Chapter 14: Everyone Loves Love
Love upturned every corner of her room, trying to find her favorite camera. But it was nowhere to be seen.
"Where did I place it?" She muttered to herself, very close to having a panic attack. "All my pictures! Where can they have gone to? Oh my god! Did I lose my camera?"
She checked under the bed, inside all of her drawers and even in the piled up boxes of designer clothes and shoes that she had in her closet, but she found nothing.
"Shia! How could it have disappeared like this?" She cried out, hands fisted in her long hair.
"Love?" Knocks sounded on her door as she heard Phi Joong's voice from outside. "Is everything alright? Open the door!"
Love hurried over to the door, opening it just a slit so she could peek her head out to talk to P'Joong, making sure the rest of the room was blocked out from his view.
"Yes? What it is P'Joong?" Love even batted her eyes, smiling up at her Phi as best as she could.
"Umm…nothing really." P'Joong gave her a small awkward laugh, trying his best not to react to the way Love's hair was sticking up in every direction. "I-I just…wanted to give you a ride to college. But since you're not ready yet…"
"Khob Khun Na kha, Phi…" Love looked down at herself shyly, before looking back up at P'Joong. "But…I'll catch a ride with P'Pond. You can take Fourth with you…my classes start late today…"
"Dai, dai." Joong nodded with a smile. "I'll get going then…"
But just as Joong was about to turn and leave, suddenly, Fourth's voice came from down the hallway as he walked over to her door.
"Don't fall for that, Phi! She has classes at the same time as me! Love! What are you doing? Why aren't you ready yet?"
Joong turned from Fourth to Love and then back to Fourth again. He could clearly see Love's expression darken as soon as Fourth came to stand beside him.
"Ai Fourth! Why do you always have to pop out of nowhere and insult me?" Love immediately had her hackles up, seeing as to how her lies were about to be exposed.
"Insult you? The audacity you have!" Fourth fought back his twin, putting his hands on his waist as he stared her down. "You know how many times your teacher has scolded me when you didn't show up in class? Being your twin is the most stupid thing in the world!"
"Oho! You think I wanted to be born your twin!" Love came out of the room, putting her hand on her waist as she stared up at Fourth with her cheeks puffed in anger. "I keep telling you not to interfere in my business, but you keep on interfering anyways!"
For such a tiny woman, she sure had a fierce stare, Joong thought to himself as he watched the chaos unfold right in front of his eyes.
"Fine! You want me to stay out of your business?" Fourth and Love were now toe to toe, both arguing with just as much intensity. "I'll gladly follow your request, your highness! But don't come crying to me when you get into trouble the next time!"
"Why don't you two sort it out?" Joong gave a nervous laugh as he backed away from them, not wanting to get involved with the twins any further. This was one of the reasons why they didn't only have rooms in different corners of the house, but different floors entirely. "I'll just head to my car. If anyone wants to join…I'll be waiting for ten minutes only."
Joong walked away quickly, letting the twins bicker their heart out. If there was anyone in the house who could bicker with Love, it had to be Fourth, because the rest of them loved her a little too much to let her get away with pretty much anything.
"What's going on upstairs?" Dad Off's annoyed voice sounded before Joong reached the bottom of the stairs. "What's all the commotion about this early in the morning?"
"Love and Fourth are fighting again." Pond sighed from the breakfast table, as his Pa Gun gave him another helping of shrimp porridge.
"Joong, why didn't you try to stop them?" Gun folded his hands in front of his chest, narrowing his eyes at his eldest son. "You're the eldest! You should make sure your siblings aren't turning this house into a jungle!"
Joong looked down guiltily, but even he knew that Love only needed to show her Pa her big brown, puppy-eyes and he would never scold her again. So how did he think Joong could resist that?
"Should I go and stop them?" Pond offered; looking from her Pa's annoyed expression and Joong's guilty one.
"No need for that, ja. I got this." Off gave a smirk, before turning his face towards the stairs and bellowing at the top of his lungs. "If you guys don't stop fighting right now, none of you are getting your pocket money this week!"
Suddenly…utter silence descended upon the Jirawatthanakul house.
Pond and Joong gave each other wide eyed glances before turning to their fathers.
Pa Gun looked awfully proud of their dad as he nodded in satisfaction and went back to serving everyone breakfast.
"I'll get going now." Dad Off told his Pa, before heading in the direction of the door. "I'll be back in the afternoon after taking care of the shoot."
"Take care, Pappii. Rak na!" Pa Gun called out with a smile as he waved his husband goodbye.
"Rak khab!" Off called out over his shoulders as he left.
However, it was also when Gun noticed Joong trying to sneak out after his dad.
"Come here, Joong." Pa Gun called out as he served him a bowl. "You're not skipping breakfast. Have some porridge before you go."
Joong wanted to complain that he didn't want porridge for breakfast again today since it was already the third time this week, but looking at dad Off's expression, he quickly decided that porridge was just what he needed as he sat quietly in his seat.
It didn't take long for Fourth to come downstairs as well, his expression sulky as he too sat down at the dining table with his brothers and his fathers.
"Is Love getting ready now?" Pa Gun asked Fourth, who looked up at him with his pouty lips and nodded, before going back to eating his breakfast.
"I'll take Fourth to school na, Pa." Joong reassured his father. "Pond can bring Love with him as soon as she's ready. They're in the same faculty anyway."
"Dai khab," Pond nodded with a smile. "You guys can go ahead; I'll take care of everything."
A few minutes later, Joong did as he was told and took Fourth to school with him while Pond waited for Love to finish getting ready while talking with his friends.
It's Friday. He texted his classmate Aun, who was also his best friend. Where should we go tonight? I want to watch a movie.
Forget about the movie, bro! Because I have something even more interesting for you. Aun texted back shortly, making him instantly curious. You're going to absolutely love this!
Aarai wah? He texted back.
Pond was waiting for his friend's reply but got distracted as Love came downstairs in a rush, her hair still wet from her shower and sticking to her forehead as she hurried to the dining table. "Where's my breakfast! I'm late, Pa!"
"Then you should've woken up on time like your brothers." Pa Gun reminded her gently as he passed her a box. "Here, I've made sandwiches for you. They're your favorite Tuna-mayo. Eat them in the car."
"Khob khun na, Pa!" Love gave their Pa Gun a tight hug before taking the box with her. "You're the best!"
Pond's eyes shot up in surprise and at the partiality he just witnessed in front of his eyes.
All of them got to have porridge for three days straight while Love got her favorite sandwich? How unfair was that?
But since she was the only female in the household, he grit his teeth past the betrayal and swallowed his resentment as he drove Love to college and watched her have her sandwich on the passenger's seat.
"Here, P'Pond." Love saved a slice for her brother. "Would you like to have some?"
"Mai pen rai na, ja." Pond smiled at his Nong as they came to a stop in front of their faculty building. No matter what, none of them could ever be angry at Love. "Susu na, N'Love. If the teacher scolds you, just listen and don't talk back. She's not harsh on you…just a little strict."
"Kha," Love nodded as she got off the car, saying goodbye to her older brother. "Wai jee gan na."
"Wai jee gan, khab."
Love hopped down from the car and shut the door before heading to class, in the hallway opposite to that of P'Pond.
She was debating if she should ask P'Pond to check his car for her camera, since she was with him the last time she saw him, but she was also weary to ask any of her brothers for help.
What if they saw the pictures of P'Milk in them? She will never hear the end of their teasing if that happened!
"Oye!" Love cursed under her breath, sighing in defeat. "I guess I'll have to look for it myself in the evening, when P'Pond returns home."
However, just when she was nearing her class, she saw a figure standing in front of her classroom…someone she never expected to see here.
"P'Milk?" Love whispered in shock, halting in her steps.
And that's when she noticed it…the camera that she had lost…in P'Milk's hand…