CHAPTER 11:  Untying the Knot

“We are here.”

“You skipped class to be here?”

“Yes, are you coming out or not?”

“Are you going to desert me here?”

Aaron laughed as he hop out of the car then he unfasten his tie that hung loosely around his neck, he tossed it in the back seat and inhaled the scent of fresh sea water. Seeing how relaxed he was, Gui smiled and opened the door to adorn the beautiful sea in front of her.

As time passes, Aaron leaned against his car as he stared at the sea, adorning its beauty while Gui took a huge leap forward and did something Aaron would never do.

“What are you doing?”

Curious, Gui look over to Aaron who was looking at her with a puzzled expression.

“What? Have the infamous player never taken his shoes off to walk on the sand? Earth to Aaron! We are at the sea so it makes sense for me to take my shoes off doesn’t it?”

“Your strange.”

“You are even more strange, Aaron Yan.” Gui cried out as she dug her feet in the sand. “OH IT FEELS SOOO GOOD!” Gui shouted out as loud as she could, showing the full comfort of being free and happiness.

“Don’t tell me you are going to stand beside your car and watch me the entire time.”

Gui questioned his actions since it crossed her as odd. Seeing how he willingly drove here without her knowing where they were going, he just drove and before she knew it, they find themselves on the beach, staring at the vast deep blue sea.  

Aaron ignored her as he did what she imagined him to do, he went over to the bench and sat down. Telepathically telling Gui that he wasn’t just going to stand next to car; he is going to change it up and sit on the bench. Which is situated between the sand and his beloved car.

“You really are–” As Gui made her way to him, she suddenly drop down and cried in pain. “Ow...” Gui whispered as Aaron appeared beside her.

“WHAT DID YOU DO?! DID YOU STEP ON GLASS?! MAN, WHO WOULD LEAVE THEIR BROKEN GLASSES ON THE BEACH, LET ALONE BREAK A GLASS BOTTLE AND LEAVE IT ON THE BEACH?”

Gui stare at him as she watch his concern expression. It doesn’t take a scientist to conduct an experiment on his facial expressions to show that his concern was real. For once, Gui can see the caring and warm expression he has. At the beginning, she was dead mad at him for pulling her away while she was still in school but that raises a question, why did he do it?

“Look at me.” In a quiet voice, Aaron look over to see Gui stick her tongue out playfully.

And that’s when it hit him, “You lied.” He summed up the situation quickly as he got up, wanting to go back to the bench he marked was his for the time-being but Gui held onto his wrist.

“I wanted to get your attention somehow, you can’t blame me for trying Aaron.”

Gui suddenly smiled and got up, standing up as if she had succeeded. “Let’s play rock paper scissors. Loser gets to grant 2 wishes from the winner!”

Aaron eyed her cautiously. What game is she playing?

“Don’t be mad if I win.”

“Oh please! I am the master at this game!” Gui smiled as she mentally prepared herself for the game. Here goes nothing!

When Aaron balled his hands in front of her, she knew he would accept the challenge. “ROCK, PAPPER...” Gui peeked at Aaron’s concentrated face and giggled. “SCISSORS!”

“I WIN!” Gui cheered happily as she kissed her hand for doing ‘paper’ while Aaron stared blankly at his fist.

Caught, she laid out her bait and he fell in, completely without any worries. He stuff his hands into his pocket and groaned, a little bitter about losing. Clearly, he didn’t like the idea of being ordered to do something but since she was all cheerful over winning this round, he decided to let it go and stick to the rules she purposed earlier.

After all, a game is a game and rules are still rules.

“Now, my first wish is... to see Aaron Yan take off his shoes and socks and piggyback me from one end to the other.”

Aaron mentally calculate the distance in his head and gasped. “You look heavy.”

“I think you can handle it!” Gui’s never-ending smile pranced on her face as she pointed to his feet. “Hurry! I am waiting!!”

Aaron bent down to take off his socks and tossed his shoe off to the side, rolling up the bottom of his pants, physically preparing himself for this round of embarrassment. Luckily, he went to the beach during a school-day. If he had gone to the beach during the weekend, he will suffer from embarrassment and if he miscalculates a step, a reporter or some busy-body will discover their relationship unconditionally.

While Aaron was going preparing himself for complying with the game and the rules Gui made up. She honestly did not think he was going to comply like this because he wasn’t the type of guy to simply go with the flow. So she braced herself for a couple rounds of arguments before he sets out to grant her wish but as you can see, he is going with the flow and seeing that it gets accomplished.

“Aren’t you getting on? If you aren’t, then I am–” Gui quickly hopped on his back and felt his warmth in an instant.

Aaron got up without much trouble and made his way across the beach, bare-footed.

Because he wasn’t the type of guy to do these kind of things, he wasn’t too fond of the idea of stripping his socks and taking his shoes off. Let alone, walk bare-footed on the beach.

He could only sigh of that thought now, the more Aaron feels the soft sand through his toes, he didn’t realize that the sand was so soft. However , that doesn’t mean that he shouldn’t keep an eye out for sharp objects hidden underneath all the sand.

“Why are you looking down?”

“I might catch something.”

“What are you expecting to catch?”

“Something unexpected.”

The side of Aaron’s lips curve into a grin as he tighten his grip on her. “You are strange.” Gui muttered quietly turn to the other side to see beautiful sea glistening beside them.

If only she can stay forever in this moment, at this time.

As the time continues to tick away, once Aaron walked across the beach, he precisely stop and told her to get off. “Aren’t you getting off?”

“Oh yeah!” Gui shouted out as she got off and ran towards the sea. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! COME BACK HERE! HEY!”

Aaron quickly ran over to her. “WHAT ON EARTH DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?”

“Haven’t you seen couples do this on the beach?” Gui sang as she grabbed his hand and walked closer to the waves and when  the waves came close, Gui squealed happily as she tried to run away from the waves. Making sure the water doesn’t get to her feet while holding his hand.

From afar, anyone will think they were on a date but between them, they weren’t a couple or on a date.

Sooner or later, Aaron grew to like the idea of teasing the waves.

He didn’t know why but the things that awfully strange to him but it was considered okay in Ying Jie’s book took a turn unexpectedly. Whenever he past someone doing this, he always thought it was odd and unsightly but right now, at this moment, sure enough, he is doing it all. The things that people do at beaches, he was playing with the sand and the water, like a child.

“Oh man, I am exhausted!”

Gui cried out as she sat down on the sand, listening to the distant laughter from children from all sides of the beach. If it was one thing that Aaron didn’t want to do was to sit on the sand like Gui was doing. What if the sand sticks to his ? He is going to face a lifetime full of embarrassment if anyone catches him. “Sit.” Gui urged him but instead of listening to her, he ignored it and stood beside her.

“Are you serious?”

“I am.”

“Just sit down!”

“No.”

“Fine.”

Gui took off the hoddie he gave her earlier and threw it on the ground. “Here, now will you sit down?”

“Great, my sweater is dirty now.”

“At least it’s better than having sand stick to your . Isn’t that what you were worried about?”

Caught, again. Aaron Yan was in disbelief while Gui only smiled, not wanting to brag about it.

As they watch the water and the sky in one big picture, she glanced down at the sweater to see that she was only occupying  45% of the hoodie, leaving 55% for Aaron who gladly sat down.

Aaron silently watched the waves clash against the rocks, he didn’t know that being at the sea can calm him like this. Whenever he went to the beach with a girl, they will always ask him to do things that couple do, normal things. But since it is a boy who likes to uphold his rep, he always shrugged it off and not do the normal things that couple go through.

Aaron took a rock that was lying beside him and threw it into the water. Before relaxing himself as he feast his eyes on the deep blue sea, while Gui grab a tree branch nearby and played with the sand.

“Why did we come here?” Gui whispered as she hugged her knees.

She knew that no matter how relaxed he was, there was something that bothered him. He may seem relaxed but deep down, what is he contemplating about?

They were at the beach and all they did was have fun. It wasn’t Aaron’s plan that he had in mind but it was worth venturing out and doing something he never thought he would do. It came to a surprise for both of them.

He didn’t know why she would do all these things with him while she thought he would brush her idea of ‘fun’ away like it was nothing. Soon enough, they surprised each other by enjoying themselves at the beach.

Aaron took off his sweater he was wearing and drape it on her shoulders. “I wanted to get away.” So he says.

From the corner of her eye, she could see him twirling the ring on his finger. “You must’ve come to this place with all your girlfriends.”

“This is my first time here—to this beach.”

“What? So are you telling me that you were driving around with no destination and you just so happen to drive to this beach?”

“Yup.” Aaron responded as he clicked his tongue. “I got no words to describe you.”

Aaron smirked as he stare at his ring. “I heard about it... the cause of your fear for players.” Gui look over to Aaron who chuckled.

“I’m sorry for saying all those mean things to you. I must’ve looked like an idiot to you. But then again, I don’t regret what I said, it’s something that–”

Gui shook her head as she stare at the sea. “–No... I should be apologizing to you. I think I have said a lot of things to you and for that, I’m sorry. When I heard about my parents arranging another blind date, I pictured myself ditching the date but they decided to have us live together. At first, I hated it. But now, I’m starting to get over it.”

“Apart from our differences, we are quite similar.”