Take My Breath Away

The girl was Megan.

When she saw Blair and Wesley walk out of the elevator together, she was taken aback at first, and then she squeezed out some tears and ran into Wesley's arms, weeping.

Wesley was concerned. "What's the matter?" he asked tenderly.

"I think someone is still stalking me."

Wesley turned towards the other side of the hallway. Seeing what he was doing, Blair turned her head too. Two bodyguards stood there. Noticing Wesley was staring at them, one of them walked over. "They were gangsters, Mr. Li. They followed us all the way here. Mr. Huo is still out of the country."

While they were talking, Blair placed her finger on the fingerprint scanner. With a beep, the door was unlocked, and she pushed it open and walked in sullenly.

When she closed the door, she could still hear Wesley discussing the stalkers in the hallway.

She turned the lights on, changed into slippers, and walked into the kitchen.

It was only when she opened the fridge that it occurred to her that she had forgotten to go to the grocery store. The fridge itself was pretty bare. There were only a few tomatoes sitting in there. She checked the cabinet and could only find two packages of instant noodles.

It seemed instant noodles would be the only thing on the menu tonight.

She tossed a packet of instant noodles onto the top of the counter and walked into the bedroom to get changed.

Just then, the doorbell rang. Who could that be?

It couldn't be Wesley. He was comforting his sad, terrified niece.

Blair peeked through the cat's eye and saw Wesley standing outside, looking a little impatient. She opened the door quickly and asked, "What can I do for you, Mr. Li?"

Wesley always got to the point. "I have stuff in my fridge. You're a better cook than I am, so why not come over and cook? We can eat together."

'We?' "By 'we, ' do you mean you and me or the three of us?" asked Blair. That was an important distinction. She wanted to get Wesley alone.

"The three of us." Megan hadn't eaten either. Wesley intended to give her a lift home after dinner.

"Oh. It's no fun being the third wheel, so I'll have to say no. Bye." With that, she shut the door in his face.

Staring at the closed door, Wesley felt frustration rising in him. But he didn't give up. A moment lat

egan asked, "Uncle Wesley, your English is excellent. She couldn't be better than you, could she?"

Wesley admitted, "You bet she is. She's passed the TEM8, TOEFL, and IELTS tests." He sounded firm.

Megan's eyes were filled with admiration when she looked at Blair. "Wow! You're smart!" she said. The next second, the expression on her face changed. She grabbed Wesley's arm and pleaded, "But I like the way you teach me. I'd have to get used to a different style if she helped me. It's better if you do it. Please..."

Blair noticed the way Megan leaned on his shoulder and the way she talked to him. Wesley wasn't annoyed at all. "Okay, fine. I'll be there in a minute."

Megan scampered away. Wesley walked over to Blair, turned on the faucet and washed his hands. "What was in the bag?"

Blair's heart hurt as she watched the way Megan was with him. She pushed the sadness away and answered, "Nothing. Just seasoning."

He could tell at a glance whether she was telling the truth or not. Now that she didn't want to let him know, he didn't press the issue. After turning off the faucet, he left the kitchen and walked into the bedroom where Megan was doing her homework.

He didn't leave the room, even when dinner was ready.

Heart sinking, Blair carried the dishes out, placed them on the table one by one. She kept shifting her gaze to the bedroom. The door was closed, so she had no idea what was going on in there. When all the dishes had been served, she shed the apron and left Wesley's apartment without a word.