"I was wondering where had you gone already. You weren"t even picking any of our calls," Li Jie spoke from behind them.Gauging the mood between his two friends, he grabbed Hua"s hand and said, "c"mmon champ, let"s see who can run faster."
Once Li Jie left with Hua, Jia Li looked up to see a small smile hovering on Tang"s face.
"Strict mommy, huh! I would have never envisioned you as one…" he spoke, almost to himself.
Unable to stand the expression on his face, she turned to go.
He grabbed her wrist, "that could have been a reality, our reality. But you chose to walk away from it twice. What does that say about your true feelings for me?"
"Yes I decided to marry Fu and it was my decision to not tell you about my marriage"s truth. I am not going to offer justifications for either. It"s done, everything is in the past. So please stop holding onto the baggage which is laden with grudges and pain," she said unemotionally.
"Ha…look at the pragmatic you! I must look like a fool, no? It seems that you have moved on, both from my love and your marriage. Let me warn you though…if you thought I wasn"t dependable, then w.a.n.g Wei is way worse than I am. He is a known philanderer. He can"t hold onto a woman for more than a few weeks. He would run in the opposite direction the minute you get emotionally attached to him," he warned.
"I appreciate the warning but it would be better if you work upon your wife"s insecurities rather than my future well-being," she replied and walked away, leaving him frustrated yet again.
Later that night
"Time flew by so quickly today. I hope you managed to have some fun despite being drenched and jostled in water," Wei teased Jia Li, standing outside her room.
He was referring to her screams during rafting which occurred every time they hit a b.u.mpy patch.
She shook her head and smiled, "I think I have managed to overcome one of my phobias if not many. And I need to thank you the most for it. The effort you put in, both before and during my birthday, truly made it special."
He was quick to reply, "well, it is all part of my two year plan."
At her questioning look, he elaborated, "I believe two years are enough for you to be convinced that my feelings for you are not a result of some rebound. I am also confident that by then, I would have scaled the currently unbreachable wall in your heart."
Moved by his words, she stretched up to buss his cheek. The unexpected sweetness of the gesture caught him unaware. He usually kept his pa.s.sion restrained around her but in that unguarded moment it slipped past him. He tipped her chin up and plunged headlong into her mouth"s sweetness. Caught unaware, her mouth opened in surprise, giving him more intimate access instantly. She raised her hands to push him away but he stepped away on his own before that.
"Don"t say a word. I know I stole more than you were willing to give me a minute ago but think of it as my first foothold in your heart. Happy birthday…g"night!" with that he strode away even before she could say something.
A bemused Jia Li went inside the room. She hadn"t even taken two steps in before the doorbell chimed. Expecting to see Wei back with another tongue-in-cheek remark, she opened the door to a stormy looking Tang.
"Wh-what are you doing here?" he walked into the room, before she could finish her question.
He went past her into the bathroom without saying a word.
"Just what exactly is the meaning of this? Why aren"t you saying anything? What are you doing here" she asked him again, following him inside.
Without any warning, he pushed her against the cold bathroom wall. He held both her hands with one palm. Then he plucked a tissue from her travel kit kept there and started to wipe her lips abrasively.
"What are you trying to do? Can you stop it…it hurts, Ow," she struggled to wiggle out of his grasp.
He stopped and stared at her. Her lips were ruby red now and slightly chapped.
Without answering her question, he lowered his head and brought his warm lips to the crook of her neck. Jia Li"s mind went blank. A strange buzzing filled her head. However, the moment he started to kiss and suck her neck, she got jolted back into action. She tried with her full might to push him back but he wouldn"t budge. He had started to lick her neck and electricity was shooting down her spine.
By now, her body was in the danger of turning into a traitor!!