Just Like Yesterday

Chapter One

Chapter One

I take the file out of my assistant's hands and smiled sweetly at her," thanks Ina."

"No problem Khun Kongpob. But it is getting late, are you planning on working on that now? It's already eight pm." She had a nice face, cute and chubby with round cheeks that now puffed out at me.

I relaxed into my chair and remained smiling, "I don't have to be at home in a hurry. I can stay and work on this for a while. You on the other hand don't need to worry about staying around with me just because you are my assistant. Everything I need I can get myself"

"But—"she made a face," it's so lonely to be here on your own. Everyone else has already left."

Lonely. That struck a nerve but I couldn't let it show. I had three years of practice hiding my feelings.

"Then do you want to stay with me? You could grab us two cups of coffee and we could work together in my office." I was flirting with her and I didn't really know why. Ina has been working for me for six months now and for some reason I could relax around her enough to jokingly flirt with her.

She laughed," there you go again Khun'Kongpope, trying to divert my attention from what's important. And no, I don't want to stay here with you. I've got a boyfriend waiting at home for me."

I schooled my expression. "Then what are you doing talking to me, go home quickly."

After some more exchanges, I ushered her to her car and came back up on the lift. As the lift silently went up towards my office my mind slipped and his face came up like it hasn't been four years, like I hadn't tried like crazy to forget him. His face younger than mine was now. I didn't know what he looked like now after four years, probably still as good looking. Does he still do that thing with his mouth? I shook my head from the painful downward spiral I was headed. It was like staring down a really dark pit knowing how hard it is to climb back up once you go tumbling down. On some nights I couldn't help it. I go tumbling down the sweet and bitter memories I still keep dear to me despite how much they hurt. And they hurt, so much. I don't think any amount of years can ever reduce that pain, but I can go through life everyday without crashing. It's not really living if I was truly honest but it was all I had and right now going down that road was not an option, I had business deals to close and projects to lunch.

After working a few years at Ocean Electric, I thought it was a good time to start something new on my own. I was looking at a ready to lunch entrepreneurial company and didn't really have time for hanging out at clubs anymore but my difficult friends would not let me be.

"Ai' Arthit, stop making a face, aren't you happy that we came all the way here to be with you?"

"I'm trying," I smiled uncomfortably at Bright.

"Oi, look at the face he is making, I'm not feeling hungry anymore."

We sat in a crowd, easily filling up two rows of seat at the famous noodles place. My friends that I haven't seen for a long time easily made the place rowdy and noisy in no time. Everyone was trying to catch up; Bright's bar had gotten pretty successful over the years and Pem had moved up from photographing models to directing movies, Nott was married and expecting a kid. As for me, it felt like my life was in a stand still. I was neither moving forward or changing like my friends nor going backwards. I was just stuck in the moment.

When I told them about my new company, they all seemed pretty proud of me but I didn't trust their smiles. I didn't feel it was an achievement, not like theirs. The reason is because they each had someone by their side, even Bright which honestly surprised me.