When did Xiu become bold enough to do this, she didn"t know. But when she felt the chains in her heart breaking, she just knew she had to do something. And she did. She chose to kiss him.
She chose to take a leap of faith or destiny. Whichever it was, she just knew that she had to do it. If not tonight, then when? If not now, then it"ll become never. So, kicking the caution out the window was the right thing to do for tonight. Besides, she still had a trump card of being drunk. This kiss wouldn"t hurt their friends.h.i.+p with that trump card.
With that thought in mind, she had pressed her lips against his. The scent of his body was overwhelming and yet why did she find it addictive? As the tips of their nose touched, and she felt the warmth of his breath, she was breathless already.
After a few seconds, she pulled away and averted her eyes from his face. It was a very quick peck on his lips but it was enough to start a spark. Darren was standing just like before with a dumbstruck look. He really couldn"t tell if it was his delusion or reality? If it was real then why did she do it? Why with him?
Seeing her scratching her head, he asked, "Why? Why did you kiss me?"
Xiu cleared her throat and replied, "Does every feeling has to have a name? Sometimes, we can just go with the flow. Right now, I felt like it and I did it. Don"t force me to overthink."
Darren was stunned to hear her reply. Not every feeling had a name. Just like not every question had an answer. It seemed so simple then why was he making it so difficult? He felt lighthearted as he let all the thoughts in his mind to take a break.
He pinched Xiu"s chin and lifted her face up to face him as said, "That"s not how people kiss. It was a very fleeting peck on the lips."
Xiu pursed her lips as she s.h.i.+fted her irises to look heavenwards. "Well... Doesn"t matter, I"m gonna delete this night from my memory anyway."
Instinctively, Darren"s arm lifted as he wrapped it around Xiu"s waist and pulled her close. He leaned close to her ear and spoke in a very low voice, "I really hate it when people forget me that easily. And oddly, I don"t wish to hate you."
"Huh?" Xiu arched her brows in question.
But...
The answer she got was...
He pressed his lips against hers and Xiu felt like a light had ignited in her brain and her whole body was feeling its warmth. His kiss wasn"t like hers. It wasn"t a peck. When he moved his lips against hers softly, that"s when Xiu felt it. It was one of those real kisses; one that made you seem like the sky had lit up with fireworks.
Xiu had closed her eyes without knowing it. She was letting her other senses feel everything. It felt like soft rain was falling but there was an explosion within her. A million feelings were mingling together making a mess out of her. She didn"t know what it was and neither did he, but they both felt that feeling... It just felt right.
There was nothing formal or mechanical about the kiss. Instead, one would say they were the lost lovers who had finally found their home. Xiu felt like she was defenseless against him but she didn"t know the real person without power was him. Darren didn"t know why but he didn"t want to let go. It was like he found the missing puzzle piece of his life and it felt good.
But the question was... When did Bai Xiu become his missing puzzle piece? Wasn"t his puzzle piece lost forever?
As they both pulled away, Xiu was still staring dumbfoundedly at him. His grey eyes stayed on her face for a long time before he said, "I dare you to forget this."
"Can you let me go?" Xiu asked lowering her head.
Darren raised his hands to show her and said with an amused grin, "I have already done so."
Xiu looked down and realized that his arm really wasn"t around her waist anymore. Then why was she still standing so close to him? With a horrified look, she took a step back to make some distance.
"Follow me closely, I don"t want you losing your way back," said Darren as he turned to hide the swirls of emotions in his eyes. That complicated pondering look.
Xiu pressed her lips together but followed him closely. To make sure she wouldn"t lose her way, she held Darren"s jacket from behind with her index finger and thumb. She did it cautiously and hesitatingly. But she really didn"t trust herself at the moment.
She wasn"t very drunk, to begin with, and after drinking that sobering medicine and sitting in the cool breeze, she was almost sober now. Then why was she unable to trust the functioning of her own body? Her tongue darted out to caress her lips and she could still feel the tingling sensation of his lips on her.
Darren had felt her presence close behind and even smiled when she held his jacket. It was as if she was afraid, he would really disappear like before. Such a silly person she was.
Even throughout the elevator ride, Xiu didn"t let him go. She only let his jacket go when they reached the front of the door. Xiu punched in her pa.s.scode and turned to look at him.
"Stop thinking, and go to sleep." He gestured for her to enter the apartment and she did.
As for himself, as he entered his own apartment, he leaned his head against his door and hit it twice. "Argh! Regan, what the h.e.l.l did you do?!" He held his head in his hands and gritted his teeth. "Why did you kiss Sweets? What were you thinking?" Hitting his head against the wall, he answered his own question, "That"s right. I wasn"t thinking at all!"