Secret Feeling

"You have some kind of fetish or something?" he asked, taunting. "What's with liking girls that are in love with your own best friend?"

"Fuck off!" he said, gathering the photos scattered on top of the table.

"So, are you going to take your share of the pie this time?" Xian didn't waver in pushing Bobby to talk.

"There is no share to take. Get your ass off my office, you leech!" he clicked his tongue on him.

Xian just laughed like a maniac watching Bobby starting to get pissed. They knew each other since they were young, but the story of Bobby liking Wang Wei's girlfriend is something he really doesn't know because he went to a different school with Wang Wei and Bobby.

He only heard parts of the story once when Bobby was so drunk. The topic is a sore spot for Bobby, for it seems like his best friend is unaware of the fact that they shared the same girlfriend at one time.

"Don't you have to go somewhere? Like for example your own fucking company?"

"You know I hate going to THE family company, so let me hang out in one of the vacant rooms there," he said, trying to convince Bobby. "Consider it as my talent fee for being your in-house architect."

"Suit yourself, just get lost from my sight."

Xian mockingly kowtows in front of Bobby and ended up receiving a bunch of pictures hitting his head. He laughed getting out of his friend's office.

Bobby watched his friend get out of the door and heaved a heavy sigh from his chest. He regretted talking about Mei Hanagata with Xian in his drunken state. It happened just once but he's been using it as a blackmail material for so long.

Bobby bent over to pick up the scattered photos once again. Take them to his table and sit down. He opened the lower drawer and took out a Tokyo Travel Guide Book. He flipped the said book to the page where there's a photo serving as a bookmark and looked at the picture of himself two years younger, with a girl sitting on his lap, laughing at a joke he told that he no longer remembers.

He closed the book shut, and threw it back inside the drawer. He kicked it shut as he stood up from his swivel chair.

---

He poured Dana's cup with more Longjing tea. They are done eating their late lunch but Dana is still having her second dessert; a coconut tapioca pudding. It appears that Dana is quite fond of anything sweet and not afraid to enjoy food, unlike other girls.

He momentarily lost his thought as some distant memories flashes on his mind. Grand realizes he finds himself remembering a lot of things in the past nowadays.

Dana found him in a daze when she looked up from her bowl of dessert. He is looking at her, yet it seems like he is not seeing her. A warning voice clicked inside Dana's head.

"Grand?!" she softly called his name.

He blinked and smiled at her. "Would you like to have more?"

"No, thank you. I'm already too full." She smiled at him.

"Would you like to take a walk in the garden?" he asked, nodding at the beautiful Japanese Zen Garden outside the dining area.

Dana pushed her chair and stood up, "Yes, please."

He dropped his napkin on the left side of his plate and stood up as well. He strengthened the sleeves of his jacket and offered his hand to Dana.

She took the hand he offered and they walked around the garden in silence. She took in the serenity of the place. The overlooking view of the city spread on the horizon makes the Zen garden more meaningful.

When they reach the inner garden, a full moon bridge can be seen in the middle of the pond.

"Do you think the owner of the house won't mind if we cross the bridge to the other side? I want to see that bamboo forest," she said to Grand who's been unusually quiet after the meal.

He gave her a small smile as he looked at her, "I'm sure the house owner won't mind. Shall we? He asked gently, pulling her to follow him.

Climbing the bridge with Grand's hand clasped tightly with hers, gave her comfort; she forgot the small voice warning her a while ago.

Grand stopped in the middle of the bridge and pulled her inside his arms. He gently hooks his chin on her shoulder, and murmurs "I'm sorry Muffins."

Her foreheads furrowed upon hearing those words. An apology out of nowhere has a sense of foreboding of something terrible to happen. She tried to twist her body to see Grand's face but he tightened his arms around her to keep her in place.

"Grand?" she called his name in apprehension. "Is there something wrong?"

There was only silence.

She grabs the arms holding her and gives it a pat. She caresses his arms in soft rhythmic movement, listening to his heartbeat thundering on his chest that she could clearly hear as she stands under it.

They stayed in that position for a long time, staring at the distance. Dana will find out later on that their eyes are looking at the same view but seeing a different time.

---

"You don't have to bring me home," Dana said to Grand as they speed going back to the city.

Grand received a call from one of his teammates that Mr. Wan returned earlier and called for a team meeting. And he was furious to find out that Grand was not in the club.

He gave Dana a grim smile and said, "I'll bring you home. Don't worry about the call, it has nothing to do with you."

It must have been the truth and he was just saying it without any malice, but upon hearing those words Dana felt a surging pain deep inside her heart.

She kept a smile on her face and told him to just drop her near the coffee shop they frequent. She would like to buy some blueberry muffins before going home.