Differences

Chapter 3: Fantasy and Reality

Jann Lee and Lei-Fang were in a deep slumber. Neither snored, but instead, their breathing was slow and heavy. It was miraculous to listen and watch the two as their breathing was completely in sync. Lei-Fang's sighs were light and airy, while Jann Lee's were strong and powerful. The variation put the pair in perfect harmony.

Dawn was now arising. The sun's rays broke past the barrier the shutters set up against them. Once free, they gently placed themselves upon Lei-Fang's face, careful not to wake the sleeping beauty. The remaining strands of light scattered around the room. Some caressed Jann Lee and blanketed his hard chest.

Within moments after the sun touched his skin, Jann Lee struggled with the challenge of awakening. "Ugh…" he complained. Although having a difficult time, he was able to push himself into a sitting position.

His back was in desperate need of a massage. He looked down, and with his hand, patted the solid, wooden floor that he had slept on. Damn, all this for a girl, he thought.

Slowly he pulled himself up so that he was able to stand. It was certainly not the simplest obstacle Jann Lee was forced to overcome. He had to lean against a large cabinet for support. "I don't believe this. I can't even stand properly," he said to himself.

He viewed the room searching for a shirt to cover his bare chest. As he looked around, the corner of his eye grazed upon Lei-Fang's sleeping figure. Suddenly, all his previous worries had vanished into thin air. He was now in a trance and stepped slowly toward the woman. Looking down at her, he carefully studied her every feature. With his fingers, he gently brushed a lone strand of hair away from her face. He continued watching her and was thankful to see that the swelling on her nose had lessened. He smiled and placed his hand atop hers, intertwining their fingers together.

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Hours passed when Lei-Fang finally awakened. Directly in front of her, Jann Lee was slumped on a chair, sleeping like a baby. She watched his face, and after all the years that she's known him, this was the first time he did not look like the conceited, egotistical jerk that she learned to recognize him as. But he rather seemed as though a peaceful, caring young man. Eyeing the rest of his body, she was surprised to find herself quite pleased that he was dressed in only a pair of shorts. Thus, it allowed Lei-Fang to have a perfect view of his bulging muscles. She covered her face beneath the blanket, trying to prevent anyone from seeing the growing redness in her cheeks.

She was beginning to stare at him now. The more she watched him, the more her mind wandered. She dreamed about the endless possibilities that they could share together. Her imagination roamed wild. She started to envision the two of them walking on a sunset beach, with their hands tightly locked together. Her fantasy continued as the two suddenly came to a halt. They turned and gazed into the eyes of the person facing them. Jann Lee gave Lei-Fang a tiny, devilish grin, which made her weak at the knees. He then took her by the waist and his playful eyes soon became passionate. A cold shiver ran down her spine as the rest of her body became fragile and weak. He leaned his head in forward and… Brring! Brring!

Lei-Fang was shot back to reality as the alarm clock began to ring like crazy. Pissed that it had taken her away from her dream state, she smacked the clock, releasing her fury. This isn't fair. I barely grazed his lips, she thought to herself.

She turned around and blinked when she finally realized that Jann Lee was holding her hand. Shocked, but quite satisfied, her lips formed a tiny smile. With her free hand, she placed it on top of Jann Lee's.

With his hand sandwiched between Lei-Fang's, Jann Lee shuffled awake. He rubbed his eyes and brushed his hair with the fingers of his opposite hand. "Hey," he said quietly.

"Hi" she gently whispered back.

He took his index finger and carefully traced her nose, starting from the bridge and ending at the tip. "Still hurt?" he questioned.

"No, not too much. How's it look?" she wondered curiously.

"Beautiful…" he said, barely above a whisper.

Shocked, she cocked one of her eyebrows and jokingly asked, "My nose looks beautiful?"

"Yeah… you are." The tip of his mouth curled into a smirk. There was silence for a moment. "Well, I think I'll take a shower now."

"Okay," she said as she slipped her one of her hands off of his. The other was still safely tucked in his grasp. She sat up.

"Care to join me?" he teased, as he lightly kissed the top of her hand.

When he placed his lips against her skin, a slight tremble occurred from her shoulders down. "No. That's okay. It's pretty tempting, but I'm afraid that I'll have to decline from your offer," she playfully remarked.

He sighed, "Oh well, at least I tried." They smiled at each other as Jann Lee stood up, freed her hand, and began to walk away. He strode into the bathroom with Lei-Fang's eyes following until he shut the door behind him.

What is wrong with me? What is wrong with him? What's wrong with everything? I think I'm falling for him. Before this, he was always cold and angry. I used to despise him. Now, he's incredibly sweet. Heh. I guess the man of ice does have a heart. Lei-Fang reflected on the past event, and smiled as she began to reminiscence.

Beyond the bathroom door, another mind was asking similar questions. What am I doing? I know she's beautiful, but why am I acting like such a fool? He turned the shower on and began to strip his clothes off. I mean, she makes me feel like… Oh, I don't know. He opened the glass shower door and stepped in. Ow! Hot! He lowered the temperature of the water. Once she leaves, this is going to stop. Thank God! I can finally stop acting so stupid. He poured the shampoo into the palm of his hand. But if she leaves… With the shampoo in his hand, he rubbed it into his hair, making sure that he evenly spread it throughout his scalp. …I'll be heartbroken…

He then completely stopped what he was doing. He took a few steps back, moving away from the running water. He placed his forearm up against the wall and leaned his head onto it. He clenched his hand together, forming a fist. Simultaneously, he whispered her name, "Lei-Fang…" and pounded against the wall. "I think I…" he couldn't allow himself to say the words.

He then finished his shower with hastening speed. He needed to get out and see her face. Less than five minutes had passed and he missed her desperately. He rinsed himself clean and quickly dried up. He took a towel, wrapped it around his waist, and hurried out the door. He stopped in his footsteps when he saw her.

"Ahhh!" she screamed, terrified. She was wearing nothing but a bra and panty. She jumped and rushed behind the bed sheets. "Jesus Christ, Jann Lee! A good, healthy shower consists of more than just FIVE minutes!"

"Oh, my god! I am soo sorry!" he apologized over and over.

"Well, you should be!" she shouted back.

"Hey wait a second!" he eyed her conspicuously, "Why the hell are you running around my house half-naked?!?"

"For your information, I was preparing for MY turn in the shower!"

The house was in complete chaos as the two raged on.

"Can't you do that when you're actually IN the bathroom?!? Not out of it?!?"

"Well, I'm sorry! That's just how I do it at home!"

"So you're telling me that you walk around your house naked?"

"Maybe!"

"But shouldn't you at least take into consideration that you're NOT at YOUR house? Because you're at MY house!"

"Well I was planning on wrapping myself in a towel so that you wouldn't see me like this! But you just had to take a shower in a freaking flash of lightning!"

"Okay! I'm sorry! But the only reason why I went so fast is because I couldn't wait to come out here and see you!"

The pandemonium suddenly became an eerie silence.

To break the silence, Lei-Fang asked skeptically, "What did you just say?"

"You heard me…" He took a few steps toward the bed and sat down nest to her as she held the blanket tightly around her. "I rushed out of the bathroom because I missed you like crazy. I don't know what came over me, but I just had to see you."

She was completely speechless and didn't know what to do. She just looked at him with bewildering eyes that sparkled when he looked at her. "Jann Lee…" she whispered. Forgetting the blanket, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and held him tightly.

The two sat there, locked in each other's embrace. No words were spoken. No movements were made. Nothing else was necessary. As long as they had each other, they were in pure bliss

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Author's Note: The romance begins… Hahaha! Did you like it? I actually updated! And within a week too! Please leave me reviews! It would be so nice if I could hear what others have to say about my writing. I'll try to update soon. Bye!