FIRST LOVE - Book 2

Chapter 20: Shadows in the Dark

After finishing their meal, Khongkwan pulled up in front of Fon’s office. She smiled softly as Fon unbuckled her seatbelt. “I’ll pick you up later, alright?” Khongkwan said, her voice a mix of care and affection.

Fon nodded, stepping out of the car. “Thanks for the meal,” she replied, giving Khongkwan a warm smile before closing the door. As Khongkwan drove off, Fon watched her leave for a moment, her heart still feeling lighter from their time together.

As soon as Fon stepped inside the office building, her phone buzzed with a group video call from Som. She sighed, her head still pounding from the events of last night, but she answered anyway.

Som’s face appeared on the screen, followed by Tee and Kade in little squares. Som raised an eyebrow. “Fon! Are you okay after last night?”

Fon rubbed her temples, wincing. “Not really. I’ve got a terrible headache,” she admitted with a weak chuckle.

Tee leaned in closer to the camera with a grin. “Looks like you had a *long* night.”

Kade snickered. “Yeah, you sure everything’s okay?”

Fon groaned softly. “It’s not the night, it’s this headache... and maybe a bit of last night too.”

Som gave a teasing smile. “So… how’d things go with Khongkwan?”

Fon sighed, feeling her headache intensify. “Let’s just say it was… complicated, but I think things are a bit clearer now.”

Som smirked knowingly, while Tee and Kade exchanged amused glances. “Looks like we were right, then,” Som teased.

Fon couldn’t help but roll her eyes, but there was a small smile tugging at her lips. “Yeah, maybe you were.”

Tee leaned back, her eyes wide as she spoke up. “I’m not gonna lie, I was *terrified* of Khongkwan last night. The way she looked at me… I thought she was going to throw me out of the bar!”

The moment the words left her mouth, the entire group burst into laughter. Som nearly doubled over, wiping tears from her eyes. “I *told* you it would get her riled up!”

Kade, shaking with laughter, added, “You should’ve seen your face, Tee! You went from all confident to shrinking in your seat in like two seconds!”

Fon, despite her headache, couldn’t help but laugh along with them. “Yeah, you were playing it cool, but I could feel the panic next to me.”

Tee groaned dramatically. “Hey, it wasn’t part of the plan for Khongkwan to go full-on jealous mode! I was just trying to help!”

Som grinned, still chuckling. “Well, you *did* help. Khongkwan’s reaction was priceless.”

Fon, shaking her head at the whole situation, smiled. “I’m just glad it didn’t turn into a full-on disaster.”

Tee gave an exaggerated sigh of relief. “Same. I’ll leave the jealousy games to you all next time.”

The group continued laughing, the tension from the previous night melting away as they shared the lighthearted moment together.

As the laughter began to die down, Som shifted the conversation with a knowing look. “Alright, enough joking around. Fon, what’s your plan for telling Khongkwan the truth? You can’t keep avoiding it.”

The lightness in Fon’s expression faded slightly as she sighed, leaning back in her chair. “I… I was with Khongkwan earlier for lunch, but I still couldn’t bring myself to tell her. I just—” She paused, her voice softening. “I’m scared. What if she gets mad? What if she pushes me away after knowing everything?”