Imperfect Desires

Xiu leaned against Darren's door and closed her eyes. Her lack of sleep was finally catching up to her as she felt a painful headache brewing in. It made her want to hit her head against a wall. But she couldn't do that at this place.

"Oh, you're leaving?" 

Xiu opened her eyes to see Paige smiling at her in amusement. Xiu's face twitched to see that teasing smile.

"You didn't warn me," she growled in a low voice with a dangerous edge in her voice.

Paige raised both her hands. "In my defense, you didn't even give me the chance to say a word."

Xiu glared at her before she passed by her but not before bumping her shoulder with hers childishly. Well, she had already made a fool out of herself before her mother-in-law, so acting like a rogue before Paige couldn't get her in any worse situation. Paige, however, was actually feeling amused to see her acting like that.

In the main lobby, Nora was shuffling through the magazine pages with a bored look on her face. She really couldn't understand why Xiu asked her to wait downstairs. Usually, Xiu wouldn't mind taking public transport but today, she excessively and intensively refused to do so. First, she asked her to pick her from the airport then waiting here.

She was sighing out in boredom when Xiu's face suddenly appeared right beside her startling her. "Ah! Xiu! You scared me!" she pushed Xiu's straight face away and rubbed her hand over her chest. 

"Let's go," said Xiu and made her way out. 

Nora was left dumbfounded yet again. Something was wrong with Xiu and she could tell that. The blank expression on Xiu's face was like a foreboding. Xiu looked completely different than the little cheery and happy self of hers that just greeted Darren. Now, a very dark aura was surrounding her.

Nora sprinted up to catch up to her best friend. "Hey, did you talk to Darren then?"

Xiu quirked up her brows, "About what?"

Nora gaped at her in disbelief. "You told me that you wanna see him because you have to tell him something."

Xiu buckled up her seatbelt and stayed quiet in reply. "Xiu, I'm talking to you."

"No. It wasn't the right time," said Xiu as her eyes kept looking outside the window as if she was trying to find something. She looked restless in her seat as her eyes constantly wandered around. 

"Oh-okay..." Nora didn't know what was going on but she found it really difficult to talk to Xiu for some reason. As she got on the highway, she asked, "So, did you get to feed him that bento box that I so painstakingly got for you?"

Xiu shook her head and leaned back with her eyes closed. 

"Then why did you make me work so damn hard just to get it?" Nora was brooding now since all her efforts were of no use. "Should I take you home?"

"Where are you going?" asked Xiu instead of answering her question.

"I'm going back to the hotel," answered Nora.

"I'll go with you then," was Xiu's simple reply which made Nora frown.

As she stopped at a red light, she looked at Xiu who had her eyes closed and tapped her fingers on the staring wheel impatiently. "I thought you wanted to sleep. You look sleepy to me. And by the way, just how much work did Dylan made you do that you look so sleep-deprived?"

"It's not his fault," said Xiu calmly defending Dylan without making any fuss. "I..." she stopped short as she tilted her head and opened her eyes to look out the window again. "I just couldn't sleep."

Nora's frown got deeper. "You? You couldn't sleep? Am I dreaming? Which parallel world is this? Or perhaps, you're possessed by a ghost!" Nora looked at her with a horrorstruck look. "You, whoever you are, leave my best friend's body!"

Xiu turned to look at Nora as she voiced out, "It's not even funny, Nora." At least not for her who was actually possessing her best friend's body. Shit! Nora reminded her of the reality that even she was forgetting now. 

As the lights turned green, Nora stepped on the accelerator again but she looked in deep thought. It wasn't hard to see that Xiu was distracted. Something was bothering her but she wasn't voicing it out. 

"If that's not the possibility than why didn't you sleep? You love your sleep the most. Or did you miss your boyfriend to the point of having insomnia now?"

"Maybe, I did miss him that much," retorted Xiu in a flat tone.

 "Did you now?" challenged Nora.

"Why? Does it not sound right?"

"Please, dear friend, I'm willing to believe that unicorns are real than believe that missing your boyfriend was too much for you and that's why you had sleepless nights. I know the real reason is something else, you're just not telling me." Xiu's silence really worried Nora now. "Xiu'er, is everything really okay with you?"

Xiu took a deep calming breath, she didn't want to worry Nora because of her own issues. Changing from a blank face to a smiling beauty again, she replied, "I just made a fool out of myself before my mother-in-law. Do you really think everything is okay?"

"Mother-in-law?"

"Well, when I entered Regan's office, I didn't know that his mother was there as well. And one thing led to another and..."

"Hahaha..." Nora burst out laughing. She didn't even need to hear the whole story to know what must have happened. She was familiar with her best friend.

"Stop laughing. It's really not funny. She thinks I'm a little girl. You know what that implies? It means that I came off as an irresponsible, clingy, demanding, and worst kind of a life partner for her son. I really embarrassed myself."

"Aiyo! That's what's been bothering you and I got worried for no reason. Xiu, it's really not a big deal. Not every person you meet can instantly come to know of your charms and qualities. Give it some time." Nora was shaking her head at Xiu. 

"But that's the worst kind of first impression," whined Xiu as she crossed her arms before her chest and grumbled incoherently to herself.

"Take it easy, there..." Nora parked her car and alighted while Xiu followed suit. Nora was surprised to see how Xiu held her arm as they walked inside the hotel lobby. Xiu was never the kind of person who would stick this close to her.

"Let's get drunk tonight," suggested Xiu out of nowhere making Nora halt in her steps to look at her weirdly.

"Again? How many more times? Nothing ever good comes out of this!" said Nora trying to hold her ground.

Xiu wounded her arms around Nora's shoulder as she said, "I know you crave that drink just as much as I do right now. Don't resist the temptations. If you think I don't know how disturbed you have been in the past days, then you're really wrong. Just because I don't want to force you, doesn't mean I don't know what's going on in your life. So, tonight let's get drunk."

"...You drink to hide your sorrows. I'll drink to hide my embarrassment."

Nora wasn't surprised to hear Xiu talk about her own problems. She could tell that someone from home must have informed Xiu and she was using her own excuse to get her to drink just so she could hear something from her. But even if Nora knew that Xiu was using this drinking escapade as an excuse to hear her worries, Nora still complied.

"Let's do it," she said in agreement. There was no point in hiding it anymore. She was indeed craving something to numb her pain that had gotten worse than before now.