I Deserve A Second Chance

When he stepped out of the elevator, he saw her in her most dazzling smile. And he froze on his track.

When he first saw her again a few weeks ago, he had thought that he was hallucinating.

And then, he saw her again.

At this very moment.

The woman that he had been looking for the past year, suddenly appeared in front of his eyes? He found it really hard to believe.

.....

The last time he spoke to her directly was three years ago; when he was packing his luggage for a business trip, and she was eating in their kitchen. After he went back to their bedroom, he heard the door was opened, and Shao Yan had left for a while. He did not even realize what time she was back because he had fallen asleep.

He was away for two weeks for a business trip. He also took those two weeks to re-evaluate their relationship. When he was ready to tell her that he wanted to separate, he came home to an empty and cold apartment to find that she had packed all of her stuff and left all of their memories behind. Shao Yan had been hiding from him ever since she left their apartment.

She filed for divorce shortly after that and she communicated everything through a lawyer. Their husband and wife relationship before had turned to a mere black and white.

Shao Yan changed her phone number, he did not even know where she had gone to. He knew that she did not have a lot of friends in New York.

She emptied her bank account, and just disappeared from him. As if she had never been a part of his life at all.

And he felt a little hurt.

Unbeknownst to him, one foot had stepped forward and his body moved on its own; approaching her dazzling smile.

.....

A broad palm caressed her head lovingly, "Sorry, I'm late," Li Xiqing said, and then he extended his hand to grab her laptop bag from her hand.

Her eyes shone brightly upon seeing him, and Shao Yan smiled as she shook her head a little upon his touch, "Not at all. We were just about to sit down. We go now?" Her hands reflexively grabbed onto his jacket as he stood in front of her.

Li Xiqing raised one hand to cover her petite fingers, her cold hand was enveloped in warmth instantly, "En, I think everyone is hungry now. Let's go," and then he brought her hand down. Shao Yan spread his fingers, and linked them with her own, while still smiling at him.

"Hey! Hey! Now that your wife is here, you forgot to greet your brother?" Karl feigned an upset tone as he teased Li Xiqing around, delivering a punch at his shoulder.

Risa was laughing along and about to say something, when she saw someone else was approaching them. Her eyebrows furrowed as she mumbled, "What does he want now?"

Shao Yan saw the change in her face and she turned around to see what Risa had seen.

.....

The man that she thought she had forgotten, was currently walking up to her.

He still looked the same, as how she remembered him to be. Except, now, he looked more mature and slightly older. Time was still favouring him, even though he had few age lines on his face, he still looked very collected.

His kind face. His facial line that gave a soothing effect on people, and that was also the reason why she did not reject him when they started talking at the university cafeteria.

His perfect hair. Which was always trimmed neatly and without any flaws; prompting him to be the perfect male student. That also gave her the illusion of security and steadiness.

And just like a scene in a movie, all the memories started to rush onto her; slamming all of her senses with flashbacks of moments and words that they had shared.

Shao Yan unconsciously tensed up.

.....

She remembered their dating days. How he had courted her and how he had been so sweet and caring to her. How she finally fell for his letters which apparently were all lies.

Her fingers inside Li Xiqing's palm were tightened.

And then she remembered their lives in New York.

The sacrifices that she had made for both of them and how things had started to change. How she overheard the flirty conversations.

Her heart started to beat very fast.

She remembered how she stood in the middle of their living room, while feeling all cold and lost.

Her feet were almost faltered as she remembered the cold, wet night when she stood under the pouring rain to cry her soul out. Her mind started to trace back, to what she did after she came back to the apartment that they had shared together.

She started to feel the sorrow again and her head started to pound her.

.....

When Yan Yan turned around, he didn't think of anything strange. However, suddenly he felt a slight tug in his hand; he felt that Yan Yan wanted to let go off her fingers out from his palm, so he reflexively held back.

Li Xiqing glanced at her and noticed her eyes went round in surprise, and, even though it was not obvious to others, he could see that she is shaking a little.

Immediately, he squeezed her hands within his hold; he put a little pressure to their linked hands, bringing her consciousness back to the present.

Back to him.

Before he turned his head to see who had this effect on his Yan Yan.

When he saw the guy who was walking up to them, Li Xiqing could feel his face turn solemn. His jaw tightened up.

He shifted his figure a little to her side, to slightly cover his Yan Yan.

.....

When Shao Yan saw his shoulder appeared in front of her eyes, she was immediately brought back to the present. The shadow of the past was chased away by his assuring mind and Shao Yan instantly felt she was finally secured.

Her heart that had been travelling on stormy seas, had finally found a safe harbour.

'That's right. It was all in the past,' she slowly breathed to calm herself.

She looked down onto their clasped fingers. She was not alone anymore.