Time had run out.
Her cell rang, and she distractedly slid it out of her scrubs pocket and answered, seeing Ling’s name.
“You on the way?” She asked, perusing the turnstile of hair bows and picking out the pink sparkly numbers for Yue. The girl couldn’t bypass glitter. She wanted to cheer her up as she had been so withdrawn over breakfast, and a gift was a surefire way to bring her spirits back up. Yue could sense their tension even though they had tried not to show it.
“We are stuck in traffic, so it should be another ten minutes, maybe fifteen. Where will we meet you?” Ling sounded tense, and Suying knew Meilei would be a mess today. This had loomed over them, growing closer with its inevitable outcome, but she had done well. She held it together and slowly adjusted to the fact that she couldn’t escape this. Going to work, coming home, and staying emotionally stable for Yue. Resigned to what was coming.
Kai would find out Yue was his and change all of their lives. She didn’t blame Meilei for living with that dark cloud for the past ten days. They were all feeling it and worried, but thankfully, Kai and Meilei had not crossed paths since he threw those papers at her. He had stayed out of her way, and Suying knew it had let Meilei grow a little stronger without his ever-pressing presence.
Turning the aisle, so busy staring at the row of chips, she shoulder nudged someone with an aggressive force that sent her staggering and spun in alarm to apologize.
She and the stranger she banged into began talking simultaneously, instant blame taken from both, and they fell silent as they locked eyes on one another. Suying’s heart stopped dead in its tracks. Her words became a breathless release, and her body paused in shock.
The guy was gorgeous.
Cute, a little taller than her but not by much, with large, pretty eyes set in an adorably boyish face, emphasized by dimples. He had a square jawline, yet it somehow seemed softer with the addition of pouted lips and a modern floppy haircut that suited him. He was stocky in that fit sports kind of way Suying found attractive but not overly so, and had a cheeky yet friendly face. He broke a small hint of a smile, appraising her too.
“Sorry, I was too busy looking at my cell. It was my fault. I didn’t hurt you, did I?” He had a smooth, honey voice that gave her internal melty sensations, not too deep and yet husky, and she could feel the blush creeping up her face. Heating her cheekbones. Suying wasn’t one to go gooey for boys in general, but this one had instant panty-melting abilities. He ticked all Suying’s boxes.
“I’m coming. Gimme a sec.” Turning his attention back to Suying, appraising her blue scrubs and the hospital logo embroidered on the hooded jacket she wore over the top.
“You work over there?” He motioned at the hospital looming at their rear through the glass-fronted shop, knowing it was obvious, but he lingered for a few seconds.
He had gone to his friends at the register, of which there were two, carrying beers and snacks, and she was only afforded a look at his back. Wide shoulders, a strong physique, and a sexy butt that had her face flaming harder. He was a boy who worked out but had muscles in places that hinted at sports rather than general fitness. She recoiled as though she had just been caught stealing candy from the jar, giving herself another mental shake.
He was cute though. Too cute. Once in a lifetime cute.
Suying checked her watch again and then hightailed it to the checkout. Rushing to put her things on the desk, the cashier smiled brightly. A warm woman who had served Suying many times over the years.
“My last customer told me to give this to the pretty doctor. It could only be you.” She pushed forward a little bag of chocolate hearts and gawped in disbelief. Staring at the candies and then at the door, where he was nowhere to be seen.
“The cute one with the brown hair that flopped over his face a little? This height?” She motioned around half a foot over her head because his friends had both been much taller, and the cashier nodded.
Suying couldn’t stop the smile that broke her face of how warm and mushy it made her feel before finding the woman appraising her expression with a smile.
She paid for her items with a pleasant goodbye and wandered out half-daydreaming about his cuteness while admiring the small bag of red and silver foil-wrapped treats. It was such a nothing bag of chocolates they kept on a stand by the register, but it made Suying grin. Whether he meant it as an apology or an ‘I hope to see you again,’ she didn’t know. Her heart somersaulted and put a spring in her step. Making a mental note to frequent this convenience store on every break from here on in. If he was local, this was his go-to quick shop store.
Walking across the street, she wandered in a circle and then waited by the doors, clutching her bag in one hand and her packet of treasures in the other. Eyeing up the apartment blocks that towered behind where she had just come from.
They were in midtown, the area was not too shabby, and it took a decent income to afford the rent around here. That meant he must have a good job, and those apartment blocks were brand new. Their building was completed several months ago and were only a buy-in. Which meant he had no intention of leaving. She knew because one of her seniors had pondered putting down a deposit for one when they first began to go up and had brought in the sales info when needing help deciding. Ultimately, she had chosen a cheaper house further from work, but Suying remembered the glossy pictures of the modern, spacious interiors. The kind of place she imagined them living when Yue was older and a move was less uprooting for her.