As Beam and Sky crept through the train yard in the dark, she started to have second thoughts about her plan. Her cousin had found out where the race was that Payu was attending and once she had proof that he wasn't as clean-cut as everyone thought, Beam would be able to forget about him once and for all.
Ever since he had visited her at the university, her classmates had been talking about her even more. At first, they wondered why Payu had come to see her when Beam had been talking badly about him. Then someone came up with the idea that the two must have had a misunderstanding and Payu had come to talk to Beam and sort it out. Their praises for Payu only increased after that.
Weaving through the old abandoned train carts, the two cousins began to see lots of trucks, cars, and people. Hiding behind a rusty container, Beam looked around.
"Are you sure this is the place?"
"That's what the source told me."
"What source?"
When Sky didn't answer, she turned to him expectantly.
"My ex."
"Your ex-boyfriend? But wasn't he -"
"I don't want to talk about him. Can we go home now?"
"Not yet. Stay here, I'll be back soon."
"Beam! Wait!"
Creeping closer, Beam tried to join the crowd as casually as possible to make it look as if she belonged. As she walked around, she stared at all the motorbikes. Although she had never been interested in them before meeting Payu, she had to admit that these ones were really cool.
As she looked for Payu, apparently she wasn't doing a good enough job of blending in. A scary man in a suit approached her.
"Excuse me, who are you with?"
"Huh?"
"Who are you here with?"
"Umm..."
Beam frantically tried to think of the correct thing to say.
"If you're not with anybody then you're not meant to be here. You're coming with me."
When the man grabbed her arm and signalled for more men in suits to come over, she knew what she had to say and she hoped she was right.
"P'Payu!"
This made the man pause and he loosened his grip slightly.
"You're with Mr Payu?"
"Yes?"
"I'll have to check that. Follow me."
The bodyguard started walking through the crowd and two more came up behind her. Beam followed hoping that she wasn't walking to her death.
They walked over to where there were a couple of bikes under a shelter and Beam spotted a young man in racing gear over the bodyguard's shoulder. They stopped walking and she could feel her heart racing.
Is P'Payu really here?
"Mr Payu, this girl says she's with you?"
"Who?"
The bodyguard stepped aside, giving Payu and Beam a clear view of each other.
Payu was dressed in a tight black t-shirt and dark blue overalls with the arms tied around his waist. As soon as he set his eyes on her, his eyes narrowed and Beam instantly knew that he was angry.
"Is this true?"
Payu reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her to stand beside him and wrapped his arm around her waist tightly. Beam didn't dare look at him as his hand squeezed her side.
"Yes, she's my girl."
"I would suggest you keep a closer eye on your girl."
Payu nodded his head respectfully.
"Thank you for returning her to me."
He waited until the security had walked away before turning to Beam. She looked up and gulped at the furious look on his face.
"H-hello P'Payu. Fancy running into you here."
I'm in so much trouble.
Beam swore she saw his jaw clench. Her attempt at humour to diffuse the tension was not appreciated. Payu turned to the guy wearing racing gear who had been watching the whole exchange in amusement.
"Hold on to her for me. I need to call P'Pakin and get Saifha to replace me."
"Hey! P'Parkin will be angry with you. This is an important event."
"I have something more important to take care of."
Payu glanced down at Beam before walking away. The racer grinned down at her.
"Hello, I'm Prapai."
"Hello, I'm Beam."
"It's nice to meet the one who's been getting Payu all riled up."
"What? That's not - I'm not -"
Payu came back and grabbed Beam's arm, dragging her away.
"Let's go."
"Wait! My cousin. He's waiting for me."
Before Payu the vein in Payu's forehead could burst, Prapai cut in.
"Don't worry, I'll find the other troublemaker."
Payu took Beam to his house. She didn't really get to admire it, since it was dark and Payu didn't stop to let her look around, but from what she saw it looked like somewhere an architect would live. When they ended up in a bedroom, Beam gulped thinking about what might happen next.
She expected him to do something. Shout at her, hit her, or even pin her to the bed. What she didn't expect was for him to just stare at her with furrowed eyebrows and crossed arms. It was even more unnerving for him to just stand there, which is probably why he did it.
Eventually, Beam couldn't take his silence anymore and whispered pleadingly.
"Please say something."
As if a spell had been broken along with the silence, Payu's angry voice rang throughout the room. The sudden sound almost made her jump.
"Do you realise what you did?!"
Beam blinked up at him. The answer was no, she didn't, but from Payu's reaction, she had started to grasp just how serious the situation was. A shiver ran down her spine at the thought that she might have put herself in serious danger tonight.
"I..."
"Do you know what would have happened if I wasn't there?"
Beam winced, she didn't like being shouted at by anyone, but for some reason, it felt worse coming from Payu. He wasn't just angry but disappointed too and that hurt her the most.
"I'm sorry."
"I'm asking if you know. I don't want an apology."
"I... no. I don't."
"Are you serious? I knew you were naive, but is it really possible to be that stupid? What did you think you were walking into? No matter how stupid you are, if you had used your brain then you would've realised how powerful illegal street racer organisers are. Making a silly little girl disappear is nothing for them."
Beam had lived a sheltered childhood in the countryside, but that was no excuse. She should have realised that the bad people in the dramas she watched were just real as the next person. It had been naive of her to think that someone like her could never get caught in the crossfire. All it took was being at the wrong place at the wrong time.
As she stared at Payu, her eyes welled up with tears. He had just told her that she nearly died tonight and she was starting to believe him.
"I thought you were mature. Some matters can't be solved with just apologies, Beam. Grow up. Don't be a crybaby."
"I-I didn't mean to... I just wanted to get back at you. That's all."
She felt ashamed as she said it. How silly of her to think she could play these games with him.
"Stupid girl. Go home."
Payu turned to leave but stopped at the sound of Beam's voice.
"Would - would they really of k-killed me?"
"Yes."
Beam's knees went weak and she collapsed to the ground.
She realised that Payu had saved her life tonight. Not in a superficial way like when he had stopped on the road and fixed her car for her, but literally. If he hadn't been there tonight, if she had been wrong, then she would be dead right now. Her recklessness had put her in serious danger and he was angry at her because of it.
He cares about me.
As he knelt down in front of her, she stared up at his handsome face and remembered the last two times she had been alone with him and the way he had made her feel. As he wiped away a fallen tear from her cheek, she revelled in the feeling of having his skin against hers again.
Before she knew what she was doing, Beam reached up behind Payu's neck and pulled him down for a kiss. It was short and sweet, but it was her first kiss and it was perfect. When she pulled back, Payu looked a little surprised and Beam felt a little giddy at being able to shock him.
He recovered quickly and narrowed his eyes at her.
"What do you think you're doing?"
"Making you fall for me."
Payu leaned in close, his lips twitching as he fought a smile. He raised an eyebrow in challenge.
"Are you sure? You shouldn't start something you won't finish."
"I'm sure. I'm sure that I'll make you so head over heels for me that you'll never call me stupid again!"
Beam wasn't sure what had made her say it, but the predatory grin that spread over Payu's face almost made her regret it.
"I'm looking forward to it."
Grabbing her face with both of his hands, Payu shows her what a proper kiss is like. Sparks ran through her body as if she had been hit by lightning. The kiss was bruising with its forcefulness, but she enjoyed it just as much as the peck she had given him. The only problem was that it was too short.
After he pulled away, Payu ran his thumb across her bottom lip as he stared at her with a mischievous glint in his eye.
"I'll be waiting. You better keep your word. Remember, I don't like liars."
Beam was so confused, his words sounded as if he wanted her to pursue him, but he had told her that he didn't like her. She wondered if she had the strength to play another one of his games because for some reason it felt like she was the one falling for him.
Payu stood up, leaving her sitting on the floor.
"Stay here tonight. It's late."
She called after him as he walked towards the door.
"Thank you, P'Payu."
As he closed the door behind him, Payu shook his head and smiled fondly at the thought of the girl on the other side of the door.
"Want to make me fall for you? I wasn't going to show you my bad side. You want to make me love you, but do you know what kind of man I am?"