Just A Step Away From You

CHAPTER VII: I Need a Miracle To Pull That Stunt

It was a Wednesday, they were at the mall; Mai Ding was helping Bai Xiaosi to shop...more like she forced him to come with her to play.

"Nah Mai Mai, when are you going to tell An Ziyan that you're his boyfriend?" It was Bai Xiaosi, she now regained her vigour.  She was clinging to him.

""Shh! cut me some slack will you. I'm trying my best here you know." Mai Ding hushed her looking around trying to see if somebody is hearing about their conversation.

 " Come on, you wasted a lot of time idling, if you didn't stop me that time he has already know the truth." The tall and slender girl continued to nudge him on his side.

"You think it's easy to say to him: "Ah, were so in love so An Ziyan come back to me." I need a miracle to pull that stunt you know." Mai Ding waves both his hands in the air while saying it in a whisper.

 He knows that he got to do something but work has become busier.  That's why he just said that to her nonchalantly.

"Hmm, then I think it will happen. So much occurred in the past, I believe the two of you were really meant for each other." He can see that Bai Xiaosi was not wearing the ring now, even at the time they were at the park.

The engagement was still a pretend game between Bai Xiaosi and An Ziyan at least to everyone.

***

 Nightfall came, the advertisement of the new foreign brand they've all been working for painstakingly to penetrate the market in Mainland, China was a huge success.

That's why it's decided to have a celebration for the joint-venture's achievement on a weekend.

The saloon was filled up with a lot of people. Different cuisines lined on the buffet table and so are cocktail snacks. Wine and booze were all over the place.

On one corner, you can see Mai Ding becoming wobbly; he had drunk too much liquor by now.

He was thinking of ways to do in order to tell An Ziyan about the "girlfriend" he was asking although the person in question doesn't enquire anymore about it.

'I knocked at the wrong room, ask your sexuality and you lied being bisexual, nagged and tailed you out of curiosity and eventually, I fell in love. We've fallen in love...How the hell would I say that to him?' , Mai Ding laughed inwardly.

All of a sudden, a man came to his table looking at him with utter displeasure.

He noticed his jet black hair was fixed back as always, his long and beautiful fingertips, his facial features that have become manlier now; the scent of his perfume suit his style and his custom made outfit fits perfectly on his body, defining An Ziyan's long and slender limbs. 

Mai Ding began to taunt:

"Hey, if I compare you to a fairytale character, you'll be prince charming[1], but a bastard one."

"And if I compare you into a marine animal, you would be a black turtle[2], because you're a slow one."

"What the fuck are you saying, you're wasted already."  An Ziyan was irritated, he realized that the guy has a low alcohol tolerance.

His phone also continued to ring; he then turned it off immediately.

"Cursing like that, you're just An Ziyan."  Mai Ding said, the just arrived man furrowed his brows and his aura started to darken at the bespectacled man in front of him.

An Ziyan grabbed Mai Ding's shoulder and led him outside the premise. Everyone noticed the fuss concerning them but he reasoned that they need to leave and go back first now.

***

An Ziyan helped him towards his bed. He was just preparing to leave but when he turned his back, a pillow was thrown at his head. He was fuming with anger then as he turns again to face the person who hit him.

An Ziyan just stared at him bewildered.

 "Where are you going, again? That time, why did you have to leave without saying a word? Why did you have to die, you jerk! You said you'll never hurt me again." He saw Mai Ding was now sitting on his bed crying.

An Ziyan moved forward and tried to wipe his tears but "You liar, asshole, bastard...You're such a bad person ignoring my feelings like that."  Mai Ding was resisting and knocking his chest repeatedly as he continued to sob.

"Enough, you're becoming out of hand." An Ziyan grasped both of Mai Ding's wrists to stop him, They looked into each other's eyes, then complete silence enveloped the two of them again.

Slowly the distance of their faces was now a few centimetres apart. Mai Ding leaned towards him and he reciprocated.

 "I love you; I actually do A...Zi". He said into a soft voice after that he collapsed into his embrace.

"Why is it you always shed tears whenever you see me?" An Ziyan looks at Mai Ding and fixed his hair to the side.

They have kissed... he doesn't know why but he wasn't against it.

He remembered the conversation they had in the cafe when they parted ways. He comprehend that Mai Ding has a deceased lover, what's even more unexpected was that he was dating a man.

The more he knows him, the more he wants to be with him.

An Ziyan has already forgotten to enquire about the girl back at home and completely centers his attention to Mai Ding .

 Moreover, on that moment his heart began to thump fast... It was rather a strange and wonderful feeling.

***

"Ngh...Huh?"  Mai Ding's head hurt a lot; he was having a hang-over. He realized that it was comfortably warm and fuzzy and as he opened his eyes, a tinge of red covered his cheeks and become flustered.

 "What did just happen?" He has awoken to see that he was holding the sleeve of someone's shirt. Mai Ding was surprised; An Ziyan was sitting on a chair besides his bed asleep.

"You should be thankful that you slept well in bed."  An Ziyan was massaging his neck and shoulders with his hand and bend his head sideways.

Mai Ding was embarrassed; he never knew that the one who brought him back was no other than him, yet again.

 "Did I say something weird, last night?" He doesn't know why but he believes something unusual did occur, he felt his eyes sting and somehow lingering warmth could still be felt on his lips.

"Like what?"  An Ziyan had a serious tone, maybe because he didn't sleep well last night because of him, Mai Ding thought.

 But the reality was that An Ziyan was disturbed by the idea that he was resentful of being used as a replacement for a dead lover.

Nonetheless, it happened; Mai Ding never realized that the miracle he was waiting for has already transpired. The wheel of fortune is now turning again into their favour to seal their fate.

TBC

[1] . Prince charming from Cinderella book given by An Ziyan

[2]  Mai Ding's gift to An Ziyan on their first Christmas together