Melted: A MaxTul AU story

Four: The Tour

Max knew that he should be paying more attention to his tour guide. She was very friendly, and all the questions he had sent in when he had arranged the tour, she was answering. She was even showing him things that hadn't been on his list. At least, he thought, he was paying attention enough to know that she was thoughtful and thorough, but his mind kept wandering back to Tul Pakorn.

He glanced at his phone to make sure it was still recording. Minimally, he would be able to listen to the recording for the things he missed. He nodded at her and took another picture, hoping she would not realize that he did not know what she had just said.

Tul Pakorn. Max couldn't figure out the deal with that man. For example, he had expected the tour guide to look annoyed or at least flustered when he showed up, but she hadn't, and he's pretty sure it was all because of Tul. Arriving late is one thing. Arriving late while being shepherded by Tul Pakorn himself was another thing all together.

When they arrived, his tour guide (was her name View?) didn't seem to know where to look. When she looked at Tul, her face when from blushing to pale and back to blushing again, revealing to Max that she, like several of the other employees they had passed on their way, must be harboring a crush on the Pakorn heir.

He didn't blame her really. Tul Pakorn was incredibly handsome with the kind of hair that your fingers could get lost in and a way of moving that told a person he was in very good shape. He had honey kissed skin as if he was exfoliating every day and using exactly the right amount of moisturizers. Though his eyes when he had led Max to the front desk were distant and blank, Max vividly remembered how they looked when he had been injured (worried, soft, and warm) and when he had grasped his head earlier (angry, protective, and warm).

So though, Tul Pakorn exuded the aura of every single cold CEO from the dramas on television, to Max, the predominant feeling he got from Tul was that of warmth. He chuckled a bit to himself, stopping abruptly when his tour guide raised her eyebrows at him. Fixing his face into what he hoped was an "I'm definitely concentrating on what you have to say" look, Max's mind drifted back to Tul Pakorn. The director had presented a puzzle.

The staff they met—even Tul's own team—seemed wary of him as if they were preparing to be scolded. He talked to them in clipped tones like someone who expected to be listened too, but also as if he expected his listeners were never going to like what he had to say, so there was a hint of combativeness.

Tul had briskly insisted on going with Max to the lobby where he was supposed to meet the staff member assigned to give the company tour. Tul even had Wanna call ahead to make sure the guide knew they were going to be late. Thus, though his tone was cold, the action was very kind, something that had clearly surprised the team. But then in the elevator, Tul only said one thing to Max and remained silent the rest of the way.

Actually, the more he thought about it, the more Tul did seem like a drama hero, cold on the outside but a coldness developed because he had been scarred by something. Was he just waiting for the plucky heroine to come along? Max smiled again at View (he was pretty sure it was View), his tour guide. Did she hope to be that heroine?

Max's attention was caught by a particular department display of projects which brought him back to the task at hand, but once they moved on, his thoughts went back to his encounter with Tul from when the director had first entered Team 2's office suite.

"What are you doing? Why aren't you still in the clinic if you are still in so much pain?"

The room that had quieted down when Max had grabbed his head went completely silent. Both Wanna and Sukrit had reached out to help him, but at a look from Tul, their hands had dropped down, and Wanna's eyes had been promptly directed to the floor. The temperature in the room seemed to drop.