Chapter 17

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Crystal Dwight's Villorio

One afternoon, after my work at Foodie Place and was about to leave, I saw Aron Ryle waiting for me outside.

"Anong ginagawa mo rito?" bungad ko.

"I am waiting for my girl," nakangiting tugon niya.

"Alangan namang man, girly ka no'n?" I joked and walked ahead of him.

"Crystal!" he shouted from behind.

I turned around and gave him a curios look. "Ano?! At saka 'wag mo nga akong tawaging gan'yan!"

He ran towards me, smiling playfully. "I am taking my revenge!"

"Revenge for what?"

"You called me Aronie Rylie yesterday!"

I couldn't help but laugh. "Kasalanan ko ba 'yon? Bakit ka kasi nag-all pink kahapon?!"

"I thought you liked guys wearing pink?"

"Oo nga pero hindi naman dapat lahat pink. Sapatos, damit at shorts mo pink. Pati sombrero mo pink. Parang ikaw pa itong babae sa ating dalawa, eh!" I couldn't stop laughing while talking. Every time his images flashes into my head wearing that outfit, I couldn't stop myself to smile.

"Are you making fun of me that's why you said that?" he asked, frowning.

"Oh. I was fooling around. Sa tingin mo ba type ko ang pink?"

"Sabi ko nga. You are making fun of me!"

"Naniwala ka naman?" I let out a triumphant laugh once again.

"May araw ka rin sa akin, Crystal!" he yelled, following me.

"Bleh! I won already!"

"Xiaoli!"

I was automatically halted walking when his words echoed to my ears. How did he know that name? I remembered that I haven't tell him yet.

"Xiaoli," he called again and obstructed my way. "Is that you, right?"

"Huh?" I couldn't search for any more words to utter. I tried to open my mouth but no words came out. My throat went dry and feel like there was a lump on it.

"Hmm?" he begged but I was rendered speechless.

What shocked me the most is that he hugged me before I could even stop him.

"Then, from this day onwards, I'll call you that," he murmured. "I've been searching fro so long."

Regarding that matter of Xiaoli, I really don't know that much. I had some vague dreams about that kid. When I woke up, I wrote some of the words I remembered from that dream on my journal. Maybe that's where Ryle know about Xiaoli. Merely a guess, I am not sure.

"Xiaoli, my best girl. My self's best girl. I am Xiaoli. Xiaoli is me."

That's what I always heard from my dream. A child singing a lullaby and uttering that words repeatedly.

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