Work Text:
The third floor studio tonight literally felt like a simulation of VVIP hell. The mid April Bangkok heat was absolute trash, completely beating the two central AC units that were already running on their last legs. The stench of stale coffee, model glue, and pure senior year desperation hung heavy in the air.
In the messiest corner of the room, Emi aggressively rubbed her shoulder length hair, a messy wolfcut that looked intentionally undone. Her bloodshot eyes were glued to her laptop screen, staring at a 3D design render that was stuck at a miserable 60%. She let out a heavy sigh, fumbling for the cigarette pack in the pocket of her oversized flannel shirt, only to realize it had been completely empty for the past two hours.
"Fuck, I'm seriously losing my mind here," Emi muttered, her voice dead and raspy.
"Do you need something, Phi?"
That voice. That soft, drawling voice that always managed to make Emi's heart rate spike twice as fast, even if her face remained as flat and unreadable as a piece of plywood.
Emi looked up, her gaze shifting slightly downward because she was significantly taller, looking at the girl who had just set a cold can of coffee on her desk. Bonnie. The girl tucked her long, naturally wavy hair behind her ear, exposing her neat collarbones because she was only wearing a black tank top and baggy cargo pants. Her face looked absolutely flawless, which made zero sense for a college student who hadn't slept in two days because they were grinding on this joint final project together.
"Don't worry about it," Emi replied shortly, grabbing the coffee can without making eye contact. Her hands were freezing, but for some reason, her ears felt like they were on fire.
Bonnie let out a soft chuckle, pulling up an empty chair and sitting right next to Emi. Their distance was way too close. The scent of vanilla perfume mixed with Bonnie's signature sweet aroma drifted over, completely invading Emi's personal space.
"I know you've been holding your breath because the render is stuck, Phi. Relax, we still got time." Bonnie propped her chin in her hand, staring at Emi from the side with that teasing smirk that always made Emi want to snap, but she never could.
"If you hadn't messed up the structural layout revision yesterday, we'd be done by now," Emi snapped sharply, her eyes glued back to the screen. Pride. It was always her stupid pride. Emi was the type of person who'd rather swallow nails than admit she actually loved it every single time Bonnie got close to her.
To Emi, Bonnie was just a joint project partner from a cross major class. Nothing more. At least, that was the mantra she kept repeating inside her head every single night. She was older than Bonnie, her senior, so she was supposed to be the one in control. But in reality? Bonnie was the one driving her emotions completely insane.
Bonnie just let out a low click of her tongue, not offended at all by Emi's harsh tone. Instead, she intentionally leaned her body in, her shoulder lightly brushing against Emi's arm. "My bad. But you actually like working with me, don't you? Just admit it."
I do. So fucking much that it's driving me crazy.
"It's whatever. Don't flatter yourself," Emi answered coldly, aggressively moving her cursor.
Before Emi could even calm her racing pulse from that tiny touch, the studio door swung open, drawing everyone's attention. Milk walked in. The tall girl from the neighboring department strolled in effortlessly, her long, straight hair perfectly flowing down her back. Behind her, Love trailed along, carrying a few bags of food.
Bonnie's eyes lit up instantly. The wavy haired girl practically bolted from the chair next to Emi in a heartbeat.
"Hey, Milk! Who's the food for? Is it for me?" Bonnie greeted her, her voice dropping into a soft, syrupy tone, way sweeter and more flirty than how she had been talking to Emi just a second ago.
Emi stopped typing. Her jaw clenched instantly. From the corner of her eye, she watched Bonnie walk right up to Milk, touching the tall girl's arm with a gesture that was way too flirty.
"Brought it for the studio kids, I felt bad seeing you guys look like actual zombies," Milk said with a chuckle, letting Bonnie take one of the plastic bags from her hand. Love, standing next to Milk, also smiled at Bonnie's antics.
"Ah, thank you so much. You literally knew I was starving." Bonnie blinked playfully, intentionally leaning her body toward Milk. "By the way, are you free tomorrow night? Let's hit our usual bar, I'm so burnt out from this work."
"Sure. Just text me the time," Milk replied, gently patting the top of Bonnie's head.
SLAM!
The sound of a heavy textbook being slammed onto the desk made the entire room drop dead silent. Everyone, including Bonnie, Milk, and Love, turned their heads toward the corner.
Emi stood there, her face as expressionless as a board, but her eyes were glaring fiercely at her laptop screen. "I need an extension cord. The outlet here is dead." Her voice was ice cold, acting like slamming the book was just an accident. But inside her chest, a toxic fire was raging.
How can you casually flirt with another girl right in front of my face after clinging to me all sweet just a minute ago? You absolute psycho, Emi cursed bitterly in her mind.
Bonnie turned around, the corner of her lips curving into a sharp smirk. She knew exactly what was happening. Bonnie was smart; she knew the absolute power she held over Emi. She knew her senior was possessive as hell, but just too much of a coward, clinging to her massive ego to actually say anything out loud.
"I'll get it for you, Phi," Bonnie said cheerfully, leaving Milk and Love behind as she stepped toward Emi's desk, carrying the cord.
As Bonnie handed it over, their fingers brushed. Emi instantly yanked her hand back as if she'd just been electrocuted.
"Stop scowling all the time, Phi, you're gonna get wrinkles," Bonnie whispered right by Emi's ear, her voice almost like a soft sigh that made the hairs on Emi's neck stand up. "Or are you jealous because I was talking to Milk?"
Emi glared up sharply, her eyes locking directly into Bonnie's. "Why the hell would I be jealous? You're nothing to me, Bon. We're just project partners. Just focus on your damn work and stop desperate seeking attention everywhere."
The words just spat out. Sharp. Cutting. But stupidly enough, those words hurt Emi way more than they hurt Bonnie.
Bonnie only offered a thin, mysterious smile that was impossible to read. She stepped back, scanning Emi from head to toe. "Okay, if you say so, Phi. Then I'll go back to talking to Milk, since my research part is already done anyway."
The girl turned her back and actually walked right back to Milk and Love, leaving Emi standing there, suffocating from the tightness in her chest. Emi balled her hands into tight fists under the desk. Her eyes helplessly followed Bonnie's movements as the girl laughed, even going as far as openly leaning against Love's shoulder while Milk stroked her hair.
I hate this. I fucking hate this, Emi thought, cursing herself for constantly hiding behind the "we're just project partners" shield. She wanted to scream, to drag Bonnie away from those girls, and lock her up so she'd only ever look at her.
But she knew she had no right. And her pride was way too high to beg for validation. Ultimately, Emi could only stare blankly at her laptop screen, letting her head fill up with aggressive scenarios she'd never have the guts to act out, while Bonnie's laughter with the other girls sounded like a mockery ringing in her ears.
The night in the studio was still long, and Emi's sanity was completely worn down, not by the final project, but by the wavy haired girl who had successfully trashed her entire rationality.
Thong Lo at night was literally the definition of an escape route for corporate slaves and college students whose brains were about to explode. The disco music had a heavy bass that thumped so hard it made your chest vibrate, the neon lights swapped between fuchsia and midnight blue, and the air was thick with the smell of expensive alcohol mixed with sweet shisha smoke.
Emi sat in a dim, shadowed corner booth. Tonight, she was just wearing a plain, oversized black t-shirt and ripped jeans, her messy wolfcut hair casually pushed back. In her hand was a glass of double whiskey on the rocks, the ice already halfway melted. Her eyes never left the crowd on the dance floor.
Specifically, her eyes were locked onto one target. Bonnie.
The piece of work Bonnie, who a few hours ago was whining in the studio, complaining her brain was overheating because of the model, forcing Emi to tag along to this bar under the excuse of "needing a quick mental break to get inspiration." But look at her now. The second they arrived, Bonnie completely ditched the bar area and blended right into a crowd of girls from other faculties.
Tonight, Bonnie was devastatingly beautiful. She wore a backless silver satin crop top that contrasted sharply with her long, naturally wavy hair, which she had intentionally swept over one shoulder. And what kept making Emi order hard liquor back to back was the fact that Bonnie was casually laughing and whispering directly into a girl's ear in the middle of the dance floor.
Namtan. A popular senior from the communication arts faculty who was famous for being nice to everyone, but had a gaze that was way too predatory for Emi's liking.
"Phi, if looks could kill, Namtan's back would have a literal burning hole through it by now, I swear."
Emi jolted slightly, then quickly slammed down the rest of her drink the moment she heard the voice to her left. Film was standing there holding a cocktail, her long, straight hair looking sleek under the neon lights. Behind Film, View was busy with her camera, snapping shots of the bar's aesthetic.
"Shut up. Who's even looking at them," Emi deflected coldly, keeping her tone as flat as possible so she wouldn't look like she was drowning in jealousy. Emi Thasorn's pride was sky high; she would never allow herself to look like a loser.
Film just let out a low scoff, her smirk incredibly mocking. "Right, keep feeding that ego of yours. Phi, if you actually caught feelings for Bonnie, go drag your girl back. Don't just sit here staring from afar like some neighborhood security guard on night patrol."
"She's not my girl. We're just final project partners. You know that," Emi snapped coldly. Her favorite shield sentence slipped out again. Automatic.
"Yeah, whatever you say, Phi. Just don't regret it later, because Bonnie's effort tonight is hitting the jackpot," View interjected, chiming in after lowering her camera.
Emi didn't even ask what View meant by "effort," because a split second later, her eyes caught exactly what she was talking about.
In the middle of the packed dance floor, Namtan suddenly wrapped her arm around Bonnie's slim waist. Instead of pulling away or creating space, Bonnie actually moved in closer. The wavy haired girl looked up, staring into Namtan's eyes with that signature thin smirk, the exact same playful, inviting smirk she usually used to mess with Emi's head back in the studio.
Emi gripped her empty glass so hard her knuckles turned stark white. Her breathing turned heavy. She wanted so badly to stand up, walk over there, and yank Bonnie out of the bar this exact second. But her feet felt glued to the floor. The ego inside her head kept screaming: You are nothing to her! You're just the senior she's using to pass her class! If you go over there, you lose!
And the breaking point happened so fast it made Emi's heart drop straight to her stomach.
Namtan leaned down, whispering something that made Bonnie let out a soft laugh, and then, without any hesitation, their lips met. Under the flashing, chaotic neon lights, Bonnie kissed Namtan. A deep, heavy kiss filled with intense heat, and Bonnie didn't look remotely bothered. In fact, she kissed back effortlessly, acting like making out in public with a senior from another department was the most casual thing in the world.
Why aren't you going over there, you idiot? Why didn't you just tell her how you felt yesterday instead of torturing yourself like this? The curse words echoed violently inside Emi's own head, but her rock hard ego won again. She'd rather die of alcohol poisoning than admit she was jealous.
Not long after the kiss ended, Bonnie waved a sweet goodbye to Namtan. She walked through the crowd, her pace casual as she headed straight for the booth where Emi was sitting completely alone, since Film and View had already cleared out the moment the tension at the table turned ice cold.
"Phi Emi, why are you sitting here all by yourself? Why didn't you join us?" Bonnie asked completely blameless the moment she slid into the seat next to Emi, her vanilla perfume now heavily laced with the musky scent of Namtan's perfume. Absolute bullshit.
Emi didn't even turn her head. Her face was completely frozen like an arctic glacier. She slammed her empty shot glass onto the table with a loud, metallic clink.
"I'm leaving," Emi muttered roughly, her voice deep and forced.
Bonnie propped her chin up, staring at Emi with her round, glistening eyes. She intentionally leaned her face closer, inspecting Emi's clenched jaw. "Aw, why so fast? Phi Namtan actually just invited us to an afterparty at her place, you know. You don't wanna come?"
Hearing Namtan's name brought Emi's suppressed anger straight to its boiling point. She turned her head stiffly, glaring at Bonnie with a sharp, piercing stare.
"If you want to be cheap and make out with just about anyone in public, go ahead. Keep me out of your trash," Emi hissed sharply, her voice low but dripping with pure venom.
The smirk on Bonnie's face vanished for a brief second upon hearing the word "cheap," but a moment later, her mocking smile snapped right back. She didn't look scared or hurt at all. In fact, Bonnie lived for triggering an emotional reaction out of her uptight, arrogant senior.
"Wow, relax, Phi. It's just a casual kiss, a quick mental break," Bonnie replied carelessly, her finger daringly reaching out to flick Emi's stiff chin. "Besides, why are you getting so worked up? Who even are you to me? You're not my partner, you're not my sibling. We're just..." Bonnie intentionally dragged out her words, waiting for Emi's reaction. "...just project partners, right?"
That sentence right there felt like the dirtiest play, slapping Emi dead in the face. Her own words were being spit right back at her by Bonnie.
Emi froze, her throat instantly turning bone-dry. The heavy mix of suffocation and rage tangled in her chest, making her incredibly frustrated because she realized she truly had zero rights over her. Her sky high pride suddenly felt like a prison cell she had built for herself.
Emi abruptly stood up, violently snatching her jacket without giving Bonnie an answer. "Whatever. Tomorrow at 9:00 AM, I expect you at the library. Don't be late, or I'm stripping your name off the final report."
Without waiting for Bonnie's response, Emi stormed out of the Thong Lo bar with long, heavy strides, her chest burning with pure rage and a completely broken spirit. Meanwhile, behind her, Bonnie just sat back comfortably, watching Emi's broad shoulders disappear into the exit, smiling with satisfaction because she knew that tonight, she had once again successfully driven Emi Thasorn completely out of her mind.
The cold war had been raging for four straight days, and honestly, the atmosphere inside the architecture studio now felt more like a CIA interrogation room than a space for college kids working on a final project.
Emi Thasorn was completely delivering on her threat. She had built an ice wall as thick as reinforced concrete between herself and Bonnie. No more conversations outside of layout revisions, no more stolen glances, and worst of all, zero tolerance for Bonnie's whining. Emi had transformed into a heartless dictator, demanding model progress and literature reviews with deadlines that were borderline psychotic.
On the flip side, Bonnie Pattraphus with all her stubbornness and pride, refused to wave the white flag. Initially, she tried to bait Emi by intentionally wearing off the shoulder tops, spraying double the amount of her favorite vanilla perfume, or leaning in way too close to check the laptop screen. But Emi didn't flinch. Her senior's gaze remained dead, hollow, and purely transactional. If Emi did look at her, her eyes seemed to pierce right through Bonnie's body, treating her existence as nothing more than a mouse or a keyboard she needed to get the job done.
Today was the day for their joint consultation with Professor Top, their notoriously killer and perfectionist advisor. They had to solidify the post modern architecture theory for chapter two before their scheduled meeting at 3:00 PM. That was why, since 10:00 AM, Emi and Bonnie had been stranded at the University Central Library.
The library was massive, dead quiet, and the temperature was cranked down like a giant refrigerator. The smell of old paper, fine dust, and damp carpets dominated the air. They took a table in the corner of the third floor, an area sandwiched between towering shelves filled with urban design and city planning literature.
"I need The Architecture of the City by Aldo Rossi, and a few local journals on spatial planning in Bangkok," Emi ordered bluntly, her eyes never leaving the tablet screen displaying their draft report. Her tone was incredibly bossy, exactly like a manager ordering an intern around.
Bonnie, who had just dropped her butt onto the wooden chair, let out a sharp sigh. She crossed her legs, spinning a pen between her fingers. Today, Bonnie looked incredibly chic, wearing a thin beige knit cardigan intentionally draped off one shoulder, showing off her black tank top strap and smooth skin. Her wavy hair was tied half back, leaving soft strands perfectly framing her face.
"Give me a second, Phi. I literally just sat down. I haven't even caught my breath from walking up the stairs," Bonnie protested, making her voice sound as whiny and bratty as possible.
"We meet Phi Top at three, Bon. I still have to print this draft out so he can tear it apart, and photocopy some references. We don't have time. Go find the books in aisles G and H right now," Emi replied coldly. Her long fingers, adorned with silver rings, tapped the desk surface in an impatient rhythm.
Bonnie took a deep breath, rolling her eyes lazily. "Fine, fine, Your Majesty. I'll go find them now. Don't miss me too much while I'm gone."
The girl stood up, intentionally bending her body a bit too low near Emi as she grabbed her phone from the table, letting the sweet trail of her perfume drift right under Emi's nose. But Emi just turned her face away, sliding her chair back to create distance. Her expression didn't change a bit.
Seeing the zero response, Bonnie clicked her tongue in annoyance before finally walking away toward the book aisles.
Once Bonnie left, Emi exhaled a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. The muscles in her shoulders and neck were stiff as hell. She pinched the bridge of her nose aggressively. Acting cold and pretending Bonnie's existence didn't matter to her was the most exhausting job Emi had ever done in her life. It felt like swallowing shattered glass every single day.
Without wasting any more time, Emi cleaned up the draft on her tablet and sent the file to the printer located in the corner of the room, not far from the row of bookshelves where Bonnie was. She got up from her chair, walking with long strides toward the photocopy machine area.
The piece of trash printer turned out to be jammed. The paper was stuck right in the roller area. Emi cursed under her breath, forced to open the machine's cover and pull the jammed paper out carefully so it wouldn't rip. Black ink smudged onto her fingertips, adding to her mounting frustration today.
As Emi was busy fumbling with the machine, her sharp hearing caught a laugh she knew all too well. A light, airy, deeply teasing laugh. Bonnie's laugh.
Emi's movements froze instantly.
The sound came from aisle H, just two shelves away from where the printer was. Through the gaps of the partially empty bookshelf in front of her, Emi could see the silhouettes of two people standing face to face. Emi's heart instantly started beating faster. She sharpened her hearing, completely ignoring the printer screen flashing red.
"Are you seriously at the library today? It's a miracle your face is actually touching a book," Bonnie's voice sounded light, followed by a small chuckle.
"Shut up. I'm a student too, I need to graduate," the second voice replied. A girl's voice, slightly deep but casual.
Emi narrowed her eyes, trying to peek through the gap between the books. And the moment she managed to identify the person Bonnie was talking to, the blood in her entire body felt like it froze over.
Film.
Her own classmate was leaning casually against the bookshelf, hands shoved into the pockets of her black slacks. Film's long, straight hair fell perfectly across her back. She was staring at Bonnie with that exact same smirk, the predatory look Film always utilized when she was hunting for a target at a club.
What the hell was Film doing here? Didn't interior design kids usually never step foot on the urban literature floor?
"What are you doing here alone? Where's the double door refrigerator?" Film asked, openly referring to Emi.
"Managing the printouts for the draft. You know, the big boss is in full on psycho mode lately. Her vibes have been completely toxic since yesterday," Bonnie answered carelessly. The girl wasn't keeping any distance at all. She stood so close to Film that the tips of her shoes were practically touching Film's sneakers.
"That's why you should've just worked with me. Instead of being with Emi and getting treated like a servant. If you were with me, I'd actually treat you like a queen," Film teased, her hand finally coming out of her pocket to intentionally fix the collar of Bonnie's slipping cardigan.
Emi's breathing by the photocopy machine turned completely erratic. Her hand, which was still holding the ripped paper from the printer, crushed the sheet into a ball without her realizing it.
Don't respond to her, Bon. Push her hand away. Step back. Emi repeated the mantra in her head, begging the universe for Bonnie to have just a shred of sanity not to play along with Film's flirting in public, right during project hours.
But of course, this was Bonnie Pattraphus. The word "back down" didn't exist in her vocabulary, especially when she knew a pair of sharp, dark eyes was secretly watching her from a distance. Bonnie knew Emi was there. Bonnie always knew when Emi was paying attention to her.
Instead of slapping Film's hand away, Bonnie actually took a step forward. She tilted her head up, staring directly into Film's eyes with a hooded, intoxicating gaze.
"Oh really? And what exactly can you give me?" Bonnie challenged, her voice dropping an octave into a low, raspy whisper. Her free hand reached out, her fingers playfully messing with the top button of Film's shirt.
Behind the bookshelf, Emi's world completely shattered.
The jealousy she had been forcefully suppressing deep down exploded like an erupting volcano. Her eyes widened, her jaw clenching so hard her teeth ground together. The veins in her neck and arms bulged prominently. This was a million times worse than the incident with Namtan. This was happening right in front of her face, in her territory, during her working hours, with her own classmate!
Film let out a low laugh. She knew Bonnie was just playing games, but Film was never the type to turn down a meal served directly on a silver platter right in front of her face. Plus, Film had always had a thing for this particular junior.
"I can give you what Emi is too much of a coward to give you," Film whispered meaningfully.
Within seconds, Film leaned her face down, and Bonnie tilted her chin up. Their lips met.
It wasn't just a casual peck. It was a slow, deep, intentionally dragged out kiss. Film wrapped one arm around Bonnie's waist, pulling the girl's body flush against her tall frame. Bonnie responded by wrapping her arms around Film's neck, her fingers tangling into her senior's long, straight hair. The faint, wet sound of the kiss echoed clearly through the quiet library aisle, ringing in Emi's ears like a death knell for her sanity.
In the printing area, Emi was shaking violently.
Not shaking from fear, but from a brutal, primal rage. A searing heat surged from her chest straight to her head, burning away every single shred of logic she possessed. Her vision went dark. The suffocating, toxic jealousy choked her, making it hard to breathe. She wanted to tear the entire bookshelf down. She wanted to rip Film's straight hair out and smash her classmate's back onto the marble floor. She wanted to drag Bonnie away and punish the girl's mouth so it would never touch anyone else ever again.
But pride. That absolute piece of garbage pride took the wheel again.
You can't blow up because you're jealous. You have no right. But you have every right as her project lead!
That twisted logic snapped perfectly into place inside Emi's head. She needed an excuse. She needed an alibi to destroy that moment without looking like a desperate lover. And her best excuse right now was: The Final Project.
BAM!
Emi kicked the bottom base of the photocopy machine with full force, creating a massive, echoing metallic crash that shattered the quiet of the library's third floor.
The kiss in aisle H broke apart instantly. Bonnie and Film jolted in shock, turning toward the sound, their breathing completely heavy.
From behind the row of bookshelves, Emi's figure emerged. Her face was as dark as a thunderstorm, her eyes narrowed, radiating a heavy, murderous aura. Her strides were long, heavy, and full of pure intimidation. She walked straight into aisle H, completely ignoring the annoyed glares of a few other students who were disrupted by the noise she made.
The moment she arrived in front of them, Emi completely erased Film's existence. It was as if her classmate was nothing more than a piece of dust beneath her feet. Emi's gaze was entirely locked onto Bonnie. It was sharp and piercing, scanning Bonnie's slightly swollen, wet lips with a look of forced disgust.
"I told you to look for literature on spatial planning, not to open a booth for cheap tricks in the middle of a library aisle," Emi hissed, her voice incredibly low, heavy, and dripping with venom.
Film instantly straightened her posture, her jaw clenching at Emi's insult. "Watch your mouth, Phi. We were just.."
"I wasn't talking to you," Emi cut her off sharply, finally turning to Film with a stare that could freeze a waterfall. "Mind your own damn business, Film. Stop messing with my group member during project hours, or I'll personally report you to the disciplinary committee for public indecency on academic grounds."
The threat was ice cold and precise. Film let out a harsh scoff. She knew Emi wasn't playing around. A furious Emi Thasorn was a version of Emi that didn't care about friendship.
"You're a psycho," Film muttered under her breath before turning to Bonnie. "Sorry, Bon. I'm heading back to the studio. I'll text you tonight." Film walked right past Emi, intentionally slamming her shoulder hard against Emi's, but Emi didn't move a single millimeter from her spot.
Now, only Emi and Bonnie were left in the aisle.
Bonnie, who always had a sharp comeback ready, remained completely silent this time. She stared at Emi with slightly widened eyes. The words Emi used earlier hit a bit different than the usual insults. But Bonnie's ego was still Bonnie's ego. She forced an arrogant, defiant smirk.
"Can you please not ruin the mood, Phi? I was just.."
Before Bonnie could even finish her sentence, Emi gripped Bonnie's wrist with brutal force. The grip wasn't meant to cause pain, but it was tight enough to make Bonnie gasp as she was dragged forward.
"Back to the table. Right now," Emi commanded absolute control, dragging Bonnie out of the bookshelf aisle without caring about the girl's resistance.
"Phi! Let go! You're hurting my hand!" Bonnie protested in a harsh whisper since they were still inside the library. She tried to thrash around, but Emi's strength completely overpowered hers.
Emi didn't listen. Her ears were ringing. Her emotions had officially breached the highest boiling point. She dragged Bonnie past the study desks under the curious stares of onlookers until they reached the table where their belongings were spread out.
Emi violently let go of Bonnie's hand. She leaned her tall frame forward, slamming both palms onto the table, effectively trapping Bonnie between her body and the chair. Their faces were incredibly close, Emi's heavy breathing fanning across Bonnie's face.
"Listen to me very carefully, Bonnie Pattraphus," Emi hissed, every single word forced through clenched teeth. "I don't give a single flying fuck who you throw yourself at on this campus. You can make out with Namtan, Film, or the entire engineering faculty for all I care! But as long as your name is under mine for this fucking project, use your brain a little!"
Bonnie froze. Her chest rose and fell rapidly. Emi's face was only a few centimeters away, and she could see the flash of pure anger, frustration, and... something else in her senior's eyes. Something incredibly deep and painful.
"We have less than four hours before our meeting with Phi Top," Emi continued, her voice shaking violently as she fought the urge to smash everything around her. "Our draft is a total mess. Our theoretical framework is empty. And you... you're busy making out with Film in a library aisle?! Are you out of your mind?! Where is your sense of responsibility, huh?!"
Emi snapped, completely disregarding the library's quiet rules. Her logic used the "final project" as a shield, but her heart was screaming something entirely different. The words 'Why did you let her touch you?! Why wasn't it me?!' were swallowed bitterly down her throat, replaced by a harsh academic lecture.
"I found the books, Phi! I was literally about to grab them before I ran into Film!" Bonnie defended herself, her voice rising as she refused to take the blame. "Why are you constantly screaming at me anyway?! It's just a casual kiss! Why are you reacting like I committed a war crime?! You're too stiff, you're too trapped in your own little world, and then you blame me because I want to have some fun?!"
"Fun, you say?!" Emi let out a cynical laugh, a dry sound with zero humor in it. "Fun that completely trashes our working focus?! You think this project is a joke?! You think I've been destroying my sleep for days to finish your incomplete work just so you can treat this like a game?!"
The words slapped Bonnie hard. The girl went silent. She knew that Emi had indeed carried almost 70% of their model workload over the past few days because of the silent treatment she was running.
"If you never had any intention of doing this project with me, you should've said so from the start, Bon," Emi's voice dropped drastically, no longer yelling, but turning raspy and dead. She straightened her posture, looking down at Bonnie with a completely blank stare. "So I can erase your name right now. You can go run to Film, or Namtan, or whoever the hell can satisfy your needs. Let me finish this shit alone."
A long, agonizing silence stretched between them.
Bonnie stared deeply into Emi's eyes. Behind that shield of anger and the "final project" excuse, Bonnie saw it. She saw the agonizing jealousy raw in her senior's eyes. Bonnie knew Emi was lying. Bonnie knew Emi wasn't mad about the slow project progress. Emi was furious about the kiss.
But Emi's pride was too massive to admit it, and Bonnie's ego was too high to back down.
"I'm not quitting this project," Bonnie said finally, her voice hardening, refusing to lose. "I'll finish my part. You don't need to worry about my professionalism."
Bonnie dropped into her chair aggressively. She yanked the rough draft across the table, grabbed her pen, and started reading with brutal focus, completely ignoring Emi's murderous glare.
Emi stood there for a few more seconds, her chest still violently thumping. Her hands were balled into tight fists at her sides, fighting a psychotic urge to grab Bonnie's chin and lick that mouth clean of any trace Film had left behind.
But ultimately, Emi just looked away. She swallowed her entire pain and jealousy whole, letting it turn into a slow poison in her chest. She walked back toward the photocopy machine, letting the suffocating, toxic silence drape over their table once again.
Inside her head, Emi knew her defense line was on its absolute last thread. The "final project" alibi was worn out. It was only a matter of time before the dam of her pride broke completely and destroyed everything. And when that moment came, Emi wasn't sure if she could still act like a human being with an ounce of sanity left.
A week after that sickening incident in the library aisle, the dynamic between Emi and Bonnie never recovered. The silent treatment that used to be just an unwillingness to chat had now evolved into a toxic, choking cold war.
That Friday night, the Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts held their end of semester exhibition at the campus main gallery. Emi was honestly dreading attending a loud event packed with pseudo artsy hipsters. However, as a final year student whose work was slated for display next month, showing up to this exhibition was a form of unwritten mandatory attendance enforced by the faculty.
Emi stood in a shadowed corner of the gallery, wearing an oversized black shirt with the sleeves carelessly rolled up, paired with dark cargo pants. Her messy wolfcut hair framed a face that looked as cold as marble. In her hand was a glass of cheap champagne that she hadn't taken a single sip of. Her eyes were fixed squarely in one direction, completely ignoring the greetings of a few passing students.
Emi's focus was locked onto a single photo display in the center of the room.
It was View's photography final project. And what made Emi's chest feel like it was being violently squeezed was the sole subject of the dozens of aesthetic photos displayed there. Bonnie Pattraphus.
Bonnie was the exclusive muse for View's final project. Emi stared at the rows of black and white photos with a completely tangled mess of emotions. There was a photo of Bonnie staring blankly out a window with an oversized shirt slipping off her shoulder, a silhouette of Bonnie smoking a cigarette with her long, wavy hair catching the wind, and a tight close up of Bonnie's face with a hooded glance that was way too intimate.
She is beautiful. So beautiful it's making me lose my fucking mind, Emi's inner voice screamed in agony. But the fact that that beauty was captured by someone else's eyes, through View's camera lens, made Emi's ego bleed all over again.
In the middle of the crowded gallery, Emi could see the silhouettes of View and Bonnie standing side by side in front of the artwork display. Tonight, Bonnie wore an black satin slip dress that mapped her curves flawlessly. The dress straps were paper thin, exposing her smooth shoulders and bare back under the dim gallery spotlights.
View whispered something into Bonnie's ear, making the wavy haired girl let out a bright laugh, her signature smirk curving perfectly. A few gallery attendees clapped lightly, appreciating View's work, which had received the highest marks from the curator that night.
"Damn, congrats, View! Your photos are literally a masterpiece!" shouted a senior from another department.
"It's all thanks to my absolutely flawless muse," View replied cheerfully, casually wrapping her arm around Bonnie's waist, pulling the girl flush against her.
Emi, from her dark corner, gripped her champagne glass so hard her knuckles turned stark white. Her breathing turned ragged. Get your fucking hands off her waist, asshole, Emi cursed internally. But as usual, her feet were cemented to the floor. Her mouth was padlocked tight by a pride that felt more like a lethal poison with each passing day.
"As a celebration for both of us surviving this hellish workload..." View trailed off, turning to look at Bonnie with absolute adoration. "...I think I owe you a proper thank you, Bon."
Without warning, in the middle of the crowded art gallery, right under the burning spotlights, View leaned down. Bonnie didn't pull away. Instead, she closed her eyes, letting View press her lips against hers.
The kiss wasn't as aggressive as the one with Namtan, nor was it as intense as the one with Film. But it looked incredibly soft, celebrating an intimacy that made Emi's stomach churn with pure jealousy. The flash from several onlookers' cameras went off, immortalizing that "celebratory" moment.
To Emi, the world stopped spinning.
All the noise in the gallery suddenly muted into dead silence. Her vision blurred. The pain in her chest felt different this time. While seeing Namtan and Film made her furious and want to smash things, this time, Emi just felt... empty. Broken. Completely worthless.
Reality slapped Emi dead in the face. She realized she had absolutely zero power. The "responsibility for the final project" excuse she constantly hid behind now felt incredibly pathetic and laughable. She was just a cowardly senior hiding behind a fake academic title because she was too terrified to face her own feelings. Bonnie had every right to do whatever she wanted with whoever she wanted, because Emi was nobody to her.
Emi didn't scream. She didn't smash her glass.
She merely placed the champagne glass on the nearest table with a trembling hand, turned her back, and walked straight out of the gallery, cutting through the cold Bangkok night air. She fled like an absolute loser.
Three days.
For seventy two full hours, Emi Thasorn completely vanished from the face of the earth. She didn't show up at the studio. She didn't go to class. Her phone was completely dead. She didn't reply to a single email from Phi Top, and worst of all, she completely abandoned their final model and report draft when the deadline was just days away.
Emi's fifteenth floor apartment now looked more like a criminal hideout than a human living space. The curtains were drawn tight, blocking out the scorching Bangkok sun. Cigarette butts piled so high in the ashtray they spilled onto the glass table. The heavy scent of stale coffee, cheap alcohol, and utter despair hung thick in the air.
Emi lay flat on the shag carpet in her living room, staring blankly at the ceiling. Her eyes were hollow, her wolfcut hair a total disaster, and she had been wearing the exact same oversized t-shirt for the past two days. She was experiencing the worst mental breakdown of her life.
Inside her head, those painful scenarios kept looping like a corrupted video file. Bonnie smiling at Namtan, Bonnie's breath hitching as Film kissed her, and Bonnie's peaceful face as she accepted View's kiss.
Every time those images flashed, Emi's chest tightened so badly she struggled to breathe. She cried silently on the second night. Emi Thasorn, the proud, cold senior who was always in control, was entirely demolished just because of a junior who kept playing games with her heart.
"I've seriously lost my mind," Emi rasped into the empty room. "I love her. I love Bonnie so much it feels like I'm gonna die."
The confession finally left her lips, but ironically, at a time when everything felt entirely too late. Emi felt completely inadequate. Bonnie was too bright, too free, while Emi was just a rigid person locked inside her own pride.
It was 7:00 PM. The final deadline to upload the 3D renders, the report, and hand in the physical model was tomorrow at 6:00 PM. Less than twenty four hours left.
Emi was sitting back on the couch, sipping black coffee that had gone completely cold, when a brutal pounding echoed from her apartment door.
BAM!
BAM!
BAM!
"Phi Emi! Open the door right now or I'm getting security to kick it down!"
That voice. That drawling voice that usually sounded teasing was now screeching with pure panic and rage.
Emi closed her eyes for a moment, gathering whatever sanity she had left. She dragged her heavy feet to the door and turned the lock.
The second the door swung open, Bonnie stormed in like a hurricane. The girl looked like a complete mess. Her wavy hair was tied up haphazardly, her face pale from lack of sleep, holding a flash drive and a bunch of folders.
"Are you insane, Phi?! Where the fuck have you been for the past three days?!" Bonnie screamed instantly, her voice shaking violently. She aggressively threw the folders onto the table. "Your phone is dead! You're not replying on Line! The studio is empty! Our deadline is tomorrow at six, and the render is stuck at 85% because the master file is on your hard drive! Do you want both of us to fail this year?!"
Emi stood frozen by the door, looking at Bonnie with dead, exhausted eyes. There was no flash of anger left in Emi, no intimidating dictator aura. Just the empty shell of Emi Thasorn.
"The file is on my laptop on the desk. Just turn it on, the password is your birthday," Emi said softly, her voice raspy from disuse over the last three days. She walked sluggishly back to the couch, ignoring Bonnie's shocked stare.
Bonnie froze. The password... was her birthday?
But the panic of the ticking clock made Bonnie shake the thought off quickly. She immediately rushed to Emi's laptop, booted it up, and started transferring the files to resume the rendering process.
For the next three hours, the apartment was ruled by a suffocating silence. The only sounds were the clicks of the mouse, the tapping of the keyboard, and the heavy whirring of the laptop fan working overtime to process the 3D graphics. Emi sat on the floor, quietly assembling the remaining pieces of the physical model, while Bonnie stayed glued to the screen.
11:00 PM. The render progress hit 98%.
Bonnie leaned back against her chair, stretching her stiff muscles. She turned her head to look at Emi, who was still focused on cutting acrylic sheets on the carpet. Something deep inside Bonnie felt incredibly uncomfortable seeing this completely passive version of Emi. She missed the furious Emi, the possessive Emi, the Emi who would always lecture her about everything.
So, Bonnie resorted to her old tactics. A defense mechanism to ensure she still held power over her senior.
"God, I'm so exhausted," Bonnie complained, intentionally making her voice drop into a whiny tone. She stood up from her chair, walked over to Emi, and sat down on the carpet, pressing her body close until their shoulders brushed.
Emi froze, but she didn't move away. Her eyes remained fixed on the utility knife in her hand.
"You owe me big time, Phi," Bonnie teased, her fingers reaching out to mess with the tips of Emi's messy wolfcut hair. "Because you vanished, my date night with Phi View got completely ruined, you know. We were supposed to hit a bar at Khaosan Road tonight to celebrate her exhibition."
Emi's hand stopped moving.
That single sentence was the spark dropped directly into a gas tank that had been leaking for months.
"Oh, really?" Emi finally spoke. Low. So quiet it almost sounded like a deadly whisper.
Bonnie smirked, thinking she had successfully baited a reaction. "Yeah. Phi View is actually so sweet, unlike you who just vanishes and gets mad for no rea.."
CLANG!
Emi slammed her utility knife onto the glass table with so much force that it bounced off and hit the floor.
Bonnie gasped in shock, flinching backward. But before she could even process what was happening, Emi had already spun her body around, grabbed Bonnie's shoulders, and shoved the girl's back flat against the carpeted floor.
Emi pinned Bonnie beneath her frame. Her legs locked around Bonnie's waist, while her hands grabbed Bonnie's wrists and pinned them tightly to the floor. Emi's breathing was brutal and ragged. Her eyes, which had been dead for three days, were now burning with pure rage and despair.
"Can you stop fucking bringing up other people's names in front of me?!" Emi roared, her voice booming through the entire apartment.
Bonnie gasped, but her own pride instantly flared up. She thrashed around, trying to break free from her senior's grip, which was vastly stronger than her own.
"Let go of me, Phi! What the hell is wrong with you?!" Bonnie screamed back, glaring directly into Emi's eyes. "Why are you even mad?! Why are you acting like you have any right to control me, huh?! Face reality, we are absolutely nothing to each other! You're just a senior I'm using to pass a class! You have zero right to tell me who I can hang out with or who I can kiss!"
The words "we are absolutely nothing to each other" crashed into Emi like a semi truck at full speed. Bonnie's thrashing and those sharp words completely demolished the remaining scraps of the steel wall Emi had spent months maintaining.
Emi's grip on Bonnie's wrists suddenly went slack. Her tall frame went entirely limp. Slowly, Emi dropped her head down, burying her face completely into the crook of Bonnie's neck.
And in the next second, Bonnie felt Emi's shoulders violently shake. Warm, heavy tears spilled directly onto the skin of Bonnie's neck.
Emi was crying.
Bonnie completely froze. Her eyes widened, her breath catching in her throat. Emi Thasorn, the senior who always looked as cold as ice, arrogant, and wrapped in pride, was now sobbing uncontrollably on top of her.
"Yeah... you're right, Bon," Emi's voice broke, shaking violently between painful, heavy sobs. "I'm nobody to you. I get it..."
Emi slowly lifted her head. Her face was an absolute wreck. Tears streamed down her hollow cheeks, her eyes bloodshot from a despair she could no longer suppress.
"I hate myself so fucking much, Bon," Emi sobbed, her hands letting go of Bonnie's wrists, moving to clutch her own shirt right over her chest, as if trying to rip out the pain inside. "I hate myself because I'm a coward. My pride was too damn big to admit that I've liked you... since the moment we got paired up. I've been completely in love with you since day one of this fucking project."
Bonnie's heart felt like it stopped beating. Every single comeback line she had prepared completely evaporated into thin air.
"I held back because I thought you'd find me disgusting. But every single time I saw you clinging to someone else... every time you smiled at them... my chest felt like it was going to explode," Emi continued through her tears, spilling all the venom that had been rotting her heart for months. "I didn't have the guts to confess because I was terrified you'd reject me. So I used the final project as an excuse, I pretended to be mad about deadlines, I gave you the silent treatment... just so I had an alibi to drag you away from them. I'm broken, Bon. Seeing you kiss Namtan, Film, View... it was literally killing me slow."
A heavy, emotional silence filled the apartment room. Emi's crying was completely naked, discarding all the ego and authority she had worn as armor for months.
Bonnie stared at Emi's wrecked face, her own chest tightening painfully. A massive wave of guilt hit her like a train. She had never imagined that behind Emi's possessive attitude and constant anger lay a love and insecurity so deeply rooted.
Without saying a single word, Bonnie lifted both hands. She cupped Emi's tear stained face, gently wiping away the marks of despair with her thumbs. Bonnie's gaze turned soft, filled with the raw affection she had been hiding behind her bratty persona.
"Phi Emi..." Bonnie called out in a fragile whisper. She pulled the back of Emi's neck down, erasing the remaining distance between them.
Their lips finally met.
It wasn't a casual kiss in a crowded bar, it wasn't a performative kiss in a university aisle, and it wasn't a celebratory kiss at a gallery. This was their first kiss. A kiss that started with pure gentleness, meant to wash away all the pain and desperation inside Emi.
But that gentleness only lasted for two seconds before Emi's sanity completely shattered.
Emi kissed back with a starvation and desperation she had bottled up for months. She devoured Bonnie's lips with an intensity that made the girl beneath her let out a muffled groan. Her hands slid down, gripping Bonnie's jaw and waist with brutal, possessive strength. Bonnie matched her energy completely. She wrapped both arms tightly around Emi's neck, tangling her fingers into Emi's messy wolfcut hair, pulling her senior closer until there was zero space left. Their tongues tangled, fighting for dominance in an intoxicating dance, tasting the bitter mix of stale coffee, salty tears, and a love that had finally found its release.
When they finally broke the kiss, both were completely breathless. Their foreheads remained pressed together, their heavy breaths mingling in the dark room.
Emi stared directly into Bonnie's eyes, her thumb caressing the girl's lips, which were now swollen and red from her touch.
"I love you, Bon. So fucking much," Emi stated firmly, her voice raspy but entirely devoid of hesitation. The dam of her pride was completely leveled to the ground. "Be with me. Be my girlfriend. I am not letting a single soul on this campus touch you ever again. If anyone tries, I'm breaking their fucking neck."
Bonnie let out a soft laugh, a sound that shook slightly because she was fighting back her own tears of relief. She pressed her hand against Emi's chest, feeling her senior's heart racing at a psychotic speed.
"You know, Phi, you are literally the most frustrating person on this planet," Bonnie said, her signature smirk returning, but this time, it was full of pure relief.
Bonnie caressed Emi's sharp jawline. "Do you honestly think I actually enjoyed kissing any of them? No, Phi. Not even a little bit. Every single one of those kisses... with Phi Namtan, Film, View... all of it was purely just to get your fucking attention."
Emi's eyes widened, completely blindsided by the confession. "What...?"
"I was so mad at you," Bonnie continued, her tone turning completely honest and slightly pouting. "I've liked you for a long time too, Phi. But you're an absolute brick wall. Your pride is ridiculous. I baited you a million times, I flirted right in front of your face, but you never made a single real move! You could only get mad, smash things, nag about the project, and give me the silent treatment. Instead of just confessing, dragging me away, or admitting you were jealous! Do you have any idea how much you tortured me making me wait for you to actually do something?!"
Hearing that, Emi went dead silent. Her mouth opened slightly, processing the fact that for months, they had both been total idiots trapped in a toxic game of tug of war they created themselves, Emi because of her sky high pride, and Bonnie because of her extreme manipulation tactics.
Emi let out a low huff, a laugh of pure relief finally escaping her lips. She wrapped her arms around Bonnie tightly, burying her face right back into the crook of the girl's neck, inhaling the deep vanilla scent that would now exclusively belong to her.
"I'm sorry. I'm an idiot," Emi whispered, kissing Bonnie's neck repeatedly, making the girl squirm and giggle. "But from now on, you don't need to bait me using any guy or girl ever again. You look at anyone else even for a second, and I'm locking you inside this room."
Bonnie smiled with absolute satisfaction, locking her arms around Emi's back. "That's exactly what I want, Boss."
The sound of a laptop notification broke their intimacy. A bright green pop up appeared in the center of the glowing screen.
Bonnie peeked over Emi's shoulder, her smile widening even further. "Phi... the render is done. 100% completed."
Emi didn't even bother turning her head to look at the screen. She lifted her head, staring at Bonnie's lips with a hungry, predatory gaze.
"To hell with the render," Emi whispered possessively, before burying her mouth back over Bonnie's in a kiss that was vastly more demanding, celebrating the end of their final project, and a status that was now officially way more than just "nobody to each other."
Bangkok's morning sun rudely pierced through the vertical blinds of the fifteenth floor apartment. The light hit the fluffy rug in the living room, which was still a silent witness to last night's absolute chaos. Scraps of acrylic, a snapped utility knife, and the 100% completed architectural model were dumped in the corner, completely ignored.
But that pile of final project trash wasn't the main focus this morning.
On the king size bed in the master bedroom, Emi Thasorn slowly opened her eyes. The first thing that hit her senses wasn't the stale smell of old coffee or paper dust that had haunted her for days, but a thick, warm, sweet vanilla scent.
Emi blinked slowly, adjusting her eyes to the morning light. When her consciousness fully clicked into place, the corners of her lips automatically curled up into an unbelievably genuine smile. A smile that would probably give the entire Architecture Faculty a literal heart attack if they ever saw it.
In her arms, Bonnie Pattraphus was deeply asleep.
The wavy haired girl had her face buried right in the crook of Emi's neck, seeking warmth. One of Bonnie's arms was draped possessively over Emi's waist, while her bare legs were tangled tightly with her senior's long legs under the thick duvet. Bonnie's face looked so peaceful, her breathing steady, exhaling warm air that tickled the skin of Emi's neck.
Emi stared at the ceiling for a second, letting out a long, relieved sigh. Last night wasn't a dream. The emotional explosion, the tears of pure desperation, the collapse of that massive wall of pride she'd built so hard, and the crazy, heated make out sessions that left both their lips swollen, it was all real. Bonnie was here. In her bed. Fully hers.
With incredibly careful movements so she wouldn't wake the girl up, Emi ducked her head, planting a long kiss on the top of Bonnie's head. Her free hand moved to gently comb through Bonnie's messy wavy hair, untangling the knots with her long fingers.
To Emi, this morning felt like she was literally reborn. The heavy baggage of her ego, the fear of rejection, and the blind jealousy she had always swallowed alone had just evaporated into thin air. Her dominant and selfish side might still be there, but this morning, Emi just felt... whipped. So fucking whipped. She didn't even care if she lost her reputation as the most ice cold senior in the faculty.
Just when Emi was busy admiring Bonnie's sleeping face like it was the best masterpiece in the world, a damn interruption ruined the peace.
Bzzzt!
Bzzzt!
Bzzzt!
Bonnie's phone, lying on the nightstand next to the bed, vibrated aggressively. Not just once, but consecutively. The rapid fire notifications buzzed loudly against the wooden surface.
Bonnie let out a soft groan in her sleep. Her eyebrows furrowed in annoyance, and she buried her face deeper into Emi's chest, hiding from the annoying noise.
"Shh, it's okay, go back to sleep," Emi whispered soothingly, her hand patting Bonnie's bare back under the covers.
With her free left hand, Emi reached for the nightstand, intending to turn the phone off. But when the screen lit up brightly, Emi's sharp eyes accidentally caught the stack of pop-up notifications on the lock screen. Emi's previously relaxed jaw slowly clenched tight.
[Line] Phi Namtan: Bon, why didn't you show up at Khaosan last night? The group and I were waiting for you.
[Line] Phi Namtan: Are you okay? If you're burnt out from the project, want me to buy you your favorite matcha latte later this afternoon?
[Instagram] @fr.racha sent you a DM: Oi, has the big boss tamed down yet? How dare you ghost us last night. I spammed your phone but you didn't pick up.
[Line] Mark (Civil Engineering): Bonnie, are you busy this Saturday? If your model is done, wanna catch a movie?
[Line] Vane (Fine Arts): Bon, congrats! Your photos at View's exhibition were insane. Wanna be a model for my painting sometime?
The endless stream of messages made a vein pop in Emi's temple.
The jealousy monster that was just tamed last night with kisses and a love confession was now wide awake. But this time, it took a different form. Emi no longer felt desperate or insecure. She now had full validation. She had absolute rights over the girl she was holding.
With a deadly glare, Emi pressed the power and volume buttons at the same time, putting the phone on Do Not Disturb, then carelessly tossed it to the end of the bed.
How the hell do they have the nerve to hit on my girl this early in the morning, Emi cursed internally.
Feeling her possessiveness hitting maximum levels, Emi slid her body down a bit, tightening her embrace. She wrapped her long arms completely around Bonnie, caging the girl in entirely. Emi buried her face into Bonnie's slender neck, inhaling that vanilla scent greedily, and deliberately bit down softly on Bonnie's bare shoulder to wake her up.
"Awh" Bonnie gasped, startled. Her eyes slowly fluttered open, blinking a few times to gather her soul. She tried to shift her body, but the moment she moved, a deep, heavy ache shot up her inner thighs, making her painfully aware of just how wild and intimate they got last night.
"Phi Emi... what are you doing?" Bonnie protested, her morning voice raspy, thick, and incredibly sexy. She tried to move her sore legs, but winced. Emi's embrace was locking her down like an anaconda. "Can't breathe, Phi... loosen up."
"No," Emi answered, muffled. Her voice was intentionally made heavier, her face still buried in the crook of Bonnie's neck.
Bonnie frowned. She lifted her head slightly to look at her senior. Emi's ridiculously messy wolfcut tickled her chin. Bonnie went quiet for a second, processing the absurd sight in front of her.
Is this really Emi Thasorn? The terrifying architecture senior? The studio dictator whose glare could literally kill when handing out revisions? Why is she suddenly acting like a massive, clingy as hell koala?
A teasing, playful smile crept onto Bonnie's lips. She lifted her hand, stroking the back of Emi's head. "Look who's suddenly all clingy. What kind of ghost possessed you last night? Feels like just yesterday somebody was slamming books on the studio desk because of her massive ego."
Emi let out a harsh huff. She lifted her face, staring at Bonnie with those sharp eyes that were now giving off a sulky aura. Emi's face was so close, their noses were practically touching.
"Don't bring up yesterday. I'm a changed woman," Emi grumbled, kissing the tip of Bonnie's nose affectionately, a gesture that felt super foreign but so damn addictive to her. "You smell too good. I don't wanna get up."
Bonnie chuckled, her laugh crisp and warm. "We have to get up, Phi Emi. The model is done, sure, but we still have to submit the physical thing to the faculty office at 6 PM. Did you forget?"
"That's still ages away. 6 PM, and it's only 9 AM now. We still got seven hours. We can use it to sleep... or do something else," Emi whispered in a low tone, her gaze dropping briefly to Bonnie's lips, which were still a bit red from last night, before dragging her eyes lower.
Seeing Emi's predator eyes light up, Bonnie quickly pushed against Emi's chest with her palm, laughing. "Stop. You need to wash your brain with bleach, Phi. I wanna shower. My body is sticky from all the studio dust... and from you."
Bonnie tried to push Emi's hands away, but Emi just tightened her grip.
"Let's shower together," Emi shot back bluntly, her face deadpan but totally serious.
"Don't even try it!" Bonnie lightly pinched Emi's waist, making the tall senior let out a soft "ow" and loosen her grip just a bit. Taking advantage of the gap, Bonnie immediately rolled over and sat on the edge of the bed, wincing slightly as her sore thighs reminded her again of just how crazy her senior was.
Bonnie grabbed Emi's oversized black t-shirt off the floor and just threw it on to cover her bare body. The shirt was way too big; the collar slipped past one of Bonnie's shoulders, exposing her pale skin.
Emi, still lying on her stomach on the bed, propped her chin on both hands, staring at the view with narrowed, possessive eyes. My shirt. On her body. She is totally mine. A sight that pampered Emi's ego perfectly.
"Btw, was my phone buzzing constantly just now? Any calls from Phi Film?" Bonnie asked, turning her body, her hands feeling around the empty nightstand.
Hearing Film's name, Emi's relaxed expression instantly turned dark. She rolled her eyes lazily.
"It's at the end of the bed. I tossed it earlier," Emi answered coldly. The clingy koala aura vanished, instantly replaced by the badmood possessive senior mode.
Bonnie frowned. She crawled to the end of the bed (trying to ignore the ache in her legs) and grabbed her dead screen phone. When she turned it on, the flood of notifications popped back up. Bonnie scanned the messages from Namtan, Film, Mark, and a few other random guys.
That incredibly annoying smirk slowly formed on Bonnie's lips. She knew exactly why her phone was chucked to the end of the bed and why Emi now looked like she wanted to eat someone alive. Bonnie peeked at Emi from the corner of her eye. Her senior was glaring at her with a sharp, demanding look.
"Oh, no wonder someone's mood suddenly tanked," Bonnie teased, intentionally turning her body to face Emi and crossing her legs. She held up her phone, pretending to read the texts out loud. "Wow, Phi Namtan is offering to buy me a matcha latte. Says she's worried I'm exhausted. She's so sweet, right?"
Emi let out a harsh click of her tongue. She sat straight up, aggressively running a hand through her wolfcut in pure frustration.
"Reply. Tell her you don't like matcha lattes. Tell her you only like the black coffee I make. If she dares to buy you a drink again, I'm throwing a hot Americano straight in her face," Emi threatened, her face dead serious without an ounce of joking in it.
Bonnie burst out laughing at Emi's overly dramatic reaction. "Oh my god, Phi! You're so extra! Phi Namtan was just asking. Look, there's also a text from an engineering guy, Mark, asking me to a movie this Saturday. How should I reply to this one?"
Emi couldn't take it anymore. With one swift move, she crawled closer, grabbed Bonnie's wrist, and forcefully snatched the phone out of her new girlfriend's hand.
"Phi! My phone!" Bonnie protested, giggling in pure delight. She was seriously enjoying this jealous version of Emi who was no longer in denial and hiding behind the "project" excuse.
Emi held Bonnie's phone high up with one hand so she couldn't grab it, while her left arm wrapped tightly around Bonnie's waist, yanking the girl so she tumbled back onto the bed with her.
"I'm blocking all of them," Emi muttered seriously, her eyes quickly tapping the block option on Mark and those irrelevant guys' contacts. But when she got to Namtan and Film, Emi paused. If she blocked her own senior and classmate, it could cause massive drama on campus.
"Give me the phone, ugh! Don't just block people randomly, Phi Emi, that's my networking!" Bonnie tried to reach for her phone, her body rubbing against Emi on the bed, making her wavy hair even messier.
Emi tossed the phone back onto the nightstand. She locked Bonnie down by pinning half of her body weight over her. Emi's gaze turned intimidating, exactly like the look she gave when Bonnie messed up their physical model, but this time it was blazing with lust and ownership.
"You don't need networking with desperate guys or fuckgirl seniors like Namtan. You only need me," Emi hissed lowly right in front of Bonnie's face. "Reply to their chats right now."
Bonnie challenged Emi's stare, raising an eyebrow. "Reply with what?"
Emi lowered her head, her lips brushing against Bonnie's jaw in a slow, lethal movement. "Reply and tell them you can't go out with anyone this weekend, next month, or next year. Tell them you have a girlfriend. Your girlfriend is vicious, possessive, and won't hesitate to beat the shit out of anyone who dares to touch you."
Bonnie swallowed hard. The sensation of Emi's breath on her neck always managed to completely ruin her sanity. She pushed against Emi's chest, but her grip was weak.
"How are they gonna believe you're my girlfriend, Phi? Just yesterday you walked out of the gallery when Phi View kissed me," Bonnie still had the nerve to throw an argument, baiting Emi even further. Bonnie's tactics never changed. She knew exactly which buttons to push to make Emi lose her shit.
"Oh, you're challenging me?" Emi's voice dropped deeper.
Without warning, Emi smashed her lips against Bonnie's. A rough, silencing kiss. But she didn't stop there. Emi moved her kisses down to Bonnie's neck, sucking on the pale skin hard in a very strategic spot, right above the collarbone, a place that would definitely be exposed if Bonnie wore her favorite low-cut tops.
Bonnie let out a soft yelp, her hands instinctively grabbing Emi's hair. "Phi... not there, ah! People are gonna see!"
"Let them," Emi mumbled against her skin, giving a small bite there before moving to create another red mark on a different side of her neck. "Let Namtan, Film, View, and the entire damn campus know that you're mine. Let them think twice before trying to talk to you."
Emi finally lifted her face, admiring her masterpiece on Bonnie's neck with a highly arrogant, satisfied smirk. Two purplish hickeys were stamped clearly, contrasting with Bonnie's fair skin.
"There, you have your proof. Still not enough?" Emi shot back, rubbing her thumb over the bite mark.
Bonnie stared at her senior, her cheeks completely flushed red. She couldn't believe Emi, the stiff model student who always maintained her image, could do something this shameless.
"You're literally insane, Phi Emi," Bonnie cursed softly, but she couldn't hide her wide smile. She grabbed the collar of Emi's shirt, pulling the senior's face back down, and kissed her back just as aggressively. "Insane, but I love it."
Thirty minutes later, Emi and Bonnie were in the minimalist kitchen area of the apartment.
Bonnie sat on the bar stool, her long legs swinging casually, though she still felt the dull ache in her thighs every time she moved. She was still wearing Emi's oversized shirt, her hair now tied up in a messy high bun. She held a small mirror in her hand, wincing as she looked at the two glaring red marks on her neck.
"Concealer is never gonna cover this, Phi. You bit me way too hard. It literally hurts," Bonnie nagged, even though her tone didn't sound angry at all.
Across the counter, Emi was standing in grey sweatpants and a black tank top, busy brewing two glasses of iced Americano and toasting some bread. Unlike Bonnie, who looked stressed about her appearance, Emi looked completely chill and ridiculously handsome this morning. The grumpy aura that had stuck to her for weeks seemed to have washed away with her tears last night.
"Don't cover it up. Just show it off," Emi replied lightly, placing a plate of peanut butter toast and a glass of iced coffee in front of Bonnie.
Emi didn't walk around the counter to sit opposite her. Instead, she stepped right next to Bonnie, standing behind the girl's chair. Emi wrapped her arms around Bonnie's neck from behind, resting her chin on top of Bonnie's head. Fully shifting back into clingy koala mode.
"Eat up. We have to carry that model to the second floor of the faculty today, I need your energy to carry my bag," Emi mumbled casually, her hands instinctively rubbing Bonnie's stomach over the oversized shirt.
Bonnie took her first bite of the toast, smiling in amusement. She could feel the warmth of Emi's body pressed tightly against her back. Emi's change in attitude was absolutely drastic. From avoiding a fingertip touch like she'd get electrocuted, to now acting like she couldn't survive being a meter apart.
"Were you just destined to be a tyrant boss, Phi? We've only been dating for a few hours and you're already ordering me to carry your bag," Bonnie teased.
"I'm your boss for this model. But for everything else... you're in control, Bon," Emi whispered right into Bonnie's ear, placing a quick kiss on the girl's jaw.
That simple sentence successfully made Bonnie's stomach flip with a thousand wild butterflies. She stopped chewing, feeling herself getting completely flustered. Honestly, Bonnie was way more used to dealing with the fierce, prideful Emi than this version of Emi who could effortlessly drop lethal flirts with a deadpan face.
Bzzzt!
Bzzzt!
Bonnie's phone, which was now sitting on the kitchen counter, vibrated with a long buzz. An incoming call. The screen displayed the name: Phi View 📸.
Seeing that name, Emi, who was happily hugging Bonnie, instantly straightened her posture. Her eyes narrowed sharply. The jealousy monster was awake again. Bonnie glanced at Emi, then at her phone, intending to reject the call so she wouldn't ruin Emi's mood again.
But Emi's reflexes were way faster. Her long arm reached for Bonnie's phone and swiped the green icon up, accepting the call.
"Phi, don't-"
Emi pressed her index finger against Bonnie's lips, shushing the girl, then brought the phone to her ear.
"Hello, Bon? How come you haven't read my texts since last night? Did you fall asleep in the studio again?" View's cheerful voice came from the other end.
Emi cleared her throat, her voice automatically dropping an octave, completely reverting back into Emi Thasorn: cold, arrogant, and terrifyingly intimidating.
"This is Emi."
Dead silence on the other end of the line. View was obviously shocked because the person who answered the phone was definitely not her photography muse.
"Uh? Phi Emi? Sorry, why do you have Bonnie's phone? Is Bonnie there?" View asked, her tone shifting into pure awkwardness. Obviously, Emi's reputation as a scary senior was enough to shrink anyone's guts.
Emi stared straight into Bonnie's eyes, locking her gaze with the girl who was now holding her breath, trying so hard not to laugh. Her hand moved to caress Bonnie's waist, while her tone was as cold as arctic ice.
"Bonnie is with me. She's busy."
"Oh, you guys are finishing up the model? Am I interrupting? I just wanted to ask if she-"
"She's not busy with the model," Emi cut her off heartlessly. "She's busy having breakfast with me. Stop looking for her today, or tomorrow, or whenever the hell you want. And delete all those celebratory kissing photos you took with my girlfriend last night from your gallery before I personally come over and smash your camera to pieces. Do you understand, View?"
Click.
Without waiting for an answer or an apology from View, Emi hung up the call. She tossed Bonnie's phone back onto the table with a casual flick of the wrist, like she just threw away a piece of trash mail.
Bonnie, who had been holding her breath, finally exploded. She burst out laughing so hard her eyes watered, clutching her cramping stomach.
"Holy shit! You're actually insane, Phi Emi! That poor girl is probably having a heart attack on the other end right now!" Bonnie lightly smacked Emi's chest between her laughs. "I didn't expect you to be that savage! Where the hell did your pride that was as tall as the Burj Khalifa go, huh?!"
Emi didn't laugh, but a genuine, subtle smile spread across her face. She caught the hand Bonnie used to hit her chest, gripping it tightly and interlacing their fingers.
"My pride died last night. I buried it under the carpet along with the acrylic scraps," Emi replied effortlessly. She pulled Bonnie up from the bar stool, spinning the girl around until they were fully facing each other.
Emi looked at Bonnie intently. Her dark eyes radiated a completely naked honesty. No more walls. No more bullshit.
"I'm serious, Bon. I'm not repeating the same mistake. For months I pretended to be blind, letting other people fight for your attention while I could only bite my nails in the corner," Emi stroked Bonnie's cheek with her thumb. "Now, you belong to me. And I'll make sure there isn't a single person in this faculty who doesn't know about it."
Bonnie stopped laughing. Her heart melted all over again hearing Emi's confession. She wrapped her arms around Emi's neck, going up on her tiptoes, ignoring the slight burn in her thighs and planted a light but sweet kiss on Emi's lips.
"You're way too possessive, Phi. Good thing I love you," Bonnie whispered with a naughty smile. "But you better watch out, if you suddenly switch back to your stiff senior mode when we submit the project later, I'm biting you back right in front of the lecturers."
Emi chuckled lowly, the sound vibrating in her chest, feeling warm against Bonnie's skin. "I won't. Starting today, you're not just my subordinate for this project. You're my girlfriend. This project literally drove me crazy, destroyed my sleep, and made me want to die dealing with your flirty attitude..."
Emi kissed Bonnie's forehead deeply, breathing in the girl's scent for the hundredth time that morning. "...but this project is also how I got you. So, it's totally worth it."
That morning, in the middle of an apartment wrecked by the silent evidence of their final project struggle, Emi and Bonnie spent their time with coffee, laughter, stolen kisses, and endless banter.
The annoying notifications from the outside world didn't matter anymore. Because in the end, the clingy monster had found her home, and the flirty girl had found her final anchor. And Bangkok, with all its traffic and heat, became the silent witness to two prideful idiots who finally merged into their own blueprint of love.