They had breakfast and talked for half an hour. After the flight attendants cleared their dishes, both of them sat enjoying the view outside from the window. The plane has pa.s.sed through Vietnam and will soon arrive in Singapore. The weather was clear, and everything was pleasant."Do you want to take a shower and get ready? We will land soon," said Haoran an hour later.
Emma nodded. "You?"
"Yes, me too. I will shower and get ready to land." Haoran said as he moved from the sofa and walked out of the suite. "See you later, after landing."
When she saw Haoran going out, Emma suddenly stood up and held his hand. "Uhm .. actually this suite is for two people, right? Why don"t we sit together here while waiting for landing? I like chatting with you."
Haoran stopped in his place and looked at Emma with a beaming face. He then nodded. "Of course."
As a gentleman, he never suggested sharing the suite with Emma even though each suite was meant for two people. He let Emma sleep alone and enjoyed the suite as she pleased. He only asked Emma to have breakfast together, nothing more.
But now, Emma suggested they sit together in her suite while waiting for the plane to land. That meant Emma felt comfortable with his presence. Besides, they were friends, after all, before they kissed.
She decided not to let them be awkward. If it was Alex or David, they would enjoy sitting in the suite together waiting for landing. Emma might even sleep with Alex in the same room, with the guy on the couch. They were that close in a non-romantic way.
"I only need half an hour to take a shower and pack up my stuff," Emma said as she walked Haoran out.
The young man nodded. "I"ll be back in half an hour."
He then entered his suite on the opposite side of Emma"s suite. The girl then rushed to take a shower and change into fresh clothes. She wore jeans and a light blue top. Her hair was fas.h.i.+oned into a cute bun on top of her head. She looked casual and attractive as usual.
Haoran knocked on the door half an hour later with his own backpack. He studied the contents of the minibar and took all the expensive chocolate and some bottled drinks from it.
"These are nice chocolates, you should take them," he said with a laugh. "They"re free. I also take cleared my minibar to give them to the boys."
Emma nodded in understanding. She then took out the contents of the luxurious minibar and put them in her backpack like Haoran did. Their friends would love to receive all the fancy freebies for consolation because they did not get to fly in the suite.
"The liquors too," Haoran said, pointing at the rows of wine, whiskey, rum, vodka, etc. in the minibar. "Soon, David will turn 18. He would be able to drink."
"Oh, is that so?" Emma remembered that in Paris, the boys faked their age so they could buy wine and drink while having a picnic on Champ de Mars near the Eiffel Tower. She took the mini liquor bottles that Haoran pointed out. While doing so, she couldn"t help asking. "Actually, they are rich enough to buy these themselves. Will they be happy to receive these items?"
Haoran shrugged. "Everyone loves free stuff. Me too."
Emma laughed at that. She just found out that even rich people like freebies.
"Okay, then I will bring as many freebies as possible from this suite and give it to them," said the girl.
"The pajamas and robes are nice too. Did you get them for you?" Haoran asked.
Emma nodded. "They"re very nice. I like them."
"Take the big one. Alex will like them," Haoran said again.
Emma finally followed Haoran"s advice and took the robe and pajama set for Alex. The material was silk, and they were very comfortable for sleeping. She could imagine Alex would be delighted by the gift, even though she got it for free.
Haoran smiled with satisfaction seeing that Emma had filled her backpack full with various loot from the suite. His own bag was filled with the same items. After they were done, the two exchanged glances and laughed.
***
Sure enough, what Haoran said was true. The boys who were jealous because they couldn"t stay in the suite felt very excited when they received souvenirs from Emma and Haoran as they waited for their suitcases in the carrousel.
Haoran had asked the flight attendant to put his and Emma"s luggage among the economy pa.s.senger bags so they could wait for their suitcases to come out on the carousel like the other students. He didn"t want to arouse their suspicions.
"You are forgiven for leaving us peasants in economy cla.s.s," Alex said, winking. He hugged his silk pajamas with a happy face. "The chocolate and other souvenirs are well received."
Emma nodded. She was pleased to see that they liked the souvenirs. As she was chatting with Alex, she accidentally saw Nadya standing at the end of the carousel and stared at her. Nadya"s face looked bewildered. Emma realized Nadya might have just noticed that apparently, since Emma was in Paris, she began to be close to the five boys from Cla.s.s F.
Even though Emma and Nadya were friends in school, while in Paris, Nadya spent a lot of time with Bianca and her friends. She was sharing a room with Sandra, Bianca"s friend, and went to places together.
She and Emma only chatted during breakfast and lunch, but in the free hours, Nadya spent more time with Bianca"s group. The girls loved shopping and visiting places that Emma was not interested in, so Nadya naturally didn"t ask Emma to come with her.
In the last two days, Nadya also kept her distance from Emma because she was upset, thinking that Emma was defending Haoran. Nadya was adamant that Haoran was responsible for making Mary sick, and Emma openly disagreed with her. Nadya did not expect when she was away from Emma, the girl ended up being friends with Haoran and the other boys from Cla.s.s F.
Never in a million years, she thought Emma"s relations.h.i.+p with them was forged way earlier before the study trip to Paris. She thought Emma was always that reclusive intelligent girl in Cla.s.s A and was not interested in people.
Only now, she noticed how Emma was so close to Alex, David, Dinh, and Eric, and they laughed while enjoying the chocolate that Emma was taking out of her bag. She wondered when was Emma starting to get close to them and how far was their relations.h.i.+p?
Emma read Nadya"s mind and could only sigh. She was about to approach Nadya and say h.e.l.lo when suddenly Haoran nudged her shoulder and showed Emma"s suitcase in his hand.
"Your luggage is out," said the young man.
"Why, thank you." Emma took the suitcase from Haoran"s hand.
"Stardust, you come with me. I"ve got my driver waiting," said Alex. His house and Oma Lin"s apartment were not far away.
"Thank you," said Emma. "I want to say goodbye to Nadya first."
She nodded and walked towards Nadya, who was still waiting for her suitcase.
"Hey, Emma ..." Nadya said. "Do you go home alone or someone picks you up?"
Emma shook her head. "n.o.body can come to pick me up. I"m with a friend. We live not far from each other."
"Who?" Nadya asked curiously. "Is it Haoran?"
"Eh ... why do you think it is Haoran?" Emma asked in surprise.
"Uhmm ... do you like Haoran?" Nadya asked bluntly. "I just a.s.sumed he was the one who is taking you home."
"Why do you ask me that?" Emma asked again. "Actually, I am going home with Alex."
"Oh ..." Nadya was stunned. "I was wrong. I thought you like Haoran, and there is something between you two."
Emma looked at Nadya and patted her shoulder. "Nadya ... don"t overthink about Haoran and me. My relations.h.i.+p with him is none of your business."
Nadya was stunned, and her eyes suddenly dimmed as she looked down.
"You"re right. It"s none of my business," she said quietly. Nadya then nodded and walked to retrieve her suitcase that just came out on the moving carousel. After taking her bag, she waved to Emma. "I"ll go home now. My family"s driver is here to pick me up. See you after the summer holiday!"
Emma nodded back and then turned towards Haoran and her friends.
"What did you two talk about just now?" Haoran asked casually.
Emma just shrugged. "I was just telling her that our relations.h.i.+p is none of her business."
"Ahhh... what happened? Did she say anything bad?" Haoran was astonished. Emma just smiled a little. She did not answer.
She would not tell Haoran that she had just controlled Nadya"s mind so as not to think about their relations.h.i.+p. She did not want gossip to start among their peers at school.