~{chapter 4} Signed**
"I let out a deep sigh as the professor concluded his lecture. It had been a long and boring day, and I felt like life was draining out of me just sitting there, waiting for the yapping to end. Maybe that, or maybe I was just very excited to go see liya, either way, I was glad it finally ended. I quickly gathered my stuffs into my bag, put on my earpods, tuned into "Your Eyes Tell" by my Bangtan babies, and headed out to where I usually waited for her. As I walked down the hallway, the melody of the song filled my ears.. it was calming, soft and soo soothing that I nearly had an eargasm. I took in a deep breath, letting my self drown in the cold breeze that kissed my face. My mind slowly began to shut out every other sound and noise and before I realized it, I had drifted into an immersive daydream. I imagined Liya walking towards me, wearing that usual gorgeous smile, her thick brown hair bouncing in the sunlight, her eyes sparkling as her lips slowly curve to whisper my name. My heart started pounding in my ears and I could almost feel her hand grabbing mine so we walk together, but then, someone called out my name, snapping me back to reality.
"maya...!!, you're maya, right..??"
"Yes..!!" I answered.
Unsure of any reason why the GG gang is suddenly talking to me. Pattaya(lesbian), Nuen(bisexual) and Jasmine (trans girl) are the co-owners of a popular YouTube channel known as the GossipGirls Gang. They thrived on rumors, half-truths, and scandals. Some of their stories were real. Most were exaggerated. A few were outright lies. But that never stopped people from watching and subscribing.
They built their fame by digging into people's personal lives, turning private pain into entertainment. As long as a story brings views, they didn't care who it hurt. A girl from their faculty had once been caught in their videos after Patt claimed she was pregnant. The proof..? A pregnancy test that had fallen from the girl's bag when they accidentally bumped into her. From that moment on, the GG gang followed her relentlessly, filming, and building up stories about her. Days later, they spotted her leaving a hospital, her clothes stained with blood.
They posted the story immediately, claiming she'd had an abortion.
The truth came out later. It wasn't her pregnancy at all. It was her older sister's. The sister had suffered a miscarriage, and the girl had taken her to the hospital, staying with her the entire time. school had stepped in to clear the rumor, but students still talked behind her back, and the GG gang never bothered to issue an apology. That's just the kind of people they were, they would gladly drag anyone through the mud if it meant more views, more likes, more fame. I wasn't popular, people probably knew my family's name, but barely anyone knew me, so you could imagine how surprised and confused I was when I raised my face and saw that it was the popular girls standing in front of me.
"Is there any problem..??" I asked, furrowing my brows in confusion.
"No, not at all...!" Jasmine replied, flashing an obvious fake smile. "You heading to the canteen..?? Mind if we tag along, we're going that way too."
The other two nodded, smiling sheepishly
I shook my head, slipped past them, and kept walking toward the hallway exit. They followed behind me, their chatter swallowed by the music thumping in my ears. All I caught were muffled rumbles and the faint echo of their voices. I arrived at the spot I usually wait for liya, she wasn't out yet so I sat on a bench there and waited for her. The GG gang also sat with me, but it didn't matter, I'd just ignore them and they'd go away. Or so I thought.
"So you and Naliya... are you guys a thing or what?" Nuen asked, tilting her head slightly. "You both seem pretty close. Is she your girlfriend? Or do you have a crush on her? Is that why you keep clinging to her?"
I looked up at her, irritation written all over my face. There were so many things I wanted to say, hurtful, sharp and unforgiving things, but I held back. It was obvious what they were doing, they were fishing for content, looking for the next victim to post on their channel.
So I ignored them and went back to my phone, hoping they'd get bored and leave.
But they didn't.
"—Have you been waiting for long?"
I looked up, it was Liya.
"I'm sorry," she continued, slightly out of breath. "They had an announcement..."
She was panting, sweat clinging to her skin, droplets racing down her face.
"Did you run all the way here?" I asked.
"Uh... yeah," she said with a slight laugh. "I thought you'd been waiting for a while."
She looked beautiful, too beautiful. With sweat tracing the line of her neck, disappearing beneath her collar. I immediately looked away, but my body betrayed me anyway. Heat crept up my spine, my ears and cheeks burned. My throat went dry, my heartbeat became loud and unruly.
Breathe, Maya. Fucking breathe.
I was still trying to pull myself together when Patt decided to ruin the moment.
"Look," she said sharply, "we're going to get to the bottom of whatever's going on between you two. You know she has a boyfriend, right..?? And you're still flirting with her."
She smirked. "Don't worry. We'll find out the truth soon."
They snapped their fingers, mouthed period, and walked off like they'd just won something.
Liya turned to me, confusion written all over her face. I shook my head slightly.
"Just ignore them," I said. "Let's go."
Today was the day our families were supposed to sign the partnership contract. We needed to get home early, we were expected to be present.
—
"Thirty percent shares?" Liya's father, Mr Wongchai exclaimed, disbelief sharp in his tone. "That's almost half the company, Mr. Chantasiri. Look I understand we're going through hard times and that you're trying to help, but isn't thirty percent too much..??"
"Mr. Wongchai," my father replied calmly, "you understand that we're investing millions of baht into Chai Luxury Atelier. Publicity. Promotions. Models from all over the country. Thirty percent is nothing in comparison."
"—But we could—"
"No buts," my dad cut in. "We've already wasted over a month. If you agree to the terms, we sign. Otherwise, there's nothing more to discuss."
My heart sank.
I glanced at Liya. I'd hoped, stupidly, that today would go smoothly. But it had been over two hours of thinly veiled insults and growing tension. Every time my father spoke, there was disrespect in his tone, sometimes subtle, sometimes not.
I watched as she took a deep breath, clasping her hands together as if to stop them from shaking. The room was freezing, air conditioners blasting from every corner, yet I could swear I saw sweat gather at her neckline.
Is she anxious... or is she having a panic attack?
I looked beneath the long table and caught Santa gently squeezing her knees, trying to still their shaking. She looked up at him and managed a faint smile.
It was the first time I'd really noticed them together.
They had a good relationship. I can see that. Santa went to a different university, so I rarely saw them interact like this. The sight made something ache in my chest.
I missed Jai.
He would've known what to say. He would've handled this better.
I swallowed hard, forcing back the tears threatening to surface. This wasn't the place or time for that. Right now, I just needed to get her out of here.
I stood up and cleared my throat.
"Liya needs to use the restroom," I said. "If you don't mind, we'll like to excuse ourselves."
Several pairs of eyes turned toward me in confusion. Among them was my mother's.
But hers wasn't of confusion. It was of disgust.
I'd almost forgotten what that look felt like.
I looked away quickly and met Liya's eyes instead, subtly gesturing for her to come with me. She gave me a small, grateful smile and stood up.
We left.
—
The moment we entered my room, the tension seemed to collapse in on itself. Liya walked straight to my bed and flopped down, spreading out like she'd been holding herself together for far too long.
She grabbed my pillow, inhaling deeply.
"Mmm," she murmured. "You smell really nice."
I sat down on the single sofa nearby, suddenly unsure of what to do with myself. The silence felt awkward, but I was still grateful, grateful we were alone, behind closed doors, away from that room and the chaos.
"Water?" I asked finally.
She turned onto her side and nodded. "Mm."
I stood, walked to the mini fridge, and grabbed a bottle. When I handed it to her, she caught my hand along with it and gently tugged.
Before I could react, I was sitting on her lap.
She placed the bottle on the bedside table, wrapped her arms around my waist, and rested her head against my chest.
I froze.
"Why are you sitting all the way over there," she murmured, almost sleepy, "when I'm right here? Don't you know I need you close?"
My body went still. My heart beating faster, chills ran down my spine. Every nerve in my body suddenly aware of her—of the warmth of her body. The subtle unruly beating of her heart.
She noticed.
Slowly, she lifted her head. Her eyes met mine, intense and searching, barely an inch away. Her gaze drifted, unhurried. From my eyes, to my nose, then stopped at my lips.
"It's weird..." she whispered, her eyes
still locked onto my lips
I swallowed hard.
"W–what is...?" I asked, my voice rough, breathless.
"This feeling," she said softly. shifting her gaze back to meet mine."This urge, to kiss you."
Her fingers tightened slightly at my waist, not pulling me closer, not pushing me away—just holding. Like she was grounding herself as much as she was grounding me.
"I shouldn't," she added, almost to herself.
My throat tightened, heat and panic rushing through me. I searched her face for certainty but found none—only conflict and fear mixed with desires.
She looked back up at me then, really looked at me.
"But I want to," she continued, softly. "And that scares me."
Silence stretched between us. Heavy. Loaded.
Then she leaned in just enough that I could feel her breath against my lips.
"Can I...?" She asked.
The world went quiet.
I didn't answer with words, I couldn't. I just nodded, slightly, almost afraid to move, just enough for her to know I crave for her just as much. That was all she needed.
She leaned in slowly, giving me time to pull away if I wanted to. But I didn't. Hell I wouldn't dare.
Her lips brushed against mine at first, barely there, like she was testing the moment. Soft. Careful. Then she kissed me again, just a little deeper this time, like she was trying to memorize how it felt. I felt it everywhere—in my chest, in my tummy, in the way my breath refused to steady. I couldn't hold back. My thoughts scattered, and before I could even attempt to stop myself, my hands moved. I grabbed her chin and kissed her back, harder this time.
We both inhaled sharply, ready to lose ourselves—
but a knock at the door stopped us.
We pulled apart instantly, our breaths uneven, foreheads still close.
"M—Miss Maya?" the maid's voice came through the door. "The meeting is closed and miss Liya's family is waiting to leave.'"
Reality rushed back in.
Liya closed her eyes for a brief second, resting her forehead against mine, "I'm sorry.." she muttered softly, under her her breath. I stood up and stepped back a little from her, giving her space to stand up as well. She smoothed her clothes, her expression already guarded again.
"I have to go," she said softly, looking straight into my eyes. I nodded and held the door open for her, watching her gracefully walk down the stairs. At the front door, she turned up and gave me a faint smile and then walked off.
I went back to my bed and lay down, feeling emptier than ever, as if all of my organs had been cleared out of me. I wondered what might have happened if Mrs Nan hadn't interrupted us.
This darn house, I think it is finally time I moved out.