Imagining the scenario makes me crazy. The way Noi looked coming out of the bathroom wearing P’Wisit’s pajamas…
Blood pressure peaking, I snap, “Yes, that’s what I think! Because it was fucking obvious what was going on!” I’m breathing hard, and I can feel a vein in my temple pulsing.
Resting his hand on my thigh, Noi says in a low, calm voice, “When P’Wisit said he wanted me to be his boyfriend, I told him I needed to think about it. We went for a walk. It was late, and I forgot my key and didn’t want to wake up Bua and Peach. That’s why I stayed at his place. I borrowed a pair of pajamas and slept on the couch. That wasn’t his bedroom I was coming out of when you arrived, it was the bathroom.”
The deep breath I couldn’t seem to catch a moment ago fills my lungs, and the loud buzz that took up in my ears during my tirade gradually dissipates. Noi remains silent, giving me the time and space I need to pull myself together. I’m not normally hot-headed, and the force of my anger shocks me. I don’t ever want to be that way with Noi. It pains me that we’ve been arguing so much lately, and I’m desperate to bridge the gap that’s forming between us. I’ve got to be straight with him or risk losing him.
Only, with all the emotion running through me, it doesn’t come out the way I want it to.
“You’re mine, Noi. You’ve always been mine. I don’t want you to be with anyone else. I absolutely cannot stand the idea of P’Wisit or anyone else putting his hands on you for any reason.”
While I tend to wear my thoughts and feelings on my face, Noi is the opposite. His face is a mask. He could be thinking anything.
It takes him a moment to speak.
“I want to shower and put some clothes on. Don’t follow me. We’ll talk later when you pick me up for work.”
Without another word, he gets out of the car. I watch him walk inside his building without looking back.
Chapter Twenty-one: Mee Noi
“Why are you ringing the bell?” Bua asks when she opens the door.
I point at her. “Why did you tell Sud I was at P’Wisit’s?”
“Was it a secret?”
I push past her into the apartment.
Looking me over, she says, “Whose pajamas are you wearing? They’re huge.”
“P’Wisit’s.”
Her eyes widen.
“Oh, don’t you start in on me, too.” I cross the room to the couch and flop down on it. I’m in no mood for another assumption about me and P’Wisit.
“You really spent the night with P’Wisit?” Bua asks.
“I spent the night at his apartment. There’s a big difference. Nothing happened.”
“Oh.” She sits down beside me. “Sud was worried.”
“Yeah, I got that. He came busting into P’Wisit’s apartment and dragged me out like some kind of cave man. Evidently, he thought I was beingtaken advantage of.“ I make air quotes before crossing my arms over my chest. “But when I told him I was there because I wanted to be, he decided I’m a slut.”
Bua’s eyes widen. “He said that?”
I let out a breath. “No. But I feel like that’s what he was thinking. Oh, and, apparently, Sud thinks he owns me. He said I was his.”
“Wow. Just…wow.” Looking at her watch, Bua winces. “Damn. Figures I have to leave.” She points her finger at me. “Tonight, we talk. Okay?”
I nod.
Grabbing her purse, she heads for the door. “There’s some congee in the kitchen you can warm up if you want it.”
“Thanks,” I say.
When she’s gone, I lean my head back and stare at a gray stain on the ceiling.