Bumping Accident | Englot

Chapter 13

Engfa’s POV

So here we are, all crammed into Chompu’s tiny car. My car’s back at the club, so I’ll have to pick it up later. It turns out everyone decided to carpool with Chompu to the precinct, leaving us with the dilemma of returning with just one car.

“Chompu, why is your car so small?” I whine, shifting uncomfortably. Charlotte’s practically sitting on my lap, but I’m not complaining.

“Maybe you should get me a new car,” she says with a playful smile.

“In your dreams, Chomp,” I retort. “Be nice,” Charlotte whispers. “You can’t tell me you’re not suffocating in this car,” I whisper back.

“I’m actually pretty comfortable,” she says with a smirk. Heat rushes to my face, and I duck my head down to hide my embarrassment.

“We’re finally here,” Nudee shouts from the back, and I practically jump out of the car. “I can’t feel my legs,” I pout.

“Fa, stop complaining so much,” Tina chides. I roll my eyes and lead the way.

Stopping at my door, Heidi speaks up. “Holy shit, this is your house?” she questions. I frown. “Yeah, does it look bad?”

“No, what? Definitely not. Are you rich? You seem rich,” she remarks.

“Can we please get inside? I’m freezing,” Ethan interjects, saving me from having to answer that question. I take a deep breath and open the door.

As everyone walks in, I turn on the lights. Chompu, Nudee, and Tina casually make themselves at home, while Ethan, Heidi, and Charlotte linger by the door. Leading everyone to the living room, I notice Chompu raiding my snacks.

“Hey, those are mine,” I protest.

“Not anymore,” she replies with a mouthful of chips.

“Holy shit, you are rich,” Heidi mumbles, taking a seat on the couch. I glance back at Charlotte, who’s smiling, which makes me smile too.

“You have a nice house,” she comments.

“Right, it’s like the nicest,” Nudee adds to the conversation, returning from the kitchen with Tina.

“Your fridge is empty,” Tina observes.

“It is not. I just went grocery shopping,” I mumble.

“And what did you buy?” she questions, raising an eyebrow.

“Chips and popcorn,” I admit sheepishly. I hear Charlotte chuckle beside me, and I can’t help but smile.

“Can I talk to you real quick?” I ask Tina, and we excuse ourselves to the kitchen.

“What’s his name?” I inquire.

“What are you gonna do?” she asks in return.

“Everything that’s necessary,” I reply simply.

She looks at me for a moment. “Liam Miller.”

“Does he have prior records?” I press.

“He was called in for domestic violence, which I think might have involved Charlotte.”

“Did they let him go?”

“I mean, you were the one who beat him up, so yeah, they did,” she confirms.

I clench my jaw and take a deep breath. “She’s gonna need you, Engfa, so you’re gonna have to control your anger, be there for her, be the shoulder she can cry on,” Tina advises.

She’s right. I can’t let my anger consume me. I need to focus on what’s more important. “Thank you, Tina. I don’t know what I would do without you,” I acknowledge.

“Your ass would probably be in jail right now,” she jokes, and we both start laughing as we head back to the living room.

“You play the piano?” Charlotte asks, pointing to the right of the living room.

“Um, I used to,” I reply, glancing at my three best friends. They’re looking at me intently, and I feel a rush of nerves.

“You should play us something,” Ethan suggests.

“You said ‘used to.’ Why did you stop?” Charlotte ignores Ethan’s suggestion and asks me directly.

“Um, life happened,” I offer vaguely, and she nods.

“W-would y-you like me to play something?” I stutter nervously, surprising even myself.

My three best friends turn around to look at me in shock. Ignoring them, I focus on Charlotte.

“Yeah, I would love to,” she answers, taking a seat on the couch and waiting.

Taking a deep breath, I walk towards the piano.

Charlotte ’s POV

“What is she doing?” Nudee whispers to Chompu, who just shrugs in response. Why are they so shocked? It’s just Engfa playing the piano. We all sit down and wait for her to play. When she sits down, she doesn’t move; she just stares down at the closed piano.

Slowly, she opens it and places her fingers on the keys, taking a deep breath before starting to play.

The rhythm is slow, and I look up to see her eyes closed, swaying gently with the music. Her hands seem to shake slightly, but her performance is flawless.

Then the rhythm picks up, her hands moving quickly between each key. I find myself getting lost in my own thoughts.

Today’s events have been shocking. I never expected to see Liam at the club; it’s been a year since I last saw him. Seeing him brought back a flood of memories, and I couldn’t hold back my tears, remembering all the times he hurt me.

Despite the loud club music, it felt like I could only hear him threatening me again. When the police sirens approached, I urged Engfa to stop fighting to avoid further trouble.

Looking around, I see Ethan and Heidi watching Engfa with admiration, which makes me smile. Chompu, Tina, and Nudee, on the other hand, look shocked. Nudee’s mouth is slightly agape, her hand gripping Chompu’s tightly.

Engfa’s piano playing slows down, and I think she’s almost finished, but then it picks back up again. It’s as if she’s pouring all her emotions into the keys, speaking to us through her music.

Closing my eyes, I lean back on the couch, letting the melody carry me through my memories. Engfa and I need to talk about everything—Liam, her feelings. But am I ready to open up my heart again?

Engfa finishes playing, and when she opens her eyes, they’re still filled with emotion. Tina is the first to speak. “Are you okay?” she asks, and Engfa nods. Without waiting for more questions, Engfa excuses herself to get extra blankets and pillows.

“That was amazing,” Ethan remarks, and Heidi agrees. “Why do you guys look so shocked?” I ask Chompu, Tina, and Nudee.

“Well, um...” Nudee starts, but Chompu interrupts, “Engfa hasn’t played the piano in six years.”

“What?” I’m stunned.

“Some things she has to tell you herself, but what I will say is that a lot happened during our senior year of high school,” Chompu explains, her voice heavy
“Basically, after some events, Engfa stopped playing the piano. She said she didn’t have a purpose in life to play it again, and those events caused her to leave. She disappeared for a year, and no one knows where she went.”

“We barely had any contact during that time. When she came back, she was different. She didn’t drink anymore, not that she did drink a lot before, but she stopped completely. She put all her focus and time into opening the club,” Nudee adds solemnly.

I’m silent, unsure of what to say. What could possibly prompt her to start playing the piano again after expressing such feelings? “It seems like she found her purpose again,” Chompu interjects, breaking me from my thoughts. “I’m glad she met you,” she adds.

Before I can respond, Engfa walks back into the room. “Okay, people, we have two extra bedrooms. Who wants to sleep with who?” she announces, steering the conversation in a lighter direction.