Chapter 6

Soft Lips… Tangy Orange

Patsasika hurried down to the front of the nurse’s dormitory, her ten fingers running through her freshly washed, still-damp black hair. Chorlada had just called to let her know Mongkutmook would continue her treatment here.

The senior nurse hadn’t provided any details, only urging Patsasika to come down quickly as someone would be picking her up. Before Patsasika could even get a word in to say she could walk there herself, Chorlada had already hung up. It was clear her request was actually more of a non-negotiable order: she would be resuming her role to take care of Mongkutmook.

A sleek, four-door white car with flashing lights was parked in front of the nurse dorm. Patsasika instantly recognized that it had to belong to someone sent to take her to Mongkutmook. Approaching, the young woman tapped on the driver’s side window, which was darkened with tinted film. After a moment, it rolled down.

“I’m here to pick you up.”

“Yes.”

Patsasika replied shortly, nodding before walking around to the passenger side and settling herself inside. The luxury British-made car started moving immediately. She stole a quick glance at Boramat, who wore an expression of deep contemplation—no doubt due to his sister.

“I thought you might have sent someone else to pick me up.”

“Doesn’t matter who picks you up.”

Thee young woman held her tongue and didn’t ask anything further, sensing that this wasn’t the time to trade barbs. In this mood, Boramat was alarmingly silent, an intensity that made him almost intimidating. Since meeting him, she’d witnessed the many sides of this man—serious, aggressive, authoritative, teasing, petulant, and, now, unsettlingly quiet.

The silence continued until they parked and reached the private patient suite upstairs. They hadn’t exchanged a single word. Patsasika followed him quietly into the room, where she immediately noticed that the spacious hospital suite now felt markedly cramped.

“Oh, you’ve arrived.”

A woman in her early sixties sat beside her daughter, who was asleep on the hospital bed. She looked at the newcomer with a warm smile. She’s as sweet as Ganthorn described, the woman thought, admiring her daughter’s private nurse.

“This is Nurse Sor—Mook’s nurse, Mother.”

Patsasika bowed to Mrs. Puangyok and greeted the others in the room, whom she assumed to be Boramat’s family members, all of whom were older than her.

“I must ask you to help take care of Mook, dear. I apologize for bothering you so late, but we feared that if Mook was left alone, she might run off. Whenever we ask another nurse to take care of her, she gets upset. She’s only asleep now because the doctor gave her a mild sedative.”

Mrs. Puangyok gently stroked her youngest daughter’s head as she spoke.

“Oh, it’s fine. It’s no trouble at all.”

“Everyone should head back and get some rest now. I’ll take care of things here.”

Boramat said, taking charge as he noticed the visiting hours had already stretched on for quite some time.

“Gan, please take Father and P’Chat back to the hotel, and take Mother and Mee to the condo.”

“Yes, Mr. Matt.”

After a few more exchanges, the family members filed out of the room, leaving Patsasika staring at Boramat in surprise, wondering why he hadn’t left as well. Instead, he sat down in the chair Mrs. Puangyok had occupied just moments ago.

“You’re not going back?”

“No. I’ll stay and keep you company. You can sleep on the sofa tonight—I’ll sit here and keep an eye on Mook.”

“What?!”

Patsasika exclaimed in disbelief. He, keeping watch?

“Really, I think you’d be more comfortable going home to sleep. There’s no need to worry about me; I can manage on my own. I’m quite used to it.”

“When I say something, I mean it.”

“Um… alright, then.”

The young woman obediently settled herself on the soft sofa as he instructed, yet couldn’t help wondering what had made such a stubborn person like Boramat let Mongkutmook stay here, after he’d gone to such great lengths to prepare for her transfer?

“Whatever it is you’re thinking, just ask it outright. No need to sit there knitting your brows in confusion, Nurse Sor.”

“Hm?”

Was her expression really so easy to read?

“Then… may I ask why you decided to let Ms. Mook stay here?”

“Mee—uh, my sister and Mook’s—she called the hospital in Bangkok and canceled everything.”

The tall figure appeared contemplative for a moment before settling into the empty spot on the same sofa as the private nurse.

“And you accepted it so easily?” After all that back-and-forth he’d put her through over this issue, he simply gave in because his sister canceled?

“If it were just Mee, that’d be fine. But my parents agreed with her. They all want Mook to finish her degree first. After that, we’ll see.”

The listener nodded slowly. At least the promise she’d made to Mongkutmook to take her to her exams was still intact.

“In other words, everyone is against me on this.”

“Well, maybe that’s because you think of things in ways others don’t.”

Boramat chuckled under his breath, likely realizing that she was right.

“You probably know by now that my parents are divorced. A month after the split, my father remarried, and Mook became a troubled kid. She decided to study here to avoid seeing anyone in the family.”

“Ms. Mook doesn’t get along with her stepmother, does she?”

“It’s worse than that. Mook can’t accept it at all. My father’s new wife was a nurse who took care of my grandmother before she passed. Mook was very close to P’Chat, and when she felt betrayed, it turned to deep resentment. She’s convinced that P’Chat stole her father’s love.”

So, the nurse that Mongkutmook had said she hated and had painful memories with was her stepmother, huh?

“My father brought P’Chat today, hoping she could help take care of Mook, maybe bridge some understanding. But it was a disaster, like pouring gasoline on a fire.”

“Ms. Mook’s grown up, though. If someone explained things to her carefully, she might understand why her parents split, why her father remarried.”

“What you just said, we’ve all tried. But she’s closed herself off entirely. Mook is intensely attached to our parents—they’re everything to her. She and my mother were always together, and she thought of my father as a hero. Mook never knew the underlying issues between them, not like Mee and I did, and we didn’t want her to.”

Boramat paused briefly, then took a breath before continuing.

“Mook found out about the divorce when she stumbled across the envelope with the signed papers on my father’s desk. She couldn’t handle it—she was like a mental breakdown child. Mook’s sensitive like that. In a way, it’s because we loved her so much…too much, to the point that it’s ended up hurting her.”

Patsasika felt her heartache. Sometimes, too much love… can do harm. For Mongkutmook, the pain of that moment must have felt like an asteroid crashing into her world. The change had come so suddenly, so unexpectedly, and with no time to prepare or brace herself.

“Mook was an unexpected blessing for my parents. My mother got pregnant with her late in life and had health issues then. The doctors advised her to let Mook go to save her own life. But neither my father nor my mother would consider it; even with the risks, they were determined to keep their youngest child. My mother even told me that she was willing to die if it meant Mook would survive. When she was five months along, my mother was hospitalized and bedridden until she delivered Mook at just over seven months.”

Of course, Mook didn’t know any of this—no one had ever told her. The sweet, chubby-cheeked baby girl brought pure joy to the Visarnsakul family and swept away all the sorrow of those long months.

The young nurse noticed a shift in Boramat’s gaze, something softer. At that moment, there was no longer any doubt in her mind that he loved his sister deeply…his eyes couldn’t hide it.

“Mook was tiny, with fair skin and absolutely adorable. She didn’t look like a premature baby at all. Mee gave her the name ‘Mook.’ It was a miracle that she was perfectly healthy, just more prone to colds than most kids because she couldn’t be breastfed. Mook was like a little princess, the light of our family. She grew up wrapped in love, treated with more care than a delicate crystal. Before all this happened, she was so sweet and affectionate.”

Every statement and every word Boramat spoke carried a weight of love, Patsasika thought of it that way…

The only son among three siblings didn’t understand why he was sharing all this with Patsasika, only that he felt relieved to have let it out. If it hadn’t been her sitting with him, would he have said anything about his family at all?

…That was a thought worth pondering.

“I’m sorry for dumping such heavy thoughts on you.”

The young man laughed softly, lightening the atmosphere that had grown too somber. In moments like this, Patsasika found Boramat’s company much more appealing than when he was intense and serious. It would be nice if he stayed this way longer. She was tired of fighting with him.

But wait, staying like this for a long time?

“Are your parents upset that I’ve kept their daughter on as Mook’s private nurse?”

The young woman hadn’t once requested a full day off and had only taken a half-day leave once. Nursing truly was an incredible profession, she thought.

“My parents have passed away.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Thank you. I’m fine.”

The one beside him smiled in a way that showed she really meant it, and Boramat felt relieved.

“So then, maybe it’s your boyfriend who’d be mad at me.”

He ventured casually, though he was pretty sure from all signs that Patsasika was single.

“The only young man in my life is little Tonmai. And he was mad at me too, since I missed our last meetup.”

It had taken some explaining to convince him that she’d had to work and couldn’t make it last Friday, but eventually he’d understood.

“He’s no longer upset now, though.”

“Is Tonmai a relative of yours?” The young businessman waited for an answer, though he only got a kind smile in response. “Sorry, I might be asking too many questions.”

“Oh, no, we’re not related at all. Tonmai’s father leads the EOD[1] team my dad used to be on. My father was a border patrol officer. Back then, we lived in houses next to each other. Tonkao, Tonmai’s older sister, was my first playmate as a child.”

“Tonmai, Tonkao, are there any other ‘Ton’s in the family?”

“Yes, there’s Tonkem too, the middle child.”

“Three siblings, just like in my family. Not lonely but bound to give you a few headaches. You’ve mentioned you’re an only child—did you ever feel lonely?”

“Sometimes, but not really all that much. I grew up in a government housing area with plenty of kids to play with. They were all boys, though—I was the only girl. Whenever we played, it was always some rough game, like cops and robbers or something else boys love. Tonkao was the first girl friend I had.” As she reminisced about those times, she realized how much things had changed. All those boys she grew up with had gone on to build their own lives. Some were teachers, some were police officers, a few worked for private companies, and others started their own businesses.

“Were you and Tonkao close in age?”

“No, she’s younger. We’re almost fourteen years apart. The three Ton kids, I changed each one’s diapers. They feel like my own little siblings.” It struck her as odd that she’d shared so much of her personal life with him, but then again, he once met Trapruek and had told her about his own family too. Consider it a fair exchange of life experiences.

Boramat nodded, recalling how he’d seen her and Trapruek swapping affectionate cheek kisses. He had no doubt they adored each other—and it was probably the same with the other two Ton siblings.

“In my life, there aren’t many people I’m close to. I don’t have any relatives either. My mother passed away a long time ago, and my father died when I started nursing school.”

The young man listened attentively. Living on her own from such a young age had shaped her to be strong, perhaps even a bit fearless.

“My world isn’t very big; in fact, it’s smaller than most of my friends’. It was like that back then, and it’s still the same now. My life is mostly my work. On days off, I’ll read a book at home. I have Tonmai’s family, who have always been very kind to me. But you know what? I… actually feel very happy in this small world of mine.”

“That’s different from me. My world is very big—so big that sometimes I feel it’s too much.” His world spanned thousands of square kilometers, yet he barely knew even a single inchof it well at all.

“But you’re successful in your career.”

“This is the first time I’ve seen you say something so optimistic.” The young man gave a small clap.

“Mr. Matt!”

He was just the same as ever. Just when things were going well, he had to ruin it.

“Can we have just one day where we talk nicely?”

“All right, I’ll stop messing with you for one whole day.”

He rubbed his thick hands together. One day wasn’t so long.

“Go on, tell me more about when you started nursing.”

“Well, I stayed at the college dormitory, but on weekends and during breaks, I’d go help out with the kids. Tonmai’s grandmother…she was so kind to me. That whole family was wonderful to me.”

“So you weren’t lonely.”

The soft tremor in Patsasika’s voice as she spoke of little Tonmai’s family carried with it a deep respect and gratitude. She was living proof for him that even without a complete family, one’s life path need not be a dead end.

“Yes, being around the kids is great. I don’t feel stressed, I get to unwind, and it even makes me feel younger.”

“Then I guess that makes me old, stuck around my work all the time.”

“Oh, you’re not that old. You should be older than me, about...”

Patsasika drew her voice out as she pondered, casting a careful glance at the “not-old” man as if evaluating his age.

“Thirty-five. Is that old?” The young man moved just a bit closer.

“Uh…” The sharp-eyed southern woman felt her breath catch as her sweet face flushed red. Did he have to sit so close to ask a simple question?

“Hmm, how much older am I than you?”

The young woman, who had never been this close to any man other than her father or the young boy, Trapruek, found herself at a loss.

“I think you…”

She was doomed. She couldn't even move. And his eyes, they had this warmth that was melting right through her. Oh, Sor, get it together!

“You’re not old, Mr. Matt. Thirty-five is just right.”

“Just right for what?”

“Well…for everything in life, really. You’ve gotten to a good place in your career and seen the world at the right time.”

“So, to you...I’m not too old,” Boramat leaned even closer, his gaze roving over her delicate features.

Nurse Sor was… unexpectedly charming.

Their eyes locked in a silent spell, like two magnets naturally pulling each other closer. The label of “arch-nemesis” had been left somewhere on the floor next to the sofa, replaced by something that neither of them quite knew how to name. One began to close her eyes, feeling as if her eyelids suddenly weighed tons, while the other stayed transfixed, his gaze lingering on her soft, cherry-tinted lips, inching closer,

… and then, their lips met at last.

Floating, weightless, her body drifted in space—Patsasika felt like that at this moment. Though he only kept his lips gently against hers, she couldn’t deny the truth: they were kissing. A kiss so captivating that her hands lacked the strength to push him away...

Her lack of resistance emboldened the businessman. Where he once thought he craved a fiery intensity, it now felt like that was a complete misconception. Soft, plush lips like these, reminiscent of a delicate sponge cake, were far more appealing. The faint fruity scent of her lip gloss lingered,

…a taste of orange, a sweet citrus flavor.

It could have been moments or hours for all Patsasika knew. When she came back to herself, her lips were free once more, and a heavy silence settled across the VIP patient room. Boramat had retreated to his side of the sofa, sinking back and doing his best to mask his desire for more of that sweet, innocent kiss by assuming a calm and composed expression.

“I’m…sorry.”

“Excuse me?”

“Sorry for kissing you. It was just the atmosphere, you know.”

The nurse felt as though she had been drenched in icy water at zero degrees Celsius, her shock and disbelief freezing her in place. He kissed her because of the ‘atmosphere’? Just like that?

“It won’t happen again.”

Won’t happen again? Hmph! Fighting every desire he had at this moment.

“Yes, it won’t happen again.”

The young woman replied, lowering her gaze. Gathering what little strength she had, she moved to the chair beside Mongkutmook’s bed. At that moment, she couldn’t bear to look at him.

“You take the sofa. I’ll sleep in the car tonight. Take care of Mook for me.”

Patsasika heard the sound of his shoes, then the door opening and closing. The sharp and sweet feature looked over at the door, feeling a swirl of emotion. He’d left, but he’d taken her confidence along with him. When they saw each other again, how could she possibly look him in the eye?

And if he acted like nothing happened…could she bear it?

Boramat drove out to the solar power plant as the first rays of dawn peeked over the horizon. Despite his best attempts to sleep the previous night, he’d barely managed it, his mind turning over thoughts of Patsasika. He’d kissed her, and she hadn’t asked questions or created any scene about it—not like the other women who’d come into his life.

Yes…

Patsasika was unlike anyone else. Unlike anyone he’d ever known.

If she had slapped him, or even berated him, he might have felt better—at least he wouldn’t have been so restless.

His strong arm leaned on the wooden railing outside his second-floor bedroom, his black eyes looking out over the view before him. Beyond lay a grove of premium imported fig trees, which he had planted with his own hands across a three-rai plot. Aside from establishing a local VIS Solar branch here, no one in his family knew he’d also built a compact two-story wooden house tucked in a secluded area. Only Ganthorn and Pongpai knew about it.

The vast solar fields of VIS Solar stretched all the way to the base of the large mountain in the distance. He had made sure his house was nestled in a highly private section of the land. Originally, this area was a rubber plantation, but when he learned that the previous owner wanted to sell, and with his growing disdain for city life, he bought the land on the spot without haggling. The rubber trees were removed, but the other mature trees remained. His plan wasn’t just to convert the area into a field of solar panels or a biomass production test facility—he wanted a place to lay down roots, a retreat to call home for the rest of his life.

This city guy would finally get to become a southern man…

Lost in his thoughts for another half hour, the young man finally went back downstairs, preparing to visit the hospital to check on his younger sister’s antics. By now, Mongkutmook was likely awake—and most probably making her morning statement by refusing to eat breakfast, as usual. And, as fate would have it, she wasn’t alone either. How should he act when he saw his sister’s nurse?

Boramat was just twirling his keys as he reached his car when an SUV came down the dirt path lined with pink-and-white bougainvillea bushes, pulling to a halt in front of the wooden-winged house.

“I’ve dropped off Mr. Putch, Mrs. Puangyok, Ms. Mee, and Mrs. Chat at the airport, sir. Pong will meet them at Suvarnabhumi Airport,” Ganthorn reported as he hopped out of the car.

“Good, thanks.”

“All in a day’s work, sir.”

“Heading to the hospital, sir? I can drive you,” the young man offered, noting how his boss’s face seemed far from refreshed, as if he hadn’t slept a wink.

“You know I like to drive myself. Go and check things over at the plant for me today.”

“Yes, sir.”

Boramat climbed into his car, and Ganthorn closed the door for him. Just as he was about to start the engine, he lowered the window, suddenly posing a question that left his assistant puzzled.

“Hey, you ever kissed a woman without realizing it?”

“Without realizing? What exactly do you mean, Mr. Matt?”

The thick palm smacked his forehead. Wrong person to ask—Gan lived like a monk. What would he know about this? He’d have to call Pong instead.

“Never mind. Get back to work.”

“Oh, by the way, Mr. Matt. One of our engineers who manages the power plant system—his wife just built a beachfront resort. It’s brand new and will be having its grand opening in two weeks. They’re inviting you to attend. Will you go?”

“Hmm… I’ll think about it.”

“Well, thinking about it won’t work this time, sir. I already accepted the invitation on your behalf.”

“Damn you, Gan!” Boramat shook his head. He’d already confirmed it on his behalf, and then asked him after the fact? This guy!

[1] EOD stands for Explosive Ordnance Disposal, referring to the bomb disposal unit. In the context of the southern border provinces, where peace is often interrupted, bomb threats are frequently reported. When a bomb fails to detonate or remains active, the EOD team is responsible for safely retrieving and disposing of the explosive devices. The philosophy of EOD work centers around four core principles: ensuring the safety of both the bomb disposal personnel and the public, preserving property, maintaining evidence in a condition suitable for prosecuting criminals, and allowing the community to continue with daily life uninterrupted.