Mail and Gadgets

Chapter Thirteen - It's not Personal

Hi everyone,
Image taken off Google so not mine.
Dedicated to T :-)
Enjoy

True to his word, Frank kept his promise and not a week later he had written the article. Arthit couldn’t believe the response. People flooded to the store to give their support and it wasn’t long before the store was filled again. The phone hadn’t stopped ringing all day either, neither had notifications from Facebook or Twitter. Burtie had been busy on the computer all morning going through messages from well wish supporters or keeping up with the local news. 

The gang, including some children and their parents, had volunteered to make picket signs while Rome and Kao were busy serving the flood of customers that had been in and out all morning. Rome had been grilling Kao since he had got to work about what he had really been doing during Loi Karthong while Kao had been teasing Rome right back with the amount of side glancing going on between him and P'Bright.

Arthit had spent his time getting himself ready, dancing around the store floor and psyching himself  up. He felt like he was back in university, just before he was about to face the first years for the first time as their head hazer. He was bouncing on the balls of his feet, punching into thin air and reciting, ‘Fight’ and ‘It’s not personal, it’s business’. He was aware he probably looked a bit mad but he really didn’t care. He needed to do this. He was about to face a large crowd of press and reporters that had been slowly gathering outside the front of the store since Arthit had got to work.

From the counter a phone rings pulling Kao away from a customer to answer.

“Sawadee Karb. Just around the corner. Kao speaking.” He takes a breath. Pushing his glasses up his nose. ”How may I help you?”
As Kao answers the phone Rome see’s to his customer and doesn't notice when Bright walks up to him. He’s casually leaning against the counter and giving Rome a charming smile. Rome ignores him, keeping his eyes fixed on the customer until he finishes serving him. He’s about to go onto the next when he hears someone clearing their throat. Giving the next customer an apologetic smile, he turns slowly to P’Bright, giving him one of his hard looks.

“Yes, can i help you?”

“Do you have any tape back there? We’ve nearly run out”. Bright is grinning at him.

“Nope”. He turns back to apologize to the customer but Bright hasn’t stopped yet.

“Any glue then?”

“No!”

Bright sighs deeply. “Then I don’t know what to do”. He says in mock sympathy. “Ay’Arthit will be so upset if we don’t get these done and the children have been working so hard.....”

He is stopped mid-sentence by a roll of scotch tape being shoved into his chest, unceremoniously,  and he lets out a ‘ooff ‘. He smirks, “I thought you said you didn’t have any tape”.

“I lied”. Rome says. He moves away, missing the wide smile that’s slowly spreading over Bright’s face.

Rome finishes serving the customer. He can feel Bright’s eyes on him but he ignores him. He moves away and peers out of the widow, spotting a TV van just pulling up. He looks over at Arthit who is stretching. Rome rolls his eyes.

“Hey, P’Oon.” Arthit stops what he’s doing for a moment to look over at Rome. Rome continues talking. “The Bangkok Post reporters truck has just pulled up. You better get your butt out there before they start storming the store”.

Arthit gives Rome a nod as he looks away, going back to stretching. “Ok”. He says, “Just give me a second”. He rolls his shoulders, moving his head around.