Imperfect Desires

"I didn't know you care about me this much..." Dylan was genuinely touched by Xiu's words; who was taken aback to see Dylan's reaction. Especially when he hugged her from the side.

"Who cares about you?" Xiu cleared her throat to get back her composure. How could she easily let him see that she was indeed worried about him? That wasn't the kind of relationship they shared! It was a love-hate relationship where they could only openly hate each other but loving openly was out of the picture. "I am worried about my boyfriend. Whatever you said must have made him worry for no reason. Can't you look for me instead? Stop disturbing him when he's working."

Dylan smiled at her reaction. He couldn't help it. She was being way too obvious with her intentions. 

Xiu slapped his arm saying, "Stop smiling like a fool and go take a shower. You stink!" 

Dylan refused to budge, "No. I don't want to."

"Dylan!" That low growl of hers got him. "Get off of me, right now!" Dylan instantly let her go and backed off. She pointed towards the bathroom door, "Shower!"

"Yes, boss!" Xiu narrowed her eyes at him and he ended up rephrasing, "I mean, yes Shifu!"

Xiu was pleased to hear this response as she shooed him away and came downstairs. Looking at the mess, she was frustrated. It seemed like she had to do something about it. But first...

Xiu took out her phone to call Darren and asked, "Why did Dylan call you last night?"

"And here I thought my Sweets was missing me," came Darren's disappointed voice.

"Regan, be serious."

"I'm always serious."

"Regan!"

Darren heaved a long sigh, "He called to blabber about something but I didn't hear it for long since he was drunk."

"Not for long? The call lasted for five hours!" told Xiu while she picked up the cushions from the floor and placed the other things at their rightful places.

"What? Five hours? He didn't hang up?" Darren was shocked which confused Xiu. "I actually put the phone on speaker and went to sleep. I have no idea what he talked about or when did he hang up."

Xiu pursed her lips before she burst out laughing, "So he really just blabbered to himself?" Saying that she saw something on the floor and picked it up, "Oh, why did he throw such beautiful orchids on the floor?" She even took a small gift box and wondered out, "There is even a gift."

"Umm... Sweets," came Darren's voice from the other side distracting her. "How is the piano lesson going?"

"It didn't even start yet. The idiot just woke up," grumbled Xiu while forgetting all about the bouquet of flowers in her hands and also the gift box. She got focused on complaining about Dylan's tardiness.

She didn't even notice that Darren intentionally distracted her. Obviously, he knew she was gonna ask where the gift or flowers came from. He knew what that was all about, after all, that was the reason why Dylan got so drunk and then called him in the middle of the night to disturb. But from Xiu's voice, he could tell that Dylan didn't tell her the reason why he got so drunk and was even pretending to have a black-out. So, he certainly wasn't gonna say anything as well.

"Sweets, why do I feel like you feel more threatened by Dylan's presence than the fact that I'm here all alone and there are plenty of beautiful ladies around me? Aren't you worried that someone can seduce me here when you're not around?"

Xiu frowned slightly and ended up shrugging her shoulders which he couldn't see as she said, "I'm not worried about that."

"Why?"

"Because you can't find anyone who loves you more than I do," replied Xiu.

"Conceited much?"

"How is that conceitedness? I'm telling the truth. But even if it means I'm being too proudful than so what? If I won't be proud of my love, who else will be?"

Darren shook his head at her, "I wonder if I can ever win from you in an argument."

"You just won though," replied Xiu. While Darren was confused, she elaborated, "I won that means you won as well."

"Huh?"

"Oh-ho! If you're mine and I'm yours that means your victory is mine and mine is yours as well. Got it?"

Darren chuckled at her response. "Got it." He couldn't stop laughing at her words. The way she put it made it all the more special for some reason. 

"Dylan was right. This piano does look good with his interior." She opened the lid and her fingers slid over the keys as she went on, "Why does this piano look so familiar?"

"Because it's the same model as I have," answered Darren. "The one you played back then when I took you to that house."

Xiu's hands paused a little as he reminded her of the night she told him her truth. The truth that sounded even bizarre to her own ears and yet he was willing to believe in her. He believed her in a heartbeat. 

"You both bought it together?" asked Xiu.

"Hmm..." Darren hummed in reply before adding, "How about you play something for me? Dylan's lesson can wait. I have a lot on my mind and I want to relax."

Xiu sat down and placed the phone at a side on speakerphone as she said, "Close your eyes then. Don't just hear the music. Listen and feel it." 

As always she closed her eyes and took a deep breath before she let her fingers dance over the black and white keys. The melody she played was something she was most familiar with. Because this was the same melody that would calm her down whenever she felt like drowning. It was like this music provided her solace and she knew it could help him relax as well.

Only when she stopped did she hear Darren speak again, "It was beautiful."

"I played some wrong notes though," she retorted when he praised her. "Just tell me honestly that I messed up."

"But I didn't feel like you messed up," answered Darren honestly. 

*Ding-Dong!*

"Oh, someone's at the door," said Xiu as she heard the doorbell. "Go back to work. I'll call you later."

"Don't forget to call me," he emphasized his words making her laugh a bit before he hung up the call.

With a wide grin plastered on her lips, Xiu went over to the main door and pulled it open. But when she looked at the person standing before her, her expressions stiffened a little.

Her painful 'once-upon-a-time' was standing right before her eyes...