"Get me an appointment with Rui tomorrow!" Xander instructed his assistant on the phone while he was selecting a few more bags for Yera. Rui was his doctor and closest friend, who was also the only person in their hospital who knew about his condition.
Something abnormal was definitely going on with his body. Nothing like this had ever happened to him before. His body kept reacting uncontrollably to Yera, and it actually alarmed him.
'Geez, before you were complaining because you couldn't get your buddy up, and now when it finally gets up at its own will, you are complaining too. What do you want, dude?' He chided himself. He was sure Rui would say the same thing to him tomorrow.
Xander scratched the back of his head irritably… And smiled awkwardly at a saleslady whom he caught staring at him. Even that awkward smile could still make the young woman blush. And Yera saw that.
She could only shake her head. Fine, she concurred, this man was indeed an eye candy, who could just captivate anyone effortlessly with his smile, which was still his best asset.
'Did he plan to buy all of those bags?' She mused, seeing Xander was choosing even more.
"Stop buying. This is more than enough…" Yera said from behind Xander, which startled him.
"Are you alright?" Yera asked as she looked closely at Xander's flustered face. She naturally touched his face.
"Your temperature is normal, but how come your face is flushed like that? You're sweating too," Yera asked with a furrowed forehead.
"Let me feel your pulse," Yera offered and was about to grab Xander's wrist when Xander abruptly moved away from her. He randomly grabbed a pair of shoes.
"I'm fine. Go try on these shoes," Xander reassured her with a smile on his face, and immediately shifted his gaze to the saleslady as he instructed her, "We'll also get this one and that one…"
Then he sighed in relief when Yera finally left him to follow another saleslady to try on some shoes. If he was already this flustered now, he wondered how he would survive sharing a room with Yera.
'Good luck to me,' he consoled himself.
Yera was feeling exhausted after trying on many different outfits and shoes. She felt like a mannequin that was being dressed by Xander. But she must admit, Xander had good taste in fashion indeed, as he had claimed before. She loved all of his picks, to the point that she ended up accepting everything from him.
They were done shopping and were now inside his car.
"Let's have dinner somewhere first. What do you want to eat?" Xander asked as he was driving.
"We can just have dinner at home with your father," Yera suggested. She actually liked Senior Yang's presence. He made her feel comfortable, and he reminded her of the late Chief Doctor Song, who had always treated her like his real daughter.
"Hmm, actually, I would like to try this new restaurant nearby," Xander murmured. He had actually already asked his assistant to book a table there because he would like to celebrate their marriage with just the two of them.
"Okay. I'm fine with anything," Yera said casually.
They arrived at the restaurant, and Yera immediately loved the place. It has an idyllic atmosphere with a cozy and inviting interior where one could forget the hustle-bustle of the city and would be transported to the countryside.
The building looked like a big pavilion, strewn with apple blossoms, with retractable glass roof, which allowed the guests to dine beneath the stars. A waiter led them to their table.
"This place is lovely," Yera marveled.
Xander smiled at her and said, "Yeah, I heard it's a nice place, so I wanted to bring you here. I'm glad you like it." Then he asked her what she would like to eat.
The food was also great, and the two enjoyed it. After dinner, Xander asked if she would like to have a glass of wine, to which Yera eagerly agreed. If there was one thing that Yera loved, it was to enjoy expensive wines.
Suddenly they heard some music playing from the small stage in the middle of the restaurant. A host was standing in the middle and announced, "Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a special event for all the couples here tonight. We would like to ask a volunteer to participate. He or she must be dining here with their romantic partner. He or she will then grace us with a song for their partner. If the partner were pleased with the performance... well, then obviously he or she would get something nice from their partner tonight, right?" The host joked to which the audience responded with a roar of laughter.
Then he continued, "But... if our volunteer could also please the audience with their performance, then the prize will be a bottle of Penfolds Grange Hermitage 1951."
Yera's eyes widened at the mention of the wine. It is one of the most expensive bottles of wine in the world. Without hesitating, she raised her hand and exclaimed, "Here! My husband will sing! For me…"
Xander's jaw dropped as he looked at Yera in disbelief. The other guests cheered for him while the host urged him to come to the stage with Yera.
He protested, "What the heck!?" Yera just shrugged her shoulders and said, "I want that wine. Get it for me."
"I'll buy it for you instead!" Xander whispered, trying to negotiate, but Yera ignored him. She did not know why, but she would really want to see Xander being put on the spot like this.
"Why spend money if you could get it for free? Just sing, it will save us the cost," Yera insisted as she was grinning inside, thinking that Xander would not be a good singer, based on his reaction. "Don't worry, if you get embarrassed, I'll back you up!" Yera declared proudly. She wanted to at least beat Xander at singing because she was good at it.
Xander was still looking at her in disbelief, but he quickly conceded and murmured, "Okay, you asked for this, yeah?" Then he turned around to the musicians to inform them of the song title before he grabbed the microphone.
And as soon as the music played he held Yera's waist with his other hand and pulled her closer toward him, so she would face him. Then he began to sing…
"Ohhhh…" the guests gushed, hearing how soothing Xander's voice was. Some had even pulled their partner to the front of the stage and began to dance...
'Would you always be mine?
Oh, darling, would you always be mine…
Don't you know I can't afford to lose you?
Oh, my darling, so please always be mine…'
Yera's eyes widened as she listened to Xander sing. 'No way...' She mused. Who would have thought that Xander Yang was an excellent singer? Yera was mesmerized by his singing voice.
His eyes never left hers as he sang the song. It was as if he was only singing to her. And there it goes again... The irregular beating of her heart.
As she stared back into his eyes, she unknowingly blushed...