Wannida sat on the back seat of the Honda scooter, her right arm wrapped firmly around Rahul's solid waist, her cheek resting gently against his back.
At this moment, her face was still deeply flushed. It was hard to tell if the redness was from running wildly down the beach under the hot sun, or if Rahul's earlier, tender gesture of cleaning her feet had stirred an unprecedented, chaotic feeling in her heart.
Regardless, Wannida looked at the camera in her hands with a bright, sweet smile. Even the salty sea breeze blowing in from the Gulf of Thailand felt sweet to her right now.
Arriving near the bustling, vibrant Jomtien Beach, Rahul parked the scooter in front of a highly-rated, authentic Indian restaurant called The Spice Route.
Wannida jumped off the scooter and asked Rahul excitedly: "Rahul, what are you taking me to eat?"
Rahul gently unbuckled her pink helmet and pointed at the restaurant. "I'm taking you to eat authentic Indian spices."
Wannida's eyes lit up the moment she heard that.
In recent years, rich, complex Indian curries and tandoori dishes had become a massive viral trend on Thai TikTok, becoming a favorite 'foodie challenge' among young people in Bangkok. Because she had been on a strict trainee diet to maintain her idol figure, Wannida had always wanted to try the legendary spicy Indian food, but she had never dared to risk the calories or the heat.
This time, Rahul was actually taking her to eat the food she had been secretly longing for, filling her heart with excitement.
Following Rahul quickly into the richly decorated restaurant, Wannida took a seat while Rahul smoothly ordered in Hindi. He ordered a spread: Butter Chicken, spicy Mutton Rogan Josh, Dal Makhani, Garlic Naan, and a cooling cucumber Raita.
While waiting for the food, Wannida looked exactly like an impatient little kid waiting for a birthday feast, her large eyes full of anticipation.
As the copper bowls were served one by one, Wannida inhaled the rich, complex aroma of the toasted spices and swallowed her saliva adorably.
"Rahul, can I eat now?"
"Go ahead! Just be careful, the Mutton is spicy."
As soon as he finished speaking, Wannida eagerly scooped a piece of the red Mutton Rogan Josh with a piece of naan and popped it into her mouth.
"Ah! So hot! Spicy, spicy~" she fanned her mouth with her hand.
"Slow down, slow down," Rahul chuckled. He picked up a glass of sweet Mango Lassi, gentlemanly wiped the condensation off, and handed it over.
Wannida took a massive gulp of the thick yogurt drink to cool the burn. A novel, explosive wave of flavor she had never experienced before filled her mouth.
"Wow! It's so delicious!"
"How can Indian food be so tasty?!"
"Rahul, I want to try this one too!"
Saying this, Wannida reached for the rich Butter Chicken.
Another burst of joyful, happy exclamations rang out from their table, and a look of profound, satisfied happiness settled on Wannida's face. Seeing her so easily pleased, Rahul felt his own mood lighten significantly.
What a simple, pure girl, he thought. So easily satisfied by a single meal. He wondered what she would become after struggling in the ruthless meat grinder of the entertainment industry, and if she would still retain this simple innocence.
After they finished eating, Rahul went to the counter to pay the bill.
When Wannida saw the bill was around 1,800 Thai Baht (₹4,000), she immediately took a wad of cash out of her small leather bag. She insisted on splitting the bill with him no matter what.
Rahul, who had a Crore sitting in his bank account, naturally didn't care about such a small amount of money and sternly refused her request. This made the young girl pout her spice-reddened lips in a bit of adorable anger.
"Rahul, thank you for bringing me to eat such delicious food!" she huffed, putting her money away. "But since you treated me to dinner, you have to let me treat you to coffee! It's only fair!"
Rahul agreed immediately, "Sure, no problem. But fair warning, I'm ordering the most expensive coffee on the menu!"
Wannida laughed instantly, her eyes curving into sweet crescents. "Okay, okay!"
After Rahul returned the rented scooter, Wannida took the initiative to hold his hand. The two walked together down the bustling promenade toward the quieter, tourist-heavy section of Jomtien Beach.
Along the way, Wannida became an absolute chatterbox, firing questions at Rahul incessantly. It was as if she possessed an infinite, burning curiosity about everything regarding his life in India, his travels, and his vlogging.
It wasn't until they entered an open-air, bohemian-style beach cafe that Wannida finally stopped her interrogation.
Rahul chose a round, plush rattan booth right near the sand. The white linen fabric hanging from the thatched roof fluttered in the sea breeze, creating a strong, romantic ambiance. On a small wooden platform standing by the sea, a local Pattaya acoustic band was playing soothing covers of pop songs. The atmosphere of the entire cafe made one's body and mind feel incredibly relaxed.
After ordering two expensive iced lattes, Wannida's curiosity fired up again.
"Rahul, you mentioned to Sister Pa yesterday that you can sing. Is it true? Are you good?"
Rahul sighed with a smile. "Little friend, why do you have so many questions?"
"Oh, just tell me!"
Wannida scooted closer, sitting right next to Rahul on the rattan sofa. She grabbed his arm, leaning her weight against him, acting incredibly spoiled. With a girl whose looks and voice were both so overwhelmingly sweet grabbing his arm, any normal man would be completely unable to resist.
"I mainly know how to sing classic Hindi songs," Rahul said.
"Indian songs are all so good! Many people in Thailand use Bollywood music for their TikTok trends!" Wannida said excitedly. "Unfortunately, my pronunciation is terrible, so it always sounds weird when I try to sing them."
"Rahul, I want to hear you sing, okay? If you sing well... I'll give you a special reward!" Wannida pouted her small mouth, her big, doe-like eyes staring at him expectantly.
Rahul also wanted to test exactly what level the [Music Mastery] skill he had bought from the System was at. As for the 'special reward,' Rahul didn't really care; he just wanted the content.
Thinking of this, Rahul agreed. "Alright, I'll sing one. What kind of song do you want to hear?"
Wannida looked thoughtful, then her eyes suddenly widened. "I want to hear a really romantic, soulful Indian love song!"
Rahul thought for a moment and knew the perfect track.
He reached out and signaled a passing waiter. "Excuse me, how much does it cost to go up to that stage and sing a song for my friend?"
The waiter was stunned for a moment, then politely refused. "I'm sorry, sir. That stage is strictly for our contracted professional singers and is not open to the public. We need to maintain a high standard of musical performance for the guests."
Although the waiter spoke very tactfully, both Rahul and Wannida could hear the underlying meaning: He was worried that if some random tourist started wailing out of tune, it would drive the paying customers away.
Hearing this, Wannida stood up directly. She pulled down her sunglasses.
When the waiter saw Wannida's face clearly, his eyes widened into saucers!
"You are... you are Wannida! The singer from SGE!" he gasped. "I voted for you on the show!"
Wannida first gave the waiter a practiced, professional idol smile, then pointed at Rahul. "He is a very good friend of mine, and his singing is absolutely professional! Let him go on stage to sing one song, and as a thank you, I'll go up and sing a song for the cafe for free right after. How about that?"
Upon hearing this incredible offer, the waiter didn't even have to think. He agreed immediately and ran to get the manager. This was Wannida! Even if her Indian friend sang terribly, so what? Having a rising pop idol perform a free, impromptu set in their cafe would bring in massive crowds!
The cafe owner, having heard the waiter's frantic report, rushed over and immediately led Wannida and Rahul to the stage, politely signaling the current acoustic duo to take a break.
The live music stopped abruptly, and the dozens of tourists who were enjoying their coffee and the sunset immediately let out displeased groans.
"What's going on? Why did the band stop?"
"Is the set over already?"
Hearing the displeased voices of the customers around him, the owner's mood became extremely nervous. Watching Rahul take the microphone and step onto the center of the stage, he couldn't help but hold his breath.
For the sake of having Wannida sing in my shop, I'm risking it all! the owner prayed internally. Please, sir, do not start wailing like a dying cat!
Rahul calmly connected his phone to the stage's sound system via Bluetooth, handed his DJI camera to Wannida to film him, and adjusted the microphone stand.
He selected the instrumental track for the incredibly soulful, romantic Bollywood classic, "Tum Hi Ho." As the melancholic, beautiful piano intro began to play over the cafe's speakers, a gentle breeze happened to blow in from the sea, causing the white linen around the cafe to flutter cinematically.
Wannida stood right below the stage, holding the camera, her eyes fixed intently on Rahul.