Chapter 7: Just A One-Night Stand

Last night, it was almost morning by the time Naphat and Janevee finally got some sleep. When Naphat woke up, it was already close to 2 PM. She nearly screamed when she saw the time on the watch she hadn’t removed since the night before.

She had an important meeting at the office today! Seeing the numerous missed calls from her assistant, she sighed quietly before calling back to inform them that she wasn’t feeling well and would head to the office later in the afternoon.

The sound of Naphat’s phone call stirred Janevee from her drowsy state. She blinked awake, turning to see Naphat standing across the room in a loosely draped bathrobe that hung off her body in an effortlessly disheveled way—entirely captivating to someone who had just woken up.

Janevee shifted to sit up in bed, her lips curving into a teasing smile as she locked eyes with Naphat.

“Trouble at work?”

Her tone was calm, but amusement glimmered in her eyes.

“Yeah,” Naphat replied with a brief nod before turning toward the bathroom.

“Let me take a quick shower first,” she said, slipping the bathrobe off her shoulders and letting it fall to the floor without a second thought—completely unbothered by the fact that Janevee, still lying in bed, now had a full view of her bare form.

Janevee’s eyes followed the curve of Naphat’s exposed back, her lips twitching into an amused smile. She couldn’t believe that even in such a rush, Naphat still had time to tease her.

“I didn’t get any sleep last night because of you, and now that I’m awake, you’re still teasing me, Preme?” Janevee called out, her voice carrying a playful edge.

Naphat turned slightly, shrugging nonchalantly with a cheeky smile before stepping into the bathroom. Watching her retreat, Janevee quickly got out of bed to follow.

…

The sound of water streaming from the shower filled the bathroom as Janevee stepped in, wrapping her arms lightly around Naphat’s bare waist from behind. Her lips brushed against the fragrant curve of Naphat’s neck, their bodies pressed closely together.

“Mind if I join you?” Janevee whispered in a low, husky voice.

Naphat turned her head slightly, flashing a teasing smile at Janevee before replying in a calm, matter-of-fact tone.

“Sure, but just for showering. That’s it.”

“What? Are you messing with me?”

“Mm-hmm.” Naphat’s serious tone left Janevee momentarily stunned.

“Wait, are you serious, Preme?” Janevee asked, looking genuinely confused.

“I already said it—just showering, nothing else,” Naphat reiterated, her expression unwavering. Then, unable to hold back any longer, she let out a soft laugh. The look of disbelief on Janevee’s face seemed to bring her an endless amount of amusement.

“Oh, come on, Preme,” Janevee grumbled, feeling a mix of annoyance and regret for even getting out of bed in the first place.

Seeing Janevee’s exasperated reaction, Naphat quickly explained, “If I didn’t do this, would you have gotten out of bed to shower at all?”

Naphat’s words struck true. Without her playful teasing, Janevee would have likely stayed sprawled out on the bed all day, waiting for Naphat to finish work and return to the condo.

“Fine, you win, Princess.” Janevee conceded, finally giving in and resigning herself to a proper shower.

…

The two didn’t spend much time in the bathroom.

The familiarity from the night before made them feel less self-conscious, even though it was their first time showering together. Yet, deep down, both couldn’t help but feel a little flustered, standing so close to each other, completely bare. After all, just last night, they had shared an intensely passionate moment on the bed. Doing something so intimate, yet so mundane, like this together now made their hearts race all over again.

Once they finished showering, Naphat stood in front of the mirror, carefully applying blush to her cheeks. She picked up her favorite lipstick and skillfully glided it over her lips, her movements confident and routine. When she finished her makeup, she glanced over at Janevee, who was lounging comfortably on the bed, watching her with an air of lazy ease. The sight made the corners of Naphat’s lips twitch in mild irritation. She couldn’t help but feel annoyed at how relaxed Janevee seemed, lying there as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

“I’m heading to the office soon. What about you? Where are you going next?”

Naphat asked casually as she quickly checked the items in her bag. Despite her neutral tone, her attention was entirely focused on Janevee’s answer, though she tried not to show it.

“Probably back home,” Janevee replied, her voice light and easy. “I had my assistant send some documents there, so I’ll just sign them at home instead. I’m too lazy to go to the office.”

Naphat nodded, her face remaining impassive, but inside, a wave of relief swept over her. She couldn’t explain why, but she had been deeply nervous about Janevee’s response. What if she had plans with another woman? How would she even begin to feel about that?

“When you get home, send me a picture of that piano, okay?” Naphat said offhandedly, masking her real thoughts behind an indifferent tone. She handed Janevee a keycard, secretly wanting proof that Janevee had actually gone home.

Janevee narrowed her eyes, puzzled.

“A picture of the piano? Why?”

“Just take it and send it, okay?” Naphat replied with a steady voice, hiding her true feelings. “I’ve got a lot of work to clear today, and I just want to see that piano—it’s beautiful. It’ll give me some motivation to get through my tasks.”

Janevee still looked confused. “Don’t you have a piano at home?” she teased, her tone playful.

Naphat rolled her eyes dramatically.

“I do. But I asked you to take the picture, so just do it, okay?”

Janevee was still puzzled by Naphat’s request to take a picture of the piano, but she couldn’t help chuckling, her thoughts wandering elsewhere. She replied in her usual playful tone, “If you’re that curious about the piano at my place, why don’t you stay over tonight? We could spend the whole night on the piano bench—playing the piano and having some fun at the same time. Though, you might hit a few wrong notes… because you’d be too distracted.”

“Playing the piano and having fun at the same time?” Naphat repeated, rolling her eyes as she caught onto Janevee’s implication. “You’ve got a one-track mind, don’t you, Janevee? I’ve got a town hall meeting at the office tomorrow, and I need to get up early. Please, I’m begging you, don’t be so insatiable tonight.”

She said this with a hint of annoyance, stuffing her iPad into her bag in a manner that clearly expressed her exasperation.

Janevee chuckled under her breath, nodding in good humor.

“Fine...”

“And make sure you memorize my details properly. We’ll meet at the dinner with my parents,” Naphat added in a serious tone, but her words made Janevee bolt upright.

“Wait, that’s three days away! Are we really not seeing each other before then?”

“Tomorrow’s the town hall, and the day after, I have to open a new branch out of town,” Naphat replied, watching as Janevee’s face scrunched in dissatisfaction.

That prompted Naphat to raise her voice slightly in a scolding tone.

“I know exactly what you’re thinking.”

Janevee immediately retorted, “You’re being unfair, Preme. Maybe I wasn’t thinking anything like that at all!”

Her reply made Naphat burst into laughter. “Oh, really? Because just a moment ago, you invited me to stay over at your place and suggested we play on the piano all night. Did you forget that already?” Naphat teased, throwing Janevee’s words right back at her.

Janevee raised her hands in mock surrender.

“Okay, fine, you win. But seriously, about the details—we should prepare properly. At least we could rehearse a little before meeting your parents.”

Naphat gave Janevee a knowing look before stepping closer and pinching her nose in mock irritation.

“Ouch!” Janevee yelped, making Naphat laugh with satisfaction.

“I’ve already given you all the details you need. Don’t try to make excuses, Janevee,” Naphat said flatly, though her voice carried a faintly teasing edge. She added with a slight challenge, “Just make sure you remember my favorite sashimi set. I know you don’t. And if you embarrass yourself in front of my parents that day... well, prepare for your funeral.”

She pointed a finger at Janevee in mock warning before turning and leaving the room. Janevee stood where she was, watching her go with a smile in her eyes.

Because to her, the way Naphat threatened her, like an adorable kitten trying to hiss, was simply too cute to handle.

…

Since that night,

Naphat and Janevee hadn’t seen each other again. Naphat had been busy with work, but Janevee’s teasing smile and playful voice lingered in her thoughts. She found herself annoyed at how often Janevee crept into her mind—whether she was working, eating, or spending time with friends.

Naphat couldn’t stop wondering what Janevee thought about that night. Did Janevee ever think of her, even a little? Or was it all just a fleeting moment for her?

It didn’t help that Janevee seemed to thoroughly enjoy playing with her emotions. Every day, Janevee would send her messages: asking if she’d eaten yet, what she was doing, or sending adorable cat videos, claiming they reminded her of Naphat. Sometimes, Janevee would send cute, meaningful songs, only to follow up with, “Oops, wrong person.”

Naphat wasn’t sure if Janevee was teasing her or just wanted attention.

She kept her confusion bottled up until one evening. Sitting at the rooftop bar Serene Eclipse in Thonglor with her two closest friends, Parichat and Aratee—the latter being the stylish owner of the bar—Naphat finally let her feelings slip after two glasses of wine.

“You guys... Janevee and I... we’ve had something happen between us,” Naphat admitted, her words slurring slightly.

Her confession left both Parichat and Aratee momentarily stunned. Aratee slapped her knee and asked, “I knew it! Was it that night? The one where you got drunk here, and Janevee showed up to watch over you?”

Naphat nodded, and Parichat’s expression turned even more bewildered.

“Wait, didn’t you say you didn’t like her? That she was just your fake girlfriend? How the hell did you sleep with her that night?” Parichat asked, completely baffled.

Naphat rolled her eyes, taking another sip from her glass.

“Well... I guess I was tipsy that night. Maybe a little drunk.”

Aratee immediately raised an eyebrow. “You’re telling me you got drunk and accidentally hooked up with her? Come on, no matter how drunk you were, unless you blacked out, you’d still know who you were with and what you were doing.”

Naphat’s cheeks flushed red as she lowered her gaze and muttered, “Okay, fine. I knew what I was doing... but I was tipsy, you know?”

Parichat burst out laughing, clearly amused.

“I thought you said you only liked short-haired, boyish women. How did you end up in bed with Janevee? Don’t tell me you were just looking for comfort after finding out about P’Nuea and P’Khwankhao.”

Parichat’s words made Naphat freeze. She couldn’t give a clear answer to the question, leaving her visibly irritated. She tried to deflect by raising her voice.

“Oh, stop it already! Can you two just not ask me so many questions?”

But Aratee wasn’t about to let it slide. She pressed on, her tone serious.

“So, what’s next? At first, you said she was just a fake girlfriend, that you were only pretending to get married. But now, even before meeting your parents, the two of you have already crossed that line.”

Naphat fell silent for a moment, lifting her glass for another sip before replying in a soft voice, “I haven’t thought about it yet.” She paused, then added, almost as if talking to herself, “But I doubt Janevee hasn’t thought much about that night either.”

She continued, offering an explanation. “You both know Janevee’s reputation with women—her countless exploits and how ridiculously flirty she is. But honestly, the next morning, before we went our separate ways, I tricked her into sending me a picture of the piano at her house just to check if she really went home. And she did it. Janevee actually went home like she said she would. She didn’t lie, and she didn’t go off with another woman after that.”

Parichat and Aratee exchanged knowing glances.

“Preme, she acts like she doesn’t care about Janevee, but she checked everything pretty thoroughly,” Parichat whispered to Aratee, who chuckled quietly.

Turning back to Naphat, Aratee asked seriously, “Preme, be honest. You’re not into Janevee, are you?”

“I’m not!” Naphat immediately denied. “What would make you think that?”

Aratee looked unconvinced, while Parichat, hearing Naphat’s adamant denial, sighed in relief. She followed up with a firm warning.

“It’s good that you don’t have feelings for Janevee… Preme. Honestly, I don’t think having someone like Janevee as a girlfriend would work out very well,” Parichat said. “Do you remember my friend from university? She was talking to Janevee for about a month. Everything seemed fine—they were saying they liked each other and all that—and then, out of nowhere, she got dumped. Just like that. Next thing she knew, Janevee was already talking to some senior from another year. My friend cried her eyes out for months over that.

So, if you ever think about dating Janevee, I’m just saying… take a step back and really think it through. Be honest, Preme—I don’t want to end up being the one consoling you and wiping your tears.”

Parichat’s words left Naphat silent for a moment. While she outwardly acted unbothered, deep down, they struck a chord with her.

“It was just a one-night stand,” Naphat finally said, brushing off the topic in an attempt to mask her feelings.

But Aratee, picking up on her discomfort, smirked and raised an eyebrow teasingly.

“But normally… aren’t you the one who’s always tearing Janevee apart with your insults? And now, suddenly, Janevee’s your lover? Or… could it be that you actually have feelings for her, Preme?”

……

Hojicha Studio Writer

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