Imperfect Desires

Just as Dylan had said, Ah-Si and Nora were indeed on the floor below them. As for what they were doing at the biggest mall-ish place in the city? Well...

If it had been for Ah-Si, he would love to take Nora out on a walk, a book reading maybe to a botanic garden or something like that. But those were the things he loved to do. Nora was the complete opposite of that. She didn't like any of that. Books were her biggest nightmare. She loved anything spontaneous.

So, he took her to the one place she loved in the whole world; Mall!

Nora was a shopaholic and that was a known fact. How could someone like her not like being at the mall? In fact, her face had lit up so brightly when she got to know that they were coming to the mall.

Although Ah-Si had nothing he wanted to buy, he had still told her that he wanted to buy some new shirts and her opinion was needed. Guess what? Nora the fashion advisor was more than just happy to be of help! That was her forte! 

But Ah-Si didn't think it'd get so tiring because of how she made him try on over twenty shirts. She was really invested in her job. And she loved every second of it. However, she was taken aback when the roles got switched and she was the one trying on clothes for herself. How did that happen?

Hmm... It had something to do with a sneaky guy who said, "Since you helped me so much. I'd like to buy a dress for you as well."

It was very easy for Nora to fall for his words no matter how simple those words were. So, she easily complied. 

After the shopping spree, he took her to the restaurant for lunch. 

"What do you want to do now?" he asked for her opinion. 

"Let's look around for a while," replied Nora because she didn't want this date to end just here. She loved this moment when she could easily talk to him without having to hide anything from him. It was like she was back to being that teenager who fell in love with him at first sight. "I want ice cream."

"Okay," was all that Ah-Si said and took her to get the ice cream. Grabbing their own cones, they sat down at one of the benches and comfortably talked about anything or everything. That's when Dylan's hawk-like eyes caught their figures.

"Who is with Ava?" asked Nora taking a bite of her cone.

"She is with Miyabi," answered Ah-Si. "Don't worry though. Miyabi came to our house with my mom when she was a teenager. So, she is more like a family member."

"Can you bring Ava next week? I want to take her to mom and dad again. They fell in love with her." Nora was really happy thinking about how her parents got attached to Ava in just a couple of days. "Besides, I think Jackie needs more time to get used to her presence."

"Your brother is very..." Ah-Si didn't know how to describe Jackie. The way he got mad at him for hurting his sister was actually very cute and heartwarming to Ah-Si. It showed how much Jackie loved his sister.

"He is young but he has a wish to grow up fast."

"Why?"

"Because he wants to protect his sisters from everyone," Nora chuckled as she thought of Jackie's sweet words. "You know people say he acts more like Xiu."

"He does," agreed Ah-Si.

Nora nodded her head, "That's indeed true. He does. He was only three when I got pregnant and went away. While I was away, he only had Xiu to depend on. She was always around him. She even used to bring him to University and that's why he got so attached to her since mom and dad were also working. Even when I came back, I didn't try to bridge the gap between us. He reminded me of the child I thought I lost and it hurt me even more." Ah-Si held her hand and she smiled up at him. "It's okay. I'm just happy that even though I never got the chance to bond with him, he still loves me very much."

"He does love you a lot," Ah-Si couldn't help seeing. He did see the closeness between Xiu and Jackie but it was also palpable that Nora was very dear to both Xiu and Jackie. They just had their own way of showing it.

"I just hope he tries to get close to Ava. Because I know he'll be the best little uncle."

Ah-Si patted her head softly, "I know he will. Don't think so much about it." Nora was happily nodding her head when a voice from behind her made her body stiff.

Meanwhile...

Xiu, Dylan, and Cali had been looking over them from above. They were like those nosy friends who just had to know what was going on. Because let's be honest, Xiu had no faith in Nora and Ah-Si. They both were equally dumb and they had proved it repeatedly.

But when Xiu looked at the person who came to stand behind Nora, her eyes widened. She was about to rush over when Dylan held her hand, "What are you doing? Don't blow our cover!"

Xiu slapped his hand saying, "Idiot! That douchebag is Nora's ex-boyfriend! I guess I didn't puncture his crotch nicely last time that's why he is here to disturb her again."

In Dylan's mind, only three words were ringing, 'Punctured his crotch?' 

"You're brutal!" he exclaimed while Xiu rolled her eyes at him.

"He deserved that," she replied. "Let me go. What if he ruined this date for Nora?"

Dylan pointed towards Ah-Si as he said, "You don't need to be her knight anymore. Her prince charming is sitting with her." Xiu pressed her lips together as she looked back in their direction. Dylan patted her shoulder saying, "Give him a chance as well." Xiu finally nodded and decided to watch. 

There was nothing wrong with seeing how this was gonna play out. Even if something happened, she was there to help. Anytime for her Nora darling.