Chapter 2

Faye Malisorn's POV

As we arrived at the hotel, I could feel the exhaustion setting in. The adrenaline rush of the performance had worn off, and now all I wanted to do was to rest and relax.

Yoko was standing beside me, and I could feel her presence comforting and reassuring. I glanced at her and gave her a small smile, grateful for her company. She returned the smile, and I felt a warm flutter in my chest.

Just as we were about to head upstairs to our rooms, our CEO, P'wan, called us back.

"Girls, before you go to sleep, I've arranged for us to have dinner together at the restaurant across the hotel," she said, her tone firm.

We all groaned in protest, feeling the exhaustion of the day weighing us down. But P'wan's expression told us that this was non-negotiable. She wasn't going to let us skip dinner just to go straight to bed.

"Come on, girls," She said. "It'll be quick and easy. We need to carbo-load to prepare for the long flight tomorrow anyway."

We knew there was no use protesting further. P'wan had made up her mind, and we knew better than to argue with her.

So we reluctantly agreed to go for dinner, each of us feeling a pang of disappointment at the thought of having to stay awake just a little longer.

We continued to walk towards the restaurant, and I couldn't help but express my frustration once again.

"I still think ordering food in our rooms would have been a better idea," I said.

"What if people recognize us and start taking pictures or asking for autographs? We'll never have a moment's peace." I continued.

Marissa caught on to my complaints and couldn't help but tease me.

"Oh, I see," she said with a sly grin. "You're just tired and want to retire to your room with Yoko, aren't you?"

I felt my cheeks flush at her insinuation, and I shot her a glare.

"That's not it at all," I protested, trying to sound convincing.

Yoko chuckled as Marissa teased me.

"Don't tease her like that, Marissa," she said with a smirk. "You know she just wants to rest and recover from tonight's performance."

I blushed even more furiously as Yoko defended me, and I silently cursed Marissa for putting me on the spot like that. I knew that Yoko could sense my exhaustion, but I didn't want to give her the satisfaction of knowing that I was secretly looking forward to sharing a room with her.

I was still flustered, but I tried to cover it up by making an excuse.

"Yeah, I'm just tired. But I guess going to a restaurant isn't the worst thing in the world." I said, forcing a smile,

"Plus, it'll be nice to have a proper meal instead of just snacks and instant ramen." I added.

But I still couldn't help but worry about the potential interruptions we might face at the restaurant, but I didn't want to cause a scene or make a fuss. We needed to keep up appearances, after all.

As we walked into the restaurant, I tried to shake off my worries and focus on the present. The restaurant was moderately busy, but not packed, which I was grateful for.

We were guided to a table in the back, away from the window and the main area, presumably to avoid drawing attention. I sat down in my seat, still feeling exhausted, but my stomach grumbling reminded me that I needed to eat, regardless of my fatigue.

Ize sat down beside me. Meanwhile, Yoko and Marissa settled into their seats across from us, and our CEO, P'wan, took a seat at the head of the table.

After we all settled, we scanned the menu and saw that our CEO had already ordered a variety of dishes for us to share. We decided to follow suit and order some of the same dishes, all eager to fill our stomachs after a long day.

P'wan cut through the idle chatter, bringing up a topic that made me wince internally.

"Faye, I heard about the interview, and I saw that you mentioned having a secret love interest,"

"I'm just wondering, who could it be? Is it  Yoko?" P'wan continued, a look of curiosity on her face.

I felt a wave of anxiety wash over me as P'wan's question hung in the air. I was unsure if I should even answer it at all. My mind went blank for a moment, my heart racing as I tried to formulate a response.

I don't want to admit my feelings for Yoko in front of all our colleagues, but I also don't want to outright lie. I wracked my brain for a believable excuse.

I zoned out for a moment but it wasn't until I heard my name mentioned that I snapped back to the conversation.

"Faye, are you still with us?" Ize teased, nudging me. "You look like you're in another world."

I glanced around the table, taking in the expectant expressions of my colleagues. Ize and Marissa were looking at me curiously, but it was Yoko's gaze that I focused on the most.

I know that she is waiting for my response too, and my heart thrummed anxiously in my chest.

I swallowed hard, forcing a casual smile.

"Oh, that? I was just joking around during the interview," I said, trying to play it off. "I don't actually have a secret love interest."

As soon as the words left my lips, I could tell that the others weren't buying my excuse. Ize and Marissa shared a skeptical look, while P'wan gave me a doubtful smile.

I added quickly, trying to add some believability to my lie.

"I just said that in the interview to keep our fans intrigued, you know? Give them some material to speculate about."

Yoko remained silent, studying my face intently, as if trying to gauge my true feelings, but there was a subtle hint of hurt in her eyes that I couldn't ignore.

It was as if her usual mask of composure had cracked for a moment, and I couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt for lying to her.

I could feel P'wan's gaze on me as I spoke. Despite my desire to be honest and open with her, I knew that I couldn't. And so, I swallowed my thoughts and forced myself to keep my true feelings hidden.

I knew that she was aware of the feelings that Yoko and I had been trying to suppress, and the thought that she was onto us made my heart pound, but I'm not ready to admit the truth yet.

I was grateful that P'wan didn't push me further about my answer.  She let the matter drop and moved on to a different topic.

My gaze flickered to Yoko once again, and the weight of guilt pressed down on me even more heavily. The disappointment etched on her face was a constant reminder of the pain I was causing her by keeping my true feelings hidden.

I wanted to say something, anything to make things right, but the words died in my throat.

P'wan, sensing a lull in the conversation, brought up the topic of our sleeping arrangements.

"So, I guess we should start figuring out who's sharing rooms for the night," she said casually.

Marissa chimed in, seemingly unaware of the tension between Yoko and me.

"I'll share a room with ize, so that means Yoko will be sharing a room with Faye," she said cheerfully.

As Marissa spoke, Yoko quickly interrupted her.

"Actually, Faye and I already talked about it, and I think I'd rather share a room with P'wan tonight," she said firmly.

I was taken aback by Yoko's sudden change of mind, but deep down I knew I had no right to protest.

"Hey, Faye," Ize said, nudging my arm.

"I guess this means you'll have to start wooing your secret love interest." She whispered.

The comment was meant as a joke, but it made me feel even worse. I glanced over at Yoko again, who was still avoiding my gaze.

As Ize's comment hung in the air, I couldn't help but feel a sense of dread at the thought of having to talk to Yoko later. I knew that I had a lot to explain, and the thought of facing her disappointment and hurt made my stomach twist into knots.

For now, I forced myself to laugh along with Ize's joke and tried to push the thought of our impending conversation out of my mind. But deep down, I knew that I couldn't avoid it forever.