Fan Fiction |
by Mimosa
“He looks very cute!” Tara exclaimed “And masculine,” she added “and mature!”
Jessica giggled as she elbowed her friend. Tara shot a glance toward Nick. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Nick grunted as he got up and inserted a CD into the player “I just wonder since when cute and mature would be in the same sentence!”
“Not in your lifetime of course,” Tara retorted teasingly “You are neither cute nor mature!”
Nick heaved a sigh of relief “Thank you. I want neither ones.”
“What do you want to be then?” asked Tara curiously
“Handsome and cool!” replied Nick, almost immediately, and with a haughty grin.
Tara choked on her water. Jessica patted her friend’s back. Both were struggling not to laugh, but failed. Gallen came back into the room with four wine glasses on one hand and half a bottle of wine on the other. He stared at the sight of two girls clutching their stomach and tearing from laughing.
“What’s that?” asked Gallen smilingly, “What did I miss?”
“Not me!” Nick retorted “Tara said you look silly and aged!”
“You mean she thinks I’m cute and mature?” Gallen played on without moving a muscle on his face.
“I can’t take it anymore” groaned Tara, gasping for air
“They’re not best friends without a reason, Tara.”
Nick was about to retort back when Jessica’s phone started to ring. She picked up and cast a thoughtful glance at Gallen. Nick frowned.
“Okay…” Tara picked up the wine bottle “Let’s cheer to your name, Gallen. It’s finally cleared!”
“Thanks to you, Tara!” Gallen raised his glass toward the girl “Thanks for coming into the lab at midnight to help me out!”
“No problem, I have free labor from your best friend, so…” Tara laughed heartily while Nick grunted. “I must say you have quite the knowledge on forensic science, Nick. Have you taken classes or what?”
“Nope,” Nick shook his head
“Let me introduce to you, Tara” Gallen tapped his friend’s shoulder “Nick, loyal fan of Forensic File on channel 56.”
“Ah! No wonder you are pretty quick!” Tara nodded her head knowingly, “and a little too imaginative!” she added, making Nick blushed lightly.
“But my guess turned out to be correct,” Nick defended himself “It was the mistress!”
Tara gave Nick a glare to stop him. Gallen swirled the glass gently and watched the liquid formed into a spiral.
“Since when did you start suspecting her, Gallen?” asked Nick curiously
“Well, I recognized her voice when she kept me down in the basement. She injected me in a very well-trained way. Then Carmen ran a check with Peng Chau’s hospital and we found a file. She used to be a nurse there in her early twenty. Then one day she just quitted, telling the hospital she would go to HK to live with her cousin, who was in need of a nanny. The people in Peng Chau remembered she went back once with a cute little baby boy about a year later. They remembered that because she went back in a luxurious car and dressed in a very fancy way.”
“That must be the trip she made with your mother then.” Jessica interjected. She had hung up the phone and now back to her seat next to Tara on the couch.
“I think so, yes!”
“I remember your mother.” Tara sighed “She was a talented actress. And she was so beautiful.”
“Yet she gave up fame and everything to be with my father and us.”
“I know… That’s the power of love!” said Nick with an air of solemnity. But somehow it triggered another wave of giggling from Tara, and swept away the gloomy atmosphere that had filled the room just now.
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“Well…” Tara glanced at her wristwatch “Where’s your brother and Julian, Jess? They’re late!”
“I have no clue, Tara.” Jessica stretched her back “Still busy at the station maybe!”
“Are we still waiting for them?” whined Tara “I’m hungry!”
“Let’s play some game!” Jessica sat up “Truth or Dare! Guys, are you in?”
“Why not?” replied Nick enthusiastically
Gallen looked at Jessica suspiciously “Why Truth or Dare?”
“Well… it’s fun! Are you in?” Jessica tilted her head, waiting for an answer.
“Come on, Gallen!” Nick pushed “What are you worrying about? Just a game!”
“Sure” Gallen gave in “No personal questions!”
“In your dream!” the other three yelled in unison…
The dice rolled merrily on the glass cover of the table. It came to a halt at the end. “Ha, you lose!” Tara squealed excitingly, pointing at Nick. “Me ask! Me ask! Truth or Dare?”
“Dare!” Nick shrugged defiantly “What?”
“Ha ha, you asked for it!” Tara winked mischievously “Kiss your friend!” She pointed at Gallen.
“Well, you asked for it!” Nick mumbled under his breath. Before Tara knew what happened, Nick leaned forward and delivered a quick peck on her cheek.
“Wha..what?” Tara stammered…
“You said kiss your friend!” Nick answered coolly. “You’re my friend too!”
Gallen and Jessica rolled on the floor laughing. Tara pouted “Wait until your turn, guy!”
“Should we continue?” Nick asked impatiently. He wouldn’t mind another chance to enrage Tara.
“Sure!” Jessica sat up right. “Where’s the dice? You know what? I’ll roll it for all of you! Just count your turn, okay?”
Gallen was red to the root of his hair “It’s not fair, what did you do with the dice? Give me the dice! I can’t possibly lose three times in a row.”
“It’s your bad luck, Gallen!” Jessica chuckled amusingly “There’s nothing wrong with me, or the dice, Mister! Truth or Dare?”
“Truth” He said without thinking…
“I forgot to mention, Gallen” said Jessica smilingly “If you lose three times, you will have to answer to all of us here… That’s the total of 3 questions.”
“What? No!” the victim whined
“Yes… Nick, you go first!” commanded Jessica
“Sure ma’am! Gallen, what’s the name of the girl you love most?”
“I don’t have any!” answered Gallen sulkily “They all gone!”
“Answer the question!” Tara growled jokingly
“Carmen!”
“What’s that? We can’t hear you!”
“Carmen,”
“Good boy! Now my turn” Tara hemmed and hawed for half a minute “Hmmmm.... that Carmen, why isn’t she with you right now?”
“I object! That question not only probes into my personal life, but into somebody else’s too!”
“Objection overruled! Answer the question!”
“Urg…” Gallen run his fingers into his hair “She has a boyfriend, who is, obviously, not me!”
“As I understand, you have left your Carmen due to some misunderstanding regarding your relationship with a Mr. Chan Yip. Why, upon your learning about your true identity, didn’t you come back to her?”
Gallen leaned forward and looked squarely at Jessica “Why do I have the feeling I’m facing a court of law?”
“Get back to your stand, Mister” Jessica replied giddily “And answer my question, quick!”
“Fine, if you insist. I did come back. But guess what I found? She was already with someone else.”
“How do you know for sure?”
“Ha” Gallen leaned back and lift his chin “I don’t have to answer that question. That’s the fourth one.”
“What if I want to know?” a third female voice rose from behind him.
Gallen jumped on his feet and turned around… “Carmen?”
“Yes, it’s me!” she looked at him “You didn’t answer me… how could you insist I was with someone?”
He bit his lips “I saw you and Kevin with my own eyes, Carmen.”
“Why didn’t you come in?”
“Why should I?” he felt the blood rushed to his face
“Because if you came in, you would have seen what happened.”
“I’m not sure if I want to see that…” Gallen was uncertain
“Gallen… if I say there was nothing that happened that night, would you believe me?”
“You mean…? You and Kevin… You’re not seeing him?” Gallen’s heart tumbled wildly in his chest “But Monday night in Peng Chau… I heard you talking to him.”
“Can I simply take a friendly phone call from him?” She rolled her eyes…
He looked deep into her eyes “Don’t play game with my heart, Sze Sze!”
“I’ve never done so!”
The doorbell rang, but Gallen heard nothing. Everything around had faded away, only his Sze Sze stood there, lovely and utmost delicate! He didn’t even dare to move, didn’t dare to touch her. He was so afraid she would simply disappear once again into thin air...