Jia Li hadn"t cried like this since she had first broken up with Tang. At that time, it had felt as if she wouldn"t be able to survive the separation. But she had. And she would survive now as well. With that thought, she got up and gulped down a gla.s.s of water. Her eyes caught her reflection in the mirror. She couldn"t recognise the person who stared back. Those red rimmed eyes with a wild expression in them didn"t belong to her, did they? Berating herself for losing control in such a manner, she went to wash her face and got ready for bed. Tomorrow would be a new day. She would make sure it is.
Few hours earlier in Shanghai
There was something wrong with the alcohol tonight. Tang simply couldn"t seem to escape the present, no matter how much he drank. He paid the bill and stumbled out of the bar. Cold air and throngs of people hit him on the sidewalk. Walking on unsteady feet, he tried looking for a cab but couldn"t find one. His head was getting fuzzy now, so he sat down on a nearby bench, just till the dizzy spell pa.s.sed.
"Are you planning to break-up with me?" Tang heard a tearful voice, near him.
He raised his head to look around and found a young couple who each had an ear attached to the same music pod.
The boy spoke up, "Noooo, where did that come from? Why would you think that?"
"Then why did you make me listen to a sad farewell song," the girl sniffed.
Tang tuned out their conversation. He was transported back to a similar one many years ago.
Moganshan, twelve years ago
"Have you heard of this American music band called Air Supply?" Tang asked Jia Li during the school lunch break.
As was their custom, both of them were sitting under a tree shade in the playground, after finis.h.i.+ng their food quickly.
At her negative shake of head, he spoke with a smile, "they are an old but extremely famous group, especially for the kind of sentimental songs which you like."
He took out his I pod, made Jia Li wear the earphones and plugged in -
"Goodbye by Air Supply"
I can see the pain living in your eyes
And I know how hard you try
You deserve to have so much more
I can feel your heart and I sympathize
And I"ll never criticize all you"ve ever meant to my life
I don"t want to let you down
I don"t want to lead you on
I don"t want to hold you back
From where you might belong
You would never ask me why
My heart is so disguised
I just can"t live a lie anymore
I would rather hurt myself
Than to ever make you cry
There"s nothing left to say but good-bye
You deserve the chance at the kind of love
I"m not sure I"m worthy of
Losing you is painful to me
My heart is so disguised
I just can"t live a lie anymore
I would rather hurt myself
Than to ever make you cry
There"s nothing left to try
Though it"s gonna hurt us both
There"s no other way than to say good-bye
Jia Li took off the headphones and looked at him with tears in her eyes.
"Are you trying to break-up with me?" she asked, breath hitched in her lungs.
Ever since there were murmurs about him going away to complete his education in London, she had become overly sensitive but she hadn"t spoken her fears loud till date. Tang looked at her in askance. He had never thought that she would react this way to just a song. He gathered her in his arms from behind and closed the distance between them. Her back was solidly placed against his warm chest.
"What are you doing? We are at school," she said consciously.
"I am letting my heart tell you that it is thumping for you, always has and always will. How could you think ,even for a millisecond that you can escape me? I had played the song only for you to appreciate the singers" talent and nothing else. But I have learnt my lesson now. Henceforth, no sad songs for my Jia Li," he spoke in her ear.
Her face burned with embarra.s.sment. She turned around and hid her face in the nook of his shoulder. Tang smiled and inhaled the familiar scent of her hair. His eyelids dropped shut and they stayed like that, suspended in time.
Present Day, Shanghai
"Never make her listen to a breakup song. It is a bad omen," he addressed the young couple.
They looked warily at the handsome stranger with bloodshot eyes. Giving him an uncertain smile, they got up and moved away from there quickly.
Tang got up unsteadily as and walked away, old memories chasing and haunting him mercilessly.