Chapter 182 - Lovers Are Finally Together

With her face so close to his heart, Xiu could clearly hear his heartbeat. Oddly enough, his erratic heartbeat managed to calm the storms rising in her own heart. All those weird, nonsensical ideas in her head were finally gone. All that was left was a comfortable feeling.

In a matter of seconds, she fell in love with the way his heartbeat managed to pull her out of her loneliness.

"Sweets, let go so we can go home now," said Darren but Xiu tightened her arms around him as much as she could. The way she was hugging was clearly screaming how much she needed him. Xiu shook her head in reply and he added, "You don't wanna go home or don't wanna let go?"

"Don't wanna let go," came a muffled voice in reply making him giddy for some reason.

"But if you won't let go, how will we go home?" he asked stroking her hair gently and lovingly.

Xiu shook her head again and said, "I don't know. But I'm not letting go."

"Why?"

"What if you left again?" she asked looking up at him.

His heart jolted when he looked into her eyes. "I won't leave."

Xiu bit her bottom lip before saying, "You promise?"

Darren stared at her for a moment longer wondering just how much she had been hurt that she needed constant reassurance in life? "I promise," he replied sincerely and kissed the top of her head.

Xiu scrunched up her face but still didn't let go as she said, "But I still don't want to let go."

Standing at a side, Nora looked like a proud mother as she saw her baby Xiu growing up. The only thing that was left was tears in her eyes but being the dramatic person she was, she pretended to wipe her non-existent tears and said, "Oh my my! My XiuRen ship looks so cute together. I can't handle it."

Dylan gave her a sideways glance and said, "Don't you think you're not in the position to fangirl over other couples? Worry about your own self!"

Nora cursed him under her breath for spoiling her moment of fangirling and said, "At least, I'm fangirling happily. What about you? You look like you're brooding here over something." She leaned closer to him and added, "Don't tell me you're jealous."

"Jealous?" Dylan repeated and Nora nodded in response. He sighed out, "Maybe or maybe not. I don't know, however..." he played with the ring on his finger as he added, "Today, I finally know why you call her baby Xiu." Nora looked at him with raised brows as he went on, "It's because she's like a baby. I never thought she had this side to her. She always looks ready to take on the world. But today, for the first time, I saw her being vulnerable."

"She's only human as well. I used to think she was superhuman as well when she fought with other kids for me. But after her retrograde amnesia, she actually started acting more like a human," Nora didn't think before speaking as she said whatever was on her mind but her word caught Dylan's attention for certain.

"Retrograde amnesia?" He stared wide-eyed at Nora and then turned to look at Xiu before adding, "You're telling me that girl lost her previous memories?"

Nora thought about it and decided there was no harm in him knowing about Xiu's condition. She ran a hand through her hair saying, "Mhmm... In the last year of high school, she had some kind of incident that led her to amnesia." She took a brief pause before saying, "Now that she cries, laughs and jokes around, I find her really comfortable."

"What? She didn't laugh, cry or joked around like that before the amnesia?" he questioned casually.

"Nope. The only time I saw her crying was on the day of her mother's death. She was a very mysterious person. Although I like thinking that she shared everything with me, I know she didn't." She smiled to herself at the fond memories they shared and added, "But she always stood by my side and that was enough for me. So, I often looked over the other facts." 

Dylan listened to her attentively and nodded in understanding. Hearing it like that from Nora, even he could tell that the Xiu he knew was different than that. No matter how strong she showed her to be, if one looked closely, they'd find her sensitive side.

They both heard Xiu's yelp and turned their head only to find that Darren had picked Xiu off the ground. Since she wasn't willing to let go, he didn't want to force her either.

"Aww! They are so cute, let me take a picture of that," said Nora shifting back to her fangirl mode. She took her phone out and clicked their photos.

Xiu and Darren who were oblivious to Nora's doings...

When Darren lifted her off the ground, Xiu was surprised. "What are you doing?" she asked as her hands went on to wrap around his neck for better support.

"Well, we gotta go home and you don't wanna let go. Hence, this is the best alternative," he answered in his all-knowing manner before adding in a low voice, "Besides, I don't want you to let go either."

Xiu smiled at his reply and buried her face in his neck. Xiu was in a lovely mood which was interrupted when she heard Dylan's annoying voice saying, "Public display of affections shortens the age of love."

Xiu glared at him in a dangerous way and said, "Some words get you to grave as well."

Now that Xiu actually retorted with the same attitude he was used to, Dylan felt at ease. Finally, the Xiu he was familiar with was back. He had opened his mouth to say something when Darren cut him off saying, "I guess you haven't heard the proverb best friend, 'The lovers are finally together, all shall be well.'"

Dylan's eyes raised in surprise at Darren. He never thought his best friend took interest in Chinese Proverbs. But from the looks of it, he was beginning to. Nevertheless, he wasn't the only one surprised, even Xiu was surprised to hear his reply. 

And she was that idiot who actually believed wholeheartedly in his words. Since they were together now, nothing could go wrong. Even if something did go wrong, at least, he'd be right by her side. 

Darren didn't stick around to listen to Dylan as he walked out of the restaurant with Xiu in his arms. Right outside, his chauffeur opened the door of the backseat for him and he put Xiu inside before sliding in himself.

Feeling her intense eyes at the side of his face while he was instructing his driver, he turned around and asked, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

'Because I can't seem to look away!' A voice screamed in her mind but Xiu's reply to him was, "I have to make up for the time I didn't get to see this face."