Jittaleela's Residence
As it has been promised and arranged precisely, Jovian, the entrusted fashion designer who has served the Jittaleela for so many years arrived at the residence together with a few of his crews in the afternoon. Pie saw Jovian took a few gray colored luggages with him. Each of them must have contained either the wedding dresses or any accessories which related to it. Her prediction was indeed true when she watched Jovian started to open up the luggage. It amazed her on how the things work. The man pushed a few buttons on its side and suddenly the grey luggage turned to be somewhat a mini display rack with the dresses hanging beautifully on its rod.
"Wow." Kim said in amazement. Pie gave the tom a look, more to wondering how such thing could impress her.
"Don't give me that look." Kim recoiled as if she has been caught of doing something illegal. "It's kinda cool, right?" She said. "Perhaps we should get one or two for you. It's portable. You can keep your clothes there if you're about to go somewhere." Kim came out with the thoughtful idea.
"Going somewhere? Are you kidding me, Kim?" Pie's brows arched perfectly into a sarcastic remark. "You imprisoned me all the time and you said 'if I were about to go somewhere'?" The girl seemed unhappy with her own saying.
"Don't make a scene here, Pie. Stop it." Kim drew Pie much closer to her and coaxed the girl into her embrace.
"Do you really have to do this Kim? Stop taking advantages on me." Pie protested against the tom's chest. She struggled to let herself free from Kim's arms.
"You're a stubborn girl. I'll do it more often until you become a good girl." Kim said, echoed with her soft chortle.
"Let me go. People are watching." Pie grunted. She was right. By the time Kim adjusting her sight to the surrounding, she caught that everybody was actually witnessing their drama.
"Shall we go on with our agenda right now?" Mrs.Jittaleela butt in. A thin teasing smile curved across her face. Kim couldn't handle it when her face started to redden. She flushed with the meaning smile that her mother shot for her.
"Sure, Ma." The tom released the girl in her arms gently. "Let my sweetheart chooses her dress." She winked to Pie, intentionally trying to annoy the girl.
"One more time you do that to me, I swear I'll poke your eyes with the forks." Pie threatened.
"You won't do it, I know." Kim chuckled. "Enough with it, sweetheart. Go ahead and pick your dress."
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"Kim, help me." Pie's voice clamored through the huge hall of the mansion. She seemed to have some difficulties to make up her mind. The dresses were all equally beautiful to her sight.
"Just pick one of your interest, Pie. All of them suit you well." Kim drawled from distance. It was almost an hour and Pie still didn't manage to pick her desired dress. Mrs.Jittaleela was nowhere to be seen after she excused herself to answer a call from her friend. Jovian and his crews on the other hand had tried their best to help Pie with her choice.
"Jovy, which one you think the best?" Pie asked but her eyes never left the dresses. She tiptoed her fingers delicately through the silk, tasting how does it feel on her skin. Pie knew it right that Jovian had designed them exclusively for her. The man also one of the innocent people who believed that the wedding will take place for real in another few weeks of time.
"You know Pie, I have brought the best among the best here." He responded. "Anything will suit you fine." He said the same thing as Kim's.
"Oh please Jovy, you are not helping at all too." Pie pouted.She didn't understand herself either. Why she should be very meticulous in choosing the dress of her outfit for the event that would not take place at all?
"Oh missy. I bet you want to appear as fair as Kim's aren't you?" Jovy tittered, amused by Pie's reaction.
"Yes." The question caught Pie's attention.
"Well, let me suggest you to have this off - shoulder trumpet dress." Jovy took out the dress and matched it to Pie's petite frame. "So sexy and stunning." He said.
"I like that one too." Pie didn't aware that Kim already stood next to her. "You'll look like a princess in this dress." A wonderful smile curved across the tom's thin lips. Pie was distracted momentarily with the smile. It was so sincere yet fluttering. She fluttered to the fact that Kim was actually praising her implicitly.
"Nah, what are you going to wear for the occasion?" Pie asked, trying to shake off her thought yet stabilizing herself to reality.
"It's secret." Jovy answered on behalf of Kim.
"Secret?" Pie reiterated after him. "Fine, you two set up a private conspiracy out of my knowledge." Pie pretended that she was being sulky.
"It's for your own good." Kim added. "You're going to figure it out on the day of the wedding." Kim said. Pie saw how the smile on Kim's face slowly subsided away. She knew she was not going to figure out anything. The wedding was just a puppet to this play.
"Hello, what's so good here?" A very familiar voice greeted them. Zee and Tavee were coming towards them. The two were about to join the group. Sooner or later, Jittaleela's Residence would turn upside down with the presence of the two trouble makers - Zee and Kim.
"Wow, are these your wedding dresses, Pie?" Tavee looked interested. She came to approached Pie for the first place once they got to reach the living room.
"You two prepare for the wedding this early?" Zee changed a look with Kim. Tavee did the same too to Pie. Only four of them knew what was really happening all this while. What's going on right now was indeed not needed.
"My parents had arranged it. What can I do?" Kim shrugged. An audible heavy sigh emitted out of her lungs expressing the stress and pressure that she held for so long.
"Ah, it's fine. Let's go along with the plan." Zee tried to cheer up the tense situation. Tavee nodded her courage too as to support Kim in whatever situation she is.
"Pie, why don't you try it?" Tavee asked, averting everybody's attention to the girl.
"Jovy, can she try it?" Tavee turned to ask the designer. He was no longer stranger to her. She happened to meet the man as Zee often asked for his service too.
"Sure my lady." Jovy said and dunk his head in gentleman demeanor .
"Hurry up, Tavee. Help her to get change."Zee became over excited with the idea. "Don't take too long. Come down here as soon as possible." She reminded. Pie shot a look to Kim, interacting how she wasn't really agree with the idea. Kim on the other hands was not expecting that her cousin would do it either.
"Let's go Pie. It's going to be interesting." Tavee hurriedly took the dress. By that time Pie knew she can do nothing when Tavee already dragged her upstairs.
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Kim and Zee were talking to each other and discussing about few stuffs when both Pie and Tavee were heading back to them. Pie was fully dressed in her wedding gown, so perfectly and beautifully with Tavee's help. Both of the girls were expecting that the two toms would notice them but they were too busy with their chit chat to realize it.
"The bride is here." Tavee announced, successfully caught the toms' attention.
"Oh my goodness!" Zee jolted from her seat. "You're so pretty, Pie." She uttered heartily. No, she was not frightened by the sight but more to stunned with Pie's beauty.
Pie searched for Kim's eyes, waiting for the tom's reaction about her appearance. Apparently she caught Kim gazed to her with disbelief look. Her mouth parted a bit as she hung her jaw loosely. Kim was drooling!
"Hey, close your mouth." Zee landed a smack on Kim's head, causing the tom to come back to her sense.
"You're so gross. Wait till the night comes, could you?" Zee nagged like an old granny.
"You nasty creature! What are you talking about?" Kim recoiled immediately. She stole a glance to both Pie and Tavee. Tavee was trying hard to stifle her laugh while the innocent Pie started to flush for no reason.
"I know that kind of gaze, Kim. I understand it very well." Zee bantered.
"Shut up. I don't know what are you talking about." Kim denied. Reluctantly she brought herself to rise from her seat. She needed to leave or else, Zee will continue to tease her.
"Where do you think you're going bro?" Zee stopped her. "Let's have some informal rehearsal for the wedding." Zee came up with her another crazy idea.
"Pardon?" Kim was not sure with her hearing.
"The rehearsal for your wedding." Zee iterated it clearly.
"Let's have a rehearsal for it."
"I'll be Pie's bridesmaid." Tavee volunteered to join in.
"Do we need to do this?" Pie tried to convey her disagreement with the suggestion.
"Oh come on Pie. Let's just play around." Tavee nagged. Now she knew why Zee and Tavee could get along so well. They both had a strong similarity of behaviour unlike her and Kim, they both are totally at the opposite poles.
"I'm not joining." Kim stepped backward, assuring that she was not going to take part in the play.
"You're not going anywhere, kid!" Zee held Kim close to her and cuffed Kim's wrist securely in her hands as if she was arresting a criminal.
"Make it worth to have the dress." Zee whispered to her cousin. "You only have this chance to see her in the dress." Kim was taken aback with the fact.
"Alright honey. You take Pie over there." Zee beckoned her girlfriend to take Pie to a specified corner where the huge wall stood magnificently with some decoration.
"Kim, come here." Zee dragged Kim along with her to a distance which apparently, opposite to Tavee and Pie's position. Zee was actually trying to create the aisle for them.
"Jovy and the crews, I need your help." Zee said to the group who were just staring to them in silence since the beginning. "Croon the wedding bell for this bride." She requested. All of the crews together with Jovian gave their full cooperation too when they willingly nodded their yes.
"I'll be the pastor." Zee appointed herself.
"Let's make it fast." Kim had no choice rather than gave in to her cousin. Zee surely had plenty of ideas in her mind.
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Kim walked down the imaginary aisle while the crews croon the wedding bell. She was so nervous even though she did realize that it was just part of their play. From the distance, Pie was waiting for her at the end of the aisle. She had a small bouquet of flowers in her hands. Zee was standing confidently right beside Pie as if she was a real pastor. Kim tried to peek on Pie's face. The girl was not really looking to her. Pie had a shy smile plastered all over her angelic face. White suited Pie well. She looked so radiant in the wedding gown. As soon as Kim reached to their side, she stretched out her hand to Pie, waiting for the girl to take it. It happened so quickly that Pie gladly interlaced their fingers together. Soon, they both stood up, facing Zee, the pastor of the day.
"Kimhan Jittaleela." Zee called. "Are you willing to take Pie Mindara Manaying as your life partner and love her to her last breath?" She asked.
"Yes I do." Kim said without hesitation. It startled Pie. Kim uttered it clearly without skipping a beat.
Right after that, Zee turned to asked Pie the same thing, "Pie Mindara Manaying, are you willing to take Kimhan Jittaleela as your life partner and love her to her last breath?"
Unlike Kim, Pie did not respond that soon to Zee. The girl remained quiet for a quite long moment.
"Pie?" Kim nudged her softly. Her eyes met Kim's. The tom flashed an encouraging smile to her. By the way Kim gazed to her, she could tell that Kim really hope that she would say something in return.
"I..."
"I do." Finally the two words escaped from her lips. It sounded unbelievable but yet, she already told it herself.
"Now, I claim you as lover of life forever." Zee announced. "You may now kiss your bride." The last statement of hers sound so cheeky and naughty.
"Seriously?" Pie retorted. She was getting ready for any possibility of being kissed by Kim again and again by covering her mouth in protective gesture.
"I thought it's a norm?" Zee shrugged innocently.
"Easy Pie. That's not going to happen." Kim cooed the girl. "Come here to me." Kim spread her arms to Pie, welcoming the girl into her embrace.
Hesitate yet so forced to do so, Pie placed herself safely into Kim's arms. It was a bit awkward and comforting at the same time. Kim's embrace seemed to be the safest place for her recently. The feeling was real yet she tried hard to deny everything.
"I was expecting to see you two kissing." Tavee came up to their side. "Don't act innocent in front of us." The girl squinted her eyes suspiciously.
"You both. Stop teasing us." Kim loosened her hug from Pie. Instead of letting Pie go completely, she held Pie close to her side.
"You don't need to expect anything from us. It won't last long." The painful statement slipped out forcefully from the tom's lips. Everybody knew it yet everybody did alert that what they have right now was just a serious play.
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Night
It was the second time or so which Pie had the opportunity to sit together with the Jittaleela for a dinner. Everything went well except that Mr.Jittaleela seemed not to talk so much during the dinner. The elder chose to have his meal in silence but Pie was aware that the old man was actually all ears, all the time. Mrs.Jittaleela on the other hand, was as thoughtful as ever. She killed the awkwardness by making jokes or somehow sharing Kim's childhood stories to everyone. Sometimes they burst into a heartily laughter when Kim nagged her mother not to divulge her embarrassing stories to Pie. Pie enjoyed Mrs.Jittaleela's storytelling very much too. She got to learn a bit about Kim in the mean short time. As soon as they done with their, Pie thought she could actually escape the residence and headed to their home but everything went the opposite way when Mrs.Jittaleela insisted them to stay overnight. How could she say her NO when the authority to decide lied on Kim? Surely the tom would listen to her mother. Not having any choice, Pie has to stay too.
It was not a big deal for Pie just to stay overnight there but her main problem now was she got no room for herself. Again, what did she expect? The fact that she was the fiancée to Kimhan Jittaleela made every single thing in her current life to bind with the tom. Tonight, she had to share the room with Kim. SHARING THE ROOM WITH KIMHAN JITTALEELA, it was unbelievable!
"Are you going to stand all night right there at the door?" Kim's voice broke Pie's reverie. The girl was not aware that she was so deep into her own thought.
"Go and take your bath. Make yourself comfortable here." Kim said.
"Can't I have another room?" Pie asked. She walked herself into the spacious bedroom, tracing Kim who was preparing the bed. In her observation, Kim's room here was not so much different from the one she has in their bungalow. It was just, Kim's room here looked more like a typical teenager's room where you could see the poster of her favorite bands on the wall and what not.
"Are you out of your mind? What would my parents think about it?" Pie's request caused Kim to stop her work abruptly.
"What?" Pie pretended not to understand.
"You're my fiancée. It is no wrong to share a room together right?" Kim elaborated the details of her statement to Pie.
"You're giving me goosebumps Kim. Stop using the fiancée thingy to be an excuse for everything." Pie scowled. The more Kim brought up the fiancée issue to her, the more irritated she was.
"Oh Pie, please. I don't want to pick up a fight with you." Kim sighed.
"I guess you're just too tired. Go and clean yourself first." The tom beckoned Pie to the bathroom. "Everything you need is provided there."
"I didn't bring any of my clothes." Pie complained.
"You can wear my T - shirt or pajama. Check it there." Kim gestured Pie to the other side of the room. There, Pie saw a long - line of wardrobes stood magnificently like a Great Wall of China around the room. Kimhan Jittaleela has never failed to impress her with such luxurious stuffs.
"Take your time. I'll use the other bathroom around the house." Kim said. Not even before Pie could respond to Kim, the tom has already gone from her sight.
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Done with her shower, Pie settled down herself to Kim's cozy bed. The bed smell good, just like Kim. Wandering her gaze around the room, she could not trace any Kim's presence there. Decided not to care much about the tom, Pie grabbed the pillows and tucked in herself into the thick duvet. Today was indeed a tiring day for her. Starting from the photo shoot at Mario's studio, continued with the fitting session in the afternoon with Jovian, Pie didn't even had time to rest a bit in the middle of the day. She was about to drift into her dreamland when the room's door creaked open slowly. She saw Kim closed the door behind her carefully and walked into the room in silent. Kim was most probably did not aware that she was not sleeping yet.
"Where have you been?" Pie asked, tilting her head a little bit from under the duvet just to have a clear view of Kim.
"I'm sorry if I did disturb your sleep." Kim seemed to startle a lot with Pie's sudden awake.
"Get back to your sleep. I'm going to take a pillow." She said.
"Where are you going?" Pie threw her sour suspicious.
"I'll just sleep on the couch." Kim told her and at the same time, taking the pillow to the coach which was about two meters away from the bed.
"Is it fine for you?" Pie queried. She was now freshened up and not as sleepy as previously. Kim's kind treat to her tonight has caused her brain to work overtime. She had various thought and curiosity in her mind for Kim's bizarre behavior.
"What's wrong with her?" The small voice of inner self was battling with the unanswered question.
"Get back to your sleep Pie. You need to rest." Kim said, not really answering Pie.
"Good night, sweetheart. Sleep tight." Kim wished before she rolled on the coach, ready to sleep.
"Kim?" Pie called out the tom from their distance. The girl already rolled herself to the edge of the bed, facing Kim who was away from her at the couch.
"Hmm?" The tom responded short. Pie could not figure out whether Kim has really sleep or not because Kim did not turn to look to her.
"Are you sleeping?" Pie queried out of her silliness.
"Not yet Pie. I just close my eyes." Kim replied lazily. If she were about to go along with Pie's silliness, they might ended up with quarreling all night long. How come Pie asked such thing to her? Is it possible for a sleeping person to answer someone else question if she was asleep?
"Kim, I can't sleep." Pie whined. The girl was obviously trying to get Kim's attention.
"What do you want from me, Pie? I'm sleepy." Kim groaned to her annoyance. She even pulled up her duvet to cover herself wholly in it.
"Let's have a pillow talk." Pie said.
"Talk to the pillow then." Kim threw her soft plush pillow to Pie, direct from the couch to the bed. It landed perfectly on Pie's face.
"Kim! I'm serious." Pie's voiced struck the silence of the night.
"Fine - fine."
"You don't need to rise up your voice like that at night Pie. You might awake everybody in the house." Kim turned around, apparently looking to Pie from their distance.
"Okay. Now talk." Kim said, waiting for Pie to spit out any of her thought.
"Hey, no one has ever had a pillow talk like this." Pie scowled.
"Come here. Lay next to me." Pie offered to Kim's surprise.
"Are you sure?" The tom seemed not to believe it in that short instance. Pie had never offered her such 'good' opportunity.
"Yes." Pie nodded. She even placed the other pillow next to her as to show her seriousness as to invite Kim into the bed with her.
Still in doubt but filled with a little bit joy, Kim dragged herself to the bed. It was anxious and exhilarating at the same time. She has never had the opportunity to be that close with Pie. The tom settled down herself next to Pie in the bed carefully. They were not separated by any mean physical barrier but it happened naturally that they had a little invisible space in the middle of their distance. Pie rolled on her side so did Kim, making them both facing each other. For a fleeting moment, none of them spoke up, just the existence of two minds, gazing to each other as if they were searching for something through each other eyes.
"Any heart to heart talk you want to share with me?" Kim faltered. For no reason she stammered and become anxious.
"Yes." Pie nodded fervently. The girl seemed to prepare a ton of questions for her.
"Don't give a hard time on me, okay?" Kim said. "Let's just talk about light matters." She suggested to Pie. Just by her luck, Pie nodded her agreement without hesitation. Things would go fine that way.
"All right. You can start first." Kim confirmed it to the girl as she was all prepared for their heart to heart talk.
"What is your favorite colours?" Pie threw her first inquiry to Kim.
"I love blue the most." Kim answered. "Other than that would be white, yellow and green." The tom inserted.
"What about you?" Kim redirected the question to Pie.
"Ah, I know. It's white." Kim blurted out of sudden before Pie opened up her mouth to answer the tom. "White looks so good on you." Surprisingly Kim said that to the girl.
"You're right for that." Pie broke into a soft chortle. "I love white. It makes me feel like I am a princess." She grinned, bringing herself into her imagination where she was worship for her beauty and perfection like a princess.
"Have you ever fallen in love with someone?" Kim asked out of Pie's expectation.
"No. Not even once up until my age now." Pie told Kim honestly.
"You must have ever fallen in love with somebody, do you?" Pie surmised absentmindedly but in the way of using the psychological approach to make Kim divulge her secrets.
"Which part of my life time are you trying to pin out?" Kim bragged. The expression that Kim had when she responded to the girl has caused Pie to laugh even more heartily.
"You're a player." Pie said in between her stifled breath. "I can sense that."
"How do you define the 'fall in love' term?" Kim asked to the girl, wishing to hear her opinion.
"I am not really sure too but my Mom used to tell me, if we are in love with somebody, we would feel a thousand butterflies in our stomach. Even the butterflies in our stomach have butterflies in their stomachs too." Pie said and later, Kim broke into a guffaw, tickled by Pie's remark.
"You're bluffing." Kim gasped as she caught her breath. Pie really made her night.
"Nah, I am not. My Mom told me so." Pie pouted, upset with the fact that Kim didn't trust her saying. Kim still laughing hard with it. Surely, she sounded so silly to the tom.
"Come on tell me. Have you ever fall in love with someone?" Pie asked again, a little eager to know Kim's confession.
"No I haven't." Kim said.
"I don't trust you. What about Fern?" Pie came up with the topic again.
"What's wrong with her?" A contortion of repugnance crossed Kim's face, wrinkling her forehead.
"She's your former girlfriend, right?" Pie surmised. Her eyes glisten with overwhelmed curiosity yet her gaze was demanding for the truest confession.
"She ever told you herself right? Fern is my best friend since we were young. How would you conclude that she was my girlfriend?" Kim frowned.
"I'm just asking. Don't be mad with me." Pie pursed her lower lips, felt slightly hurt with Kim.
"Let's just talk about me and you. Don't include anyone else in this pillow talk." Kim smoothed her tone. She did aware that she had responded harshly to the girl.
"Okay." Pie nodded fervently. "I'm sorry." She said her apology.
"I have another question for you." Pie proceeded.
"What?"
"How should I say.." Pie was squirmed on the bed. She couldn't find the right words to arrange her sentences into a coherent question.
"Take your time. I am all ears." Kim encouraged her.
"You know Kim, this girl to girl relationship is something bizarre to me. I have never think that I would involve in this kind of thing even if it is just in pretending." Pie said briefly.
"Then?"
"Doesn't man was created for woman and of course woman was created to accompany the man? And now, when we counteract the nature, doesn't it sound so wrong?" Pie blurted her long kept thought to Kim.
"What would you say?" Pie groped for Kim, hoping that the tom would share her thought with her.
"You know Pie, love comes to us in various ways. Sometimes it could be really unexpected, unplanned yet it could just happen without our realization. When love comes to you and bound to your heart till the root, would you let it go when you know you could not get rid it out of you no matter how hard you tried it?" Kim asked.
"I don't know." Pie shook her head, doubtfully to utter her opinion.
"Let's say you chase the love away from you, does the heart feel the same way when it still has the wonderful root called 'love'? I can bet that it was deserted yet stained with painful hollow of the root which you have taken away. The emptiness, the haunted memories and the tearful regret will overshadow your days for the rest of your life yet very slowly, kill you from inside." Kim said.
"What are you trying to tell me?" Pie cut in.
"The same thing happens when we talked about love. When the love roots itself inside your heart, will you able to deny it? Are you willing to let it go when you know you can't live without it? It doesn't matter to whom you have fallen in love with but all does matter is what love could make you fall with. If you choose to embrace the love, you might fall into the eternal happiness with your loved one. Otherwise, you might fall with the unimaginable fate of your future." Kim explained long.
"Anything you want to say to me?" Pie queried.
"Follow your heart Pie. You choose the path you're going to lead. It doesn't matter of whom you choose to be your partner, as long as the love was built together with the mutual understanding you had with your partner, nothing you should regret neither ashamed of." Kim said. Pie watched her face carefully. Despite the superficial cold - hearted appearance the tom had ever showed to her, there were hidden wonderful spaces inside the tom's heart which could warm you in every sense. It seemed like there was another Kim inside the tom self. The Kim whom never shown up to anybody.
"I have never seen this side of you." A sweet smile curved to Pie's lips.
"Cause you never ask me to show it." Kim chuckled.
"How would I ask you? All this while, you were so mean towards me." Pie pouted which later invited another blow of hearty chuckles from Kim.
"Anyway, Kim. You seem to treat me very nicely and drastically lately. Anything happened to you? I was worried sick to think about it." Pie queried ingenuously.
"You are so worried that I treat you nicely?" Kim reiterated after Pie followed by her soft chortle.
"Yes. It's so weird." Pie nodded ardently like a toddler who was about to prove that whatever she believed was right.
"Maybe it was because I am free from the curse that caged me all this while." Kim said.
"Huh?" Pie could not get the mean.
"The Princess had granted the kiss to the Frog Prince and now, the Frog Prince has turned to real human again." Kim blurted. It took some time for Pie to digest the meaning until it came the point, she flushed uncontrollably. Shy yet could not get anywhere to escape, Pie rolled on her other side and dunk her face into the pillow.