November 21, 20XX (Wednesday)
Restaurant Xandre & On the Road & Zhao Manor
The Dinner ended without a hitch in Mei Li's eyes. She was happy with all the food she had devoured especially when she had tried everything she had wanted and just gave the leftovers to Yang and Chang Min who ate it without complaints.
But to Yang, dinner was all one long agonizing moment. First, he was seated the furthest to Mei Li. Second, he had an annoying and protective older brother on his tail. Third, he had to bear all the snarky comments that Chang Min throws at him whenever he tried to grab Mei Li's attention and Lastly, he ate himself full just to satisfy Mei Li's cravings.
She ate just one or two bites and order another one while pushing the rest of the food to Chang Min's and his direction. Yang had first thought it was wasteful for Mei Li to do this but he noticed the subtle look everytime he finished a plate; it was a look of approval. And when he thought about it deeper, Yang realize with a startling thought, 'Is she testing me how far I can go for her?' Zhao Yang ate with much gusto, ignoring the full feeling from his stomach. Bring it on!
When Chang Min separated from them at the Parking Lot, Yang was happy to rid off the older brother finally. At least on their drive home, he can solo Mei Li all he wants. Yang first let Mei Li get inside the car before he rushed to the other side and into the driver's seat in excitement. He had luck with her in their car ride to the restaurant, so maybe he will have another success with her in their car ride home.
Before Yang could start the engine of his Maybach, Mei Li touched his arm. The small fingers lingered in the fabrics of his long sleeves. His eyes followed her fingers, to her arms, then to her shoulder, towards her neck, then to that lovely lips of hers, and gloriously arriving to meet her eyes with his. This beautiful woman was too beautiful for his sanity to be kept safe in her presence.
"We haven't taken a photo with just us together yet." Mei Li's soft and caring voice echoed right through his heart. Can he bottle the feeling her sultry soft voice gives him in a bottle so when he feels down and blue, he'll open the bottle and drink himself drunk with her essence?
"We can take one now," Yang immediately suggested. He wouldn't care even if it was just a selfie. As long as it was a photo of the two of them, he'd treasure it like a gold bar.
"Nobody would take it for us," Mei Li continued with a pout of her lower lips overtaking the upper, "Should we call Big Brother Chang Min to take one for us?"
"No," Yang blurted out faster than lighting. If they did, Chang Min would join them into the photo again! The nuisance was already gone, no need to call the nuisance back! He added to placate her, "We can just take a selfie. I'm alright with those."
Mei Li stared at him for a long time. He could feel the gears in her head turning with her thoughts. She agreed with a soft smile that had lingered from her satisfaction to the dishes that she had eaten, "Okay, let me take it for us. May I borrow your phone?"
The CEO took his phone out from his left lower pockets and handed it to Mei Li in a hurry. The painter pointed at the button for his thumb's fingerprint. Yang pressed his right thumb on the phone while Mei Li's hand still holding it. Teasing her with a smirk, he slowly did it like a sloth. The glare that she had thrown his way was as cute as a kitty begging for warm milk on a cold winter night. She needed to work at her glares because he didn't find it scary at all. Her indifferent face, though, was in another level of frightening. He still remembers the wine incident in his office. Her soft and gentle attitude with that face that had no hint of emotion was the most unexpected and the scariest he had ever seen her. You don't know how she will react on those time.
Mei Li had opened his camera application and had positioned her arms above her head and tilting her hands that were holding the phone to the right direction where they both could be seen. Yang grinned when her short arms could not capture his head fully. If she tilted the phone upwards to capture his head, only her eyes and the top of her head could be seen.
Mei Li pouted as she turned to him with a command, "bend down a little!"
Yang chuckled before bending his waist and shamelessly putting his face beside's Mei Li in her right. Mei Li froze. Although she wanted to turn to look at him, she refrained because if she did, the probability of them kissing was a hundred percent. She wasn't willing to take that chance... yet.
The painter did not know how red her face had flushed until they had shot the picture and she had reviewed it.
"Your cheeks are red," Yang was so shameless for pointing out that obvious fact to her. She curses at him on her mind. He really needs to learn more tact.
"It's cold outside," Mei Li could only reply with an excuse. Helplessly lowering her head and concentrating on the phone in her hands. Her brown locks covering her redder face in the process. In her shy state, she pressed a random song title.
And suddenly the car was filled with a man's voice singing an old English love song, 「Wise men say,」
「Only fools rush in」
「But I can't help falling in love with you...」
Yang's hands that were trying to turn on the engine had frozen in spot. Mei Li had also stilled when she heard the song and registered the meaning of the lyrics.
「Shall I stay, would it be a sin?」
「 If I can't help falling in love with you」
Mei Li looked up horrified at the timing of Elvis Presley's love song. Of all the songs that she could have randomly chosen, why this song was commonly associated with weddings? Her eyes meet with Yang's.
「Like a river flows surely to the sea. 」
「Darling so it goes,」
「some things are meant to be」
Yang turned on the car engine after he had broken their stare. The car's driver had turned on without a sound that disrupted the pinkish atmosphere the love song that was currently playing.
"「Take my hand, take my whole life too for I can't help falling in love with you」" Yang had sung together with the song and whistling the tune after, acting innocent of his intimate action as if he had not sung a confession.
'Baby steps, Zhao Yang' Yang reminded himself again.
When he had sneaked a look at her, he was once again filled with hope. Mei Li face was the most red he had ever seen but she had not changed the song even when the phone was still in her hands.
So Elvis Presley continued to serenade their ride back home with the song 'Can't help falling in love with you' in repeat.
「Like a river flows surely to the sea」
「Darling so it goes」
「some things are meant to be」
「Take my hand, take my whole life too」
「for I can't help falling in love with you」
「for I can't help falling in love with you」
Arriving back home, Yang checked on his phone to see that Mei Li had already set their selfie picture as his screen saver and her photos on the Photo Library was left untouched.
His heart soars in happiness. He slept with a smile that night.