“Do you want company?” Tian raised a brow Ling’s way, knowing he should never answer on her behalf, and she nodded with real enthusiasm, unhooking Suying from Qian to pull to her side and link arms. It was obvious her only interest in this group was her friend. Dragging her, she swayed her body to nestle beside her like they hadn’t seen one another in weeks.
Tian had a pang of longing to have her drag him to her that way and drape down his side the way she was with Suying, yet he shook it out of his head, knowing this was completely out of character for him, and he was getting a little bit Qian-like in his desperation for physical touch. Ling wasn’t at the PDA point, and Tian had always assumed he would never be. It wasn’t his style. Ling was a whole other story, though.
Tian nodded at Suying, a small hi as Qian did the same with Ling. A strange greeting between them because they had all met and knew one another, but this new friendly dynamic and causal outing was new. The recent weeks of changing dynamics, arrangements, and seeing Kai and Meilei change in their relationship affected them all as a group.
“Hmmm.” Was her evasive and almost non-existent response. Lowering to a nearly inaudible and very hushed tone. She had guilt written all over her, and her shy and weird behavior immediately sent Ling’s alarm bells off.
“We’ll find a table. You two get some food ordered. Don’t forget the coffee.. black and sweet.” She yelled back flippantly, her way of telling Tian she wanted five minutes of space.
Tian heard and nodded, watching her go, reading her obvious ‘go away,’ and evaluating Qians’ relaxed and overly joyful manner this morning. He seemed tired, way too smiley, dressed in sweats, yet Tian knew him so well.
“No comment.” Qian’s eyes were straying with Suying where they went, never breaking a beat, yet that sickly puppy dog, goofy and love-sick expression, said it all. He was the soft one of their trio, even though the short little imp was one of the fiercest in the boxing ring.
Last night and this morning were the most amazing moments of his life. He had only brought Suying out for breakfast, fearing he would never let her get out of bed and didn’t want her to suffer. Her first time had been slow and gentle, but he had been a little more passionate this morning, unable to reign it in. She would need time to process, recover, and maybe even heal, as he was sure there would be some sensitivity. He was still reeling in delirium that she had initiated it last night and pushed for it even when he said he didn’t mind waiting. Their relationship was moving fast in recent weeks, yet it felt right. He knew she was where he wanted to be, and the future looked rosy.
The men wandered off to the counter to attract a waitress. Even though it was a table-serve establishment, Tian knew how girls liked to talk. Ling would want the gory details of her unflowering while the men were done with the topic, and Qian was more interested in pouring over the menu to find his beloved the best breakfast he could. He was a romantic at heart, and if they had some sickeningly heart-shaped or flower-petal-themed dish, Tian knew that would be his offering to his girl this morning. Qian was predictable.
On the other hand, Tian gazed back to see where the two women were nestled into a booth, faces close together, scanning Ling up and down with deep appreciation. She was not the flowers and chocolate type, and if he showed up with heart pancakes and rose petals, she would probably throw them at him. He chuckled to himself, amused that she was a completely sultry seductress on the surface, oozing sex appeal and feminity, and yet she was a tough and scary badass who didn’t like romance. He had to find other ways to show his adoration to Ling. She wanted reliable, honest, and direct. She wanted a man to treat her as an equal in all things, as that meant more to her. Tian was capable of all that and aimed not to disappoint.
“I thought you decided to wait.” Ling probed at the booth, still shocked that Suying so soon had decided to sleep with Qian even though she saw sex as no big deal. Suying was built differently, and this was her first real relationship. Ling was worried she had jumped in too fast and might regret it. It had only been a month or so since they reconciled.
Even though the first time had been soft, romantic, and slow, she preferred him unleashing a little and showing her glimpses of how hot he could be. She was glad it happened and that he had been the attentive, gentle man who made the experience beautiful. Being older now, not teens, and him having previous girlfriends, she was sure it all contributed. God knows she had heard many horror stories from nurses about their first times.
“Welcome to the club, I guess.” Ling hugged her and then patted her on the head in a very maternal way. “Our lil Soo soo is all grown up. Do you need a cushion to sit on?” Ling smirked and dodged Suying’s mock outrage in the form of an arm punch.
“Shut up, they are coming.” Suying hissed, warning her this was the end of the conversation.
Suying shuffled away from Ling to make it less obvious they had been gossiping and slid to where she knew Qian would sit. Missing his presence even though they had only been apart for a few minutes. She immediately curled beside him as he lassoed an arm around her to pull her tight. Gazing adoringly at one another as though they had been separated for months. They were the gag-worthy type of lovey couple who had no shame in being obvious about their love.
“We ordered the regular breakfasts.” Tian nodded to Ling and moved in neatly beside her so his thigh touched hers. They were still in that weird grey area of newly dating where touching casually in public was not yet something they had figured out. Ling was a closed book sometimes, and he didn’t want to overstep her boundaries. For a woman, she was not all that expressive or soft. She did not cling to his arm or hand or drape herself all over him when sex was not involved. As much as he hated that about women in his past, he found himself wanting her to slide her hand into his or hooking his arm. Sitting here now, close but not touching, he wanted to rest his hand on her leg under the table. Not in a sexual way, but to curb the constant craving he had to be connected to her. It was a new experience for him.
For the first time in his life, Qian and Suying being so openly touchy gave Tian an inkling of wanting that, too. All these weird and new feelings about wanting that intimacy and constant connection were so alien that he wondered if he had ever loved anyone before. Was that what this was? He had no idea why she was so different from all previous girlfriends. Maybe it’s because he had to work hard for it and chase those things instead of being freely given them when he was uninterested. He had no idea.
“What are your plans for today, then?” Ling interjected now that they were all seated and knew she should distract Suying, who looked like a naughty child who had been caught with her hand in the cookie jar.
“We’re hanging out, going to the gym later, and then I will drop her off at home before bed. “Qian leaned in to nudge her shoulder to shoulder, a very obvious in-joke between them with the way Suying blushed.
“Yeah, I stayed out last night, so I want to be home for Yuelin tonight. It’s my night for bath and bedtime stories.” Suying felt like she had been slacking lately with spending so much of her free time with Qian. She looked forward to the day when they could take Yue out with them or have Qian stay at the apartment, but none of them were at that stage yet, especially not Meilei.
“Does that mean I get priority tonight?” Tian was not serious, having no issue with how Ling always put Yue first. He admired that about her. A woman who prioritized the kid even if she was not hers. It said much about Ling’s maternal side, even if she did not show it conventionally as other women did. It was a sign that under that hard outer edge, Ling had a soft heart and loyalty, and the people she loved mattered more than anything else.
“That’s Ling code for I am staying with Tian tonight.” Suying pointed out with a wicked smile Tian’s way, feeling sorry for the man who ended up with Ling. She knew how she could be, and although she could read that Ling liked Tian a lot, her manner told him nothing. That inner sense of self-preservation and never wanting to rely on any man. On anyone. She knew Tian had a huge wall to break down, and in time, maybe he would hear Ling’s story for himself one day and understand why she was the way she was.
When she did that, Tian would probably get to see all the soft stuff that Ling held hidden for only her girls to see.
Meilei watched as Kai trailed ahead, leading Yuelin by the hand, so focused on one another that they were oblivious to the world or the way she had fallen back to observe them. The pair gazed at the little animals in the small petting zoo where they had come to rest, pointing out the cutest. The day was going well, like the two previous, and the sun, nice air, and relaxing environment had Meilei in a good mood.
Kai and Yue were so alike in many ways, and Meilei was taking note of it today with her small chances at meandering behind them. How they looked, their mannerisms and similar things drew their attention as they simultaneously pointed them out for the other. They were like bookends. Meilei could now appreciate that Yue had gotten the best parts of her father, and she was more like him than she had ever given her credit for. Her bold nature, her confidence, and her sassy brain. Her sharp wit and sometimes rebellious nature. They were all him. Even though he had been absent her entire life, she was the trace of what Meilei loved about him. It was a sobering thought now she could see it.
It had been a weirdly nice day so far, even though she had been afraid about doing this initially in the past. Each week got somehow easier. Her nerves over him and reservations lessened. Kai stayed stable, never moody, never changing, but was always happy to see them. It helped give Meilei peace of mind and helped her lose her nerves about their alone time every week with only Yue as a buffer.
Peaceful and enjoyable, and Kai was on his best behavior, the gentleman and adoring companion she remembered from all those years ago. Even the small talk between them felt unforced and natural today, and at times, she could easily forget everything that had come before. It was too easy to do this. Scarily so. With all the negative things, the pain and fear turning to dust and breaking down the barriers between them, they were just two people who once loved one another wholeheartedly and had gelled seamlessly. They had always been able to coexist in such a perfect way.
It was bittersweet to watch the genuine love growing between him and their child, yet it was not hurting her heart as it had ached when he first started bonding with Yue. The fear he would take her was gone. The panic that Yue would love him so much she would want more of him and less of Meilei lingered a little, but it was somehow easier after the last few weeks. They could do this. Be around one another, share her; it was not the tense or awful thing she thought it could be.
“Hey, earth calling Meilei.” Kai’s voice cut into her thought, and she realized she had drifted off into a daydream where her mind had taken over, and she hadn’t seen him stop to find her. He was always aware of her whereabouts, so her stopping behind them had not gone unnoticed for long.
“Sorry, I was lost in thought.” She let out a small, low breath, relaxing as Yue slid her tiny, soft palm up against hers and clasped it tight.
“Sure. I am hungry too, and we can sit down and get some respite from this sun.” Meilei was tired even though it was only noon, and although it was a beautiful day, the heat was taking its toll. The park was mostly open space with very little shade. Maybe it was mental exhaustion from working herself up into imagining this day would be bad like she did every time, and now here she was, emotionally spent. It was an empty worry she needed to get over. He had proven enough.