Take My Breath Away

The food provided on the train never tasted any good. So, when it was dinner time, most of Niles' coworkers chose to eat the instant noodles which they had packed for the journey. They also shared their snacks with each other.

Blair was not used to taking this kind of long trips on the train. She hadn't thought of bringing any snacks with her. So, while everybody else was getting ready to eat their dinner, she remained busy on her computer.

Niles put away the poker cards and asked, "Blair, aren't you hungry?"

She smiled awkwardly. "I didn't bring any food. I don't know where to buy dinner either." A lady with a food tram had just passed through the aisle with all kinds of snacks and drinks. But she was nowhere in sight anymore. There was only one cart that was selling dinner. Blair didn't want it.

"Hold on," Niles said. He took a box of instant hot pot and another box of self-heating rice from his backpack. "Which one would you like to have?"

A young man sitting next to Niles snatched the instant hot pot from his hand and joked, "I didn't bring dinner either. I'll take this one."

"Hey! What would my sister-in-law eat if you take it? My brother will kill me if I let her go hungry. Will you take the blows for me? Or should I just tell him that you took away his wife's food?" Niles looked at his friend slyly.

The young man was well aware that Niles' brother was Wesley Li. His eyes went wide in fear and shook his head violently as he handed the instant hot pot to Blair with both his hands. "I'm so sorry, Mrs. Li. Please enjoy your meal."

The rest of the party were amused by their childish conversation and laughed out loud.

Blair took the instant hot pot from him with a shy smile and started eating. The others shared their snacks with her too. She felt self-conscious about taking their share. She had nothing to share with them after all. Niles sensed her worries. He said, "Blair, don't worry about it. Once we're back in Y City, I'll ask Wesley for some money to treat them to a big dinner on the fifth floor of the Alioth Building."

One of the girls' eyes went wide in surprise. "Niles, did you just say the fifth floor of the Alioth Building? The one in the Shining International Plaza?"

"Uh-huh. Is there another Alioth Building?" Niles replied casually, biting into a cucumber as he looked at the girl.

Before

Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.

To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.

"As long as I'm alive, I'm still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."

She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.

Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.

al feast for the travelers in the train.

Blair rushed to take out her single-lens reflex camera from her suitcase. She leaned out the window and started taking pictures.

When she was done, she turned around and saw Niles walking towards the next car. "Where are you going?" she asked.

Niles hadn't expected her to notice him. Surprised, he stammered, "Er... I was bored. Thought I'd take a walk."

'A walk?' Blair looked at the path ahead of him. The car in front of theirs was the head of the train. How could he possibly take a walk there?

But, she didn't dwell on it. She put her camera on her berth and decided to freshen up.

They had spent nearly twenty hours on the train by now.

And they had also gotten to see the beautiful sunrise. It was indeed heavenly. They also witnessed the continuous snow-capped mountains, the prairie, the herds of yaks and sheep grazing on the rich grass, and the gurgling brooks. Whatever they laid their eyes on, was a spectacle.

As they got closer and closer to Wesley, Blair couldn't control her excitement. She had been able to work the day before, but today, she could hardly concentrate on anything for a minute.

Niles had been acting conspiratorial the whole morning. He kept going to the head of the train, where he made suspicious phone calls.

Blair was too focused on Wesley to spare any heed to him.

After twenty-three long hours of travelling, they were finally about to reach their destination. Niles walked back, grabbed Blair by the wrist and led her close to the window. "Look! We're almost there!"