Chapter 6 - Toxic love (NC-17)

"Irene, if I told you that I liked you more than a friend... what would you do?"

Irene was taken aback by the question, her heart skipping a beat. She stared at Kulaphat, trying to read her expression, but all she saw was a mix of sincerity and pain.

"Stop messing with me like this, it's not funny," Irene said seriously.

Kulaphat smiled. "I've liked you for a long time. Didn't you notice?"

Kulaphat's straightforward confession pulled Irene into a whirlpool of thoughts. She had never expected Kulaphat to say something like this.

When they first became close, Irene had a small crush on Kulaphat. When she found out that Kulaphat liked women, she had foolishly hoped there might be a chance. But that hope faded more and more each time Kulaphat mentioned her ex. A Kulaphat's ex-girlfriend who Irene had never met, didn't even know the name or face of.

A heavy silence filled the space between them. Irene felt uncomfortable, unable to meet the eyes of her best friend, who chose to confess her feelings now, when she was already talking to someone else.

"I don't think this is fair, Phat," Irene finally whispered. "You must have known how I felt about you all this time. And now, when I'm about to start with someone new, you come out with this?"

Irene let out a frustrated sigh, feeling like Kulaphat was playing with her emotions. Kulaphat could only listen quietly.

"Come on, Irene, don't make it a big deal," Kulaphat said lightly. "If you still wanna be with Lalin, we can just keep things on the down-low, talk behind her back or something. Or, just break up with her and come to me. I'll wait."

---

'Phat, you're such a jerk.'

Irene's harsh words kept echoing in Kulaphat's mind. She was heavily drunk after Irene slapped her hard and said all kinds of things out of disappointment when she had suggested being the "other woman" while Irene was still seeing Lalin—or, if Irene wanted to break up with Lalin, Kulaphat would wait for her.

Irene's face showed the deepest disappointment, and Kulaphat knew that what she had done was unforgivable. The guilt gnawed at her so much that she decided to go out and drink heavily.

And as the alcohol kicked in, the first person she thought of was Lalin, the only woman who was her first and only love.

Barely holding herself together, she called a taxi to take her to Lalin's condo. She then kept calling Lalin over and over, begging her to come down and get her.

---

Kulaphat's body was so unsteady that Lalin had a hard time helping her up to the room. Her heart was racing with worry and concern. She had never seen Kulaphat like this—not when they were together and not even after they broke up.

Lalin managed to get Kulaphat to the sofa. The smell of alcohol was strong, and Kulaphat was unusually quiet.

"Why did you get so drunk?" Lalin asked softly.

"Lalin..." Kulaphat's hoarse voice called her name. "Why did you do this to me?"

Her words of accusation left Lalin silent for a while.

"I'm sorry, Phat," she finally said, her eyes welling with tears.

Silence fell between them again, broken only by their quiet breathing. Lalin decided to break the tension.

"Phat," she tried to steady her voice. "Let me drive you home. Do you want me to take you back to your home or your condo?"

But instead of answering, Kulaphat lunged forward, pushing Lalin's petite body onto the soft sofa. Her sharp eyes locked onto Lalin's wide ones. Silence filled the air again, but this time it was charged with tension. Kulaphat leaned in, pressing her lips against Lalin's soft ones.

The kiss was familiar yet strangely new, mixed with the faint scent of alcohol and Kulaphat's unique fragrance. It left Lalin breathless. She tried to pull away, but her body refused to obey. The touch that she had once adored now made her resistance melt away slowly.

The familiar sensation of Kulaphat's gentle touch and the undeniable attraction made Lalin feel desires she had tried to suppress. Kulaphat was still fiery and overpowering.

Her soft hands moved along Lalin's slim back, and Lalin's body began to relax, responding to the touch unconsciously.

"Phat..." Lalin murmured in weak protest, but her lips instinctively responded to the kiss.

Kulaphat sensed the conflict within Lalin. Her graceful hands moved slowly along Lalin's back, her touch heated and confident. Piece by piece, Lalin's uniform was undone.

"I've missed you so much..." Kulaphat whispered to her ex, her voice thick with longing. Her warm lips brushed along Lalin's delicate neck, gentle but with intent.

Lalin felt the heat from Kulaphat's lips, sparking the desire she had tried to avoid. Kulaphat's lips moved to Lalin's earlobe, lightly tracing over it, slowly breaking down every barrier in Lalin's heart.

She opened herself up to the intensity of Kulaphat's touch, even as conflicting feelings surged through her mind. The long-hidden desire in her heart awakened powerfully.

Lalin began to let herself go, the heat of her ex's lips and tongue sending waves of sensation through her body.

At this moment, Lalin chose to let everything go because she realized that every touch from Kulaphat was something she could never do without and had always longed for, even though she didn't want to admit it.

---

The morning sun streamed into the bedroom. Kulaphat slowly opened her eyes, the first feeling was confusion and dizziness. When she saw herself lying naked on the bed next to Lalin, she quickly sat up, her heart racing. The events of last night started coming back in flashes.

"Phat," Lalin's soft voice called out. She rubbed her eyes sleepily. "Are you awake?"

Kulaphat didn't answer. She just looked down at herself, feeling a deep sense of guilt. She hurriedly grabbed her clothes and put them on roughly before rushing to the bathroom.

Lalin could only watch as her ex-lover turned away, feeling a mix of confusion and pain. She tried to make sense of what had happened last night.

Soon, Kulaphat came out of the bathroom, her face expressionless. She avoided Lalin's gaze.

"Phat," Lalin called out to her, "we need to talk."

"There's nothing to talk about," Kulaphat replied coldly. "I was drunk last night."

"Drunk?" Lalin's voice trembled. "No matter how drunk you were, if you had sex with someone, you had to know what you were doing."

Kulaphat went silent for a moment, as if struggling with something inside. Then she looked up at Lalin, her eyes filled with cold detachment.

"So what? We just slept together for one night. It's not like you didn't cheat on me and sleep with someone else before," she said.

Her words cut like a knife into Lalin's heart. She stared at Kulaphat, her eyes filled with hurt and disappointment.

"Phat," Lalin cried out, her voice shaking. Tears she had tried to hold back began to fill her eyes. "How can you say that?"

Kulaphat kept her face expressionless, even though she was hurting inside. She turned to Lalin with a look that tried to stay cold.

"Forget about last night," she said, emphasizing the word 'forget.'

"And don't let Irene find out about this."

With that, Kulaphat turned and walked out of the room, leaving Lalin standing there alone. She sank to the floor, feeling like she was falling back into a pit of despair.

---

Lalin sat on the bed, hugging her knees. Thoughts of Kulaphat still lingered in her mind. She wanted to clear things up with her, but the guilt she felt towards Irene, the person she was currently seeing, overwhelmed her.

Right now, she was cheating on her. This thought weighed heavily on Lalin's heart.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Lalin looked up with a flicker of hope. Maybe... maybe Kulaphat had come back to talk things through. But her hope was shattered when she saw that the person standing at the door was not who she had wished for.

"Irene," she whispered softly, trying to hide her disappointment.

"Why do you look like that?" Irene asked quietly, her sweet face showing signs of hurt.

"It's nothing," Lalin replied in a low voice, forcing a smile.

"I tried to video call you last night, but you didn't pick up," Irene said.

Last night... Lalin's face turned pale. She quickly thought of an excuse.

"Um... I fell asleep," she stammered.

Irene entered the room with a big bag. "I might stay at your place for a week."

"What?" Lalin's eyes widened in shock. No way...

Irene raised an eyebrow. "Is that a problem?"

"N-No, not at all, Irene," Lalin stuttered, trying to hide her discomfort.

Then, her eyes caught sight of Kulaphat's wallet lying beside the sofa. Her heart almost stopped. If Irene saw it...

She quickly ran to the sofa, trying to use her foot to nudge the wallet under it before Irene could get closer.

"What's up?" Irene asked, suspicious.

"Nothing."

Lalin replied, trying to act normal, but inside, she was burning with anxiety. She had never lied to Irene before, and now she was hiding every mistake she had made.

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