Chapter 10 - A newfound feeling.

The hushed, and blushed discussions of Dr. Jones, and Mrs. Altermatt, took Jia back down a memory lane when she was in a similar situation. She ponders, "I have been through all this. Thankfully, the timely intervention of Li Bao helped."

6 months ago

The absence of Li Enlai and Li Diu post the wedding anniversary celebrations, made the three friends plan to spend their time at the Li mansion.

As they were leaving for home, Jia held the arm of Liqin, and said, "I'll go with you."

Liqin opened the car door for her and responded, "You are always welcome."

As the car drove back, through the winding highway, Jia dozed off laying her head on the shoulder of Chang Liqin.

Liqin looked down and thought, "She must be too tired after the long evening, that she had spent dancing her way through, in my arms."

He removed his coat, and put it on her for comfort, and pondered, "She has not changed a bit over all these years. I have been her comfortable pillow, to shoulder on while dozing off, since our school days."

He had never felt strange, since those growing days, and said, "Sleep, tight comrade. We have missed a lot of action during our years apart."

Post the insecurity of losing Jia, which had crept through his heart during the evening, he suddenly felt a tingling feeling of belonging, as she laid on his shoulder. As he parted her hair, from her forehead, and looked at her, unknowingly the desire not to lose a friend started creeping onto his heart. Confused, with this newfound feeling, he closed his eyes and took a nap, as the vehicle drove through the roads to reach the Li Mansion.

As the car reached the mansion, Liqin picked her up in his arms and walked up the stairs to the guest room. As he walked up, with her head resting on his chest, and her arms encircling his neck, the sense of belonging deepened.

He laid her on the bed, removed the hair accessories to release the hair bun. He then picked a comforter and covered her as she slept comfortably. He felt immense joy, as her innocent face beamed with a smile, as she dozed off.

As the maidservant brought in her baggage, he told, "Unzip the dress half, after I leave, so that she can breathe freely as she sleeps. The evening gown is quite fitting to be worn to sleep."

He then walked up to the adjacent room prepared for him and went into the bath to freshen up. As he began to shower, his mind, however, took a flight of fantasy and began to indulge in revelries. He envisaged the loving thought of the evening spent with Jia, and her loving facial expressions filled his imagination. He seemed to lose his self-control and allowed his mind to wander on to a wonderland where none other than he and Jia existed. His whole body felt warm under the cold shower, and he felt on cloud nine, in his newfound feeling of love.

In the adjacent room, Jia had been disturbed, with her subconscious mind envisaging things in her sleep.

The master of ceremonies announced, "The groom Mr. Li Bao may now kiss his bride Huang Jia." Bao then pulls Jia into his arms and kissed her passionately.

Jia woke up instantly, to this nightmare of her getting married to Li Bao. She sat still on her bed, pondering over the conversation, that she had with Li Enlai at the party.

She rested her head on her arms and pondered, "Our parents have a deep understanding, amongst themselves over this matter, and though have temporarily shelved the matter, would pursue the same with their whole heart to get me and Bao together.

Bao is thoroughly not my cup of tea, and a life with him as my better half is beyond my imagination. I need to immediately discuss this matter with Liqin."

She gets up, and dashes to his room without giving a second thought.

As Liqin enjoys his newfound fondness for Jia, forgetting his surroundings, he knew not what was passing through him. With his soul and senses, he was breathing an ineffable sweetness. Time stood still in his state of bliss.

The bubble of his cloud nine was burst, with a huge bang on the door, and the subsequent crashing of someone into his room.

He woke up to reality, wrapped his towel around his waist, and walked out. to find an awe-struck Jia, standing before him.

She was stupefied at the visual treat, standing in front of her, and said, "Though we have been friends for ages, and it was very normal, during our growing ages for you to change your top before me, the scenario seems to have gone a sea of change in the present. You are a handsome young man now Liqin."

She blushed in awe, as she avoided eye contact and thought, "This meeting with him, after a gap of three years now has evoked all those suppressed feelings, that I had hidden away from him all these years, with the quest of not losing his friendship. What am I saying to him?"

She looked down and thought, "Has our status quo, undergone a huge change without our realization?"

She shook her head and thought, "No. I am the only one person, who is a part of this stupid one-sided love story."

Time froze as she stood still, dumbfounded only to realize, and told herself, "What am I thinking? I have a mission at hand, for which I had barged into his room at this earthly hour."

Liqin shook his head, fixed his eyes on her, and thought, "She couldn't be barging into the room of any man, in this fashion?"

He walked toward her and blasted out, "How could you just intrude into a room of any man in this manner, without knocking?"

Before he could complete it, she butted in to speak and rushed toward him not realizing, that the dress had been half unzipped. In a fraction of a second, the dress gave away, and she tripped. While falling, she tried garnering the support of Liqin and pulled him down together with her. Thud—she fell on the bed with Liqin on her.

His soft moist lips brushed against the skin over her clavicle. The neckline had been deeply exposed, providing him the soft and cushioned comfort of her features. They were both flustered and embarrassed in each other's embrace. The whole room seemed to warm up to the situation. An intense feeling of attraction filled the room, which increased his heartbeats and respiration. He felt lost in her embrace and desired for time to stand still inwardly.

Suddenly Jia woke up to the motive of her barging into his room this late, and spoke up, "Liqin we have a situation on hand to handle."

Flustered he got up, lay on the side, composed himself, and asked, "What situation demands, this kind of entry in the middle of the night?"

She looked onto the ceiling, and said, "There's no way I can get married to Bao."

He smiled, as if he had been waiting to hear this, and said, "There's no way I am allowing you to get married to Li Bao either."

Shocked, and yet joyful at his response she said, "What's the way out? Do you have a plan?"

She was about to get up, when he pulled her back, pushed her aside sideways, and pulled her dress up, and zipped it up.

Impressed, she smiled at his timely reaction and care, and said, "Wow! I wish we could be together forever like this."

The sentence though had no hidden intentions for Jia; however, it was motivation sufficient for Liqin to ensure, that he would not allow the elders, to have their way in this matter.

In the past there was no mountain, that would not move when she and Liqin joined hands. They pondered for a while, and then called up Li Bao for a discussion.

He had already cuddled in bed as he picked up the receiver, and said, "Can we discuss this urgent matter over coffee near the pool tomorrow morning?"

Liqin nodded his head and said, "All right, tomorrow we meet at seven o'clock in the morning, near the swimming pool."

As Jia was about to leave, Liqin pulled her into his arms, and said, "You cannot be barging into the room of any man like this carelessly without thought and self-attention again. You could be in grave danger if you do that. I do not want you to become a feast for others to behold with awestruck, lustful eyes."

Jia looked up through her eyelashes into his caring, deep eyes, and replied, "Well, I am feeling flustered, with this presentation of your well-chiseled self. Can I be released now? I am a taekwondo black belt, and cannot be harmed by anyone so easily. I do agree, that I was careless with that dress earlier. It would have been disastrous, had it given away in the passage, with so many eyes watching. I assure you, that I'll be careful in the future."

Liqin released his hold, cupped her face with his palms, gazed into her eyes, and said, "You better get to sleep now."