Fan Fiction |
by YukLing
On one Saturday morning, Ray stopped by Qian's apartment with a brown package.
"What is this?" Qian asked as she took a peek inside the brown package.
"It's some herbal medicine I bought at the store. The man promised me it's very good for women who are pregnant."
Qian looked at Ray with an unsure face, "Uh, are you sure you know what you're buying? No offense, of course."
"Of course, I asked my mother to pick it out for me. She's pretty good picking out things which are good for health and body." Ray sounded very positive and confident.
"Your mother? You asked your mother to do what??" Qian asked as she followed him into the kitchen.
Ray ignored her question and took the package from her hand.
"What are you looking for?"
"A big simmering pot."
"It's in the 2nd cabinet." Qian replied. She rested her elbow on the kitchen countertop and watched Ray opened the package full of herbs and grass. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?"
Ray looked back at Qian, "Yes! Stop asking me that. I told you, I had my mother pick this stuff out."
"Your mother, does she....does she know?" Qian asked.
"I didn't tell her. But I think she suspect that I am buying this stuff for some pregnant lady. Either that or she thinks a miracle has happened and now I'm pregnant." Ray replied dryly.
Qian laughed at his comment, "It could happen one day, you know."
"What could happen?" Ray looked up and asked.
"Men having babies. I think that would be very interesting."
"Nah. I'm not too excited with that idea." Ray turned the knob on the stove, but couldn't get any flames coming out properly. "Is this thing broken? How come there's no flame?"
"Here, let me do it." Qian stepped and helped him. "This stove wants to retire, I think. You have to let it turn on a while before using this lighter here to get the flaming working."
"Why not just get a new one?" Ray asked as he stepped back to let Qian start the gas stove.
"Uh, not everyone is as fortunate as you, Ray. We can't just throw something away just because it's semi-broken....there.... see? It's working now."
"Was that a sarcastic remark?"
"What?" Qian pretended to be innocent.
"I know what you're trying to say."
"I'm not saying anything; you're reading into things too much."
"You're still trying to make me feel guilty for breaking up with Nicole last week aren't you?"
"That's not what I said at all." Qian replied as she grabbed a basket of fruits that Ray had also bought for her. "Oh, these fruits are delicious!!!"
"How come you haven't gained any weight after eating so much of those fruits I've bought for you?"
"I dunno." Qian replied as she bit into a crunchy big red apple. "I've been eating a lot lately too but have only gained 10 pounds. I'm afraid my baby is gonna be small." Turning to the side, Qian pointed to her slightly swelling stomach, "Look at my stomach, do I even look like I'm four month pregnant to you? Even Michelle was like twice my size when she reached her trimester. And she didn't even have as much appetite as I do now."
Qian was right, Ray thought, her stomach was only showing a little bit. If he didn't already know she was pregnant, he probably couldn't tell that she was carrying his baby inside of her small body. However, other parts of her body were beginning to take its feminine shape. Maybe that was where all the food had gone. Even though Qian was wearing a thin summer dress which flared out from the waist down, Ray could tell that her hips were slightly rounder than before. Ray caught himself starring her at swelling, round breasts which peeked just above the oval neckline of her dress. He quickly looked away when she looked back up at him again.
"You know what I have been craving lately?"
Qian's question only further interrogated Ray as it caused him to think more about his own craving.
"What?" Ray asked with stiffness in his voice.
"I've been dying to eat durian lately. Strange huh?" Qian said.
"Uh, that stuff. Isn't it stinky?"
"Only if you don't know how to eat it. It tastes really good though, I think I'm gonna go down to the grocery and buy me a few tomorrow."
"No, don't. I buy you some next time I visit."
"But that means it won't be until next weekend. Nah, I'll just get it from the store below."
"Fine, I'll bring some for you tomorrow, OK? I don't want you to carry anything that heavy, considering you were planning on buying several of them too."
"OK. Fine. Do whatever you like." Qian replied and went back to eating another banana from the fruit basket.
Maybe it was Ray who was going thru the trimester, he thought. He couldn't help but looked the other way when Qian bit into her fruits and savored them slowly into her small mouth. For the past two months, between work and visiting Qian, Ray really had not much time to date except for a few occasional dates which he normally broke up after a single date. His last date was with Nicole, a nurse from the hospital Qian was visiting. She was very pretty and cute too, but after a single date with her, Ray got bored and got tired of the foreplay and flirting around. He must be losing his suave techniques or something because every time he kissed his dates there was no longer that desire or attraction which he normally felt with all his dates in the past. Or maybe he had been working too hard and forgotten how to have fun?
"Ray!" Qian yelled.
"Yeah? Sorry, I was thinking about something." Ray replied as he walked towards and sat down at the table with Qian.
"I said I think I'm almost done with my book, except for the last chapter which I have no clue what to write on. Got any suggestion?"
"What's the last chapter about?" Ray asked as he continued to watch Qian's mouth biting into several purple grapes.
"It's supposed to talk about love as a single mom. But I have not a clue what to write for it. Maybe I should call Michelle up and see how her love life is doing, heh?"
"Did know you have two moles?" Ray asked out of thin air. "Here and here". Ray pointed to her upper left lips and bottom left chin.
"So? You just noticed them? What's wrong with my moles anyways?" Qian asked as she spit out the grape seeds.
"Nothing. I just noticed them today."
"You think they're funny looking? Michelle said I should have them removed, but I'm too chicken to have anything done to my face."
"No, don't. Actually, I think they're kinda sexy." Ray replied.
"Weirdo. Anyways, back to my question."
"What? Oh.....Why can't you write about your own love life instead?" Ray asked and immediately knew that he had let his tongue slipped too soon. "Sorry, I didn't mean it to bring Ron up again."
"It's OK. I haven't thought much of anything on that line lately." Qian replied. "How are they, Ron and Myolie anyways?"
"I haven't spoken to Ron much lately, but last I heard him and Myolie were taking another short trip to Thailand."
"Oh? That's good. I'm glad to hear that." Qian replied.
But Ray wasn't too convinced.
"Can I ask how did you ever find out that I used to like Ron? You never told me."
"You really want to know?" Ray asked with a serious face.
Qian nodded then reached into the basket, picked up an orange tangerine and started to peel the outer layer.
Ray was hesitant to tell Qian because he didn't know if she would respond. But finally, Ray swallowed his pride told her what happened that night before and after the wedding.
By now, Qian had stopped peeling the orange tangerine and couldn't help but reached across the table then rested her hands on Ray's. She felt bad for having misjudged Ray. No wonder he was so mad and said those awful things to her that next morning. She knew it must have taken him his pride for him to tell her about it.
"I'm sorry, Ray. I shouldn't have called his name."
Ray couldn't help but jerk up at her touch and casually brushed her hands away. He pretended as it was nothing to him and smiled back jokingly, "Nah. Don't fret over it. And I shouldn't have said those things to you. I think it was just my ego talking that morning."
Qian stood up and walked towards Ray. She smiled then gave him a warm gentle hug. Ray stiffened up again, unsure how to respond to this new embrace.
"But still, thanks for telling me this anyways. I know it must have taken a lot out of you to tell me. If you've never told me what happened, I'd never have known. Before I though just thought it was as much my fault as yours, but now I realize it was more on my side. I know how much it must have hurt your pride. Will you forgive me?"
Ray eased Qian away from him, he wasn't sure if he could control himself if she continued to hug him this close. "I'm OK now, Qian. Like I said, don't fret over it."
He was unsure of the new rhythm in his heart. It was probably the result of excessive hormones due to his lack of social life lately, Ray thought.
"OK, pregnant lady. Go get your coat, I'm gonna go take you go buy those stinky durians you've been craving so much."
Qian giggled and quickly walked into her room to grab her coat.