More to You ✔

Chapter 41 - Pool Party Part 2 (Mitch)

Prae picked at her food without taking a bite as Shawn took off. "The decorations look nice. Tom mentioned you and Maria made them."

"Have to give her most of the credit. She had the photos and great ideas." When she continued to play with her food, Mitch asked, "Want to check them out?" It would put their backs to the happy couple, where Prae's flickering gaze kept landing.

"Sure."

They checked out the various photos, and he led her to the section where the pictures of her, Maria, and Emma would be. She started laughing when she spotted one of the karaoke shots and sighed at one of her and the girls dressed in traditional Thai outfits for the Loy Krathong celebrations.

She studied the other images he'd pulled from his past trips with Shawn, Sunshine, and others to Indonesia, the Philippines, India, and Malaysia. "You've visited such beautiful places."

"They're pretty incredible." But if New Year's had taught him anything, it was the company more than the destination that made the trip. Without Sunshine, Dan, and Shawn, those memories wouldn't stand out as much.

"What are these?" Prae clutched an envelope of photos. His reminiscing robbed him of the opportunity to dismiss them with a lie. Her eyes widened as she flipped through them and her gaze flickered to Tom. "Are these Maria's pictures?"

"No, I printed those by accident." They were the Wat Arun shots from his phone where Maria had entertained the idea of them being closer despite her ex's presence still lingering. He'd hung the ones where she was alone at the temple, but couldn't resist the urge to print a few of them together. He'd gotten distracted and forgotten to bring them to his apartment. "We took those months ago."

"You both look so happy."

"I was, and she was terrified to venture down those stairs again." And of her ex finding those pictures anywhere and trying to assassinate her image. Why couldn't he have appreciated the effort and risk those moments he took for granted had elicited? Past Mitch was a self-centred dick.

Prae studied him with a slight smile on her lips. He raised an eyebrow.

"She's very lucky."

"Maybe for the past couple weeks, but overall she's had some pretty shit luck." Mitch hadn't helped by giving her hope and kicking her when she was down with his miserable moods.

"I suppose you're right." Prae's tone fell.

Wasn't he supposed to be cheering her up? Instead, he was piling on the guilt. "Maria mentioned you had some bad luck over the New Year."

Prae tensed. "What did she say?"

"You had your own jerk to deal with."

"It wasn't only that."

"What else happened?" His eyes flickered to a photo of Tom and Maria at Prae's home.

"You wouldn't understand."

In the image, Tom had his arm wrapped around Maria, but the most devastating part was that her smile confirmed Tom was the right guy. "I might surprise you."

"It's not important."

"Is this kreng jai?" he asked. The Thai habit of concealing one's true feelings to consider others and avoid making them uncomfortable was familiar enough to him.

"You know kreng jai?"

He nodded. "I know I come off as an ignorant asshole, but I respect the country enough to learn about its culture. If you're worried about someone overhearing, I understand Thai well too."