Present Day
A knock at her door brought her out of the past.
"Hey, can I come in?" asked Tang standing at Jia Li's door.
She opened the door and completely took his breath away. Resplendent in a full length pale pink gown, Jia Li looked no less than an ethereal nymph. Minimalistic make-up and an upswept hairdo enhanced her eyes. The pale pink lipstick showed off her mole on the lip, making it look irresistible.
Tang was blown away and could only stammer inadequately, "y…you look stunning".
She returned the compliment with an easy smile, "you don't look so bad yourself! Why are you standing here? Come in".
Tang got a view of Jia Li's bare back as she turned to walk ahead into the room.
"Mei Zhen seems absolutely lovely and you both look great together. Where are you planning…" she was cut short by his snarl.
"What are you wearing? I don't remember you prancing about in such revealing clothes ever before", he said angrily.
Jia Li looked at him quizzically and then at the mirror, "revealing? Are you referring to my floor length gown?"
"No I am talking about your absolutely naked back. Apparently the material ran out before the whole garment could be made, hmm?" he countered sarcastically.
"Maybe you didn't pay attention to your fiancée's dress this evening which exposed a whole lot more than my gown. Let me see you attempting to tell her to cover-up", she argued hotly.
"I don't care what she…", he stopped abruptly.
They stared at each other for a few seconds before he mumbled, "I better go and check on the arrangements downstairs".
Jia Li sat down with a thump on the sofa and tried to reign in her emotions, which were threatening to spill out.
Fourteen Years earlier
"I think I am in love with him", she confessed solemnly to Li Jie.
Choking on his banana milkshake, he sputtered, "what's wrong with you? Can't you give me some prior notice before making such grand announcements?"
Jia Li snapped back, "can you pay attention to me instead of the milkshake for a minute?"
They were walking on their favourite trail near their houses after returning from the summer vacation, she from her grandmother's funeral and he from a foreign trip.
"He hugged me yesterday and said that he had been miserable without me", she continued.
"By HE, I am presuming you are referring to Tang. So what did you say?" Li Jie slurped his milkshake.
Jia Li and Li Jie had a pact of not hiding anything from each other ever since their toddler days, hence the confession.
"What could I say? I told him I had felt the same and hugged him back. In that moment, it became clear to me that he is the one", she declared.
"I knew it. I told you not to read those rubbish romantic novels. You can't even manage your algebra properly yet and LOVE has happened to you", he scoffed.
"Have you told him about how you feel?" he asked a bit softly when she didn't react to his ribbing.
"How can I tell him anything till I myself am not sure about it? You seem to think it is nonsense, anyways", she said in a small voice.
Looping his spindly arms through her chubby ones, he spoke, "I don't think it is nonsense. I just don't want things to get complicated for a passing emotion. You are one of the few people that I actually like in this world and I would hate to see you get hurt".
Her eyes welled up and she hugged him close, "I think you are right. I may be overreacting, like the heroine of a bad romance novel".