Oh my goodness, I can not believe the how long it's been since I updated this story... or any of my stories, honestly speaking!
I just want to say that I'm dreadfully sorry to anyone I've left hanging since my last update. Real life just picks up when you least expect it, and I literally had no time to be banging out thousand-word chapters, regardless of how much I wanted to! But, for what it's worth, I want everyone to know that I've received every single review that was left for this story, and all the others as well, and those reviews are what motivated me to continue on with this fanfic! I know it's been much longer since I updated Finally Found You, and I promise that you'll receive more word on that later. But for now, I want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart for patiently sticking with me and for all your reviews and support. I'm deeply moved by them all, and I hope to not abandon you again the way I've done! And rest assured, I plan to stay alive long enough to complete this story, so I won't leave you hanging forever!
And so, after a MASSIVELY long hiatus, here is Chapter 7!
Enjoy!
Da Qiao stood rooted to the spot, still staring after Xun even though he was already out of sight. Her face hot with tears, she wiped her cheek with her sleeve, trying to mask her sobs. She knew that she was standing right in the middle of Chef Sun's restaurant and the maid-cafe, and it wouldn't do to make a scene, but watching Xun leave, combined with everything else that had happened so far, so fast, was making it impossible for her to pull herself together.
Da took a deep, shuddering breath, shutting her eyes as she mopped her other cheek. Nothing could possibly make this day worse.
"Da?"
Her eyes snapped open.
The voice sounded out of breath, worried, and all too gut-wrenchingly familiar.
Oh, no.
With great effort, Da turned to see Sun Ce jogging up the corner. He was panting, as though he'd run a long way. Concern was etched in his face as he came towards her.
"Hey," he started, then he drew closer and saw her face. "Hey," he said again, looking alarmed now. "Oh, hey..."
Ce closed the distance between them and automatically lifted her face in his hand, trying to meet her gaze. Da averted his eyes, feeling disoriented.
"Ce... what are you-?
"You left so suddenly before, I asked to take my lunch early so I could see if you were all right... Da, what's the matter? You're crying... what happened?"
He took hold of her shoulders, urgently, yet with as much gentleness as when he'd steadied her after their dance last night, as though she were delicate enough to break if not handled properly.
Da opened her mouth to speak, but only succeeded in emitting another sob. She couldn't let him keep holding her like that anymore. He had a girlfriend. It was wrong to do this, wrong to want him this way. She had to forget about him.
"What happened?" Ce asked again, his face paling now.
"Ce, I... I just need to go home. I can't stay, I have to go in and tell my sister-"
"I'll walk you," Ce said at once, looking slightly relieved, and Da's heart sank. "Take your time, I'll wait here while you-"
"No, you don't understand," Da hiccoughed, shaking her head hard. "Xun... h-hates me. And that's not all... There's something I-"
But here she was overtaken by sobs again, at which Ce's eyes grew wide once more. How was she supposed to tell him how she felt about what happened between them earlier?
"I have to go," she insisted, trying to hurry away, but he caught up to her easily.
"Da, hold on! Wait... hey, come here-" and he enfolded her weeping form in his arms. Comfortingly he held her head against his chest like he had the night he saved her from those goons, and it felt so good, so warm and safe and wonderfully good to be there, that it only made Da cry harder, because she knew it was a feeling she wasn't entitled to.
"Hates you?" Ce repeated over her head, aghast. "That's ridiculous, you're best friends. There must be some misunder-"
"It's not a misunderstanding," Da struggled to say normally. "He's angry because I missed his birthday yesterday. I forgot about it because I was out with you. And there's something else."
She took a deep breath, breaking away from the hug with great difficulty, and blinking hard before new tears swam to the surface.
"I can't do this anymore. What you're hoping from me. I don't want the same thing you do. I don't want to be in a relationship."
Ce's concerned expression was replaced by one of confusion, and for the first time, Da thought she saw hurt in his face.
"But... Da, I thought... I thought you had a good time last night... I thought it made you happy-" he began slowly.
"And it did, but Ce, you can't think that that would be enough to make me want to take such a big step!" Da blurted out, aghast. "I didn't realize what your motives really were... and there's nothing wrong with them, but I thought... but it doesn't matter what I thought anyway. I realized I can't be in a relationship right now, not with anyone. It's a bad idea, this just isn't the right time... Xiao needs me... and my Dad needs me. And I've been neglecting Xun..."
With every word she was saying, Ce's eyes were growing darker and dimmer. He lowered his gaze.
"I don't understand," he said at last, his voice soft. "I was so sure... I was so sure it was real. So sure it was you. After all that time, I thought finally... but I guess it doesn't matter. Da... why didn't you say something? If you didn't feel the same way?"
Ce turned his eyes on her again, pleadingly, and Da's voice caught in her throat when she saw that this really was hurting him. Had it been that important to him that she date his brother? Could she really have been so blinded by her growing feelings for him that she couldn't figure out the truth?
"What was I supposed to say, Ce?" she whispered pathetically.
I don't want to date your brother, and will probably never want to because I want you instead? I didn't know he was the reason you were taking me out in the first place? I somehow convinced myself that you spend so much time with me because, maybe, you started to actually like me?
Ce dropped his hands from her shoulders and rubbed the back of his neck, his brow furrowed, deliberately looking away from her.
"All right." Was all he said, in a defeated voice. He took a step back.
"I... I'm sorry," Da said, dismayed. The last thing she had wanted to do was hurt him, but it seemed like it was too late to prevent that. A wave of shame washed over her. Regardless of whatever she has misunderstood regarding him, he was still the only man who'd done so much for her, and, bizarrely, even though Da knew she could never bring herself to date his brother, she still felt awful for disappointing him.
"No," Ce said, looking back at her at last. "It was my fault. I was the one who approached you. I shouldn't have assumed I knew how you felt about all this. You're just someone who's trying her hardest to do well at her job, at school, and help her family. You didn't need anyone like me barging into your life and trying to change it. I'm the one who should be sorry. The least I could have done was just ask you straight out, from the beginning. Then you could have sent me on my way without all the trouble I caused you."
His apology made Da feel even worse. More tears sprang to her eyes. All she could do was shake her head and stare down at the ground.
"So.. I take it you don't want us to hang out anymore? Or see me again?"
A lump came to Da's throat. No, that certainly wasn't what she wanted. She wanted the opposite. But that was something she had no right to ask of him. He was Lian Shi's. She couldn't be around another girl's boyfriend, not when she had such strong feelings for him. Besides, after all that just transpired, Ce probably wanted this to be the last he ever saw of her himself.
"If that's what's best," she whispered.
Ce nodded briefly.
"All right then. I'll be going now. Will you... will you be all right?"
"Yes," Da forced herself to lie.
He extended his hand.
Da took it, noting with anguish for the last time how warm it was, how it so easily swallowed hers up.
"You take care, Da. Okay?"
The kindness in his voice, the barely masked pain... it was too much for her to bear.
"You too," was all she could whisper.
And with a final nod to Da, Ce turned on his heel and walked away without looking back.
The days dragged on long and difficult for Da after that. Once Ce had disappeared around the corner, she'd managed to half-stumble into the maid-cafe long enough to tell a stunned, white-faced Xiao she was sorry, but she didn't feel up to staying after all. Relaxing after she'd gotten home wasn't of much help, so she just immersed herself in schoolwork instead. It didn't help her feel any better, and it made her head hurt, but at least it was more productive than crying. And so it went on with each passing day.
Work was no longer remotely fun; rather, Da would find herself counting the minutes until it was over. Needless to say, Ce didn't visit her anymore. In fact, she never saw him. She also had to keep reminding herself to stop looking for Ce whenever the delivery van showed up without him. She wanted to repair her relationship with Lu Xun, but couldn't seem to find it in herself to take the first step. She was just too weary to try. They were still able to get along well enough to work together without any hitches, but Xun would behave much more politely than friendly towards her, and now treated her with a sort of coolness which hurt her horribly.
Her time at Sun & Sons' was made even more uncomfortable by the painfully obvious, timid glances that Sun Shang Xiang would furtively shoot in her direction from the bar. No doubt she'd either noticed something off about Ce, or he himself might have told her how much of a disappointment Da turned out to be. This combined with Sun Jian's overly understanding behavior of her, and Ai and Suyuan's crabbiness due to having lost their favorite bit of eye-candy made Da's job almost unbearable. The loss of Xun's, and possibly Shang Xiang's friendship weighed down on her heavier than either of them realized, because keeping to herself about it was just easier and more practical than embarrassingly letting it out.
The sole bright side to all of this was being able to walk to and from work with Xiao on most days. As upset as she was that the two of them had to work in separate restaurants, Da was still glad that they could be so close together. Better yet, Xiao wasn't letting that stop her. Oftentimes, Da would look up from whatever she was doing to see Xiao at the window, merrily waving or pulling a face to make her older sister laugh. It wasn't uncommon for Xiao to casually walk into Sun & Sons' whenever she had a break so that the two of them could catch up for the day, and it always put Xun in a better mood. She became acquainted with Shang Xiang during those times, and her visits always made things slightly less awkward between all three of them. Da found herself even more grateful for her sister's new job than she thought she would be. Da knew that Xiao would have visited her anyway, but she could also tell that besides enjoying themselves, Xiao was meaning to check up on her as well. She could barely mask her anxiety over Da's well-being, and Da loved her all the more for it.
In this way, two weeks went by.
Unlike the times when Ce used to come around, nothing interesting happened anymore. Nothing, until one day, Da stepped into the restaurant after classes to see a tall, bespectacled young man clad in black satin and silk standing still by the bar.
She paused on her way into the kitchen out of politeness, looking at him inquisitively, and was just thinking of how to introduce herself when the man smiled, and she got the distinct feeling that she'd seen him somewhere before.
"Hello," he said pleasantly, and his voice was as rich and velvet as the finest of wines. It perhaps wasn't as deep or refreshing as Ce's, which always sounded as though it had a laugh trapped at the bottom of it, but it was rather calming. "I don't know if you've heard, but I'm Zhou Yu. The new sommelier."
Sommelier... somewhere in Da's memory, the word rankled. And that was when she realized where she'd seen him before, or rather, his younger self- on Ce's wall, in a painting he'd done of the two of them together with their arms over each others' shoulders.
She swallowed hard so as to sound like her usual self, and said,
"Oh, yes, I did hear you'd be joining us. It's very nice to meet you... I'm Da Qiao."
There was no change in Zhou Yu's expression, and his face remained politely interested, but Da thought she saw a flicker of recognition in his eyes at her name, and her heart sank: as she feared, he knew exactly who she was.
His voice betrayed none of it, however.
"Nice to meet you as well, Da Qiao. Is that the Head Waitress's uniform? In that case, you must be my boss," he said, his eyes growing warmer. He was quite a bit paler than Ce, now that Da looked him over properly, and had a much smoother jawline. Da was just beginning to wonder if his eyelashes weren't longer than Ce's when she remembered she wasn't supposed to be comparing anyone to Ce anymore.
She managed a laugh and replied, "No, no, of course not... I only started about a month ago myself. I still have a lot to learn around here."
"The same could be said of anyone," he said smiling. "I used to be quite a regular here before I went abroad. It's wonderfully nostalgic to be back again."
"Abroad?" asked Da, intrigued. "If I may ask... what were you..."
"Studying," Zhou Yu supplied. "I just finished my master's, and now I'm back for a while until I decide what to do my PhD in. I used to visit often, of course, but it's not the same as actually being here, as I'm sure you'll understand."
"Oh, wow," said Da, her eyes widening. "How long were you away for?"
"About five years."
"You finished your bachelor's and master's degree in just five years? That's amazing," Da exclaimed, awestruck.
Zhou Yu laughed, unable to disguise the tiniest hint of pride.
"Well, I've always been pretty ambitious as far as education was concerned."
"Still, it must have been terribly expensive," Da remarked.
Zhou Yu shrugged, grinning. "I've no doubt it would have been. If I'd had to actually pay for it."
Da's eyes were as wide as saucers.
"You mean you were on a full scholarship?"
"That's right."
"Goodness... I only have a partial one myself, and I really had to push myself to get it, too," Da said in admiration.
"Hey, that's nothing to scoff at though," Zhou Yu said, serious now. "Don't sell yourself short. In the little time I've been speaking to you, I already get the feeling that you're very intelligent and hardworking. Let me guess, you were either valedictorian or pretty close, weren't you?"
Da flushed, pleased with this compliment.
"Oh, no, I wish I'd been. I actually came in seventh."
She paused here, and averted his eyes. This conversation sounded too much like the one she'd had with Ce on their "date". Thinking of him was painful. Da cast her mind for ways to change the subject.
"You really ought to speak to my friend Lu Xun, he actually is valedictorian. The two of you would get along very-"
She stopped again, because thinking of Xun was painful, too.
Zhou Yu's smile never left his face. "I've no doubt that we would. I'm afraid of sounding like the most conceited person you've ever met when I say this, but since I was valedictorian myself it does seem like we've quite a few things in common."
Da gave a halfhearted, embarrassed laugh.
"No, you don't seem conceited at all. It's really impressive, all you've managed to do so early in life. To be honest, you're probably everything he's always dreamed of being, and not much different from where I'd like to be in life, as well. There's no reason why the two of you wouldn't be friends right away."
She hung her head slightly at her last words. It was true, after all. Now he and Xun would meet and hit it off, and Xun would have a new best friend to look up to and spend time with.
Zhou Yu took a step closer, a gentle, understanding look on face.
"Personally, I don't see any reason why the two of us shouldn't be friends, either, Da," he said kindly. "You seem to have everything anyone could want in a friend. I must admit, I did hear a little about you before we met. I don't remember the last time I was as impressed with a person myself."
Da smiled in surprise, gratified. How nice this young man was. She could see why he and Ce were so close.
"So... how did you come to be a sommelier? If you don't mind my asking?"
"Oh, I took a course while I was at university," Yu laughed dismissively. "Along with many other supplemental ones, I might add... I've always thought it was important to hone any talent you showed even the least bit of proficiency in. And how do you know what you're proficient at if you don't try them all?"
Da laughed, a genuine one this time, and Yu beamed.
"I can't argue with that," she agreed, her eyes shining. "How long will you be staying with us?" She did hope it would be for a while.
"Well, as long as I need to, really. Chef Sun's always been like a father to me. He took me in after my parents passed, and he and his kids are no less than my family was. I figured it wouldn't hurt to have a job while I took a gap year from my education, and he happened to be missing a sommelier for the bar, so here I am."
Da's mouth had a fallen open.
"I... I'm so sorry... I didn't..." she began in hushed tones
"Please don't worry about it," Yu said softly. "It was a long time ago."
Da nodded, still dumbstruck and wracked with sympathy.
"Right," was all she could say numbly.
Yu tilted his head slightly, as though reminiscing.
"Ce was the oldest when their mother passed, so he understood best how I felt," he said, seemingly more to himself than to Da. "I'm a year younger than him, and he was no stranger to playing a comforting older brother, so he was very there for me. Growing up, we did everything together."
Da's face was flushing more than she wanted it to at Yu's mention of Ce, and she was certain he noticed it.
"Yes, he has the biggest heart of anyone I've met," she whispered.
Thankfully, Yu gave no indication that he'd heard her.
Looking up to face him, Da said,
"I lost my mother, too."
Yu's eyes widened, then grew soft.
"I'm terribly sorry for your loss, Da," he said, his voice filled with sincerity.
Da shook her head, unsure why she'd just blurted that out. It just seemed like the right thing to say at the moment.
"Thank you. It was years ago now, too... It's been pretty hard on us. It especially was for my younger sister... she's always so cheerful and bright, you wouldn't think so to look at her, but I'm the only one who knows that it really changed her."
Yu's eyes were gentle and sympathetic.
"Well, I haven't met her yet, but I believe can say with confidence that you've both turned into very fine young ladies. I'm sure your mother would be very proud."
Da's eyes suddenly began swimming with tears, and she knew it was ridiculous, but she couldn't help it. Every time she heard those words, it always made her feel as if she was doing exactly what she was supposed to.
"Thank you so much," she managed to say. "And I have no doubt at all that no parent could be prouder of their child than yours would have been."
Yu smiled gratefully. Before he could say another word, however, the door swung open, and Lu Xun walked in, stopping short when he saw the two of them, a questioning look on his face.
Da cleared her throat and quickly looked away, blinking away the tears. She was in no mood to have Xun see her cry again.
"So, um, this is Xun. Xun, this is Zhou Yu. Uh, it was lovely talking to you, Yu. I'll see you around."
And with that, she scurried away to the kitchen, adamant not to spoil things any further between her and her friend.
Da finished early enough that day to catch the next bus home. Xiao worked during the evenings on weekdays due to school, so that meant she could return in time to help her with her homework.
Hurrying up to the bus stop where the bus was parked, Da climbed aboard, a little disheartened when she saw how full the seats were inside. It looked like she had to stand again... hoisting her satchel higher up on her shoulder, she took hold of one of the overhanging straps and straightened up.
And immediately came face to face with Sun Ce.
Da's breath caught in her throat, and her body went rigid.
She blinked, and sure enough, it was Ce, staring down at her with steady, slightly wary eyes, holding onto the strap directly opposite hers.
Her face growing hot, Da averted his gaze, trying to see if there were any other free straps. But with a lurch, the bus started moving, and Da bit her lip in dismay. It was too late to budge now. Of all the buses she could have climbed aboard on-!
She stared down at her feet, her heart thudding in her chest, painfully aware that Ce was looking right at her. She was almost toe to toe with him. he was wearing the same heavy cleats he always wore to work. The same red trousers, the same black belt... the same wifebeater.
Da gave a start and blushed even harder when she realized her eyes had been absently traveling up Ce's body. Timidly, she allowed herself a nervous glance upward, and swallowed when she saw that Ce was still looking at her. He didn't look terribly comfortable himself, but that didn't seem like it was stopping him.
Da inwardly kicked herself and tore her eyes away once more. What was she doing? It had only been a little over two weeks since she'd last seen Ce, and here she was acting like a year had gone by. Why couldn't she keep herself from looking at him? This was probably the silliest she'd ever acted.
Still... had he always been this handsome? Slowly, she looked back up at him through lowered lashes. The bus was still humming steadily as it drew nearer and nearer to her stop. He was still there, his deep, silver eyes trained on hers, his lips slightly parted as though he was of a mind to say something.
It was then that Da realized that she wanted to say something, too. But what could she say?
I met the new sommelier you told me about, and he's lovely. He told me about how you were there for him when he lost his parents, and I think that was wonderful of you.
No, she knew that wasn't what she wanted to talk about now. Then what was?
How are you?
But that wouldn't do, it just sounded so formal. And "formal" was one word that wasn't at the top of the list when it came to describing Ce. Genuine probably was, though. What would Da tell Ce if she wanted to be honest with him?
I miss you.
Da swallowed hard again, a lump coming to her throat. Well that was definitely one of the things she wasn't allowed to say to him. He had Lian Shi. There was no reason why he should know how Da felt about him.
Perhaps it was best that she not say anything at all.
Instead, she simply continued gazing up at him, wondering where she'd gotten so much courage. The Da Qiao of a month prior would never have been so brazen. Had she really missed looking at Ce this much?
I miss talking to him, too, Da admitted to herself wistfully. But not thinking about him, since she did that every day. As the bus nudged her slightly forward, she caught it: the scent of pine and cinnamon that only ever came from Ce; the scent which made the pace of her heart quicken even further.
Inexplicably, Da found herself wishing Ce would say something. Anything. She realized she wanted to hear the sound of his voice. She wanted him to acknowledge her, at the very least. Hadn't they even been friends? Perhaps she wasn't allowed to talk to him, but if he was the one who spoke first, that would make it all right... right?
She couldn't take any more of this silence. She was going to count to five... no, ten. And if he didn't say anything, she would. She had to. Da's mind was made up. This was it... she was going to do it.
Seven... eight... nine... ten.
Da had just opened her mouth when the bus came to a stop with an almighty jolt, jerking all the upright passengers. Most of them tightened their grips on the straps and stayed on their feet, but unfortunately, preoccupied as she was, Da was among the ones who wasn't so lucky.
She stumbled backwards onto her rear, her satchel sliding off her shoulder and splitting open on the floor, spilling her textbooks and notes everywhere.
"Oh, no," Da muttered in embarrassment, fumbling around for her belongings. Glancing out the window, she saw that it was her stop they'd arrived at, and tried to gather her things quickly. This was what happened when people didn't pay attention, Da reprimanded herself.
In a second, Ce was on his knees next to her, picking up the things she'd missed. Da's heart started beating faster when his arm brushed against her sleeve. She stole a few glances at him. Thankfully, he was focused on helping her with her books and didn't notice. His brow was slightly furrowed as he placed them back into her satchel, which was out of her reach. Her eyes moved over his forehead, over his perfect nose, and she wondered absently why someone like him always helped her at every chance he could get, even after she'd hurt him the way she had.
Then, Da heard the bus starting up again, and jumped to her feet. Ce stood up as well, her satchel in hand. Wordlessly, he held it out to her, his face looking almost blank. Da took it, her cheeks still red, and just stood looking at him for a second longer.
"I-" she began, right when the bus's horn sounded. Da was jerked back to reality and hurried to the door. Turning back one last time, she saw him still standing where he was, looking after her with his hands in his pockets, and a wave of emotion submerged her.
"Thank you," she burst out, doing her best to subdue her voice, before hopping out of the bus and practically running the rest of the way home.
A few hours later, Da was sitting at her desk, wearily pulling out her homework for the day. Xiao had just left for work after Da had finished helping her with hers, and her father was late in coming home. He promised he'd make it back in time for a later dinner, so Da was holding off from eating until he returned.
All that was left to do until that happened was finish her assignments and warm up the food. Reaching inside her satchel for her notebook, Da paused when her hand instead pulled out a maroon book she'd never seen before. Curious, she pulled it across her lap. It was a large book, certainly larger than her notebooks, but flatter as well. She ran her thumb along the width of the pages, and felt that they were thick, more grainy. Where had it come from?
Da pulled back the cover page- and then froze.
Her own face was staring back at her.
But it wasn't her face as Da knew it. Someone had beautified it to levels Da had never even dared to fantasize about. Her eyes were large and vibrant, containing little flecks of blue and green in their gray irises. Her eyelashes were long and fanned outwards, her lips lush and rosy, curving upward in a crescent-shaped smile which gently touched the tips of her radiant face. Her cheeks were flushed with color, appearing smooth and silky. And everywhere, everywhere, her long, dark hair flowed; over her shoulders and caressing her pink-clad arms and waist, shining in the light, her hands clasped together over her chest. And there was a certain something in her expression which the artist had to have worked tirelessly to capture; a sort of delightful innocence mixed with shyness, a sweet and inviting look of purity and warmth.
Da covered her mouth with a hand, awed as she stared at the beautiful painting. For that was exactly what it was. The effort poured into it, the painstaking attention to detail... it must have taken hours to do. Who could ever have...
But Da nipped that question in the bud right then and there. She knew exactly who had done it. The clothes she was wearing in this painting... as far as she knew, only one person that she knew of had seen her wearing them. Only one person who could paint like this, at least.
This was how she looked when she was in Ce's living room! Right at the moment when he'd snapped that picture of her, when she had turned to face him from his wall of paintings. Because of course that was the picture he'd used... what was it he'd said that day about his other paintings?
"I didn't just make these up, you know. In fact, I rarely do."
Da's fingers reached up to touch her face, her heart pounding in her ears again. Was this really how Ce saw her? This ravishing, angelic beauty? Her cheeks tinged pink at the very idea. Why would Ce take the time to paint such a striking, flattering portrait of her? Perhaps to show it to Sun Quan, so he knew what she looked like? But that made little sense, he could have easily shown him the picture of her instead and saved himself a lot of time. Unless he didn't think the picture was attractive enough to persuade his brother into dating her? But Da dismissed that notion at once. She was at least confident in her belief that Ce would never do her that dishonor, if nothing else.
Well, in any case, Da struggled to think practically, I can't keep this sketchbook with me. It's his, he needs it back. He might even be looking for it...
At that, Da's cheeks flared brighter, and she couldn't suppress the beginnings of giddiness in her stomach. The thought of Ce painting this, and then perhaps opening it every once in a while to look at it... why did it make her feel so shy, so excited? Regardless of anything else, the fact remained that Ce had painted this. It was gorgeous and entrancing, and it was of her. No one else, but her. Out of all the girls he could have chosen to paint, Ce had chosen Da, and there was nothing anybody could do to change that. The realization made her heart swell with pleasure.
Da couldn't stop staring at the portrait. Giving her head a little shake, she shut the book with a snap.
Get it together! She scolded herself. I've got to... to return it to him. But... how?
Da gulped, and got to her feet shakily, clasping the book to her heart. She simply couldn't give it to Shang Xiang, because of how positive she was that Ce's sister despised her now. Perhaps she could give it to Zhou Yu... but she knew she would be far too embarrassed if he should look inside and see the painting of her. And Chef Sun was out of the question for the same reason.
She could always... go to the construction site and hand it over herself? But no, that simply wouldn't do any good. She would melt in shame if Lian Shi happened to be there again, besides, what would she think if she knew Ce had spent all that energy on a portrait of another girl? Getting Ce in trouble with his girlfriend was the last thing Da wanted to do.
She would have to tell Ce she had it first. He would know what to do. Da took a deep breath as she walked into the living room and up to the telephone. Ce had given her his number the night before their date, in case she needed to change plans for any reason. Needless to say, she still remembered it.
Placing her hand over the receiver, Da couldn't suppress a shudder. This was it. She was really going to call him. She was going to hear Ce's voice again today after all. Her stomach started doing flip-flops.
Just do it, she urged herself. It's no big deal. You're just trying to return his book, nothing else. He won't mind.
Before she could change her mind, Da mustered up her courage, picked up the receiver and dialed his number, holding her breath as soon as she pressed the last digit.
Ring.
Ring.
Ring.
"Hello?"
Da gave a sharp intake of breath, the back of her neck prickling at the voice she'd been missing for days. It was him.
"Um... hi... it's me. I mean, Da. It's Da."
She bit her lip and squeezed her eyes shut, waiting.
"Da?"
She could hear the surprise in his voice, the confusion.
A pause.
"Hey," he said after what seemed like minutes, sounding more composed now.
"I... I hope I'm not disturbing..." she began.
"Not at all," Ce said. "What's up?"
Da cleared her throat hurriedly.
"Well... you see, I... I've got your book."
"My book?"
"Yes."
"Which one?" he asked calmly, and Da realized with a pang that he hadn't noticed it was missing.
Da took another deep breath before answering.
"Your sketchbook."
A second pause, even longer than the first one.
"You do?"
His tone was unfathomable.
"Yes," she answered in a small voice. "It must have gotten mixed up with my things on the bus earlier."
"Right," said Ce after the smallest hesitation. "That makes sense... sorry about that."
"No, of course not," Da rushed to say. "It was my fault... I should've checked to see before running off like that..."
"Don't worry about it," Ce replied, sounding as though he was regaining his usual ease. "So, did you... did you call to give it back, or something?"
"Yes," said Da, relieved that he was getting to the point without asking any questions. "But the thing is, I don't know how... I mean, I'm not sure who to give it to..."
"I understand," Ce said, and she got the feeling he knew exactly what she meant. Perhaps because he didn't want anyone else to see what was in there either. "Well, that's not a problem," he continued. "I guess if you didn't mind hanging onto it for a bit, you could maybe give it to my brother, Quan? He'll be at the restaurant in a few days to make the deliveries. I'm pretty sure it'll be during your shift."
"Oh," Da said, disappointment seeping into her voice for some reason. Why had she been under the impression that Ce would arrive to collect it himself? "Yes, sure I could. That wouldn't be a problem at all."
"Great," Ce replied. "Thanks for letting me know."
"Of course."
An uncomfortable silence.
"Well," Da began again, floundering for more things to say. "Well, take care-"
"Da?"
"Yes?" she said at once, gripping the phone tighter.
Ce was silent. Then-
"Did you open it? The sketchbook? Did you see what was inside?"
Da shut her eyes, her face burning with shame.
"Yes," she whispered. "That was how I knew it was yours."
Another long silence, yet this one was perhaps not as uncomfortable, though Da couldn't for the life of her figure why not.
"So," Ce's voice came again, soft this time. "What did you think?"
Da's eyes flew open, and her heart beat more wildly than ever. She opened her mouth, not knowing what was going to tumble out, and was almost taken aback when it was the truth that did.
"I love it," she whispered. "It's the most beautiful thing I've seen painted by anyone. It looks even better than the picture."
She couldn't be sure, but she thought she heard Ce let out a sound of relief at her words.
"Thank you."
"Mhm," was all she could say, her blush growing stronger. "I... I better go. I need to warm up dinner soon."
When she heard no answer from Ce, she made as if to hang up.
"Da."
"Yes?" she said breathlessly, hurriedly pulling the receiver back to her ear.
At the other end of the line, it almost seemed as though Ce was debating on whether he should say what he meant to say or not. Then-
"I didn't use the picture."
Well, there you have it! Hopefully this chapter was long and satisfying enough to garner some reviews from you wonderful souls! Please do let me know if you liked this chapter, and once again, thank you for your patience! I'll see you again with the next update, and here's to remaining optimistic that it won't be nearly as long in coming as this one was ^.^
