Ah Si rubbed Shancai's back and ran his fingers through her hair. Shancai pulled away to wipe the tears from her face. She looked up at Ah Si and let out a big sigh. "Sorry, I've been really emotional since...I found out what happened...and Xiao Zi begging me to give you up."
Shancai's face fell as she thought back to that moment. "Is it wrong of me to distrust Xiao Zi despite what she's done for me and Ah Si to be together?" She thought to herself, feeling somewhat guilty. The thought of being around Xiao Zi made her feel uneasy.
Ah Si's face grew grim and he looked away for a brief moment, then brought his eyes back to Shancai's. "I'm sorry you had to go through that. I should have been able to protect you..." Ah Si trailed off and dropped his gaze.
This wasn't the first time that he'd felt ashamed over being unable to protect Shancai. He stupidly believed that his mother would eventually cave in to accepting their relationship, but she never did. This entire situation could have been avoided if he'd just given his mother the preliminary research regarding Embrace Your Dreams. But he wanted to prove a point by marrying Shancai first.
Ah Si's mouth twitched at the thought. He was disappointed in himself. And he was furious with Xiao Zi. "Lei was right, she takes advantage of every situation with her ulterior motives." Ah Si thought to himself, wondering how and when he could broach the subject with Shancai, without causing too much trouble.
He looked down at her beautiful, concerned face. "Later," he told himself with a small nod. "Much later."
Shancai brought her hand up to cup Ah Si's face. "It's okay, it's okay...We're both at fault for never coming up with a plan." She tugged on his chin, forcing him to look into her eyes. "Stop beating yourself up over this."
Ah Si stared into Shancai's eyes, finding nothing but acceptance and conviction. She wouldn't allow him to hold onto the disappointment he felt. His face relaxed as he began to study Shancai's face. She let go of his chin and smiled.
Ah Si wrinkled his brows and ran his hands up and down her back, lost in thought.
"Hey," Shancai interrupted his thoughts. "What's on your mind?" She reached up and pressed a finger between his eyebrows, forcing Ah Si to relax his face.
"I almost lost you." Ah Si's eyes became red and he tightened his lips. "I won't make the same mistakes again," he promised.
Shancai pulled him close and gave him a big hug, rubbing her cheek against his chest. "I'll always be by your side," Shancai vowed, squeezing him gently.
Ah Si brought one hand up to cup the back of her head, and kept the other around her waist, then began to rock her back and forth in his embrace. He felt as if they were on an emotional roller coaster that kept spiraling them off track. "Is this the end of this crazy ride? Can we get off and walk away with a smile?" He wondered.
Shancai suddenly pulled away to look up at Ah Si, a startled look upon her face. "Have you spoken to your mother?" She searched his eyes, suddenly feeling panicked.
Ah Si pressed his lips together and looked away briefly before meeting her gaze again. "No, I woke up to the room full of these," he gestured towards the food carts. "I haven't seen anyone other than you Lei, Ximen and Mei Zuo." He hummed and clucked his tongue. "It's probably for the best. I don't want to talk to her right now," he pulled Shancai closer. "I just want to spend time with you," he gave her a bittersweet smile. "Shancai, I've missed you."
Shancai pushed past her panicked feeling and focused on Ah Si and this moment. "I've missed you, too," she smiled up at Ah Si. "A lot."
Ah Si grinned and arched an eyebrow, his expression changing from bittersweet to cocky. "Of course you did! How could you not?" He pulled a hand away to do his signature move – he rubbed the bottom of his nose, tilted his head to the side, and grinned so hard he felt as if his lips were going to fall off.
Shancai balled up a fist and hit him once on the chest. "Hey!" She gave him an indignant look.
Ah Si grabbed his chest, feigning pain. "What'd you do that for?!" He squinted his eyes and sucked on his teeth.
Shancai looked up at Ah Si, unable to hide her grin. "You idiot," she laughed, rubbing his chest.
Ah Si grinned, content with her reaction, and studied her face. His grin slowly faded and his head began to lower towards her. Shancai's laughter trailed off and she gulped, Ah Si's face inches away from hers.
"Ah Si..." she murmured his name, her pupils dilating.
Ah Si rubbed his lips against hers once, then twice, before tilting his head to the side. He poured his heart into the kiss. After a few moments, he pulled back and smiled. He knew that if he kept going he wouldn't be able to stop. Shancai had that one particular look on her face that enticed him to no end.
Ah Si dragged a hair through his hair and looked away, suddenly feeling self-conscious. He cleared his throat and glanced at Shancai out of the corner of his eyes. "Sh...Shancai! Are you still tired?"
Shancai was quietly staring up at Ah Si. He quickly averted his gaze and cleared his throat again. "Well? Are you tired?" He questioned her, his arms still loosely wrapped around her. Suddenly, the artwork on his wall was the most interesting thing he'd ever seen.
"Yes, but I don't want to sleep," Shancai finally responded. She backed out of his embrace and grabbed his hand, lacing her fingers through his.
Surprised by her movement, Ah Si looked away from the painting. His gaze was now fixed on their joined hands then back to Shancai's face. "Wh...what do you want to do?" Ah Si's eyes widened as he felt Shancai's grip on his hand tighten.
She began to pull Ah Si towards the sofa. "I want to do something we've never done before." She briefly turned her head to smile sweetly at Ah Si, then continued to drag him towards the sofa.
Ah Si's feet stopped working. His heart skipped a beat and he stood still. "Something we've never done before," Ah Si whispered to himself, hardly able to contain his excitement. His mind was flooded with images of Shancai.
Shancai turned back to Ah Si and frowned. "Hey, what are you doing? Come on," she demanded, tugging on his hand. He stared at Shancai with a dreamy look on his face. Shancai waved her hand in front of his face. Ah Si couldn't see or move. He was frozen in time, lost in thought. She snapped her fingers in front of his face then rolled her eyes at his lack of response.
"DAO. MING. SI." Shancai raised her voice and began to pull on his hand as hard as she could. Nothing changed. Shancai slapped Ah Si's hand.
Ah Si's shoulders jerked. "Something we've never done before?!" He exclaimed this time, loud enough for Shancai to hear. A grin spread across his face as he met her gaze, an expectant look in his eye.
Shancai rolled her eyes again, the corners of her mouth turning up as a smile crept along her face. She couldn't contain her amusement. She tugged on Ah Si's hand once more, his upper body jerked forward and he began to follow her this time.
"Something...we've never done before!" Ah Si said again and this time you could hear the smile and excitement in his voice. Shancai guided Ah Si, placing him in front of the sofa. She gave him a small shove and watched as he plopped down, the dopey grin still in place. She covered her mouth to muffle the sudden giggling she was unable to contain.
Ah Si rested his hands on his lap, still in a daze. He looked like a little grade school boy waiting to be rewarded.
"Dao Ming Si," Shancai managed to get out in between giggles. She had one hand against her mouth and the other held her stomach as she doubled over laughing at Ah Si's expression and actions.
Ah Si snapped to attention upon hearing his name again. He shook his head as if to clear his thoughts and blinked rapidly, pursing his lips. "Oh? Oh. What's so funny?" He looked everywhere but at Shancai's face.
Shancai cleared her throat and calmed herself down. "It's nothing," she replied and came over to sit next to Ah Si. He looked at her sideways and watched her scoot closer, sitting directly next to him. Thigh to thigh. Ah Si swallowed once and tapped his fingers together. Shancai shook her head at him, unable to hide her smile. "I'm still learning all of the different sides of Ah Si. Shy Ah Si...I'm beginning to like this one the most." She thought to herself.
She linked her arm through his and pulled herself closer. "I know you have a lot of questions about everything that happened, but can we save it for another time?" Shancai placed her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes for a moment. "Please?"
Ah Si looked down at Shancai, the shyness fading away into concern. His brows creased and he brought his other hand up to rub Shancai's head. "Of course." Ah Si leaned his head against hers and closed his eyes. They stayed that way for a while before Shancai spoke up.
"Dao Ming Si, thank you," she murmured. "I feel like I'm always thanking you." Shancai patted his thigh and moved her head slightly, to let him know she wanted to lift it. Ah Si pulled his head away and smiled down at her.
"I've saved your life so many times, you should thank me on a daily basis." He grinned and squinted his eyes, a cocky look creeping across his face.
Shancai slapped his thigh then smiled back at him. "Dao Ming Si, my life's savior." She arched an eyebrow at him and shoved her shoulder against his. "How's that?"
Ah Si's smile grew and he laughed, then pointed at her. "I like the sound of that." He shoved her back and shook his grinning face in her direction.
Suddenly, Ah Si yanked on their linked arms. "Tsk. Hey!" He gave her a stern look. "What's the 'something we've never done before'?" He asked as an indignant look spread across his face.
Shancai did her best to keep a straight face. "Oh. I want to cuddle and watch TV with you," she murmured, looking up at him innocently.
Ah Si's eyes widened at her expression and he took a deep breath. He nodded once. Then again. "Good, good. Okay. Good." He spoke quickly, blinking rapidly.
Looking down at her expression, he was unable to be disappointed with her response. He moved his arm, pulling her closer, then lowered his forearm keeping his palm facing upwards. Shancai looked down and brought her hand to his. Ah Si held onto her hand and brought their linked hands up to his face for a kiss. Shancai smiled up at him sweetly. He returned her smile and lowered their hands, resting them on his thigh. Ah Si sighed and relaxed back into the sofa. He no longer felt on edge and wasn't worried about the past nor the future. He focused on this moment with Shancai. He met her gaze and nodded.
"Let's do it," he suggested then cleared his throat. "Wa-watch TV," he stuttered. He looked away and tried to gather his scattered thoughts. His mind was in the gutter again and Shancai's face was to blame.
Note: Just a little "fluff" update - I will add more to this chapter later this week. My schedule has been insane and I haven't had time to write. But I have so many ideas and I'm excited to continue. I took a poll on Twitter (xLudakrista) to see what you guys wanted to read, and most of you are indifferent - allowing my creative juices to flow. :)
For those of you asking if I will continue this story the answer is: Yes. I want to officially end it with their wedding. However, I may add chapters regarding their honeymoon and married life. If not, those chapters will be added to "What Could Have Been."
Thank you for all of the reviews and kind comments. I have been overwhelmed with your encouragement and kind words. Thank you so much!
Note: (10/1/18) Just another fluffy addition for you guys as I finish the next chapter for this coming week. Thank you for all of the reviews! You guys have been very helpful and amazing! I'm glad to see so many people feel the same way I've felt about certain scenes or lack thereof.