Chapter 11 - A dilemma.

They sealed the time and venue, and went to the comfort of each person's bed, in anticipation of a novel idea, to halt the plans of their elders.

Li Bao and Huang Jia were sound asleep as soon as they hit their beds.

Liqin, however, was restless and buried himself into his comforter, shrugged over this newfound feeling, and pondered, "I neither seem to understand the meaning of this insecurity of losing Jia nor am I able to comprehend the changes in my sensation when I am around her. Have I fallen for her? How could that be possible?"

He shook his head and confronted his thoughts saying, "Maybe I have got used to her being around me, and cannot accept the reality, that someday we might take our different paths."

After many hours of restlessness, his tired body finally dozed off.

As the alarm broke the silence of the room, Liqin woke up, got dressed, and arrived by the swimming pool.

Li Bao was already in the pool when he arrived. He went changed into a swimsuit and joined Bao in the pool.

As they enjoyed a cool morning, Jia joined them by the pool. She sat by the pool, with her leg splashing in the water.

She watched, the two of the most handsome men in town and her best friends, as they enjoyed the pool.

After a while, she broke the silence, and asked, "Liqin, did you speak with Bao regarding our late-night discussion?"

He turned to her, shook his head, and said, "Nope, not yet."

He gave her his hand, to help him out of the water. As she held his hand, he pulled her into the water, with a big splash, and then went underneath, and held her up in his arms, and shook the water of his hair on her face, and said, "What's the hurry?"

In vengeance, she started splashing water in retaliation on him and kept doing so until, he held her in his arms tightly to a point, that she could not move.

For a moment, they froze into the deep eyes of each other, as though they had been passionate about each other for years.

Li Bao, who had been smiling over their loving gestures towards each other, broke the silence, with a cough and said, "What matter needed my urgent attention, and intervention?"

Both of them in an instant turned away from each other, pointed to each other, and blurted out together, "I/She cannot get married to you."

He smiled at them, and said, "Who wants to get married to her? She isn't my type."

Jia smiled, leaned forward in a splash, and asked, "How do we stop the elders from conspiring?"

Bao was waiting for this opportunity, turned around to them, and replied, "Find yourself someone whom you love and tell them the reason right away. From my side, it is a hundred percent no."

Both of them in an instant replied with eyes popped out, "What! You must be crazy."

Bao splash backward into the water and said, "That's the only solution for you, and if you can't find yourself someone suitable, then tell them, that you both love each other, and buy yourself time."

Bao peeped at their expressions as he swam around and thought, "I have hatched the perfect plan, to make both of my inseparable friends realize their feelings for each other. With time, this plan would slowly get them closer to each other, in a manner of no return."

Jia was hesitant, to play this out, her face contorted as she looked down and said, "They would be hurt, on finding the truth, that we had lied to them."

Bao tilted her head toward her and said with a smile, "You have two weeks before my parents return, either find your true love or act the part with Liqin. Anyone who sees you two together would take you both, for a perfect passionate couple at first sight though. Had I not known you both since childhood, I would have felt the same. You two make the perfect match."

Jia swam toward Bao who swam away and said, "That's not the point though. I have just joined my dad's company. I love jewelry designing and want to concentrate on that at the moment. Marriage is not on the cards at all."

Bao walked out of the pool picked up the towel, turned around, and said, "How does marriage hamper your ambition to excel in jewelry designing? All right, tell them you both need time to get married, as you need to settle in your careers. Delay it for about two years. This way, they would not pester us on this matter again."

Liqin, who had been silent throughout, said, "This seems like a good idea."

Jia thought for a while, then put her arms around the neck of Liqin, and said, "So you are my boyfriend from today onwards."

Liqin, squeezed her in his arms, and placed a peck on her cheek, and said, "Yes, my love."

Jia was taken aback by this gesture, and said, "Hey this is not allowed."

Liqin replied, with a twinkle in his eyes, and a dimpled smile, "That was just a peck on your cheek."

Bao dried his hair with the towel and watched with a smile, as he could already see his plan reaching its epitome, before the two weeks, and said, "Hope, I don't see you both requesting for an early wedding, after two weeks to uncle and aunt."

Both in unison turned to him and replied, "Nope, no way."

Bao picked up his clothes, walked toward the exit, and said, "I will wait upon that day. Now let us go, and have our breakfast."

As he walked away from the pool smiling to his heart's content, he heard Jia say, "Can we go for an outing, and spent some time out?"

Not wanting to be the third fiddle, Bao turned around as he exited and said, "I have some work to complete, you both go ahead, and enjoy your day out."

Jia looked at Liqin, then looked down into the deep water with a sad disposition and said, "Now, are you going to refuse as well? I know we are not teenagers; however, I just need a break, and what a better way to relax close to home."

Liqin gripped her shoulders, and said, "Let us go. I have never in my life turned down your request, unless it would hurt you or someone else."

Impulsively, in joy, Jia hugged him tight, and replied, "Thank you."

Her action propelled him to tighten his arms around her unknowingly. For a moment, they stood still in embrace, flustered, and embarrassed at their unintentional, yet passionate response.

Liqin immediately changed the embarrassment into fun, by splashing water on her, and she responded in a similar fashion.