Imperfect Desires

Cali had been feeling restless for a while now. She felt like something needed to be fixed between her and Dylan but she didn't even know what. No matter how much she loved the kiss, she wasn't gonna let herself get delusional enough to believe that Dylan liked her. Maybe he was attracted to her. Yes, that's it. He was momentarily attracted to her.

Bringing herself comfort with these thoughts, Cali finally decided to leave her room where she had been cooped up since the time she came back from her meeting with Darren and his mother. She didn't even eat anything since then and now the creatures in her stomach were going berserk!

She took the key card, her wallet, her car keys, and her phone before putting on her shoes and opening the door to leave. However, seeing Dylan standing outside her door, she was frozen. Stunned!

"What the-!" 

She didn't know what he was doing here but she had not expected to see him here. As for Dylan, he was equally shocked. He had been standing there for hours now. Actually, he had been there since early in the morning. He thought he could act upon what Xiu had said but why was it so difficult? He couldn't even bring himself to ring the doorbell. 

"Hi!" he waved his hand with a silly smile on his face. 

"What are you doing here?" asked Cali without even thinking but her words hurt Dylan who was already feeling sensitive. Why did she ask that? Did she not like seeing him here? Did she not want him here? 

"Why? I can't come to see you?" he retorted grumpily.

"No, I just thought maybe you came to collect your painting."

Dylan looked at her face. She wasn't avoiding his eyes but he was. What was wrong here?! He was feeling shy but she wasn't? What was this situation?

"I came to see you," he said straightforwardly catching her off guard. 

"Me?" she pointed at her nose. Dylan nodded his head. "But why?"

"Again, why can't I come to see you?" he was really curious to hear the answer now. Why did she think that he wouldn't come to see her? What exactly did she think about him? He was genuinely very curious about this now.

She took a deep breath before saying, "After what happened the other night, I thought you'd run far away from me."

"You referring to your confession?" he needed to be clear with his words this time. He didn't want her to get any wrong ideas. He had to clear this up himself!

Cali looked at his face for a moment longer before nodding her head, "Yes, that's what I'm referring to. I really don't want you to take it seriously. You don't even have to feel awkward or weird. We are still friends. Besides, I was just..."

"Don't say you said it because you're drunk." He cut her off with a very sharp edge to his voice. He didn't like it when she said it wasn't serious. It was serious to him damn it! It was bloody serious! He was losing his mind thinking about it and she said it was nothing serious?! "You don't lose your rationality when you're drunk. Instead, it gives you the courage to say what you normally wouldn't."

Cali was taken aback a bit to hear him say this. He really knew her. But how? Was he paying attention to him as she did? Cali shook her head to get rid of these delusions as she said, "Yes, I meant what I said. But it was just a..."

"Don't you dare say it was just a mistake, I'd really get mad and might end up punching you!" He didn't mean like he wanted to punch her as in punch her but she was making him pretty angry now by saying all the wrong things. Okay! She didn't say it but she was gonna say it! And he knew that! At least, he knew her that much!

"Can you really punch though? Do you even know how to throw a punch?" Cali really thought he was kidding. After all, Dylan would never hit a girl. Yes, that was his stupid excuse when he first lost in a fistfight with her. She was still amused at how he was living in an era where he thought girls couldn't hand his ass to him in a fight!

Dylan held her wrist and put her hands over her head against the wall as he whispered, "Do you wanna try? Do you really wanna see whether I can punch now or not?"

 This close, this posture, this exchange of breath, this very moment...

Everything was just right. The warmth of his body against hers was enough to make her forget that she was supposed to escape from his grasp. But then again, she was already captured in his love why would she want him to let go? If anything, she wished he'd continue being this close. It felt good.

"You don't take me seriously or what?"

"I take you... very seriously though," she never stuttered except for this man before her. Why did he have this effect on her? She was having trouble forming words with his breath hitting her face at such close proximity. "You never noticed though."

Dylan frowned in confusion at her last words. "Abou that kiss..." he began but her phone's ringtone stopped him. "You can ignore it."

"I can't though," said Cali as she looked at the caller id and picked up the call, "Hey, new friend! What's up?"

"I found your cousin. Come and meet me at the restaurant," came Ying's calm but lethargic voice. 

"You did what? Really? You're not playing with my feelings now, are you?"

"Fuck off! Do I even have time to play around? Just come down already! Or I'm leaving!"

"I'm coming!" Cali instantly hung up the call and looked at Dylan who was giving her serious doubtful looks. "I have to go. Let's talk later."

"Can't it wait?" he argued.

"No, but this whatever it is between us. It can wait," replied Cali as she ran off in the direction of the elevator. She was way too excited to learn that her cousin was finally found. How could she contain herself?

But...

'That new friend! Playing with my feelings! And I'm coming!' sounded so different in Dylan's mind that he couldn't even explain it himself. Can you blame him? She left him for whoever was on that phone call! Like, what the bloody hell?!

Were Xiu's words gonna be true? He was finally gonna run after someone?