178 Together Again

March 30, 20XX (Saturday)

Various Places

Mei Li woke up from her sleep with a headache. It felt as if her brain was slowly crushing itself. She forced herself to stand up. Since it was her last day in Milan, Mei Li have to find Yang a gift.

When she went to the bathroom to prepare for the day, Mei Li saw herself in the mirror. Her eyes widen when she saw handprints in both of her upper arms like a blaring reminder of what happened.

Trying to act like she was coping with it all, Mei Li entered the shower and scrubbed herself raw. The feeling of fear and disgust lingered in the forefront of her mind as if it had happened seconds before. She had cleaned herself numerous times. Her usual fifteen minutes bath turned into an hour of just scrubbing, and it would have been longer if not for La knocking to ask her if she was alright.

"Miss Wu, are you okay?" La knocked again, making sure she was not sleeping in the bath and drowning in it in the process.

Mei Li forced herself to stop and rinsed her body covered with a large amount of soap. She replied with a forceful cheer, "I will be ready soon. I need to find a gift for Yang. I will go to a mall, this time."

Mei Li had decided to focus her thoughts on her boyfriend, Zhao Yang. She remembered how goofy his smile would be if he were sincerely happy, and how handsome he is when he would stare at her as if she was the one that put the stars in the sky. The thought of being in his arms put ease in her fearful heart. Her determination renewed with force equal to the pull of the sun's gravity. She has survived the orphanage; this too will not bring her down!

Mei Li arrived in the mall with a firm resolve to buy Yang a gift that could make him wow. La softly commented, "You can deliver yourself to him with nothing on, that would make him wow."

La refrained from commenting on the truth ever since. He realized how scary it was to be on the end of her silent glares and subtle threats like her eyes moving to follow his acts but head not moving. It scared La because she looked like she was someone humoring a child. Fortunately, Mei Li hurried to buy Yang's gift since they were going to the airport after.

It took Mei Li almost two hours to find the right gift. La was sighing with relief when she had paid. They left for the airport with Mei Li grinning like a mad woman. She was excited to give her gift and thrilled to see Yang again. La laughed so hard when Mei Li hurriedly jumped out of the car after the car arrived and face planted into the ground.

Mei Li hurriedly followed La to the gate where the private plane was waiting for them. La had informed Mei Li that Yang could only remain in the plane so their identities would not be connected.

La could see how eager Mei Li was to see Yang again. It was as if they hadn't seen each other for years. La scratched the back of his head. If this was how they are behaving one week of separation, what would they do with a month? La carefully guided Mei Li to walk up the airstairs. After that, he was forced to eat dog food.

Seeing Yang seating comfortably with his legs propped up, Mei Li ran to him and jumped to the seat beside him. Her eager face morphed into delight as her smile was wider than before.

"Hey," Yang smiled at her. Mei Li wrapped her arms to hug him as Yang enveloped her who body with his. La and the rest of the crew quietly went to another part of the private plan to give them privacy.

"How are you?" Yang asked after he had kissed her forehead.

"I'm fine." Mei Li grinned as she felt the warmth of Yang's lips touch her skin. The past day's event is not forgotten, but merely a small matter compare to her love. She started to tease him, "Especially with you here, I'm always fine."

"That's my line." Yang flirted with her, goofily wagging his eyebrows.

She pouted as if she was mad, "Too bad, I said it first. Did you wait long for me?"

Yang chuckled as he brought her closer to him in his one-armed hug. He replied in between the light kisses he placed on her cheek,"I always wait for you. No matter how long it will take."

For a moment, silence reigned over them as they both stared at each other's eyes with Mei Li's right hand on his chest and his right hand over her right upper arm. Yang loved how red the hue on her checks was turning.

Mei Li leaned closer and buried her face into his neck. She mumbled softly, "I missed you."

"I missed you too." Yang's reply was immediate, just as his kiss on her lips as he forces her to look up to him again was.

Mei Li felt his tongue licking her lips, and when she allowed it to enter, his tongue instantly twirled with hers. He won their small battle for dominance that left Mei Li breathless and swooning from the passionate kiss. Mei Li promptly pinched the skin of his right arm as his hand has entered her shirt and had groped her right boob.

Mei Li still remembered the fear she felt yesterday, but she knew it was going to be alright. After all, courage is not about the lack of fear, but about facing it. When she sees a man like that again, she will not cower like before, but for now, she is at peace. In his arms, she is home.