin acts natural, and I try to, but I can’t help thinking about what it felt like to be inside of him last night. God. I totally lost it and pounded him so hard. Spin must be sore as hell today. I want to apologize, but there’s no way to fit “I’m sorry I fucked you so hard last night” into any of our conversations during work hours.

The day seems to last forever, with multiple retakes and unexpected interruptions.

That night, both Spin and I are dragging. We have dinner at the hotel with the rest of the cast and crew and then head for our room.

When we’re lying in the dark, Spin in his twin bed and I in mine, I decide it’s now or never.

I open my mouth to speak, and Spin’s mobile phone rings.

“Hello…Hi, Cushion… No, we just got into bed…Yes, he is, and no, we’re not. What’s going on?”

We were last night, I think, smiling.

Spin is silent for a moment, and I can hear Cushion talking a mile a minute, although I can’t make out her words.

“Are you sure?” Spin asks. “It could be something else, right?...Oh. Are you kidding me? That bitch. What do we do?...I’m not going to tell him! You tell him!...Then let Bass tell him, but I’m not doing it. I’m the one who told him we don’t like his girlfriend, I’m not going to tell him she’s cheating on him. Oh, wait—he’s blocked me. Ha! I can’t do it.”

Although I can barely make out Spin in the dark, I can tell he’s removed the phone from his ear to save his eardrum because Cushion’s next words are loud and clear.

“I can’t do it! I’ll look like I’m causing trouble because I still want him. He took my virginity; I won’t give him my dignity.”

Spin says a few placating words, promises to call her tomorrow, and disconnects.

“You probably figured out what that was about,” he says to me.

“Kiet and Daw?”

“Yep.” Spin sighs. “Cushion was out with a couple of her girlfriends and saw Daw hanging all over some guy. They got into a black Jag and rode off together. She said the way they were acting, they were obviously closer than friends. She did some digging and found out that Kiet’s out of town for the week visiting Khao Yai National Park with Pog—that’s his older brother. Frankly, I’m surprised he’d leave Daw that long, but his brother’s just come back from three years in Japan, so I guess he felt he couldn’t say no. Daw obviously isn’t sitting lonely at home.”

Spin sounds angry, and I can’t blame him. Kiet’s given up a lot for Daw, and it sounds like she’s cheating on him.

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