Playing For Keeps

21. Bang Saen

"Alright my beautiful couples! Please bring your things over so we can load the bus and head out!"

That was P'Smile. She was going to be the trip leader for the weekend and she was adamant about sticking to a set time schedule.

"We need to be pulling out of campus at exactly 5pm so we can get to the hotel in time for our group dinner. Dinner starts at 7!" What started out as excited politeness quickly turned into barking orders. "Apple, check the list and make sure everyone is accounted for and on the bus. Din, make sure you and your crew have all the camera gear together, get it on the bus, and start taking pictures! Prim, you help the driver load the luggage onto the back of the bus. Chop-chop kaaaaa!" She announced loudly as she clapped her hands, emphasizing the "chop-chop".

Ming and Kit stared at the everyone as they scurried around to fulfill their orders. They had no idea that there was going to be a camera crew for the weekend. That little detail had been nowhere in the information packet. Now there was definitely no way they could mess up. If Ming and Kit didn't play a convincing couple, everyone would soon know it.

Ming was startled when someone slapped him heartily on the back then threw their arm around him.

"This will look really good for the faculty of Engineering. There's four Engineering students on this trip." It was P'Toy, one of Ming's engineering seniors. He was a junior and had been the University Moon the year before Forth.

"Four engineering students?" Ming asked. He already knew that he and P'Toy were both from the same faculty as well as P'Toy's girlfriend, P'Bird.

"Mmm! That Nong over there." P'Toy pointed at the third couple, a small guy and a large girl. "That's Aom and Fah. Aom is a second year in our faculty. He's pretty quiet so that's probably why you haven't met him yet. Plus you've been busy yourself, Mr. Moon." P'Toy began to nudge Ming playfully. He was clearly happy for Ming and still very proud of his own status as a former University Moon. His pride in the faculty was a bit infectious and Ming couldn't help but feel proud about it too.

Ming smiled and P'Toy walked back over to his girlfriend so he could gather their luggage and help load it onto the bus. Ming looked back over at Aom and Fah. They were physically an odd pair with Aom being short and quite skinny. Fah was tall, large, and in charge which was completely opposite of what all the usually popular campus couples looked like. Fah was around 5'10" and had a thick build. She wasn't necessarily muscular, but she wasn't fat either. She was just...large. And Aom stood at around 5'4" and had a very petite build.

Ming watched as she was the one to load the bags onto the bus while Aom watched her with a dreamy look on his face. After roughly tossing their last bag as if it weighed nothing and sending it crashing into the back of the bus, she noticed Aom staring at her. She smiled at him and bent down to plant a gentle kiss right on his nose. Aom ducked his head as he blushed. They then linked hands and walked to get on the bus together.

"How can we fool anyone when they're here?" Kit asked, sauntering up beside Ming. "They're so...cute together." He begrudgingly admitted.

"They are, aren't they?" Ming watched them as they approached the bus door and Fah lifted Aom onto the first step. They were an interesting pair but there was no denying that they were head over heels for each other. And Ming knew exactly what Kit meant without having to ask. The two of them would probably look like they hated each other in comparison to Aom and Fah.

"Well, the competition is over. We won already. All we have to do is be ourselves now." Ming said as he tossed his arm around Kit's shoulders nonchalantly.

Kit stiffened in shock at Ming's sudden physical intimacy. His stiffness caused Ming to think that he might have already crossed the boundaries that they never got the chance to discuss at lunch earlier in the day. Pang made sure she ruined that.