Chapter Text
My bounty is as boundless as the sea, My love as Deep. The more I give to Thee, the more I have, for both are infinite.
Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet
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Her bones felt weary and tired and the Senior Law student, Ling Kwong just wanted to lie down and sleep.
She glanced at her battered wrist watch, a gift from her late mother, and saw that it's already thirty minutes past seven in the evening. She tried to hasten her pace. Although she was a scholar of the university, the stipend that she's receiving would only hardly suffice her small accommodation and food, She's basically scraping the empty bottom of a jar to survive and without her part time job as a Gardener of an affluent family that lives nearby in the university and a part time tutor, she might as well just breath to survive.
If not for her determination to be a Lawyer, a dream that she shared with her poor parents, she wouldn't let herself starve and persist. It's an endless cycle of studying and working and sleepless nights and she's barely surviving. Time passed and now, the Senior Student is just a semester and a bar exam away from achieving her dream to be one. She perseveres and carries on.
The reserved Law student keeps on walking in the narrow pathway until she reaches a gate that's barely falling apart. With only a thousand baht per month, she managed to rent a dingy apartment for herself. Although an introvert, she resigned herself to live with fellow students in a crampy apartment until she happen to lost her way at the back of the university during her freshman year and met Donna, The owner of the dilapidated building that runs an eatery in front for students who wanted to save money by eating cheap but healthy dishes, Donna is a sweet old lady who accepted her small rental payment in exchange for tending the plants in front.
"You're here, dear.. The princess is already waiting inside." The old landlady gently told her and Ling berating herself for not setting an alarm while reviewing her printouts in the University Library.
"Good evening, auntie." She greeted respectfully before passing Donna and making her way at the back of the eatery where her small confine was located. It's a studio type of room that has a small kitchen and bathroom. It's not big but Ling wouldn't dare to complain because she's already comfortable being alone and it's more than enough.
"Shit," She softly muttered. She's almost an hour late from her scheduled tutor lessons but she breathes a sigh of relief when she opens the door and she sees Orm Sethratanapong's back, making herself busy in her small kitchen.
"Hey, what are you doing?" She asked nervously and the girl turned to her, a smile beaming brightly that made a contrast on her dimly lit room.
"You're here!" The girl exclaimed happily and jumped to hug her but Ling pushed her away. She saw Orm pouted, "I've counted years waiting for you and then you're just pushing me like that?"
Ling put her bag down and ignored the girl. She's trying to avoid looking at Orm's skimpy short mini floral dress that's barely reaching her mid thigh. It fits the younger one perfectly, the dress is sinfully hugging her curves elegantly that Ling needs to breathe deeply to calm her nerves.
Orm Kornnaphat, a sophomore student in the university and the daughter of her employer. She's the only daughter and an heiress of a Food production company that's operating locally and abroad. She has a brother, King, currently in Elementary school that Ling is fond of. She was looking for a job back then when she happened to meet King who lost his way from school because he naughtily escaped his driver. She spent half a day with the kid, afraid to leave him at the police station alone and when the parents came in hurry to find their missing son, they profusely thanked her and wanted to offer compensation but Ling declined. They then later offered her a job tending their flower garden which Ling hesitantly accepted. She only needs to visit thrice a week, every morning to tend the grass, water the plants and pluck dried leaves. That's where she met the spoiled heiress.
"What are you cooking now?" Ling asked again, glancing at the boiling pot at the near distance.
"I'm trying to boil some eggs for you." Orm proudly declared and Ling silently sighed in defeat when she opened the pot and saw half a dozen eggs, some already broken, mushed together in the tiny pot. This could alleviate her hunger for days. What made it worse was when she closed her eyes and heard the distinct sound of her butane, indicating that the fuels were already empty. "I know you're studying hard and are already famished so i cooked for you."
Ling turned towards Orm and nodded her head, "Thank you.. Have you already eaten yet?"
"No. I was waiting for you." The girl stated, crossing her arms in a petulant manner.
Ling scoffed and reached for her food container. "I'll cook some Mi goreng for you, is that okay?"
"Yeah sure!" Orm readily agreed, "Would you like me to cook it for you?"
"It's fine."Ling said, turning her back to hide her horrified expression. "I need to replace the butane as well before cooking so just sit there. Give me five minutes to whip this and we'll eat."
Orm playfully smirks at the older one but obeys and sits at one of the two chairs that's tucked under the small table. Her head props up above her arms while looking at Lingling. "You should have eaten healthy options aside from noodles, you know.."
"It's my favorite, though." Lingling turned to her and offered a genuine smile, "Have you already read the binder I've made for you?"
She saw the younger girl roll her eyes at her deliberate way to change the topic but was grateful the girl didn't push the topic anymore. The girl was very consistent with her eating habits to the point where long ago, she came home with her tiny apartment full of groceries from Orm. She knew that there's no ill intention nor malice against that kind gesture but she hates how it made her feel so...tiny. Like, the whole world was scoffing at her and it made her feel all kinds of embarrassment. She was angry for weeks and was only forced to talk to the girl when Orm demanded her parents to have her as tutor for her math subjects, a request that she can't refuse due to goodwill, thus, started her side job as a tutor. Orm learned to never do it again.
"I did. I almost ace my exam if not for that stupid theorem.." Orm pouted and Ling shook her head in laughter.
"Sorry I was late today, I need to photocopy some books from the Library." She said she started to strain the water out of the pot so she could mix the seasonings.
"It's fine. I already reviewed myself so just rest." Orm responded softly, her voice laced with gentle worry.
"Then there's no need for you to pay for this tutoring session, okay?" Ling saw the alarmed look of the younger girl after hearing what she stated, she could almost guess the endless rebuttal of Orm but she already cut her off. " I won't accept it." She said, her tone full of finality.
"Fine. Fine. Then we could discuss the theorem while eating, then you could rest afterwards, that will count as you teaching me something. And I wont accept no as an answer."
Ling looked at her, bewildered. This girl would never run out of excuses. They are doing their tutor session at the mansion prior but Orm stated that she couldn't concentrate and was always feeling sleepy since, quoted, her body knew that it's time to sleep when she's home so they moved their session in her apartment since it's closer to the university instead of doing it in the Mansion's huge study room. The girl was also caught bringing small doses of groceries from time to time and would just deliberately leave it at her apartment because again, as quoted, what if she got hungry during studying? Although not sure, the girl also plucked one her brand new laptop keyboard and claimed that she's giving it to her when she saw how she spent the night at the computer library doing her defense after their tutoring session. She refused. It only stopped when she threatened to quit her Gardening and tutoring job if Orm would continue with her Charity case for her.
She gave a small nod then placed the food in front of the younger one who happily chomped it down. Ling just hid her longing look and started eating the boiled eggs that Orm dished out earlier.
"Did I do it correctly?" Orm asked her when she saw her start eating. Honestly, the eggs that were accidentally cracked tasted gooey and watery whereas the others were boiled for a long time and the texture almost felt rubbery when eaten.
"It does. Thank you." She offers her a small smile and her heart does a somersault when she sees Orm smirking back at her.
"That's your lying face." Orm stated, her lips forming a thin line.
Ling just made a show of finishing her food but the suspicious look of Orm stayed the whole evening, even during their brief theorem refresher.
After their simple dinner, Orm just lay down and was only forced to go home when Ling nudged at her.
The mansion was a half hour walk from the university and Orm has a personal driver to fetch her to and from but she rarely used it when going home, only during when it's raining hard, claiming that she needs exercise so Ling always walks her home.
"I'll call P'Clang to drive me home, you need rest." Orm stated, reaching out to her phone and contacting her old driver. She saw Ling had just finished washing their dishes and she saw how weary and exhausted she looked. She doesn't want to burden her anymore than necessary.
"I can still walk you home, I'm fine."
"We can do it tomorrow. I'm feeling so sleepy right now so it's either I sleep here or I'll have P'Clang to drive me." She said and secretly grinned when she saw a panicked look of the older woman flashed before her face. It was only brief but Ling always insisted on having her home. "Actually, I am really really sleepy, can I sleep here?"
She laughed when Ling snatched her phone and contacted the Driver herself.
"You're acting like you never wanted me here." She pouted after Ling returned her phone to her. She saw how Ling swallowed and turned her head away.
"It's already late. It would only take a few minutes but P'Clang is already on his way here." Ling stated in her usual reserved manner.
"Don't you want me here?" Orm insisted.
"N'Orm..Please" She said, It was a simple thing to say but they both knew that along with it, came a lot of unsaid words. It was almost pleading. A palpable tension is evident between them.
Ling didn't even know when it started. She heard of the heiress from King, who never shut up with how crazy and wild her older sister is. She remembers because despite the complaint, she feels the affection and love of King towards her sister. It was a month after she started working on the green house of the Sethratanapong. Khun Koy, King's mother, loves her roses and geraniums so much so Ling is paying extra attention to them, making sure they get enough sunlight and she spent an entire day installing plastic mulches to make sure that they've got enough moisture and to ensure that no weeds would grow to steal their nutrients, only to find a drunk heiress puking on them. She was livid and hadn't stopped herself from ranting how irresponsible the girl was.
Weirdly enough, The girl kept on clinging to her side after that.
"I know. " The girl looked at her and forced a smile, one not reaching her beautiful eyes.
Ling felt a pang of pain slicing through her chest. Her throat constricted with welling emotions but was cut short with a honk. It must be P'Clangs signal to inform them that he's already there.
"I-i must go now." The girl started and got up from her bed.
"Yes, you should." Ling agreed absent mindedly but she stood up as well, wanting to walk the girl up to the gate.
In that silence, Ling yearned for her loudly. Like the moon wanting to embrace the warmth of the sun, she knew that it could never be.
The silly feelings she's been fighting for years won't ever see the light of day because she knew, she's nothing compared to the regal girl. She has nothing on her name but student debts and mountains of dreams while Orm has the world at her fingertips.