Chapter Text
"It's the 19th in a couple of weeks." Pete said by way of a conversation starter, sliding in on the vacant seat across LBCU-IC's resident Ice Prince, Tin Medthanan.
"What are you on about?" Tin did not even look up from the book he was engrossed in, merely uncrossing and crossing his long legs like they were lounging in their mansion's drawing room and not in the IC faculty library. There even was a Starbucks Doppio Macchiatto (soy, extra foam, ristretto) in front of him, despite the clear "NO FOOD AND DRINKS ALLOWED" displayed in the library in bold lettering. Obviously, nothing is above Tin Medthanan.
"Nothing." Pete said airily, crossing his own long legs and reaching out to the pile of books beside his friend's drink to leaf through one idly. "I'm just saying that I happened to look into the Pecharn Worachoti records yesterday and saw that the grand ballroom was booked."
Tin closed his book deliberately and stared at Pete with a clear so what? expression etched on his face. "Your family's hotels are fully booked everyday, Pete. I don't know what you're getting at."
Pete levelled a look at him and closed his own book in the same deliberate way as him. "The booking is under the name Medthanan, the date is for February 19. The entire day."
Huh, as if that proved a point.
"I already said no to the same old soiree this year, and my parents agreed we'd try something different so I don't think that's for my—
"This also came over breakfast today." Pete said, cutting through Tin's words by placing an ecru envelope on the table. The name Pitchaya Pecharn Worachoti seemed to jump straight at him in swirling gold lettering. "Apparently your parents agreed to doing something different, because this year you'll be throwing a fairy-tale themed ball just so you'd meet your Cinderella."
Tin raised an eyebrow at his best friend's words, waiting for him to crack under his stare and retract what he just said.
His childhood friend leaned back in his chair and stared straight at him, silently daring him to open the envelope. (Which he did after a full minute, to Pete's cheshire cat smile.)
"Should I come dressed like your Fairy Godmother to your birthday, then?"
Tin will never understand why, for the life of him, people will always say the hotel chain heir is a perfect angel — his friend may look like one, but he can be unbelievably sassy and salty at times.
***
"Guys, settle down!"
P'Techno's voice reverberated all throughout the small locker room and everyone stopped in the middle of what they have been doing, only to look briefly at their captain and carry on whatever it is they've been doing before the interruption.
Champ and Type snickered into their palms as Techno pouted at the clear disregard of authority within the LBC football team.
Type finally took pity on the guy, stepping up in front of the group and bellowed in his most authoritative voice, "Everybody listen up!"
All at once everyone scrambled to fall in line, in rows and columns of four and five. Type then glanced at his friend in a clear invitation to speak to the group.
"One of our team's sponsors, the Medthanan Group, has invited its charities and sponsorships to an event."
"Medthanan Group?" A first year said from the back, leaning casually on the lockers with his soccer cleats halfway on (or maybe halfway off?), laces untied. "Why is that familiar?"
"That's because the studs you're wearing now was from them, Ai'Can." The boy still in full football gear next to him answered.
"Really, Ai'Ae?" Surprise was obvious in Can's voice, like he was truly knowing just now. "I thought the pharmaceutical company gave the shoes to us last week?"
"The Medthanan Group is a pharmaceutical company, Ai'Can." Ae sighed and gave his friend a light bonk on the head. "Seriously, you need to know who our sponsors are."
"Ehem." Techno tried again, directing his gaze at the two at the back. "Should I continue?"
It wasn't until the two nodded mutely that the football captain carried on.
"As I was saying before we were rudely interrupted, we are invited to an event by the Medthanan Group."
"When, captain?"
"The 19th. That's two weeks from today."
"Omo." Can piped in again, eyes widening. "Is this what I think it is? The heir's birthday?"
"How do you know?" Ae asked, startled. "Do you know the Medthanan heir?"
Can sighed exaggeratedly and bent down to finish untying his cleats. "Everyone knows about the heir's birthday, even if not everyone knows what he really looks like." He looked up with another exaggerated gasp. "Aw, I forgot you don't have any interests other than football."
Techno fake-coughed loudly from the front, which went ignored by the two freshmen.
"Am I a bad captain?" He whined, turning to the two currently sniggering beside him. "The first years hardly ever listen to me."
Type and Champ burst out laughing.
"Aw, it's just one of those rich people parties where we just feel out of place then." Ae said, disinterested, before facing the front. "Can I opt out, Captain?"
"Absolutely not." Techno said authoritatively just at the same time Can exclaimed, "What? No way!"
“Why not? I’m sure no one would notice if we were there or not.” Ae said with a shrug. “I don’t think it matters.”
“But Ai’Ae, they hardly invite normal people over!” Can wailed, shaking his friend lightly by the arm over Ae’s confused shouts of Rich people are normal people, they just happened to have money! “Think of all the food, Ai’Ae, the food! I bet their menu consists of food we will never be able to eat in this lifetime, ever.”
“How shameless can you be, just going there for the foo—
“Oi, my mother always say to refuse an offer is an insult!” Can retorted, voice rising over Techno’s shouts of Okay, first years, that’s enough! Everyone should be there and that’s final! The event’s theme is fairy tale, so dress appropriately!
Ae, infamous for his hot temper, snapped back, voice also booming louder than both Can and Techno. “That does not necessarily apply to this situa—
“Do you want to insult your sponsor by saying no, Ae Intouch?”
***
Tin Medthanan has a list of people he would like to strangle to death, and on the very top of that list is Pete Pecharn Worachoti, his devil-in-an-angel’s-disguise childhood bestfriend.
Said bestfriend is now sitting like the well-mannered young man he has been honed to be, charming Tin’s mother over afternoon tea at the Medthanan garden while the latter divulged her plans for Tin's birthday. When he's being like this no one would ever think of the boy as a bully who teased his friend about Cinderellas and glass slippers every day for a week. Or maybe Pete only showed his playful side to him. Or maybe he's just being a crink in Tin's neck ever since he knew of this year's fairy tale themed party for his birthday. Or maybe—
"I've talked it over with your mother, dear Pete, and she said she'd make my idea happen. Oh, my baby will be the most dashing prince in search for his bride!"
Tin did not even bother to hide his eye roll while his traitor of a bestfriend just smiled charmingly between sips of mixed berries tea. "I'm sure, Mae. Tin is handsome enough to be a prince already."
Tin's mother preened as if the praise was directed at her and not her son. No one batted an eye at how Pete called the lady of the house Mom like she was his own; Tin and Pete knew each other since kindergarten and often hung out at each other's homes they were practically family.
"But really, carriages?" Tin scowled over his own cup. "Mae, isn't that a bit over the top?"
"Oh, pish-posh." His mother dismissed his statement with a wave of her hand. "My son is about to take in a lover, there isn't such a thing as too much."
"Mae!" If you ask Tin, he'd forever deny that he was pouting and wailing while trying to reason with his mother. Pete's smile grew wider that he wanted to punch the grin off his handsome face. "Mae, I'm just turning nineteen!"
"So?" His mother said airily, holding her china out to Pete, who promptly refilled it with tea. Tin had to hold back another eye roll at his companions who were acting with overwhelming elegance and grace one would think they're having afternoon tea with the queen of England rather than with him in sunny Thailand.
"So?" Tin echoead hollowly, his own cup of tea forgotten. "You're okay with giving away your only son?"
"He's being overdramatic." His mother whispered conspiratorily to Pete, and then shared a secret smile. "You know how Paw and Mae met at a party like this? It was your father's—
"—birthday too." Tin huffed, having heard the story many times over he could recite it drunk and in 5 other languages. Even Pete agreed with a smooth you may have mentioned it in passing, Mae.
"But it was Paw's 25th, Mae, not 19th."
"A minor detail." His mother countered as Pete refilled his own cup without batting an eyelash, like hearing about his friend getting hitched anytime soon was commonplace. Maybe it was.
"But what if I don't meet my Cinderella?" He insisted. His mother's eyebrows raised.
"I will introduce you to one."
The words came matter of factly, and both boys knew she's capable of doing that.
Tin's eyes wandered around wildly in search for a rebuttal until they landed on Pete. "What if my Cinderella is a guy?"
The two turned to look at him at the same time, as if to see if he was joking.
"A guy?" Pete echoed, grinning. "Does this mean P'Money's charms finally got to—
"As long as it's Pete, then it's okay." His mother said calmly, surprising both boys. Pete choked on his tea and Tin dropped the macaron he was reaching for.
"Mae!" Both boys exclaimed simultaneously, to which the Medthanan matriarch just smiled teasingly.
"Shall I prepare matching suits for you boys, then?"
She then sauntered off towards the house, calling her trusted designer to come up with matching designs and have them delivered in ten days.
***
"Argh, why does the party have to be fairy-tale themed?"
Can Kirakorn kicked at an empty can lying on the street, grumbling about having to find a suitable attire for the birthday party they got invited to. Ae smiled beside him, paper bags in tow. There were only six days left until the gala and the two were just coming back to Ae's dorm from shopping for clothes.
"Why do we have to come, anyway?" Can continued, giving the poor can another kick. "It's not as if those rich people will miss our presence if we don't show up!"
Ae now burst out laughing. "Wait, I said the same thing two weeks ago." Can pouted and gave the can a kick at Ae's direction, to which the latter blocked with his right foot. "What was it you said? Ah, I think it was to refuse an offer is an insult, wasn't it?"
He promptly kicked the can back to the other that they were now basically playing one-on-one football with a can instead of a ball.
"That's my mother's line, not mine." The Sports Science student argued back. "I just wanted to eat rich people food for once."
The can went back and forth between them, getting all the more battered from the kicks.
"Look, if you're that bothered about what to wear, we can always not go to that party, right?"
"And what, have P'Type kill us if his main characters go missing?"
The football vice-captain had dropped a new bomb during the club meeting three days ago, saying they'd be presenting a short skit on the program. Unfortunately, Can and Ae got elected for the lead roles and couldn't worm their way out under P'Type's murderous glare. (If that was P'Techno then it would be a different story.)
"Ah, what if you wear your costume in advance? It wouldn't be out of place in a theme like—
Can made sure to aim at Ae's face and hooted gleefully when he hit the bullseye.
"Arai wa, Ai'Can?!" The Engineering student roared, hand flying up to his forehead where a reddish spot was beginning to manifest itself.
Can merely stuck out a playful tongue. "Serves you right."
In his desire for revenge, Ae Intouch also decided to aim straight for Can's face but hesitated at the last minute.
His projected trajectory landed not on Can's face but at the window of a passing white Mercedes Benz, which promptly cracked upon impact.
"SHIYAA!" Both Thai Program boys cursed as they heard the ominous crack.
"Wtf, Ai'Ae?!" Can mumbled, face already turning white as a sheet. "What if that landed on my face?"
"I'd be luckier if that was the case." Ae whispered back, heart pounding in his chest when the car slowed down to a stop and the door to the driver's side opened.
When the driver finally showed himself though, Ae Intouch felt his heart hammering for an entirely different reason.
つづく 「To be continued」