"I'm not sick," Xiao Ping denies. But still she lets Mrs. Yuan covers her body with blanket.
"Get a rest," Mrs. Yuan says while stroking Xiao Ping's forehead gentle.
"I'm not sick, Mom," Xiao Ping insists sounded more like complaint when her mother walks away to leave her alone.
Xiao Ping is not lying. She really doesn't feel sick. Her head is not dizzy, her body doesn't have fever, her throat is not sore, her breathing is normal, and her stomach is not ache. There is absolutely nothing wrong with her body except for refusing the porridge. Xiao Ping is pensive to stare at Takeshi poster.
Some minutes later she sighs. She figures out what's happened. Actually.. she really can not understand. It means, she knows what is the cause but she can not understand why. It means.. she knows why it happened but she can not understand why her body reacted that way.
"Hhh..," Xiao Ping sighs, feels confused with her convoluted thought. Xiao Ping straightens her body to face the ceiling then puts her left hand over her forehead. Since last night, exactly after she received email from Takeshi, everything has been blur. Almost like a surreal painting with no clear limitation between reality and fantasy. Xiao Ping was even too dazed to reply Takeshi's email.
On her way home, delivered by Yu Jin, Xiao Ping repeatedly asked Yu Jin to make sure that guy also read what she read. Every times Yu Jin confirmed, Xiao Ping felt happiness spread all over her body. But at the same time a fear burst out. A fear of disappointment. What if the email was not from Takeshi ? What if she had been pranked all of this time ? And worse, what if it was from Takeshi but he only made fun of Xiao Ping ?
A part of her heart refused that prejudice. Takeshi can't be that evil. She has been so sure that the email's owner is Takeshi, thus yesterday's email was definitely from Takeshi. Thus.. Takeshi really did accepted her love and felt the same. But, another part of her heart keeps on asking how is it possible Takeshi Hasegawa in love with her ? What in earth can make her dare to think that she deserves to be a super star's girlfriend ?
Those question has shrunk her heart. That was why she could only close her eyes at four in the morning and probably the reason why her stomach refused the porridge. Xiao Ping glances at Takeshi on the poster that is smiling sweetly to her. "Can't you eat, too, Takeshi ?"
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Takeshi Hasegawa just put the last piece of sandwich in his mouth when his apartment's bell door rings. "A moment !" he says to the person behind the door while standing and cleans his hands with a paper towel. Without lessens his hurry, Takeshi wears his shoes, puts the air conditioner off and in once grabs his back pack on his shoulder. Just before he opens the door, he turned off the light.
"Morning !" Takeshi greets Hiroshi who is cleaning his sunglasses. "Morning," Hiroshi replies then puts his sunglasses on and start walking through the aisle, leaving Takeshi who is still locking his apartment door. Takeshi catches Hiroshi who is already inside the elevator. Once he is inside the elevator, the elevator door is closed and the elevator starts to move down.
"I have a gossip," Hiroshi speaks as he looks at him self in the mirror wall of the elevator.
"About what ?" Takeshi asks, follows Hiroshi's activity. "My hair is long," Takeshi complains about his hair which is a bit messy, before Hiroshi has a chance to answer his question. Hiroshi turns to him and looks at his hair style. "We'll visit Joe when we have a time," Hiroshi says while back to see his on reflection.
"Miyu breaks up with Ryu," Hiroshi finally answers Takeshi previous question. Takeshi turns to him in surprised. Hiroshi shrugs. "This morning Ayu-chan called me to inform that Miyu can not have a shooting. When I asked why, she only said that Miyu has a bad hangover after heavily drunk last night," Hiroshi explains.
Takeshi grins. "Heavily drunk is equal to break up ? Where did you learn your math ?" he mocks.
Takeshi pouts. "Wanna bet ?" he dares.
Takeshi laughs. "It is not good to bet on other's love life," he refuses.
"You're just afraid," Hiroshi scolds. "No, I'm not," Takeshi denies.
"5000 yen ?" Hiroshi asks. "There is a better way," Takeshi refuses. "What?"
"The winner will be a king for a weekend," Takeshi proposes. Hiroshi widely smiles and handing his hand.
-----------------------
"I'm so thrill ... I still can't believe it. Is it true ? or I'm just dreaming ? I was drowning in
tears. Tears of happiness. You know what my answer is because you've owned my heart from the beginning...
Xiao Ping stretches out both of his arms that tangled in front of her chest to release the tense. It took her almost an hour to only wrote that short email al though she had planned what to write since yesterday.
Xiao Ping pats both hands to her cheeks. Coldness spreads but quickly blends with her warm cheeks, makes her trembling a bit. That always happens whenever she gets too enthusiast. She leans her back on Yu Jin's comfy sofa and feels her pounding heart. It's been two days but her heart is still pounding fast whenever she remembers Takeshi love statement.
A light squeak of apartment front door makes her head turns to the door that showed Yu Jin. Still sitting on the sofa, Xiao Ping turns her body to face Yu Jin. "Yu Jin.. I have replied his email," Xiao Ping reports to him with joy.
The joy is clearly speaks of the email's content. Yu Jin stands still in stunned to hear it. It is only couple seconds after his lips slowly grows a smile. A smile that he hopes can complement Xiao Ping's happiness.
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The pendant with two kanji letters slowly twirl, only four inches from Takeshi's pointed nose. Sitting on Hiroshi's chair, he watches closely the movement of the kanji letters while his lips corners are up. When he heard steps closing by, his hand reflexly hides the necklace in to his packet and his head is straightaway raised. When he knows the steps was belong to an employee who passed by, Takeshi leans his back back to the chair.
----------------
"I wish I could pinch you softly
and show you that it's not a dream
I wish I can hold you tight
And convince you how strong love has bounded us
I wish I can taste your tears
and make you believe that no greater happiness can be this real.
It's real. Believe it."