Prime Minister's Son

Chapter 8: I only have Eyes on You

Tine's POV

I got dressed on the day of the Youth Summit in the clothes Sammy had already picked out for me. The theme was business casuals, perfect for the new rack of designer clothes that had recently been delivered to me. But wearing a blazer which costs more than the tuition fees of the college I am going to today wouldn't just be insensitive, it would also make me seem detached from the rest of the country. So, I asked Sammy to pick up clothes from Zara and some new Indie designers instead.

"Oh you are ready?"

"Yes Sammy, and I would have appreciated a simple knock on the door"

"Sure. We can try that next time, how about that?

Now. Here is the agenda for today — You'll go there with Sarawat, wave to the crowd of students, meet the director and professors, and then give the speech you already have prepared. There will be a small QA session with the students after this. Just students, no press or the college staff, but these are kids with smartphones, and many of them will be livestreaming, so make sure you are extra careful."

"Understood" I pinned my cufflinks and adjusted them. "What about the QA questions? Did we vet them already?"

"Yes, we already vetted them. And there will be some members of the PR team there as well to manage the whole thing and make sure there are no problems."

"How many security guards?"

"Five"

"Three"

"Tine, there will be a lot of crowd there"

"Mil can manage it well and I am sure Sarawat's security will be there as well. Last time, we had over a dozen security guards between me and Sarawat. People might not have noticed it at the hospital, but seeing me around so many guards at a college full of young students will only raise questions about where the tax payers' money is being spent."

Sammy took a deep breath. I knew I had convinced her. I was right, after all. "Okay, but we'll keep some guards on stand by just in case."

"Sounds good to me"

When I reached the university, Sarawat was already there, waiting for me at the backside, wearing a very beautiful khaki blazer. Did I just say his clothes were beautiful? No scratch that. They were just nice. That's all.

"Good morning, Tine"

"Good morning to you too"

"Let's go on the stage, shall we?

Straight to the point, no small talk. He wasn't even trying to smile. I guess I had seen a small part of Sarawat's true self and now it was all gone. May be I was a bit disappointed but I didn't want him to know.

"Yes, let's go"

We went on the stage to meet the directors and heads of the college, and I was called out for my speech. I could see Sarawat smiling at me, which to the rest of the world may just look like, someone who was proud of their friend. But not to me. I knew how fake his smile was, and he was only doing it for the cameras and the people watching him.

By the time it was the turn for the QA session, I was already done with the whole day and I just wanted to leave already. Luckily the questions were already pre-vetted, all I had to do was to give out answers I already had. The PR team was handling the crowd and giving mic to each student, one by one

Student 1: The question is for Tine. Did you always know you wanted to get into law?

"Absolutely not. I wanted to be an astronaut when I was five. Then, when I was 14, I thought I could be a rockstar. As you can see, it didn't really work out.But jokes aside, studying law came naturally to me since both mom and dad were into politics. We would discuss government bills during dinner and how they could change the whole country. I decided to study law when I realised how much power it had. We always need good lawyers on both sides of the court to keep our constitution in check.

Student 2: This question is for Sarawat. Did you ever feel like you were thrusted into the business world with no other option?

"Its an honor to be a part of this wonderful company which has been built by the incredible employees who spend day and night performing their best work. I wouldn't trade it for the world"

Lies. Sarawat was lying through his teeth and pretending like he meant it all

Student 3: Tine, do you wish to go into politics like your parents?

"No, I am too young to even be thinking about it." I tried to give my most genuine laugh that I could "I just want to use my education and my position to make this country a better place for everyone. I am a lawyer and that's all I want to be, for now"

Student 4: Hi Sarawat, will you be the next CEO of Gun Industries ?

"My grandfather is doing an amazing job heading the company right now and I still have a lot to learn. The next successor of Guntithanon industries will be decided by my grandfather only and I will completely respect his decision"

Suddenly, a girl stood up. She didn't have a mic. She was just ready to speak out and I knew then that this whole thing was going to go sideways. "Tine, Why did you you ruin Phukong's cake?" — She yelled looking right at me and caught everyone's attention.

The PR staff was running towards her. But it was too late. Everyone had already heard her question, a lot of the students were taking a video, and many of them might even be livestreaming. There was no room for mistakes, I had to think before I answered.

But before I even picked up my mic, Sarawat spoke up with his signature smile. "Tine says its a mistake but I think its just because he wanted to eat the whole damn cake by himself. We did actually eat a lot of that cake together and Tine ended up getting Phukong an even bigger cake the next day to apologize. What's your name by the way? I definitely need to tell Phukong that a pretty girl was asking about him"

Sarawat chatted with the girl a bit and defused the whole situation without anything going too wrong. But the PR staff got so scared that they decided to cut down the rest of the QA session and we soon got off stage.

We were taken towards the back exit so we could leave easily without getting hounded by more people. There were still a handful of guards around us and Sarawat was walking right by side.

"Thanks for saving me out there. That could have easily taken a bad turn." I whispered because I didn't want anyone else to hear us. Not because it was confidential, but because I wanted some things to stay just between us.

"Its okay. Buy me lunch and we are even. There is a really nice burger joint near the university" he whispered back

"Sarawat, in case you forgot, we aren't the kind of people who can just go to a burger joint when we feel like"

"Why not?"

"Have you may be failed to notice a dozen security guards around us and tens of paparazzi outside who all have eyes on us?"

"Are there?" He stopped suddenly, moved closer and stared into my eyes. "When I look at you, I only have eyes on you. I can't seem to notice anything else"

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A/N: Next chapter, Sarawat and Tine go on a lunch date and it will be one of the sweetest chapters of this story. Very excited about writing it

And sorry for not being able to respond back to your messages and comments. I have had crippling anxiety and panic attacks this week. Writing is the only thing that keeps my sanity in check. Hoping tomorrow will be a better day ❤️