Chapter 8: About That Night…

“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?”

.

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Naphat immediately snapped back, “Tee, stop your nonsense!”

Aratee chuckled, flashing a playful grin.

“Well, am I wrong? If it’s already gotten to the point where you’ve slept together, why not just make it official and start dating her for real? Then it’d be settled.”

Parichat quickly interjected.

“Tee, that’s such a thoughtless thing to say,” Parichat interjected. “Preme just had her heart broken by P’Nuea, and now you’re cheering her on to date Janevee? If they really ended up together, and one day Janevee started seeing someone else, our dear Preme might stress herself out so much she could have a stroke! Think about it—do you really think she’d be happy? Spending her days investigating where her girlfriend disappeared to or whether she’s with someone else? I’m telling you, if Preme dated Janevee, she’d end up needing therapy for sure.”

Hearing this, Naphat could only sigh before cutting the conversation short.

“Can you two stop already? There’s nothing going on!”

Though she said it with conviction, deep down, Naphat was riddled with confusion. Her relationship with Janevee was becoming more complicated with each passing day. She had never thought she would open her heart to someone like Janevee. But being around her so often, Naphat began to notice things she hadn’t before—not just the teasing words or the cocky attitude, but the subtle glances, the gentle expressions, and the small gestures of care that slowly tugged at her heart.

Even as she felt this way, she didn’t want to let herself hope. Naphat kept reminding herself that Janevee was probably like this with everyone. Maybe what she was feeling was nothing more than “the way Janevee treats all the women she’s with.”

.

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At this moment, no one could possibly be happier than Janevee.

She had been sitting in a Japanese restaurant, grinning to herself since she walked in. For someone like her, who would never have set foot in a place like this—let alone eat sashimi—it was a surprising change. But today, Janevee had gone out of her way to bring her close friends to Naphat’s favorite Japanese restaurant. She even snapped a photo and sent it to Naphat, just to make her smile.

‘Tara,’ Janevee’s best friend sitting next to her, couldn’t hold back her curiosity any longer.

“Jane… what’s up with you? Not only did you drag me to a restaurant you don’t even like, but now you’re sitting here grinning like an idiot.”

Janevee laughed.

“Come on, Tara! Sometimes people need to open their minds and try something new. Japanese food is just one of those new experiences.”

Tara nodded in understanding before following up with another question.

“So, what’s the deal with Preme again? You’re pretending to be her fake girlfriend? Seriously, what are you getting out of this? Pretending to date someone you don’t even like?”

Janevee shrugged nonchalantly, as if it was no big deal.

“In exchange, I get to lease her family’s land in Chonburi to build a shopping mall,” she said casually, though she wasn’t telling the whole truth. Because even without that deal, Janevee would have agreed to be Naphat’s fake girlfriend anyway. It was her chance to get closer to the person she had secretly loved for so long.

But her answer made another friend at the table burst into laughter.

“Janevee, you might be able to fool Tara, but don’t think you can fool me.”

The remark came from Sita, Janevee’s other close friend.

Sita, who had once been a nerdy girl with thick glasses, was now a sharp-tongued, stylish fund manager at a prominent investment firm. Not only was she brilliant, but her words could cut deeper than the sharpest scissors.

Janevee looked flustered, but before she could deny anything, Sita jumped in to spill the truth.

“Tara, how can you not see it? Jane’s been crushing on Preme forever! Even before they bumped into each other in college. Heck, she might’ve been in love with her since birth. I bet her first words weren’t ‘Mom’ or ‘Dad’ but ‘Preme, Preme, Preme.’”

Without giving Janevee a chance to argue, Sita kept going.

“Jane, you might not remember, but I do. Back in our first year, during the freshman initiation trip to the beach, you got so drunk you spilled everything to me. You told me you’d been in love with Preme for ages. You didn’t even join the Faculty Star contest because you wanted Preme to win. But you couldn’t tell her because she didn’t like you. You’ve liked her since the very first time you met—when you two competed in that Little Miss Loy Krathong contest in kindergarten. Preme got stage fright and, instead of singing the song she practiced, she started singing ‘Do Poor People Have Rights?’ Her mom had to rush on stage and carry her off. You thought it was hilarious, and you’ve been smitten with her ever since.”

Sita rattled off the story in one breath while Tara sat there, stunned.

“And let me tell you something else,” Sita continued, relentless. “Do you know why Jane doesn’t drink? It’s not because she cares about her health. It’s because every time she drinks, she spills her secrets, like she did that time at the beach. After that, she swore off alcohol completely.”

Tara burst out laughing.

“Oh, and here I thought you were all about living healthy, you saint, Janevee.”

Then Tara turned to Janevee, curiosity etched on her face, and asked directly,

“But why doesn’t Preme like you?”

Sita burst into laughter at Tara’s question before revealing more embarrassing truths.

“Jane tried to get close to her, but she had no idea how! Back in elementary school, they ended up at the same school, and Jane thought it’d be a great idea to get her attention by tricking her onto a merry-go-round. Jane spun it and spun it until Preme got so dizzy she started crying and jumped off—nearly breaking her legs in the process! She wanted Preme to notice her, but she was too dumb to ask for advice.”

Janevee sat there with a sheepish expression, genuinely embarrassed, while Tara looked at her with amusement.

“Don’t tell me the reason you’ve never been in a serious relationship is because you’re still into Preme,” Tara said bluntly.

Before Janevee could respond, Sita let out a loud groan and shook her head dramatically.

“Oh, Tara, don’t be stupid! Sure, Jane likes Preme, but the reason she doesn’t take relationships seriously is entirely because of her own personality. Your dear Janevee is a flirt, plain and simple. She’s so full of herself, thinking she’s some kind of lady-killer. Being unlucky in love isn’t an excuse for bad behavior—it’s just her nature!”

Sita continued, undeterred.

“Remember that one birthday party when we planned to surprise her? She didn’t show up. You know why? She forgot because she made dinner plans with some gorgeous senior! And what did she do? She chose the woman over us and completely ditched her friends!”

Janevee’s face fell slightly, knowing every word Sita said was true. She raised her hands in a gesture of apology toward her friends.

“Okay, okay, Sita. I get it. I’m sorry. I was wrong. I’ll do better from now on, I promise.”

Tara softened at Janevee’s sincerity and gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

“Jane, if you really like Preme, you’ve got to start acting right. This might be your one and only chance to get close to her. But if you keep doing what you’ve always done, I’m pretty sure you’ll blow it.”

Sita laughed at Tara’s optimism and chimed in, her tone brutally honest.

“Oh, please, Tara. I’ll bet you anything Preme won’t give her the time of day. Who would want someone like Janevee as their girlfriend? Instead of helping each other grow and move forward, you’d spend every day worrying if she’ll dump you or run off with someone else.”

Sita’s words were blunt, but they weren’t meant to hurt—she simply knew Janevee too well. Her friend’s past behavior spoke for itself, leaving no room for overanalysis. This wasn’t like managing a complex fund; it was plain as day.

She was confident that Preme would never take Janevee seriously as a partner. After all, who would want someone who flirted so casually and never seemed to settle down?

Sita’s words left Janevee visibly shaken. She couldn’t bring herself to argue because, deep down, she knew her friend was right. The truth stung, but it was undeniable. Janevee was beginning to realize how her past behavior was catching up with her and how it might create problems for her future. The consequences of her actions were becoming painfully clear.

Letting out a heavy sigh, Janevee admitted to herself that if she wanted Naphat to see her as more than just “someone messing around,” she would need to become someone Naphat could genuinely trust.

But the real challenge was this: would she even have the courage to tell Naphat how she truly felt? After all, she had always positioned herself as Naphat’s rival, always playfully butting heads. Even if she found the bravery to confess, Janevee wasn’t sure how Naphat felt about her.

That night might not have meant anything to Naphat at all.

…

The unresolved feelings lingered… until the day arrived for Janevee to meet Naphat’s family.

When the actual day came, it wasn’t as difficult as Janevee had imagined. She performed admirably, even impressively. Naphat’s parents and older sister seemed to be quite taken with her. But Janevee had to admit, it wasn’t all her doing—her family background played a significant role.

Both of Naphat’s parents were well-acquainted with Jintana, Janevee’s mother. A formidable figure in the business world, Jintana had taken over the Phiphatthanathanasap empire after her husband’s passing, earning the respect of top-tier business circles across the country.

However, what nearly made Naphat’s heart stop was a question from her father, Thanakorn. He asked Janevee about the couple’s future plans. Janevee, to everyone’s surprise, responded with unflinching clarity:

“If everything goes well, I’d like to marry Naphat next year.”

Sitting beside her, Naphat felt her cheeks burn as she struggled to stay composed. But what made her even more startled was her father’s reply:

“There’s no need to wait until next year. You’ve been dating for a year already. Why not get married in six months? I’ll talk to Jintana myself.”

Naphat’s mind screamed internally. Six months? It was way too soon—far beyond anything she had planned. She felt completely overwhelmed; everything was happening so much faster than she’d anticipated.

“Getting married in six months? Are you serious, Janevee? You shouldn’t have told my dad that you wanted to get married next year!” Naphat ranted as Janevee drove her back to her condo after dinner with her family.

“Well, your dad asked,” Janevee replied nonchalantly, completely unbothered.

Naphat let out a long, exasperated sigh. “You could’ve dodged the question! Said it was too soon to decide. Look at what happened! From a plan to wait another year, my dad’s cut it down to just six months! How am I supposed to mentally prepare for that?”

“How would I know? You’re the one who told me to tell your dad we’ve been dating for a year and would spend another year getting to know each other. Doesn’t that mean we’d have to get married next year?” Janevee replied.

Her words left Naphat momentarily silent. She knew Janevee wasn’t wrong. Everything that happened today stemmed from her initiating this agreement. Reaching into her bag, Naphat pulled out a water bottle and took a sip, as though trying to steady herself, though the unease in her heart refused to settle.

The car fell into silence, a stillness that seemed to stretch endlessly. In that quiet, Janevee found her thoughts drifting back to the question that had haunted her since that night. Sometimes, she couldn’t help but wonder if what happened between them was simply the result of Naphat drinking too much.

Suddenly, Naphat broke the silence.

“Janevee…”

“Hmm?”

“About that night…” Naphat paused, gathering her courage. “What do you… think about it?”

The question seemed to knock the air out of Janevee’s lungs. For a moment, she stared straight ahead, as though trying to see something far in the distance. When she turned to look at Naphat, she saw that the other woman was avoiding her gaze, her eyes cast downward.

Janevee took a deep breath and asked in return, “What about you? What do you think?”

Naphat pressed her lips tightly together, clearly conflicted. Janevee’s question wasn’t just a deflection; it carried the weight of their shared uncertainty about the meaning of that night. Deep down, Naphat knew it wasn’t just alcohol that had driven them together—it was something undeniable between them. But the back-and-forth questions frustrated her. She had asked first, after all.

“I asked you first,” Naphat said, her voice laced with anticipation, waiting for a clear answer.

…

Hojicha Studio Writer

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Lies Between Us by Hojicha Studio