Book 3: Glory on the Other Side


    Chapter 26


    Dt had to leave early with his team to catch a flight later in the night.


    She saw him off to the door, “You’ll be late.”  He walked backwards


    to the door while still looking at her.  Finally he couldn’t help himself


    and bent his head down again,  “It’s raining outside.  Wait a minute.”


    What reflected in his eyes was all of her.


    She lightly repeated, “Many people are waiting for you.”


    His eyes lingered on her eyes, nose, and half opened lips.  He


    breathed the air surrounding her.  Something, once turned on, was


    difficult to control.  “The last time……”  He said lightly.  His hands


    moved to her back and pressed her into his arms.  The action was


    very direct, but his voice made it sound like he was begging,  “I’ll go


    after this.”


    It sounded like she was bullying him if she didn’t agree…...


    “Uhm……”


    With her approval he bent down to kiss her without delay.  She


    was so overwhelmed by his kiss that she almost fell down.  Luckily


    he held her waist in time and leaned her against the wall.  In order


    to prevent his hands from wandering where they shouldn’t, he put


    both hands on the wall, trapping her inside the small circle right in


    front of him.  He continued…..


    ……


    After Dt left, she changed her clothes in preparation to meet up with


    the team at Solo’s place.  Before she left, she found a note pasted on


    her cell phone.  What was it?  She tore it off.


    It was a series of phone numbers at the top.


    At the back…...It was in Xiaomi’s handwriting: Don’t call me if nothing


    happens.  No girl has ever called me before.  My mom would mistake


    you as my girlfriend.


    Great.  He was a good man.


    She read the note in his voice.


    He hadn’t changed after so many years.


    That year, All put an arm around a short boy with a face prettier than


    a girl.  He announced that Xiaomi had arrived.  She was holding a


    glass bottle of Sprite and bit the straw.  She pointed to Xiaomi asking


    him to say something in a northern accent.  Xiaomi looked at her


    mindlessly, then said,  “I saw you playing online fiercer than any man


    and thought you would look pretty ugly…..”


    The words caused an explosion of laughter from over half the men in


    the internet cafe.  He was accepted immediately by the group since then.


    Later, Xiaomi quarreled with his family almost daily.  Sometimes after he


    hung up the phone, he would indifferently say,  “My dad told me that I’m


    wasting air while living, wasting the land when I die. How would I waste it.


    I’m only 170cm tall.  I take up much less space than bald All.”....


    ……


    She felt a lump in her throat. Various emotions began bubbling up to the


    surface of her mind.


    This phone number was too important to her.


    Though she could find a way to contact him from the club, the implication


    was totally different.


    Regardless whatever Dt had told him, as long as Xiaomi was willing to


    leave his phone number to her meant that he was willing to accept her


    Then it would be easy to handle whatever came later.


    She kept the note and sent Dt a short text: Thank you.


    She received a response shortly.


    Dt: No problem.


    …...The king of awkward silence.


    He didn’t how to talk.  He didn’t like to talk.  He just liked to silently watch


    his girl.  Even his confession to the girl, “give me a chance”, didn’t amount


    to much. She wanted to ask him about the actual details of the conversation


    between him and Xiaomi, but she gave up after she thought about it.


    She would just ask him face to face after she went back to Shanghai.