Roulan looked away from Yanmei. The smaller woman still sat down on her lap, the television continuously running in the background.
"Not like this."
Roulan could only whisper, her face blushing in embarrassment at the thought of someone walking into the living room and seeing the two on top of each other. Yanmei, even if she heard what Roulan said, wanted to tease the younger woman.
"Hmm? Did you say something?"
"I-uh-not... like-uh... this."
Roulan couldn't help but curse herself inside her mind. Stuttering in front of the woman on top of her is not a good idea.
This will only make Yanmei think she wants to do this stuff only couples do. But thinking back, they are a couple themselves.
There's nothing wrong with them doing it together, considering their marriage is valid. But Roulan didn't want Yanmei to take the wrong idea if she were to agree to this.
She may not have any feelings for Huiqing, but she doesn't want to give Yanmei false hope that she'll ever be able to reciprocate her feelings. Heck, she didn't want to complicate their situation more.
-
"Yanmei."
Roulan sighs in disbelief, shaking her head when she sees the older woman chugging down a cup of beer a random man gave her.
Yep, this is what Yanmei called fun.
As embarrassing as it was, Roulan thought of something different, like how she managed to get tangled with the wild and smaller woman.
But when Yanmei stood up from her lap and dragged her back to the older woman's bedroom, she thought that it was what it was.
She was ready to disagree, thinking of a way to get out of the situation, but she thought wrong. The older woman brought her into her room to pick an outfit for her.
Roulan, not knowing what the woman usually wears, picked out the most simple yet elegant-looking dress her eyes laid. But what she chose made the latter glare at her.
Yet in this situation, Yanmei was chugging the cup of beer down in a white dress inside a steamy and hot club they could get into.
And it seems like the woman was once a regular.
"Ting! Long time no see!"
"Wassup, baby girl, how are you doing?"
Every man who passes by their table always greets Yanmei with a name. Roulan thought that the woman used a different name when in the bar.
And what would the woman do?
Greeting everyone with a smile on her face. She would either wave at them, greet them with a "hey," or nod in acknowledgment.
"Roulan, are you having fun?"
"What the heck? How am I going to have fun in here?"
Roulan's eyes went to the man who passed by them. His action triggered something inside the taller woman's body.
The man, who had a woman beside him, decided to walk past them and smile widely towards Yanmei. His golden teeth are showing, almost blinding Roulan in the process.
The reaction from her wife?
Well, let's just say Yanmei reciprocated the action by smirking and drinking from her glass, making eye contact with the man.
Roulan couldn't help but feel a little uneasy by every interaction. She didn't mind the people around them, but her hands held the water-downed whiskey in front of her.
She chugged it down in one go.
As Yanmei's eyes went to look towards Roulan, they widened upon seeing the glass of whiskey she had put down earlier gone.
The content seems to be missing.
Did Roulan drink it?
No, she couldn't possibly do that.
Either way, Yanmei went and sat a little closer to Roulan. Her eyes inspected the taller woman, which held much confusion and emotion.
"What are you doing?"
"I was looking if you're drunk."
"What? No."
"Then what happened to the glass?"
Yanmei's eyebrows frown as she looks into her wife's eyes for answers. But all she got was a blank stare, her face contorting, before she heard a sneer come out of the latter's mouth.
"You probably drank it."
The older woman hummed in response, not really minding because she knew Roulan was not a fan of alcoholic drinks. Before Roulan could ask Yanmei to leave the club premises, a man sat down beside the older woman.
"Ting, long time no see? I miss you."
He even had the audacity to snake his arms around Yanmei's waist, which was quickly caught by Roulan. The younger woman's eyes went towards his arms before looking back at the man who held eyes to her.
He smirked in the process, winking at her before looking back at Yanmei with lust.
"You even bought someone, threesome?"
"Ah-"
"Call me if you need me."
Roulan stands up angrily, her voice cold and her eyes looking somewhere far. She didn't wait for Yanmei to speak as she quickly strides towards the bar area of the club.
She sat down on the stool, the bartender quickly dropped her some drinks she didn't know what to call. Yet she didn't mind and drank it in one go.
"Woah, relax, tiger. That one's strong."
The bartender spoke, looking at Roulan in amusement. The latter's face didn't say anything; it was staring blankly at the ice cubes that were slowly melting in the glass.
Her eyes went towards the bartender, passing back the glass and nodding her head. The bartender gladly made her another one.
"Got any problem?"
"Nothing."
"Come on, I know you have one."
The bartender smiled widely, passing back the glass towards the problematic-looking woman that sat still on the stool, looking at the wooden table.
"Just stuff."
"Girls?"
"How can you say?"
Roulan looked towards the bartender, gulping the drink he made in one go before passing it back down. Her actions made the bartender laugh and shake his head in disbelief, not believing Roulan can drink the strong alcohol without flinching.
"Well, based on how you dress yourself and your actions."
He passed the glass back to her, smiling widely before putting the bottle of alcohol down on the shelf, looking back at Roulan with a grin.
"I guess you're right."
"What about it?"
Roulan sighs in disbelief, her head shaking before she sips on the glass of alcohol she held in her hand. Her eyes went to look at the bartender, who's patiently waiting for her to speak.
"It's complicated. I'm married to this girl who I... I don't know what to feel and have this other woman whom I once had feelings, but she's quite different."
"Say, could you describe how you feel around your wife?"
Roulan looks at the bartender. Her lips made contact with the rim of the glass before sipping slightly.
"I don't know. I wanted to be a little closer, but at the same time it's awkward."
"Arranged?"
The bartender went back to grab another bottle of alcohol. His hand grabbing the now empty glass Roulan held and pouring the woman another drink.
"Kind of."
Roulan's eyes look at the slightly clear drink in her hand. She quickly put it on her lips, tasting the burning sensation it gives her throat.
"Shit."
"Woah, I guess that's our strongest one!"
The bartender laughed loudly, his head shaking before taking back Roulan's glass and pouring yet another drink for the woman.
"I never knew arranged marriage could lead to love."
"How can you say so?"
"Well, you wanted her close. You might be jealous as well, and you can't stay still around her."
Thinking back, Roulan's never the type of person to feel the need for someone's presence. Her whole image consists of always being out of place with her two friends, minding her own business, and trying to be as far away as possible.
But with Yanmei, it was different.
Like she wanted her close, but at the same time it was awkward. She does feel the jealousy, remembering how she saw Peizhi with Yanmei yesterday. And she felt uneasy around Yanmei.
She wanted to hold her or talk to her, sort of.
That's right!