Chapter 1
“Xi Men?” Xiao You looked up at him. “Thank you.”
“Thanks for what?” He asked.
“For being my first.” She replied.
“Your welcome. It’s my honor and great pleasure to be your first Jiang Xiao You.” He kissed her cheek.
“I know nothing’s gonna happen after this but I am really happy right now.” She said.
“Me too.” He agreed.
They snuggled together in bed.
“Xi Men?”
“Hmm?”
“I have a proposition for you.” Xiao You said.
He looked at her curiously. “What is your proposition?”
“That next year we do this again. Like an anniversary. No strings attached.” She explained.
“What kind of proposition is that?”
“I just want to preserve the memory of this date, of this moment, of us while I can.” She replied.
“Just next year?” He inquired.
“Well, and the year after. Until I find myself a nicer and better boyfriend.”
“No strings attached?”
She nodded.
“Once a year too?”
“Yes.”
“Deal.” Rather than a handshake, he sealed their deal with a kiss.
After that, the two still meet occasionally because of their best friends whose personal and social lives are very much connected to theirs. In front of their peers, they act like normal. No one among F4 or even Shan Cai knew of their little secret. For the next four years, Xi Men and Xiao You meet first at the same rooftop then head to a hotel and celebrate their “anniversary.”
On their fifth year however, they rarely met due to their busy work schedules but their special day is always reserved and cleared out of any social engagements.
Xi Men arrived first on the rooftop. The sign had long been gone and replaced with new ones but they still like to meet up there for old times’ sake. It’s been an hour since he waited and still no Xiao You appeared. He was starting to get worried and decided to call her. The call was redirected to her voicemail. He sent a text message as well as an audio message on WeChat. They don’t talk much so he had no idea if she was still using the same handle. After another hour or so, Xi Men finally decided to give up waiting and leave the place. He wondered why Xiao You stood him up this year. If she found herself a boyfriend their deal was to stop already. But she could have at least informed him beforehand. If that was the case, he ought to be happy, right? A piece of him felt a little annoyed and betrayed. What if something bad happened to her on the way to the rooftop? He couldn’t stop feeling worried and be concerned for her. As he reached the ground floor, he thought to find out what’s going on with Xiao You through Shan Cai. She was always dropping her name in their conversations. Even though he and Xiao You didn’t talk to each other except on their special day, Xi Men was still pretty much updated about her. As he dialed Shan Cai’s phone number, he realized that lately she seldom talk or mention her best friend. Something wrong is going on and he couldn’t wait to find out. Shan Cai wasn’t answering his call so he dialed Ah Si’s phone number.
“Wei? Xi Men?” Dao Ming Si greeted him.
“Wei, Ah Si.” He replied. “Is Shan Cai with you?”
“Ah no. I’m still here at the office.”
“Do you know where she is? I tried calling her but she’s not answering her phone.”
“I think she said she was going to visit Xiao Tian.” Dao Ming Si replied.
“Xiao Tian?”
“Oh shoot! I’m not supposed to mention his name to you. Sorry. I gotta go.” And Dao Ming Si hanged up on Xi Men.
It irritated Xi Men but his curiosity was aroused. 1) Who is this Xiao Tian? 2) Why should Dao Ming Si not mention his name to him? 3) Where can he find Shan Cai and Xiao Tian?
© Franzz P. Follow on Instagram @onceinalifetimearc2018
Date written: December 16, 2018
Note:
1) Xiao Tian is taken from Ken Zhu's Chinese name. I didn't want to think hard for a baby's name since I'm not familiar with Chinese language.
2) Imagine Dylan saying "sorry" in English because that's how he sounded in my ears when writing that.