Imperfect Desires

"I always knew something was wrong in your relationship," said Han Bohai when he learned about Chen Hana from Xiu.

He had been busy with shooting for the past month and only got the chance to come and meet his Sister Xiu now. But he didn't expect to learn about such bitter things from Xiu. 

"You never thought something was wrong with me?" asked Xiu in turn as she sat down beside him with her son in her arms.

Han Bohai first looked at the little baby wrapped up tightly in her arms before he lifted his eyes to her and said, "Nope. Not at all."

Xiu raised her brow at him, "Really?"

He succumbed under her gaze and told her honestly, "Yes, when we first met I did find you weird. Your regular visits to psychologists only confirmed it to me that something was wrong with you." He suddenly smiled and added, "But now it's okay. Now, you've overcome it all."

"Took me long enough," sighed Xiu bitterly.

"Sister Xiu, things happen when they are bound to happen. Resisting the fate will only make everything seem depressed." He took a pause and went on, "Now take me and Ah-Ying, for instance. Before she came into my life, I never even took interest in love. But one look at her and BOOM! Everything fell right into place right before my eyes. And the same goes for Ah-Ying as well. She spent a decade trying to break the shackles of her first love but it was only possible after I came into her life." 

Xiu smiled at him strangely, "I feel like you have become fond of bringing up your girlfriend's name into our conversations lately." 

Han Bohai pressed his lips and scratched his head sheepishly. Then he leaned over and poked the little tiger's chubby cheek with his index finger. "He has such soft skin. I'm afraid I might break it."

"Don't worry, my baby isn't that weak," said Xiu proudly as she rubbed the short hair of her son who was sleeping soundly in her arms.

"Sister Xiu, whenever I call you, you always have him in your arms. Don't you get tired of holding him? Why don't you put him into a cot to sleep peacefully?"

At first, Xiu didn't answer him. She was so silent that Han Bohai thought she didn't want to answer him at all. However, she did give him an answer after a prolonged silence, "I want to keep him where I can see him." She took another pause and added, "If one day, something happens to me, take care of my son. And don't let him ever feel lonely, okay?"

Han Bohai's heart shook when he heard that and he held her hand, "Sister Xiu, don't talk like that. Nothing will happen to you. Nothing at all."

Xiu smiled at him softly, "Silly, I'm saying 'if.'"

"There is no place for 'if' as well."

"I'm being realistic here, Xiao Bobo," said Xiu. "Life is the most unpredictable thing. You never know when things will take a different turn. Do you think my parents didn't love me enough? Then how come I ended up so lonely in life." She took a deep breath and continued, "But that is just for if something happens. As long as I'm around, I'll love my son the most."

"Your husband might feel jealous if you loved your son the most," reminded Han Bohai.

"It's okay," Xiu shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. "Some jealousy is healthy."

Han Bohai laughed out saying, "It seems you really plan on making your husband suffer a little."

"No way," denied Xiu. "I want my Regan to be the happiest. There is no way I'd let him suffer. Not even at my own hands."

Suddenly, the sound of hurried footsteps rang and Xiu looked up at the two little excited girls who had come running to her house right after school.

"Xiu, can we play with our brother?" Both Asteria and Ava looked at Xiu with expectation. 

Xiu couldn't even say no to their eager eyes. These two loved to come here to play with the little tiger. It was like these two found a new toy that was more exciting than anything else.

"Did you both eat something before coming here?" asked Xiu.

Both Asteria and Ava looked down and shook their heads.

"I knew it," said Xiu. "Good thing I made cheesecake today."

"Really?" 

Asteria and Ava looked at her with sparkling eyes.

"Wash your hands, I'll bring it out for you both." Then she looked at Han Bohai, "Hold my son carefully and keep an eye on the girls as well. They both are a little clumsy."

Han Bohai chuckled to himself but didn't take her words seriously. Soon, he learned why he called these girls clumsy. After washing their hands as they came out, one ended up bumping into the big vase that broke and the other bumped into her. Even though they had three year age difference, these girls were quite alike, eh!

Han Bohai laughed to himself and went over saying, "Don't step on it now."

"Sorry!"

Han Bohai smiled at them, "It's okay. Breaking a vase is no big deal but if any of you got hurt, that will certainly become breaking news of the day. So, go around it and don't let it even scratch you."

The girls listened to him and went over the debris. Then the three of them gathered around little tiger and continued to tease the little guy who had just opened his eyes and was still finding his way back from the dreamland.

Xiu had heard the noise of something breaking and already knew what happened. So, she took her time coming out. She knew Han Bohai would make sure the girls don't get hurt. She brought cheesecake for all of them and set it down. 

Usually, her house would be quiet since Darren started going to work again. But when these girls came over, the house would brighten up. So, she loved having them over.