Quite obviously, Chun and Ella locked gazes. They hadn’t even noticed Arron walking toward that girl Chun was with. Ella wanted to run and hide. I don’t know. Maybe be by the white sand she was positioned on. She looked at her back and then back again at Wu Chun when she noticed Jerry almost on the verge of looking her way.

“This is too much,” she then started. “Why are you stalking me?”

“And what makes you think I’m stalking you?” he asked, an eyebrow raised at her with one hand on his waist. “My intentions in going here are purely spontaneous. Besides, she wanted to.” He pointed at that lady he was with lately and sure enough, they noticed Arron talking to her.

And it is true, actually. That Chun had no intention on stalking her. He even thought that maybe it would be a little time away from her so that he could contemplate evenly if he even has feelings for the woman.

“She knows my brother?” she asked.

“Beats me,” he said.

“Won’t you get jealous?” she asked again.

“What the hell, she’s my sister,” he blurted out and looked at her with a confused expression.

“Oh, I thought…” she was in fact going to say something, but she decided not to anyway. But at the back of her mind, she was relieved - so much more than you can imagine.

Unfortunate enough, after a few minutes, she noticed Jerry and his girlfriend walking their way. Ella locked gazes with Jerry with that ‘I-don’t-care’ look on her face. She didn’t want to look awkward or anything for that matter, so…

“Jer-”

She would’ve made the first move if not for Jerry’s nosy attitude.

“Ella, fancy meeting you here with your boyfriend,” Jerry greeted, looking at Chun in the progress.

“I’m-” Chun was about to say something, until Ella nudged him in silence.

“Uh, h-hi,” she was a little less likely on the nervous note. “It’s been a long time.”

“It’s only been about a month and a half,” so he remembers. He was pertaining to their break up.

“Oh yeah,” she chuckled, a hand on her belly. “I’ve almost forgotten. I thought it was like what…a year?” she sounded so confident, in fact. She sounded so sure, it almost made Jerry confused.

Having nothing more better to say, Jerry then said, “So I’ll see you around.” Receiving a nod from Ella.

“And what was that all about?” Chun asked, as soon as Jerry and his girl has completely walked away.

“Sorry,” she bitterly apologized. “Sorry for using you. Believe me, I didn’t…wait, um, maybe I meant it. I mean the using you part, but please…it was needed urgent given the situation.”

“Who is he anyway?” he asked, intruding a little with her personal affairs.

“My ex-boyfriend,” she bit her lower lip, walking away to approach Arron and Chun’s sister.

“Wai-” he was supposedly going to stop her from going anywhere far from him, but when he noticed she was walking toward their siblings, he followed anyway.

They caught Arron and Chun’s sister on a conversation…

“I really didn’t think I’d meet you here,” Arron jeered, with that trying-to-look-handsome aura in front of Chun’s sister.

“Ron,” until Ella interrupted.

“Jie,” Arron was a little startled. He didn’t know what to do in this awkward situation. What more was that his sister appeared right in front of her dream girl.

“Who is she?” Ella asked curiously.

“As you can see, she’s your boss’ sister,“ he said.

“So cut to the chase and tell me her name,“ she replied a little like on the arrogant side.

On the side, Chun’s sister whispered to him saying, “She is your employee? Arron’s sister?“

“You guessed right,“ Chun replied. “She’s Ella.“

“Oh my, that girl you were talking about?“ his sister said this a little louder that made Arron and Ella wonder what it was all about that they’re talking about.

“You’re so noisy,“ he commented. “Please zip your lips toward the matter.“

“Alright,“ she nodded innocently and looked back at Arron and Ella.

“So, um, she’s Hebe,“ Arron said, talking to Ella.

“She’s your?“ Ella further narrowed down her question.

“She’s a friend,“ he replied in a swallow.

“Oh,” Ella gasped. “So have you known for a long time already that she’s Chun’s sister?”

“Nope, not really,” Arron shook his head. “Just now. I knew she has a brother, didn’t know it was your boss.”

“So can we go now?” Ella asked in a smirk and with her arms crossed. Arron had nothing better to say. As much as he’d like to stay for some more time conversing with Hebe, he couldn’t just divulge the easy and obvious fact he’s got the hots for the girl. Most especially to her sister and also with Hebe’s brother there.

Ella started walking away, not even a goodbye she said to Chun or to his sister.

“Ella, wait!” Chun exclaimed, catching up to her as he tugged on her wrist.

“Yes?” she said calmly.

“Since we’ve crossed paths, mind a little get-together by the resort pool by night?” he asked, expecting she’d gladly accept the offer and that is even at the back of his mind, he’s concluded that she’ll decline.

“Later…” she whispered. “My mom might need me.”

“Jie, we’ll just have to bring them along then,” Arron interrupted.

“Such a nuisance,” Ella rolled her eyes at his brother and shook her head when she looked back at Chun’s direction.

“Oh, alright,” Chun sounded so disappointed, he swore he could kill.

But it was a rare moment when Ella had added, “I’ll see. If I’m in the mood.” At the back of her mind, she knew she did that because of how he looked. Those puppy-looking eyes when she saw that hint of disappointment across his face and the way he said ‘Oh, alright.’.

And quite obviously, Chun had a little party mentally on his mind cheering ‘yes!’.

--

That night, when Ella had told her mom about the little get together, her mom wasn’t in any least bit interested. Clearly, her mom had decided to stay with her boyfriend over at the cottage for some privacy. Of course it irked Ella, but what could she possibly do.

When she knocked at Arron’s room, though, she was surprised to see him changed to another pair of trunks. On a side note, Ella was wearing a white one-piece for she got a little traumatized with the two-piece bikini she wore earlier.

--

“So where’s your mom?” Chun attended to Ella firsthand, noticing her with Arron walking toward the pool.

“Back at the cottage with her boyfriend doing whatnots,” she rolled her eyes. And it made Chun laugh on the inside just as he’s noticed her doing it so very often. The rolling of the eyes, I mean.

“So what’s good to do?” she asked, her eyes roaming and stopped right at the pool.

“Swim,” he replied.

But when she locked her eyes to Hebe and Arron, she couldn’t help but say, “They’re very close, aren’t they? It’s weird, actually. It’s my first time seeing Arron’s all attention to a girl.”

“That got me,” he countered. “Knowing my sister, she’s the mysterious and quiet type. She must be really that familiar with your brother, though, considering their facial expressions when chatting.”

“Uhuh,” she agreed, having nothing better to say.

“So you’ve seen your ex-boyfriend around?” he asked innocently. Unknown to him was that little fact that Ella didn’t want to talk about exes.

“Nice question isn’t it, Mr. Wu?” she asked sarcastically.

“Okay, I’m sorry,” he spat. “You need a drink, though?” he asked this when they settled on the bar room just right beside the pool.

“No, thank you,” she politely rejected and sat right beside him in the high chairs.

“So-” Wu Chun would have not been cut off if not for Jerry’s interrogating entrance with his girlfriend.

“Speaking of,” Ella sighed, her head rested on the high table.

“You okay?” Chun asked in concern.

“Of course,” she replied in a muffled voice, but nonetheless, she was feeling perfectly fine. “It’s actually alright. It’s just kind of awkward seeing him around and with another girl, too.”

“You still love him?” he asked this with a bit of hesitance, but he decided he just had to ask that question that has been bothering him ever since that time they crossed paths by the beach.

“No,” she replied, sounding a little unsure.

“You sure?” he asked again.

“Yes,” she smirked, watching him empty one bottle of wine. “I think I should be asking you that instead.”

“The what? I’m sure offfff?” he asked, his question a little prolonged.

“No, I meant if you’re okay,” her brows furrowed.

“Mhmm.”

And after a few more minutes, Ella knew she had to stop the bartender handing out bottles to Chun. So she did, quite not without Chun’s notice. By now, his hands were draped all over the high table and it embarrassed Ella being with a man with low tolerance of alcohol and in front of Jerry, too, who, she knew had a high tolerance.

“I’ll call Hebe over to help me assist in bringing you back to your room now,” she said, tugging at Chun’s arm to warn him that she’ll be just for a millisecond while just to fetch Hebe.

But he only held on her arm a little tight and signaled for her to remain seated.

“Mr. Wu,” she said this almost in a whisper, afraid that Jerry might hear. For a fact, she wanted to yes, use Chun just for that matter. To not sound like a loner without a boyfriend when her ex, who was just around the corner, has a new one. Desperate as it may seem, that’s all she was wishing for at the very moment. To not get caught in her lie.

But sooner or later, she gave in to Chun and remain glued on her seat right next to him. It didn’t even bother her anymore that he had put one arm around her shoulders. She was all too up and about in thinking of what she should do in the resort when she bumps into Jerry.

“Please loosen your hold on me,” she whispered to Chun, feeling his hold getting a little tighter every other second to pass.

She succeeded then when he lifted his hands off her, but she was caught red-handed when he began cupping her cheeks. She didn’t quite know what he was about to do next. She just knew at the back of her mind that maybe she should just go along with the flow. She knew very well their contact was some sort of intimacy, but then again…thinking of Jerry around, she couldn’t quite get a hold of the situation.

And then Wu Chun kept Ella’s hair away from her face by putting them behind her ears. At that time, Ella was feeling kind of awkward already. She really wanted to push him away already, but his hold on her shoulders now is too tight.

So without further ado, with Chun’s head swaying from left to right because of the alcohol‘s effect, it finally swayed front until his lips met hers.

--

© Meng Rui Fan