A Little Bird in a Wooden Cage

“Will you be my girlfriend?”
Tontrakarn said, taking a big gulp from his milk tea thermos. Paksasawan glanced at the tall man standing with one hand on his hip, the other holding his drink, under the shade of a tree.
This guy…
“No, I don’t like responsibilities.”
“What kind of responsibilities… Is it called a commitment?”
“That’s it. I don’t want to be a bird in a gilded cage.” Paksasawan shrugged.
“Having an owner, having a boyfriend, is like having a cage around me.”
“You’re wrong. If you’re my girlfriend, you’ll be in a wooden cage with widely spaced bars. You can fly wherever you want. I only ask one thing: no matter where you go, let me be your home, the last place you’ll ever return to.”
That firm voice made the young woman turn to look at him. She saw him already looking at her.
“A wooden cage? A gilded cage can also have widely spaced bars.”
“Yes… Oh… a gilded cage is too expensive. How much is gold per gram? A wooden cage will do. It’s more economical.”
The man in front of her grinned.
“…” The young woman looked at him, one beautiful eyebrow raised. “Are you serious?”
“Very much so. If you don’t believe me…”
Tontrakarn grabbed the young woman’s small hand and placed it against his left chest.
“What do you think? My heart’s beating so fast. Do you think I’m joking? I’m so excited and nervous, Paksasawan!”
“Deputy Tontrakarn,” the woman pulled her hand away, but he held on tightly. She frowned.
“You’re asking me to be your girlfriend, saying you like me, just because of those rumors, right? If so, it’s not necessary at all. It…”
“Do I look like a good-natured hero who would take responsibility for the reputation of a woman he doesn’t love by asking her to be his girlfriend?”
“Not at all. You’re way from a good-natured hero.”
He replied just as bluntly.
“That’s right. I think I like you. A unique woman with a raw charm like you is rare. Shall we try dating?”
“People will just believe everything I did to you!” Paksasawan rolled her eyes.
“This isn’t helping, it’s adding insult to injury. It’s like fanning the flames.”
“Hey… I really like you.”
“Yeah, so what? Do I have to like you back? Crazy! I’m not doing that!” the woman hissed. “Let go of my hand.”
“Your cheeks are red.”
“It’s hot.”
​​“But it was only 19 degrees this morning,”
the young man argued, and Paksa Sawan glared at him again. “Let go of my hand. This is work time!”
“No, it’s only 12:55. It’s break time, not work time,”
Tontrakarn said with a teasing smile. “Tell me, do you agree to be my girlfriend?”
“Ugh!” Paksa Sawan cried, then finally managed to pull her hand away before glaring at him. “Okay… we can be together.”
The young man’s eyes widened, a smirk playing on his lips. “Really? We’ll really be together, Nok?”
“Okay, let’s be together,” the woman sighed, maintaining a neutral expression.
“But let me warn you, if we’re together, don’t you dare be a flirt, or you’ll end up alone.”
“Wait…””What? I have to drink from under the elbow? Isn’t it women who have to drink from under the elbow?” The man, grinning widely and showing his clean white teeth, raised an eyebrow in confusion.
“My elbow, that’s where. If you ever flirt, you’ll get an elbow strike.”
“…The young man paused, looking at the woman who claimed she didn’t want to be in a relationship, who was unwilling to be in a relationship, then narrowed his eyes at her.
“Are you sure you’re not really willing to be in a relationship with me?”

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