Chapter 15: And They Went In Twos
~NeRd~
"I'm back! Did you miss me?" Xiao Yo chirped to Ximen.
"You have no idea how much." He patted the space next to him, signaling for her to sit on the couch. "So, it went okay?"
"Yeah. I think she just needs a chance to sort it all out in her head."
"Good. So what do you want to do? Are you tired? Should we call it a night?" He asked anxiously.
"Mmm. Nope. Not at all tired. But what can we do this late at night?"
Her innocent question amused Ximen. Normally, his instinctive response would've been something about sex, but for once he had found a girl he wanted more than sex from. Not that he wasn't attracted to her. So he bit back the various comments that surfaced in his mind and answered her question with a question. "Anything. What do you want to do?"
She snuggled closer to him, resting her head on his chest. Ximen matched the affection by wrapping his arms around her small body.
"Listen to your heartbeat," she said faintly. Ximen smiled and planted loving kisses in her soft hair.
~*~
"Score!! It's a done deal! I am the master! Wah-hah-hahahaaha!"
"Shut up! You're so stupid! You've lost every game straight! What makes you think you'll win this one?"
"The odds are on my side! Don't call me stupid! You, you big playboy!"
Shouts and cries filled the game room as Mei Zuo and Ching-He were locked in a fierce competition of foosball. Mei Zuo had gone to Jing's room but decided against knocking for fear she would already be sleeping. [No difference. I've waited so long to tell her. Another day is nothing.] So he headed up to the game room to shoot some pool and found Ching He busy attacking the pinball machines. Ching He was very clearly upset about "his" San Chai's refusal to spend time with him tonight, and Mei Zuo added insult to injury by saying, "San Chai's engaged. Surely you knew that?" A furious Ching He hurled some comical insults at Mei Zuo and challenged him to a game of foosball. So it was that the two boys continued their loud verbal assaults over the foosball table for over an hour.
"You, you're soo self-centered!! I bet you spend hours on that hair of yours!"
"At least there's hair enough for me to fix! You couldn't charm your knots into anything if you spent years!"
"I can be friends with girls!" Ching He argued desperately, thinking of San Chai and Xiao Yo.
"I have GIRLfriends!"
"I am faithful to one girl!" Ching He was still thinking of San Chai.
"So am I!" Mei Zuo went quiet after this outburst. There was no need to explain about Jing and how the other relationships he had were just for play.
"You mean one girl a night!!" Ching He actually won the verbal spur. Mei Zuo lost interest in the game and the company, and the thought of Jing made him uneasy inside. [And if she doesn't love me? Then what? Will we still be friends?]
~*~
Ah-Si pulled a hand out of his pant pocket and ran it through his hair. He was frustrated, tired, confused, and hurt. More than anything he was angry with himself for lacking the romantic touch, the ability to woo a girl. Yet he had never cared before. So why now, why with this ordinary girl? [But that's just it. She's not ordinary. She's determined, brave, sincere, and generous. She's beautiful too. Too bad she thinks I'm a pig.] Dao Ming Si trudged along the decks of the ship lamenting and sighing to himself. He paused to look out into the sky and sea, and he pushed himself close to the railing of the platform. Breathing in deeply, he make a decision. [I'm not going to push it. What happens, happens. But I will show her how much I care. I will make her mine somehow.] In midst of this self-assuring pep talk, he could hear a low, stifled sound. Someone was crying, sniffling actually, somewhere near by.
"San Chai?" His heart wrenched to see her curled up in a corner like this. [Is it me? Does she loathe me so much? I'd kill anyone that hurt her…but what if it's my fault?]
"San Chai?" he asked again.
She didn't respond and refused to pick up her head to look at him. Dao Ming Si knelt down by her side, then sat next to her, leaning his back to the wall and knocking his head against it a few times. The last time he hit it a bit too hard in his frustration and the resulting klunk resonated loudly. "Ow!"
San Chai couldn't help but laugh at his stupidity. [I don't know anyone else who could make a bad situation funny by being himself.] She laughed louder and louder, leaning over and clutching her stomach gasped, "You're unbelievable!"
"What? I'm unbelievably cool?" [She's laughing. I've done something right for a change]
When the giggles subsided he ventured to ask, "What's wrong?"
"Hm. Hard to say exactly. Things are just too complicated right now."
"Look, I told you what I told you…because I wanted to," swallowing hard before he continued, "You don't have to answer me right away, and I'm not forcing you into anything. I just wanted you to know. Don't feel pressured by what I said. I certainly don't want you to fret over it…That's not why you were sitting here is it?"
"Don't think too highly of yourself. It's not always about you." The sarcasm in her voice was obvious, but the remark was relaxed by the strained smile on her face.
"You don't have to pretend with me. Cry if you want to." Dao Ming Si assured her.
[Damn. I thought I was done with this weepy stuff. I hate for people to see me so weak, but he's being so gentle about it.] San Chai rested her head against his shoulder, and they sat in silence, each deep in thought.
~*~
"Go after her. I mean it. Don't let the one you love slip away because you were too afraid to say anything. Regret is forever, and I say this from experience."
"Jing, you know I care for you right?" Lei stared intensely at his old friend. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be. I understand. No one can decide who they fall for." Jing shoved him off. "Tell her!!"
Lei dashed away, hoping that San Chai was not asleep yet. [Is that what it is? All these years? I don't know, but if anything is sure it's that if Jing hadn't pointed it out to me, I would have pushed San Chai away from me, to Dao Ming Si. What do I feel about her? My San Chai? She's the only one who can help me figure it out.]
~*~
"San Chai? San Chai, are you awake?" Dao Ming Si rose slowly, careful not to awaken the sleeping girl, obviously a deep sleeper anyway. In one swift move, he had her in his arms. She mumbled a few words then rested closer to his warm chest. [She's so light; it can't be healthy. Her face looks so sweet and frail, I would carry her forever.] Once he reached her suite a very important fact dawned on him. [I don't have her key!! Shit! Now what?!] He hesitated in front of her door a bit, but he really couldn't stand to wake her now that she was in peaceful slumber. [Alright then. It's too late to go knocking on doors, so I guess there's only one other choice. Only thing is, she's going to kill me tomorrow.] Having come to a decision, Dao Ming Si carried her off towards his own room.
[San Chai, I.. San Chai, we…] In his mind Lei was rehearsing the best way to start such an awkward conversation. He was excited and nervous but certain. A massive weight had been lifted, the fog had cleared, and all those strange feelings made more sense to him now. It could be love. He may very well be in love with his best friend, and now he couldn't wait to share this revelation with her. Rounding the corner onto the hallway where all the suites were, he stopped abruptly. [No way.] Tilting his head and squinting his eyes in disbelief, Lei saw Dao Ming Si unlocking the door to his room. More importantly, Lei recognized who it was that Dao Ming Si held tightly in his arms.
~NeRd~
"I'm back! Did you miss me?" Xiao Yo chirped to Ximen.
"You have no idea how much." He patted the space next to him, signaling for her to sit on the couch. "So, it went okay?"
"Yeah. I think she just needs a chance to sort it all out in her head."
"Good. So what do you want to do? Are you tired? Should we call it a night?" He asked anxiously.
"Mmm. Nope. Not at all tired. But what can we do this late at night?"
Her innocent question amused Ximen. Normally, his instinctive response would've been something about sex, but for once he had found a girl he wanted more than sex from. Not that he wasn't attracted to her. So he bit back the various comments that surfaced in his mind and answered her question with a question. "Anything. What do you want to do?"
She snuggled closer to him, resting her head on his chest. Ximen matched the affection by wrapping his arms around her small body.
"Listen to your heartbeat," she said faintly. Ximen smiled and planted loving kisses in her soft hair.
~*~
"Score!! It's a done deal! I am the master! Wah-hah-hahahaaha!"
"Shut up! You're so stupid! You've lost every game straight! What makes you think you'll win this one?"
"The odds are on my side! Don't call me stupid! You, you big playboy!"
Shouts and cries filled the game room as Mei Zuo and Ching-He were locked in a fierce competition of foosball. Mei Zuo had gone to Jing's room but decided against knocking for fear she would already be sleeping. [No difference. I've waited so long to tell her. Another day is nothing.] So he headed up to the game room to shoot some pool and found Ching He busy attacking the pinball machines. Ching He was very clearly upset about "his" San Chai's refusal to spend time with him tonight, and Mei Zuo added insult to injury by saying, "San Chai's engaged. Surely you knew that?" A furious Ching He hurled some comical insults at Mei Zuo and challenged him to a game of foosball. So it was that the two boys continued their loud verbal assaults over the foosball table for over an hour.
"You, you're soo self-centered!! I bet you spend hours on that hair of yours!"
"At least there's hair enough for me to fix! You couldn't charm your knots into anything if you spent years!"
"I can be friends with girls!" Ching He argued desperately, thinking of San Chai and Xiao Yo.
"I have GIRLfriends!"
"I am faithful to one girl!" Ching He was still thinking of San Chai.
"So am I!" Mei Zuo went quiet after this outburst. There was no need to explain about Jing and how the other relationships he had were just for play.
"You mean one girl a night!!" Ching He actually won the verbal spur. Mei Zuo lost interest in the game and the company, and the thought of Jing made him uneasy inside. [And if she doesn't love me? Then what? Will we still be friends?]
~*~
Ah-Si pulled a hand out of his pant pocket and ran it through his hair. He was frustrated, tired, confused, and hurt. More than anything he was angry with himself for lacking the romantic touch, the ability to woo a girl. Yet he had never cared before. So why now, why with this ordinary girl? [But that's just it. She's not ordinary. She's determined, brave, sincere, and generous. She's beautiful too. Too bad she thinks I'm a pig.] Dao Ming Si trudged along the decks of the ship lamenting and sighing to himself. He paused to look out into the sky and sea, and he pushed himself close to the railing of the platform. Breathing in deeply, he make a decision. [I'm not going to push it. What happens, happens. But I will show her how much I care. I will make her mine somehow.] In midst of this self-assuring pep talk, he could hear a low, stifled sound. Someone was crying, sniffling actually, somewhere near by.
"San Chai?" His heart wrenched to see her curled up in a corner like this. [Is it me? Does she loathe me so much? I'd kill anyone that hurt her…but what if it's my fault?]
"San Chai?" he asked again.
She didn't respond and refused to pick up her head to look at him. Dao Ming Si knelt down by her side, then sat next to her, leaning his back to the wall and knocking his head against it a few times. The last time he hit it a bit too hard in his frustration and the resulting klunk resonated loudly. "Ow!"
San Chai couldn't help but laugh at his stupidity. [I don't know anyone else who could make a bad situation funny by being himself.] She laughed louder and louder, leaning over and clutching her stomach gasped, "You're unbelievable!"
"What? I'm unbelievably cool?" [She's laughing. I've done something right for a change]
When the giggles subsided he ventured to ask, "What's wrong?"
"Hm. Hard to say exactly. Things are just too complicated right now."
"Look, I told you what I told you…because I wanted to," swallowing hard before he continued, "You don't have to answer me right away, and I'm not forcing you into anything. I just wanted you to know. Don't feel pressured by what I said. I certainly don't want you to fret over it…That's not why you were sitting here is it?"
"Don't think too highly of yourself. It's not always about you." The sarcasm in her voice was obvious, but the remark was relaxed by the strained smile on her face.
"You don't have to pretend with me. Cry if you want to." Dao Ming Si assured her.
[Damn. I thought I was done with this weepy stuff. I hate for people to see me so weak, but he's being so gentle about it.] San Chai rested her head against his shoulder, and they sat in silence, each deep in thought.
~*~
"Go after her. I mean it. Don't let the one you love slip away because you were too afraid to say anything. Regret is forever, and I say this from experience."
"Jing, you know I care for you right?" Lei stared intensely at his old friend. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be. I understand. No one can decide who they fall for." Jing shoved him off. "Tell her!!"
Lei dashed away, hoping that San Chai was not asleep yet. [Is that what it is? All these years? I don't know, but if anything is sure it's that if Jing hadn't pointed it out to me, I would have pushed San Chai away from me, to Dao Ming Si. What do I feel about her? My San Chai? She's the only one who can help me figure it out.]
~*~
"San Chai? San Chai, are you awake?" Dao Ming Si rose slowly, careful not to awaken the sleeping girl, obviously a deep sleeper anyway. In one swift move, he had her in his arms. She mumbled a few words then rested closer to his warm chest. [She's so light; it can't be healthy. Her face looks so sweet and frail, I would carry her forever.] Once he reached her suite a very important fact dawned on him. [I don't have her key!! Shit! Now what?!] He hesitated in front of her door a bit, but he really couldn't stand to wake her now that she was in peaceful slumber. [Alright then. It's too late to go knocking on doors, so I guess there's only one other choice. Only thing is, she's going to kill me tomorrow.] Having come to a decision, Dao Ming Si carried her off towards his own room.
[San Chai, I.. San Chai, we…] In his mind Lei was rehearsing the best way to start such an awkward conversation. He was excited and nervous but certain. A massive weight had been lifted, the fog had cleared, and all those strange feelings made more sense to him now. It could be love. He may very well be in love with his best friend, and now he couldn't wait to share this revelation with her. Rounding the corner onto the hallway where all the suites were, he stopped abruptly. [No way.] Tilting his head and squinting his eyes in disbelief, Lei saw Dao Ming Si unlocking the door to his room. More importantly, Lei recognized who it was that Dao Ming Si held tightly in his arms.
