Déjà Vu

************

The next morning, Mei Xing awoke with a pounding headache. The events of the previous night remained fragmented in her memory.

Stepping out of her room, she found Yi Chunhua in the kitchen. The latter was making a hangover soup for both of them. The aroma filled the air.

Mei Xing sat on one of the high stools by the kitchen island. A heavy sigh left her parted lips. Yi Chunhua turned to her for a quick second before focusing on the soup.

"How was your night, sleepy head?" Yi Chunhua asked as she busied herself.

"It was fine until I woke up feeling as if my head made several impacts with a wall," Mei Xing complained with a pout.

Yi Chunhua chuckled. "Here. I made something to deal with the headache."

Mei Xing received the bowl from Yi Chunhua. The aroma wafted into her nostrils and she sighed. "It smells so good. Thanks, Chu."

Yi Chunhua nodded. She took off her apron after being done preparing the soup- she dished a good quantity for herself and sat beside Mei Xing.

Yi Chunhua, curious about Mei Xing's companion from the night before, inquired about the mysterious man.

"Mei, about last night..." Yi Chunhua trailed off in hesitation.

Sensing that, Mei Xing sat up and turned to her. "I wanted to ask too. What happened after I left you on the dance floor? Were you okay?"

Yi Chunhua blinked a few times. She scoffed a laugh and shook her head. "My Meimei got so drunk last night that the first thing she did in the morning was to ask if I was okay."

Mei Xing pouted and threw her best friend a mock glare. "See if I care about you the next time we hit the club."

Yi Chunhua laughed and pulled Mei Xing for a side hug. "I was okay, Mei. You on the other hand- you were..."

"I was what? Did I do something stupid? That was my first time getting drunk and I hope I didn't go gaga," Mei Xing spoke with hope in her voice.

Yi Chunhua smiled. "You have nothing to worry about in that context."

"Oh, thank God," Mei Xing heaved. "Then what did I do?"

"Who was the man that was accompanying you at the bar?" Yi Chunhua asked.

Mei Xing, however, found herself in a state of confusion, unable to recall the details of the evening. "Man? Accompany? Who?"

Yi Chunhua sighed and pushed her bowl of soup to create space to lean her arms. "You were with a man- a handsome man as you drank yourself to unconsciousness yesterday. I didn't get to ask his name. But I thought you would tell me since you said you know him," she explained. "So, who is he?"

Mei Xing tried to remember what had transpired the night before. But instead of that, she got a stinging headache as feedback.

"Ugh, I can't remember anything, Chu. I wish I could," Mei Xing groaned, frustrated. The gaps in her memory left her puzzled.

Yi Chunhua sighed and picked up her spoon. "Okay. Don't push yourself. You don't need to remember now."

Mei Xing nodded. Yet, as she sipped the hangover soup, she pondered on the bits she could remember of the previous night.

She wanted to know what happened after she got drunk, especially about the man Yi Chunhua spoke about.

"Do you have somewhere to be today? We could binge-watch if not," Yi Chunhua asked.

"I have to prepare for my first architectural gig. But I can spare an hour or two for movies."

"That's enough for me. I'll prepare some snacks while to choose something we should watch."

"Alright."

••••••

After almost four hours of binge-watching comedic movies, Mei Xing and Yi Chunhua finally decided to put off the television.

They had exhausted three big bowls of popcorn and four bottles of soda. Their cheeks were wet and hurt from the endless cackling from the movies.

Yi Chunhua sighed as she picked up the bowls. "I haven't had time to laugh like this in months," she said.

"At least yours is some months. I haven't laughed like this in the entirety of my marriage and beyond," Mei Xing admitted. She went ahead to discard their empty soda bottles.

Yi Chunhua sighed again. "Being together is doing us good. I like it."

"Yeah, me too. I'm gonna go see if I can get anything done. See you in a while, roomie," Mei Xing winked at Yi Chunhua.

"See ya."

Mei Xing went back to her room feeling happier than she could remember. The movie had occupied her thoughts, leaving no room for her family or Feng Houyi.

Stepping into her room, Mei Xing dropped onto her bed and picked up her phone from the bedside table. Her fingers lingered over her phone before pressing the familiar digits of a long-lost friend from her university days.

When the familiar voice echoed through the phone, Mei Xing suddenly felt like she was taken back to her university days.

"Hello, this is Longwen. Who am I speaking with?"

"Hi, senior. It's me, Mei Xing," she replied, referring to him as she did back then.

"Mei?" Longwen's voice carried a blend of surprise and warmth. "Is that really you?"

"Yes, it's me. Long time hasn't it?"

They hadn't spoken in years, life having taken them on separate journeys- Mei Xing to her marital home and him, to a successful career in architecture.

"Yeah. How have you been? Are you faring well? Is everything alright?" He was bombarded with questions and it warmed her just like how...

Mei Xing's smile faded as bits of last night came flashing by. She felt as if it was déjà vu- like what just happened had happened before, but in a more physical sense.

Someone had asked if she was alright and that someone had also made her feel warm from his concern. And she was familiar with that warmth. Like that wasn't the first time she felt it.

But she just couldn't still remember with whom she'd felt so.