Xiu stumbled her way to the shower with her mind in shreds. She turned the dial, releasing thousands of steamy drops; darkening her hair and trickling down her fair shoulders. The clear glass shower cabin was filled with steam almost instantly. Her mind faded into dullness and everything seemed like a foggy illusion.
Her eyes closed over and over, each time showing a new image from last night. "Where am I? Who am I? Why am I?" Her own voice pulsated through her mind making her body tremble under hot water. But the sensation of the steamy water calmed her a bit. She cupped her hands under the showerhead but looking at that crystal clear water her mind swirled again. "Why am I?" She asked aloud, this time it wasn't just a memory. This was her real question to herself, and to whoever sent her back in this body.
The answer to 'Where am I? Who am I?' can be found easily. But who was supposed to answer that 'Why am I?' Xiu once learned that everything in our life has its own purpose to fulfill. From the moment, she became Bai Xiu, her question was why? For someone who chose death over life once, for someone who didn't cherish life the first time, why would anyone want to give that person a second chance?
But who was she suppose to question in the end? Who was listening? Because now she believed that nobody was really listening at all. She was just wasting her time. She honestly didn't want to think about these things that didn't even matter anymore.
Walking out of the bathroom in her home clothes, she wrapped her damp hair in a towel and looked at herself in the mirror. "You have already embarrassed yourself enough. Hiding won't solve anything. Let's just face him. If push comes to shove, we'll deny everything. When will those acting classes will come to use?" She patted her cheeks and walked out of the room. Oh, not before wearing her sunglasses and unwrapping her long hair to dry naturally.
Watching her walk like vampire hiding from sunlight, both Darren and Nora were trying hard not to laugh out. With her hand on the kitchen island, Xiu walked up to the refrigerator and opened it to get some water.
"Come and sit here, I'll bring the hangover soup." Nora pulled out the chair for her and pushed her on it before going around the kitchen island.
"Hi, Sweets! Your morning is quite late." Hearing Darren's words, Xiu held her shirt's collar and pointed at the front of her shirt. Darren read the words written on it, "Don't talk. I have wine flu." As he read the last line, his face lost its initial liveliness. He looked at her burying her head in her hands and whispered, "Now, you're really scaring me, Sweets." However, whether those words were for her or for himself, he wasn't too sure.
Nora watched him looking at her shirt and elaborated, "That's one of Xiu's hangover shirts. Apparently, hanging out in this shirt helps her in getting over this hangover." Nora chuckled softly while placing the bowl of steaming hot hangover soup before Xiu and a pate full of pasta in front of Darren saying, "It's 1 p.m. I'm sure it's almost lunchtime for you too."
"It's really alright." Darren tried to refuse.
"No need for this politeness. It's not every day that Nora Cartwright cooks something with her precious hands." Xiu was talking in a hushed tone as if it was a secret but in reality, she was just trying hard to ease up her headache.
"Okay. Then I should really not say no to this meal. I might not get a chance for a second one." Darren's response made Xiu look up at him from behind her sunglasses.
"Why did you bring the hangover soup? You really didn't have to." Xiu asked with curiosity quite palpable in her voice.
Darren brushed her damp hair gently as he replied, "Actually hangover soup was just an excuse, I just wanted to check up on you. After your last night's drinking escapade, I was worried that you might get sick."
Xiu didn't know what to say to that. No one had ever made excuses just to check up on her health. It was quite a new feeling for her. "Next time, don't look for excuses. We don't have a habit of turning our guests away from the door. If you want to know how I am, just be straightforward about it."
Nora also jutted in, "Xiu is right. There is no need to be this polite. We'd feel like strangers."
Darren smiled and nodded to both of them. "I'll keep that in mind." He looked at Xiu and asked, "So, how are you feeling?"
Xiu slurped her soup as if eating noodles and said, "I feel like someone is hitting my head with a hammer. I'm really thirsty as well. But... I think I'll live."
"You sure about that last part?" He asked palyfully.
"Positively not sure!" She replied affirmatively and gave him a toothy grin before cupping her face, "Did a truck run over me last night?"
Both Nora and Darren looked at each other. "Why?" asked Darren taking the lead.
"My whole body is aching," she replied massaging her shoulders.
Nora and Darren again shared a look and this time, Nora asked, "You don't remember last night?" Xiu shook her head in negation completely denying it. Why would she say she remembered her most embarrassing moments? She wasn't that crazy yet.
But it was true that her body was aching and that was because of her fall in the car last night and in the room earlier.
Nora really wanted to remind her how much she had infuriated her but Darren cut her off with, "You're adorable last night. Positively adorkable[1]!"
When Darren didn't mention anything, Xiu's heart swelled involuntarily. She knew Nora would never hide anything. Why would that best friend give up on this precious chance to embarrass her? As a best friend, it was her right to take advantage of Xiu's misery but Darren didn't let her do so.
Wasn't he openly picking sides now?!
[1] 'adorkable': Adorable + dorky