enTWINed – Ch 11 (A Thai Fanfic)

Enemies often meet on the narrow road. But what about potential lovers?

On the way home, Roni got a phone call from her sister. Knowing Sri hated her to answer while she was on her motorcycle; she eased it to the curb and stopped. “Hello, P’Sri. What do you need?”

Her sister’s happiness leaked through the Bluetooth earpiece. “I got a contract to refresh the interior of a rooftop restaurant at a 5-star hotel in Pathum Wan! It’s not a big job, but there could be a lot of exposure for my business.”

It looked like P’Sri was already planning to jump right into the job immediately.

“Let me guess, you want to go to the restaurant and look around, even before the ink has dried on the paperwork.” Looking at her casual clothing, Roni chuckled. “Okay, the place is too posh for what I’m wearing. You are already on the grounds somewhere, right?”

“Yes.” Sri sheepishly replied. Roni grinned, even though her sister couldn’t see it.

“I’ll head home, change clothes, and meet you there. Do you want me to bring anything? Your tablet? Extra pencils? Since it’s a working dinner, the cost is coming out of your budget. Okay okay, I’ll hurry. It’ll be about 20 minutes. I’m hanging up.”

Revving the engine, Roni darted back into traffic, barely missing a tuk-tuk slowing down to make a turn. The driver angrily shouted, but she paid him no mind, intent on getting home as soon as possible.​

~~~~

In record time, Roni had showered and changed. Since she was still riding her motorcycle, she opted for fairly new jeans and a button-down shirt in blue. A faded brown leather jacket and mid-heeled boots in black completed the outfit. Although it wasn’t exactly haute couture, it emphasized her slender build and confident style, making seem completely at home in this environment.

When she reached the building, she pulled into a parking space and swung off the motorcycle. She unlocked the storage box to get her sister’s stuff and to put her helmet away.

When she left the elevator, the concierge raised his eyebrow an almost imperceptible amount, but otherwise had no reaction as he escorted her to the discreet table where her sister was sipping water.

“Congratulations, P’Sri!” Roni’s voice was loud in the room, causing a momentary hush among the other patrons. Her sister quickly pulled her into the booth.

“Shh, not so loud,” Sri admonished, before breaking into a big grin. “But thanks!”

After the waiter left with their orders, Roni steepled her fingers and leaned across the table. “So, how does it feel to get your first real job as an interior designer?” She pulled her sister’s tablet out of her bag and pushed it across the marble surface.

“It still doesn’t seem real. It’s quite a change from designing clothes, but I am ready for the challenge!” Almost absentmindedly, Sri looked around, her finger dancing across the virtual keyboard. “The manager is supposed to stop by our table once things slow down a bit. The new interior blueprints were emailed to me this afternoon.” She glanced around her surroundings, still typing.

Roni grabbed her sister’s hand, momentarily stopping its dance across the keys. “I’m really proud of you, big sis.”

~~~~

The van pulled up to the hotel entrance. Ken was still on the phone, giving instructions to his assistant. “Khun Prasan, I’m at the hotel now. Lt Tik and I will be at the Celadon Restaurant here if there is anything you need from me.” He disconnected and texted a quick message to his best friend. Pocketing the device, he nodded to his driver, now standing next to the open vehicle door.

“We should be done in an hour and a half. You are on your own until…” He glanced at his Drive De Cartier watch, “…2:30 pm.” The driver nodded.

Ken was strolling towards the lobby doors when his eye caught on a motorcycle parked diagonally in a space near the entrance. It looked quite ordinary near the luxury vehicles around it, but boldly parked to take up an entire space.

The chirp of a car horn brought his head up, and he smiled at the police pickup as it drove past and parked in a discreet service vehicle space. He waited for the driver.

“Right on time I see, Ken.” Tik grinned before greeting his friend. “You’re paying, correct?”

Ken rolled his eyes. “I lost the chess match, didn’t I? Of course I’m paying. Also, if it was your turn, we would be eating street snacks at the market.”

“Well, you can’t get much on a police officer’s salary. Besides, we both know the market has delicious food almost every day.”

Ken smiled but grew serious. “Another reason I wanted to come here, is that I have some questions about a situation in my company. And I wanted your opinion.”

Tik clapped him on the back. “Okay, you will have the services of one of the best vice officers around, for the low low price of waygu beef.”

Ken resisted another eye roll as they headed through the lobby towards the elevators.

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