Reflections [Complete]

Chapter 8

"KC, can you please make sure no one knocks on my door without having a valid reason. One more person who comes by to waste my time I will absolutely lose my shit!"

I pulled my finger off the intercom and looked over at Kong who had yet to look up from his work, incidentally who was also the primary reason my day felt like I was working on a train station. Just one freaking day of him looking like half a human being and the women in our office were tripping over their feet to get a new look at him. Thankfully, he was safely enclaved up in my office which prevented the tons of unwanted attention that would pour over him. On the flip side there were still several brave enough to venture into my domain to check him out, which left me clearly pissed.

But I needed to find a way to shove my dark mood aside cause there was still one very important thing I had yet to do. I fidgeted for a few minutes trying to gather up my courage before I got up from my seat and walked over to Kong's desk. I am generally not used to apologizing to my employees when I clearly don't think I have done anything wrong but this one time it was essential to let my ego go. I would get him to take my future suggestions a lot more easier if he didn't downright hate my guts, so I waited till he noticed me standing over his head and looked up at me questioningly.

"I...I wanted to say thank you. For coming back yesterday. You did very well at the meeting. And I am sorry for forcing you to shave. I shouldn't have done that, and next time you can tell me to fuck off. Although I still don't get why you hide that pretty face behind that grubby bush or why you insist on wearing a tent as clothes every day, but it is none of my business and I should have stayed out of yours."

And my very effusive apology was once again responded to by a shrug before he bent his head again to continue working. I swear the man could perfectly impersonate a robot without anyone ever doubting the authenticity. I pushed a bag towards him to once again get his attention, as a token to cement into his brain that I didn't take him for granted.

"I remembered you said you liked plants."

He took out the small potted plant out of the bag and looked at it like I had just dropped a bag of precious jewels or something in front on him. He opened and closed his mouth several times, what I could only assume to be for thanking me but no discernible voice came out from him, and eventually after multiple failed attempts, he simply snapped his mouth shut and nodded his silent thanks.

I guess this is as far as our conversation will go about our fight two days ago. I was about to turn back towards my desk when heard him softly clear his throat.

"Uh...Arthit."

"Yes?"

"I ...uh....my friend Kim and I were planning on cooking some Chinese food tonight. You are welcome to join us...if you are free...or if you want to...ummm...hang out?"

"Yes!"

"Really?"

"Yeah, of course. Why not? It will be fun to see you when you are not working. And would I seriously refuse to be introduced to Kim? Will she be ok with you inviting people without checking with her?"

"Oh she won't mind."

This day was turning out much better than expected already. The awful shrub for his face was gone, although I don't know how long that will last, the meeting had gone unexpectedly smoothly, he seemed to have forgiven me rather easily, and I was about to 'hang out' with him after work. The only time he had ever behaved even partially human was when we were in China. I was extremely curious what his normal behavior outside of work amongst friend was. Maybe I might even get some clues as to how to introduce even a tiny bit of color into his wardrobe. Hence I spent the rest of the day not so discreetly looking at the clock hoping the time ticked by slightly faster, where as Kong behaved exactly the way he does every single day. Non-distracted, completely focused, never raising his head from work until he absolutely needed to. Except today he did one additional thing, I don't know consciously or sub-consciously he would reach out every once in a while and softly caress the tiny pot sitting on the corner of his desk with his fingers.

Other than that he stayed his typical silent self throughout the day, all through the short drive to Kim's apartment, until the time we were right outside her door, waiting for her to answer our knock when he suddenly turned towards me.

"Before we go in, I just wanted to preface with a sorry."

"Sorry for wha...?"

My question was cut short when a whirlwind suddenly flung the door open and completely enveloped us in loud effusive greetings, and launched into a long, long, oh so long, never ending list of questions that we never got a chance to answer.

"Oh my god! You shaved? I can't believe you shaved. But why did you shave? Oh my God, I love it. But I will miss your beard though. But your face looks so good now. Though even your beard looked good on you. You should stay this way. I miss looking at your face. But maybe switch back once in a while. Why did you shave though?"

"Kim! If you let me talk I will tell you. First meet Arthit. He is my boss."

"Of course I know Arthit. I have been following him on every social media there exists. I didn't realize you were working for such a big shot. Or such an eye candy. By the way thanks for taking Kong to China with you. You won't believe how excited he was about it. He hasn't shut up about it since he got back. Just keeps going on and on about it."

I didn't think Kong could go on and on about anything, but since he didn't contradict her account maybe he truly was different amongst his friends than he was at work. Which leads me to my next question, how did this wet blanket ever manage to become such close friends with Kim. Not only was she his polar opposite in personality, she is downright gorgeous, and famous, and from the looks of it pretty rich. It's amazing their worlds ever managed to cross paths.

And yet they were more than comfortable to tie flowery, frilly matching aprons and go about tearing the kitchen apart with the pretense of cooking. I say pretense mainly cause the only person even remotely qualified to stand next to the stove was me, and it seems I was the only one not allowed to hold the ladle. In fact they pretty much ignored all my suggestion and continued following some cuckoo recipe. I don't know what was funnier, watching them add jam to stir fry chicken or watching the oddest couple ever existed standing in front of me.

Kim could talk a mile a minute, where as Kong had yet to open his mouth since he introduced me when we first entered. Even so there was no questioning their camaraderie. Perhaps I should find a way to ask Kim if there was some trick to getting Kong to open up to me more. I know I am making progress, but the speed with which I hit any milestone, I will be buying hair dye before I even get him to exchange more than 5 sentences at a time. Although I shouldn't discount the fact the it was him that invited me to hang out. Especially after our fight a couple days ago.

I was still contemplating my next series of actions when I noticed them serving up the dish they were attempting to call food. And before I become their guinea pig I decided to make myself scarce from the room. Only after I personally watch them survive their debacle will I even pretend to eat it. So I slipped off my chair and excused myself to visit the washroom.

Incidentally, on my way there I noticed something that got both my eye and my wholly undivided attention. It was a candid picture of four friends smiling at the camera. 2 boys and 2 girls. Kim being one of them, with a wide grin looking rather romantically at one of the boy. The other girl a little more in the background not focusing her attention at the camera. But none these three individuals were of any interest to me. It was the last boy that was the subject of my focus. He had a mischievous, boyish, open grin. Wearing a pair of well fitting, snug jeans and a tight black t-shirt stretched across his chest. Multiple beaded bracelets flung across his wrist, and flashy earrings meant to catch people's eyes. Overall an immensely stylish teenager with spiked hair, lazily perched against a bike. Openly flaunting his charm and looks.

That was Kong.

How the fuck did that boy go from the kid in the picture into the human version of dried corn that I know now?