#Author's Note : Please note that not any single part of the book is reviewed and edited yet for its grammatical errors and language inappropriate. A few chapters at the beginning of the story might be terrible but I would say that the rest are good. I wish I have the entire time to edit the shameful mistakes in the story, unfortunately I didn't. Read at your own risk and thank you for reading.
M&G Workshop
"Mike! Oh Mike!" Pie shouted the name as she stepped into the small workshop. She tiptoed carefully on the slippery floor; there were oil spillages everywhere not to mention the scattered bolts and nuts around the place. Well, it is a car workshop. It wasn't bizarre to find those things around.
"Mike?" Pie called the guy again as she got no answer from anybody.
"Golf?" She tried to call the other guy. He is Mike's older brother. They ran the workshop together. The M&G Workshop implied their name combination itself. As far as Pie has always known it, the workshop is their family business after all.
"Where are the boys?" Pie sighed and leaned her petite body to one of the cars just to lessen her exhaustion. She went there by walking and by now, it was almost noon. It took some minutes for her to reach that place and all long, she has been walking under an intense and direct sun. 40°C; she was used to it but today was a slight different from the other day she has gone through – the tropical weather was going to kill her.
"Pie." She heard Mike's voice calling her name. She wandered her gaze around, trying to look for the guy. However, it came to her disappointment when couldn't see him. The cars were blocking her view. Born that way, the genetic traits have determined Pie to stop growing at 5 ft. She knew it well; she couldn't be placed in the line of the Victoria Secret's models. Her height was just too far to even reach the average height of the Thai's ladies!
"Pie?" Mike called her again. She tried to look through the transparent car's window. Mike might be at the other side of the many cars.
"Mike? Where are you?" Pie frowned.
"I'm here." Mike said – his voice was too close that Pie could sense that he was just at her back. Pie glanced over her shoulder but again, Mike's figure was nowhere to be seen.
"Mike, I don't want to play right now." Pie rolled her eyes in annoyance.
"I'm really here. Take a step backward."Mike instructed her and she did as what has been told.
"Mike?" Pie stomped her feet. Her patience was growing thin and she felt like her blood temperature was getting elevated out of her control.
"I told you I'm here." Mike said and out of nowhere, a hand grabbed her leg without any warn.
"Aahhhhhhhhh!" Pie screamed out of her lungs. She dropped her gaze down to her leg. There she saw a gross dirty hand reaching out from under the car.
"Why you got to scream like that?" Mike glided out from under the car swiftly.
"Let me go! Let me go!" Pie shrieked loudly.
"Alright. Relax." Mike slackened his grip from Pie's leg and quickly brought himself to stand up.
"Monster! Monster!" Pie didn't stop screaming.
"Oyy! Oyy!" Mike stifled a laugh. "Pie, stop it. This is me, Mike."
"What kind of horror movie did you watch yesterday, Pie? Got carried away with the dreadful scenes?" He leaned his face close to the girl. Everybody did know it well. Pie Mindara Manaying was the greatest Queen of Drama after all. Over reacting for everything was somehow a part of her nature.
"I didn't watch anything. We don't even have a TV at our home." Pie put her innocent face but the truth was she watched a horror film where a mechanic was killed at his own workshop.
"You're a skinny, short liar. I saw you and your sister last night. Hongyok took you to watch the new released film, right?" Mike laughed.
"You're a tall, ugly monkey! Where is your brother?" Pie asked and threw her gaze around. She couldn't see Golf presence at the workshop. The two guys were rarely separated. Though, they were not born as a twin – they were pretty close like one.
"He got something to do with the clients. I'm handling this workshop alone today." Mike told her and walked to his small office. Pie trailed in behind him.
"Where is my catalogue that you promised to give me yesterday?" Pie asked him straight to the point. She came to this workshop for purpose. It was somehow her monthly routine to claim the catalogues of luxury cars, bikes and any other automobiles which Mike often grabbed when he went to the other company or workshop to deal for their business. If other people would love to collect the stamps and whatnot, you could say that she has the interest to keep the pictures of those splendid automobiles.
"Could you please be patient?" Mike snapped without his realization.
"Alright."
"I have two of them. You should see the new edition of the Lamborghini. You must like them so much." Mike told the girl enthusiastically. Soon, the catalogues were in Pie's hand but the girl wasn't as excited as she always seem.
"Don't you like it?" Mike was alarmed.
"Yeah. I like them. Thank you." Pie nodded. She went through the pages aimlessly. There's a slight look of hurt in her eyes.
"Fine, I'm sorry." Mike took the girl's hand. Although he wasn't aware of what he has been doing wrong, the safest way to place himself in a secure zone was asking for an apology from Pie.
"I'll be leaving first. Thank you again." Pie thanked him and started to make her way out of the office.
"Hey Pie. I'm sorry if I hurt you." Mike managed to catch her wrist. "What if I treat you a chocolate shake at the newly opened stall across the road?" Mike offered.
"Really?" Not to his surprise, Pie turned to face him in a quick half rotation. Pie loves anything related to chocolate. Chocolate was the quickest way to get into Pie's heart.
"Yes." Mike raised his hand in swear gesture.
"Are you sure? I heard it is kind of expensive?"
"Yes but I won't be able to take you there." Mike said.
"Why?" Pie gazed at him with a pleading look.
"Who will take care of this workshop? Golf is not here."
"Ah, you're right."
"Is it alright if you go there alone? Take this money with you." Mike said and at the same time he placed a few bank notes in Pie's palm.
"It's fine with me. Thank you." Pie held the money tightly and quickly made her way leaving the workshop.
*************************************************************************
Titongga Chocolate Shake Stall
"What a long queue!" Pie mumbled alone as she stepped into the long line. In her rough estimation, there would be about twenty people in front of her before she could reach the counter. The place was crowded with people that she felt she was invisible to everyone's eyes.
"Should I wait for this?" Pie whined to herself. At some points she got irritated when people kept bumping into her. Just when she thought everything would turn find, someone bumped into her again with a greater impulsive force. Pie stumbled forward, nearly have her face to the ground for the imbalance in her posture.
"I'm sorry P!" A young boy apologized immediately.
"You should be more careful next time." Pie scowled.
Meanwhile at the same place of Titanggo Chocolate Shake Stall...
"Where is this Zee?" Kim scanned around to spot for Zee's figure. The place was too crowded and confusing. After all, she kept wondering on why Zee would choose to meet at this place. It is just a cheap roadside stall with a poor customer service.
"Oh my goodness. There are so many people here. I should be more careful." Kim thought in her mind. She put on her dark shades and kept her wallet and any valuable belongings safely in her pocket.
Back to Pie...
"Finally it's my turn." Pie walked gladly to the counter. The workers greeted her with a smile. Pie started to wonder if the smile was genuine. They were working like a machine that the smile seemed to plaster on their faces like a sticker.
"May I have your order Miss?" The worker asked.
"One jumbo chocolate shake please?" Pie selected her choice as she compared the price to the sum of cash Mike gave her. She could buy two cups of it but she chose to keep the rest of them.
"You'll have your chocolate shake in a few minutes Miss. This is the total price." The worker said and hit the button on the machine.
Pie read the total amount she should pay for it and gladly slid her hand into her jean's pocket.
"Wait?" Pie gasped. She slipped her hand to the other pocket of her pants but then she found none of them in there.
"Oh shit!" Pie cursed. She just realized that she lost her money. The boy is the main suspect to this case; the pickpocket boy.
"Your chocolate shake is ready Miss." The worker put the jumbo size cup on the counter. She was waiting for Pie to make her payment.
"Urm.." Pie gulped. She started to panic. Would she tell the worker that she didn't even have the cash right now? No way! It was so embarrassing.
"Hey! Hurry up." A stout guy poked Pie's shoulder from behind. Pie glanced over her shoulder; in no time he would lose his patience. Cold sweat trickled down her forehead. The weather was blistering but she felt frosty through her body. She was so torn in between getting the chocolate shake as she desired for and left with a shame for no cash to pay. It was just too difficult to decide what was right and at the same everything seemed so wrong.
"Think Pie! Think!" Pie mused. Her brain was actively seeking for the idea. To her luck, she caught a figure from a distance; the one that could save herself right there at the moment.
"Wait a second. You can proceed to the next person first." Pie told the worker.
Before the worker could say anything to her, Pie quickly made her move. "Sweetheart, I'm here." Pie waved her hands to a figure that she didn't have any idea of who was the person. The worker saw that Pie was calling a guy who was completely lost among the crowd. He might probably look for Pie who the worker assumed to be his girlfriend.
"Honey, where have you been?" Pie intentionally clutched her hands around that person's arms. The stranger stiffened in shock, Pie could feel it when their skin touched.
"Honey, could you please pay for the chocolate shake for me?" Pie dragged the stranger to the counter. It was just by her luck that the person didn't counter her movement. The worker smiled to them as they stood right in front of it.
"What?" The stranger blurted his weird voice and at the same time tried to remove Pie's hands from his arm.
"Ah, you're so funny, honey." Pie chuckled in nervous.
"Please help me." She leaned close to the person and whispered in her low voice to him.
"What?" The stranger let out his surprise mixed by shock response again.
"Here it is." Pie smiled to the stranger and at the same time took a few bank notes from the wallet. In split seconds the money exchanged hands and the chocolate shake was Pie's.
"Thank you, miss. You two are such a perfect couple. Please come again." The worker said to them. Pie feigned a smile to the worker.
She peeked up to the stranger again. The guy was looking at her intently that Pie started to think he was going to swallow her alive. "WHAT?" The stranger shrieked. Shamelessly, Pie dragged the person away from the counter.
"Hey! Where are you going?" The guy tried to free his hands from Pie's grip. Pie found that the guy has an annoying voice.
"Hey! Are you deaf?" The guy shouted to her and that made Pie stopped abruptly. The sudden stop made the guy bumped to Pie and because the difference in their height, Pie's head knocked onto his chest.
"Ouchhh!" The person writhed in pain. Pie's eyes widen as she realised that her head bumped into something else.
"Oh my goodness, you're a girl!" Pie gasped as she realized that her head was actually bumped to the person's breast.
"Doesn't it obvious?" The stranger recoiled.
"Oh Gosh!" Pie lost her words. She thought that the person is a real guy. She didn't look like a girl at all. By the way she dressed up, by looking to her figure, none of it depicted that she is a girl.
"I knew I will have a bad luck today." The so – called girl muttered loudly. Pie watched carefully as the girl walked close to her. Though they were making an eye contact, Pie still couldn't see her real look as she didn't take off her dark shades.
"What is your purpose of saying that I am your SWEETHEART just now?" She leaned her face much closer to Pie's. Pie pulled her head backward to avoid the closeness in their distance. The girl's breath smelled expensive. Her citrus scent added to its value. Pie began to realize that the stranger was not an ordinary person.
"I..."
"Oh I know! You are such poor lady – a pauper who wanted to extract my wealth for your importance!" The girl interjected before Pie could speak up.
"Could you please listen to me first? I'm sorry. I have no choice but I promise that I'll return it to you." Pie stuttered. The so – called girl developed a dark vibe around her. They were the mixture of arrogance and prejudice. She tended to judge people and when it comes to the matter, she judged people severely.
"Did you think I will believe a person like you?" The girl poked Pie's head with a finger. Pie stumbled backward in startle for the rude action.
"Yes. I am poor but don't you hear I will return your money?" Pie shouted to the girl. She couldn't stand her any longer. The girl was just too rude to deal with.
"Give it to me now." The girl asked for it on the spot. Pie lost her words. She didn't know where she should get some cash. It was no way that she will ask Mike for it again. She couldn't do that. He would flood her with infinite questions.
"I don't have any cash with me right now."
"You won't go anywhere until we get it settled. If you can't give them all at least solve it for half." The girl glared to Pie while folding her arms.
"I don't have any cash with me! Don't you hear it?" Pie cried loudly.
"Hey! You're so annoying!" The girl covered Pie's mouth with her hands.
"Listen to me. As you pay for the chocolate shake with what is mine, it means that I have the right on the chocolate shake too." The girl began. Pie listened to her carefully.
"So...?"
"Half of the chocolate shake is mine." The girl pointed to the jumbo cup which Pie was holding.
"No way!" Pie hid the cup to her back.
"Then, you may have to return my penny right now."
"Alright, fine!" Pie has no choice. She knew she couldn't fight for it anymore. This arrogant girl was serious. "Let's find some place to sit. It is kind of hot here." Pie said to the girl. It was out of their realization that they have been arguing under the intense sun.
"I can't believe that I am sharing a drink with a substandard girl." The girl said loudly obviously insulting Pie. "You don't carry any transmitted disease, don't you?" She asked out of her suspicious.
Humiliated with it, Pie recoiled at any instant of her indignant. "I'm healthy and no I'm not infected to any disease."
"I was just asking." The girl snorted.
"Do you know that you're such a haughty bitch?" Pie scoffed.
"Who cares?" The girl scoffed as well.
"Are you a tomboy?" Pie asked out of her curiosity.
"Maybe. Apart from that, I bear the XX sex chromosomes." The girl shrugged innocently.
"So you're a girl who tried to appear in a boy form." Pie surmised. The tomboy shot Pie a look through her shades and it purposely shut Pie's mouth momentarily.
The warm breeze brushed the tense in the air for the longest minutes. The silence accompanied them as they enjoyed each other companion while sipping the cold and refreshing drink.
"Can't you just assume this drink as a treat? It's just a chocolate shake for a poor girl."Pie requested.
"No way! What has been borrowed must be returned." The tomboy retorted.
"You're too mean and stingy." Pie rolled her eyes.
"That's what people often labelled me." The tom laughed to her amusement.
"I can't believe that your kind of human being is existing in this world." Pie shook her head in disbelief.
"Shut up you, poor lady. Now, listen to me." The tom warned Pie with a finger.
"We will meet here, the day after tomorrow at 12.00 noon. You have to pay for ten percents interest of the original amount you owed me for each minutes if you're late." The tom set up their agreement.
"Now you sound like a loan shark or whatever it is. See you the day after tomorrow." Pie was ready to leave the girl when her movement was being disturbed by a grip on her wrist.
"I haven't finished yet." In a force gesture, Pie turned to look at the tom with her unwilling heart.
"I need this." In no time, the tom snapped a picture of Pie using her phone. It was too late for Pie to register what was happening but the photo has been successfully saved by the tomboy.
"If you try to cheat me on this, I will print out your face to all newspapers and I'll track you down to your death." The tom threatened.
"You!" Pie pointed her finger to the tom with her overwhelmed anger
"I am serious." The tom said, nonchalant with it.
"What is your name?" The tom asked.
"Aom." Pie lied. That tom might not be able to trace her identity with that name. It was such a brilliant idea to save her.
"Alright." The tom nodded.
"And I am Kimhan Jittaleela." The tomboy put off her dark shades and stared directly to Pie's eyes. The moment seemed to stop. The universe desisted to function. The gaze was sort of magical spell, enchanted yet mesmerizing. For the first time in her life time, Pie found the undeniable handsome girl like, Kimhan Jittaleela.