Shadows of You | Englot (GirlxGirl)

37. What I Should've Done

POV ENGFA

-"Baby... is the event about to start?" Charlotte asked during our video call. Her voice was so soft it was barely audible-she was really sleepy.

I smiled at that, watching her struggle to keep her eyes open.

-"Not yet, baby, maybe in a bit," I replied, glancing around at the busy scene then back to the screen,"You look tired, Nuu. Shouldn't you get some sleep? What time is it there?"

She shook her head slowly, pouting now.
-"It's 2 a.m., Teerak. I'm not ready to sleep yet-I still want to see your beautiful face."

I chuckled softly,
-"You're so stubborn. But seriously, you need to rest."

She yawned right after, which made me giggle.

-"Nuu... don't fight it. You're tired too. Get some sleep now, okay? We'll have plenty of time to talk later, naa?"

Charlotte sighed, her eyes drooping. -"Fine... but only because I know you're right. But promise you'll call me later, okay?"

-"Promise," I said with a warm smile. After a bit more back-and-forth, we finally ended our video call.

I let out a long sigh and leaned back in my chair, feeling the weight of her absence.

Charlotte has been in LA for a month now, and it's been tough on both of us.
Our communication has been okay, though there are moments when I fall asleep just as she's waking up, so we can't talk. Or, when she has time to chat but I'm tied up at an event.

It's frustrating for both of us sometimes, but we try our best not to make a big deal out of it because we both know we miss each other.

For me, though, there are times when I miss her so much that it messes with my focus during the day, and it's affected my work too a few times.

As I lost myself in these thoughts, papa's voice pulled me back to reality.

"What's up, P'Fa? You look down today," he asked, sitting next to me with a worried expression.

I shook my head, forcing a smile.

"Nothing, just a little tired."

He nodded, but I could tell he wasn't convinced. "You sure? You know you can talk to me if something's bothering you."

"I'm fine, Papa. Just need to catch up on sleep, that's all," I assured him.

The event started, and I tried to focus, but I kept making mistakes-I misjudged contestants, mixed up names, and even called out the wrong sponsor. I could feel Papa's eyes on me, growing more frustrated by the minute.

After the event, he didn't hold back. As soon as we got in the car, he let out his anger.

"Fa! That was a major mistake! We could face penalties because of it. Please, help me out here. Tell me why you were so careless!"

"I'm sorry, papa. I really didn't mean to," I said softly, feeling genuinely guilty.

He shook his head, "Lately, you've been really unfocused. Don't tell me this is because you and Charlotte are far apart, because I can't accept that, P'Fa. You need to prioritize your work."

I nodded, trying to hold back tears. "Yeah, I know..."

The silence in the car was heavy.

Finally, as we neared my next event, Papa spoke again.

"Tell me, what's really going on with you? This isn't like you."

I hesitated, struggling to find the words. What's going on? I don't really understand the situation myself.