Chapter 14

Faye Malisorn's POV

Over the next few days, everything goes back to normal. We continue working together, laughing and joking like we used to.

We share more smiles, more touches, and more stolen glances that hold a deeper meaning now.

Everything feels lighter, easier than before. It's clear that the weight of holding back our feelings has lifted now that we're no longer hiding our relationship. Though not completely public yet, we don't need to keep our love secret anymore.

We're still careful, of course. We don't flaunt our relationship publicly; that's still too risky.

But when we're alone, behind closed doors or in private moments, we're fully immersed in each other. We're free to show our affection without fear of the consequences.

After a busy day of appointments at Amor Boutique Salon, I finally have a moment to catch my breath.

Most of my clients for the day have come and gone, leaving me with a few precious moments of peace.

I'm sitting in a small, comfortable room that serves as my work station and a break area.

The room is adorned with various hair styling tools and products, and I can still smell the fragrances of different shampoos and conditioners in the air.

"Boo!"

I jump, nearly dropping my inhaler in surprise. When I turn around, I see Pam grinning at me, clearly enjoying scaring me.

"Paaaaam!" I exclaim, trying to catch my breath.

Pam laughs, completely unrepentant. "I couldn't resist. You should've seen your face."

Her laughter is interrupted by Tanya's voice from across the room. "Pam, stop tormenting Faye and come here and help me clean these brushes."

Pam rolls her eyes but grins, clearly not too put out.

"I'm coming!" she calls back, then turns to me. "Duty calls," she says with a wink.

I shake my head, a little amused at her antics. "Go away, you menace," I reply, jokingly shooing her off.

Pam gives me a mock salute before hurrying off to help Tanya.

My heart gives a little hitch as I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket. Frowning, I pull it out and see a notification with a message from Yoko.

"Are you at the salon?" the message reads.

I can't help the little flutter of excitement that sparks in my chest.

I smile to myself as I quickly type a response. "Yeah, I am. Why?"

I pause for a moment, waiting for her reply. My fingers drum impatiently on the countertop as I wait, my heart beating just a tad faster.

A few seconds later, my phone vibrates again. I quickly unlocking the screen to see her response.

"Can I come by?"

My heart gives another little flutter. She wants to come here?

I glance around the salon, taking in the sight of Tanya and Pam cleaning hairbrushes and organizing supplies.

It's a bit slow right now. I quickly type a response. "Sure. I'm not doing anything."

I can't help but hope that she's coming here to see me, to spend time with me.

I glance at the salon door with anticipation, half expecting her to walk through the door any moment.

Then, as if my thoughts had summoned her, I hear the familiar jingle of the door.

My head whips around to see Yoko standing in the doorway, her eyes searching the room until they land on me.

A warm smile spreads across my face, and I can't help but feel a rush of happiness at the sight of her.

She looks amazing, her hair perfectly styled and her makeup just subtle enough to enhance her natural beauty.

Yoko's eyes sparkle as she enters the salon, her expression playful. She kicks off her slippers, the action making her look strangely childlike, and then she races towards me.

"Faye!" she calls out, her voice light and cheerful. "I'm here! I'm here!"

I can't help but laugh at her eagerness, my heart swelling at the sight of her approaching.

"You look like a kid," I tease, but my eyes are full of affection.

Yoko halts in front of me, her face taking on a comically sulky expression.

"Hey," she huffs, crossing her arms over her chest. "Where's my enthusiastic greeting? I was expecting a bit more of a welcome than 'You look like a kid'."

"What, did you want me to cheer and clap and throw confetti or something?" I reply, my voice dripping with playful sarcasm.

"Yes!" She retorts, her expression not shifting. "That's exactly what I wanted. And maybe a ticker tape parade while we're at it."

I chuckle at her response, the sound warm and full of affection.

"You're ridiculous," I say, reaching out to poke her in the side.

"So," I say as the laughter dies down, "not that I'm complaining, but why did you want to come here all of a sudden? Missed me already?" I add the last part jokingly, trying to keep my excitement under control.

Yoko's lips curl into a pout, her expression once again turning sulky.

"I haven't heard from you all day," she huffs, pouting even more. "You didn't call me."

"I've been at work all day. I can't be on my phone chatting with you all the time."

"I know, but still, even a quick 'hi' would've been nice. Is that too much to ask?" She grudgingly concedes, her pout faltering slightly but not quite disappearing.

I soften at the hint of vulnerability in her voice. I can tell she's being slightly melodramatic on purpose, but there's a hint of genuine disappointment behind it.

"No, it's not too much to ask. I'm sorry I didn't call you today. I was just busy." I say gently.

As our conversation continues, Pam, who had been quietly listening from the corner, suddenly bursts into a fit of exaggerated coughing. Her loud, over-the-top coughs fill the room, drawing our attention towards her.

Yoko and I both turn to look at her, surprise and irritation mixing on our faces.

"Paaaam!" I exclaim, as she continues her mock-coughing, "What in the world are you doing?"

"Oh, sorry," She says in a completely non-apologetic tone, her face breaking into a wide grin. "Must've had a coughing fit out of nowhere. Just a coincidence, I swear."

I give her a skeptical look, not believing her innocence for a second. I know Pam too well. She's up to something.

Tanya's voice suddenly pipes up from the other corner of the salon, where she had been busy cleaning.

"Hey, Faye, aren't you going to introduce us to your uhh...friend?" she asks, tilting her head towards Yoko.

Caught off guard, I feel my cheeks heat up as I realize that I had completely forgotten to introduce Tanya and Pam to Yoko. I'd been so caught up in our conversation, I'd forgotten the others were even here.

"Oh, right," I say, quickly composing myself. I turn to Yoko, who is watching the interaction with an amused look. "Yoko, these are my co-workers and friends, Tanya and Pam."

"Hey!" Pam says, grinning widely. She struts over to us and extends her hand to shake Yoko's. "Nice to finally meet the girl we've been hearing so much about."

I glare at Pam, silently willing her not to say anything embarrassing. But Yoko just laughs, taking Pam's hand and giving it a firm shake.

"It's nice to meet you both as well. Faye has told me a lot about you too, especially P'tanya. Faye mentioned you're a co-founder of Amor."

Tanya looks slightly startled that Yoko knows her role at the salon by name, but quickly regains her composure.

"Yes, that's right. I am the co-founder of Amor with Faye." She replies casually.

Yoko's smile grows a little wider as she glances between me and Tanya. "It must be exciting being part of such a successful salon boutique."

"Exciting is one word for it," I say dryly, shooting a semi-playful glare at Yoko. I can tell she's fishing for more information.

The conversation continues for several more minutes, with Yoko asking more questions about Amor and my work.

Tanya and Pam eventually make their excuses and head over to the back room to attend to various salon-related tasks.

I watch as Tanya and Pam disappear into the backroom, grateful for the sudden privacy. I turn my attention back to Yoko, who is already looking at me with a smirk on her face.

"What?" I ask, a bit defensively. I know that smirk. It usually precedes some kind of teasing comment.

"You were fishing for information, weren't you?" I accuse, raising an eyebrow at her.

Yoko leans closer to me, her voice quieter now that we're alone.

"Speaking of information," she says, her expression casual. "I know you were linked to P'tanya before. A lot of fans thought you two were dating, or at least had dated, at some point. Isn't that right?"

I stiffen a little at the mention of the rumors, feeling a pang of defensiveness.

"Fans say a lot of things," I reply somewhat stiffly, not entirely comfortable with this turn in conversation.

Yoko notices my discomfort and immediately softens her tone. "I didn't mean anything by bringing it up. I was just curious. I know the media can sometimes twist things and make speculation seem like reality."

"Yeah," I confirm, taking a breath to calm myself. "Tanya is like a sister to me, more than a friend. We've known each other for years. Rumors about us dating are just that—rumors."

"And I guess being business partners together has fueled those rumors," I add as an afterthought, realizing that the dynamic of our professional relationship has likely contributed to the gossip.

Yoko seems to sense that I'm still a bit tense about the whole rumor topic, and gracefully changes the subject again.

"Forget about it. Let's move on. I just remembered I wanted to ask you something else."

I raise an eyebrow, curious about what she wants to ask. "Yeah?"

"I was wondering if you wanted to go out somewhere tonight," she says, her eyes lighting up with excitement.

"I just remembered our schedule's going to be packed next week, and we won't have much time to go anywhere. So I figured we could make the most of tonight." She continues.

Her words make my heart skip a beat, both because the thought of spending more time with her is appealing and because her concern for our limited free time next week is endearing.

"Sure, that sounds great. Where do you want to go?" I reply, my voice light and casual, trying not to let the eagerness show.

Yoko purses her lips thoughtfully for a moment. "Somewhere quiet, where we can actually have a decent conversation. How about that little Italian café a few blocks from here? The one with the really good tiramisu."

I grin, already picturing the cozy atmosphere of that cafe. "That sounds perfect. I love their tiramisu. I could eat their entire stock."