Fan Fiction |
by Mimosa
“What… what’s happening, Flora?” Ada yelped in disbelieve, her eyes were widened to the fullest extension,“what are you doing with my treadmill?”
Flora rarely used the treadmill. In fact, Flora always ridiculed Ada whenever the later got the equipment running. “Get out door, Ada! There’s something call fresh air!”
“What does it look like I’m doing?” Flora smirked with irony, and cranked the speed two notches faster.
“Yes, yes, you’re exercising using my treadmill, but why?”
Instead of answering Ada, Flora just put the headset on, and cranked the speed one notch further. She was surely running faster than her system would be acclimated to… Ada tried to hide her amusement. Her friend was obviously reacted to mischief Annie’s little plan.
“Hey!” She waved her hand wildly in front of Flora. Flora ignored her.
“Hey!” She removed the headset with one move. Flora still ignored her.
“Hey!” Ada extended her full arm length and turned off the equipment. The treadmill came to a sudden halt, causing Flora to lose her balance. The next second, the two found themselves landing on the carpeted floor, arms and legs entwined.
“Let me go!” Flora yelled, agitatedly
“Tell me what happened first!” Ada asked with an obvious grin, pinching her leg a little firmer on Flora’s slender body.
“Nothing!”
“Yes thing!”
“Let me go!” Flora yelled again, this time at the top of her lung, and the end of her wit.
“What’s happening?” Annie pushed the door wide open and bulged in hurriedly as she overheard Flora’s crying. “Oh my God, what are you guys doing?”
Ada laughed too hard she could hardly keep the pressure on her leg. Flora wriggled out, and with the help of Annie, got back up on her feet. The moment she steadied herself on her feet, she stormed out of the living room and into the bed room, slamming the door behind her.
“What’ve you done to her?” Annie asked Ada incredulously “I though you were supposed to charm Gallen, not Flora!”
“Hey, I’m not interested in woman, mind you!” Ada dabbed her tear from laughing too hard, gasped for some air, before lowering her voice into a hush “I do think your Flora Jie is biting the bait! She must have seen me with your brother this morning!”
“It was impossible to miss that public show!” Annie laughed “You were being a little too obvious!”
“Did your brother say anything to you?” Ada asked curiously
“He was a little concerned!” Annie giggled “He first asked me whether you had slept well last night, then he asked me how many coffees you’d had this morning!”
Ada stood up with hands on her hips “What?”
“Yup, he thought you were just acting hyper”
“How dare this brother of yours!” Ada bit her lips, feigning offended “I’ll show him the real Ada!”
“As in his new buddy - Ada-the-boy?” Annie asked innocently
“No, silly!” Ada gave Annie a playful whack on the head, and headed toward the kitchen in exaggerated catwalk steps “As Ada the irresistible, fully desirable girlfriend!”
“Sure!” Annie laughed merrily “I have faith in you, sis!”
======================================================================================================================
[Inside Ada's bedroom]
[Flora]
“Hi Darling Harbour!” Jerry greeted with a bright smile, his usual style “How are you tonight?”
“I’m not too well!” I pounded my fingers ferociously on the keyboard. I was mad at Ada, I was mad at Gallen, I was mad at Jerry!
“Oh, what’s going on?” Jerry was showing his concern. His concern! He WAS the one that made me unhappy! He was the one who drank Ada’s tea, signed the paperwork Ada prepared, and chose Ada to be his assistant in the operation room for not once, but twice today! That wasn’t everything. He was taking Ada, and not me, to go with him on the outbound trip to today’s HOPE location. He was picking Ada, and not me, to sit at the same HOPE table. And who was I? I was his assigned assistant! What was the meaning of all these?
“What’s upsetting you, Darling?” Jerry asked again
“You!” I typed on the impulse of the moment
“Me?” Jerry asked again with a bewildered smiley icon.
My fingers froze on the keyboard, not knowing what to say next. After all, Jerry didn’t know who Darling Harbour was.
“Darling, are you still there? What have I done?”
I signed “Not you, Jerry! I was thinking of my boss when I said ‘You’ just now!”
“My God!” I could imagine Jerry heaved a relieving sigh “I’ve almost had a heart attack! What did your boss do?”
“He was being so unreasonable!” I bit my lips…
“Yes?”
“Well, let’s not go into the detail!” I signed. You knew the detail best, Gallen!
“Darling, it bugs me to see you’re not happy!”
“Is my feeling that important to you?” I asked with an air of mocking that I couldn’t resist.
“Of course,” Jerry smiled…
“Do you always pay attention to everyone’s feeling?” What was I driving at, I didn’t even know
“I try to, but I’m not always successful!” Jerry confessed, “some times I was a little too busy to pay attention!”
“Right!” I rolled my eyes.
“Talking about that, Darling, I think somebody is really mad at me today!” Jerry said
“What happened?” My heart skipped a beat, and my fingers trembled with a very curious anticipation “Who?”
“My colleague… Remember Flora that I’ve told you about?”
“What did you do?”
“There is another colleague who works with us. Somehow things looked like I had much more interactions with her than with Flora, this morning in particular, and I guessed Flora wasn’t too pleased by it. In fact, I think she was a little angry…”
“Who cares to be angry at you!” I cut him short, feeling a mixture of content, for knowing he’d indeed paid attention, and annoyed, for … knowing he’d paid attention! Complex!
“Darling, she didn’t even say goodbye to me at the end of the day today!”
“Well, she might be rushing somewhere!” I tried to appear nonchalant
“Actually, I think she was getting this wrong idea about me and that colleague!”
“Gallen,” I felt my cheek in flame. He was implying that I was jealous! “That is entirely your business. I don’t wish to know about you and Ada!”
“Darling, are you...” Jerry paused for a little “Are you ... Flora?”
Oh no!
“Flora!”
I shut the laptop, and buried my face deep into my pillow!
======================================================================================================================
“Flora, open the door!” Ada rapped on the bedroom door “Someone’s here to see you!”
It took a lot more time and rapping until Flora made her appearance “Who is it?” She asked sulkily
“Me!” Nick made himself seen, beaming brightly “Care to go out for dinner? My treat!”
“Sorry Nick Gor, but I don’t feel like going…” She attempted to close the door, but he was faster to secure the narrow split with his foot…
“Come on, Flora! You need to eat anyway…” He smiled persuasively “Consider it my honor!”
Flora loosened her grip on the door, not because of Nick’s plead, but something else. She stepped fully out of the door, and stared at Nick from head to toe
“What’s the occasion, Doctor Cheung?” She finally asked, obviously confused “You’re dressing as if you’re going for your own wedding!”
“Absolutely gorgeous, isn't he?!” Ada chimed in, only to receive a cold glance from Flora, to which she chose to ignore “Hurry and change, Flora!”
The latter got back inside the room, and emerged a few minutes later in a petite black dress. Simple and elegant! Nick didn’t hide the admiration. In fact, he went a little further and gave a faint whistle, to which Flora grimaced. Annie laughed…
“Are we going in one car?” Nick asked
“My car is here.” Annie said “I’d take Ada Jie. How about you take Flora Jie?” She lowered her voice in a whisper, but with the clear intention for Flora to overhear “Some cold war between them, Nick Gor!”
Flora couldn’t resist a smile at Annie’s childish way of putting it. But she guessed it was true to a certain level. Her mind told her there was nothing to blame Ada about, but her emotion betrayed that good will. Ada was her friend. If anyone knew best about Flora’s feeling for Gallen, it must be Ada. Why must Ada get that close to Gallen for? Flora felt betrayed…
They might have to sit down and straighten things out. But not now!
Flora was feeling relieved to go on Nick’s car. They arrived at the restaurant in about 30 minutes, and waited patiently for the rest of the party to come. They didn’t come.
“Sorry, my car’s broken down” Annie said apologetic “Me and Ada Jie decide to have pizza instead. We’ll join you two some other time!” She hung up with a giggle.
Flora frowned. Annie’s car was brand new, wasn’t it? “Nick Gor, come back and pick them up, will you?”
“Must we do that?” Nick was acting weirdly “I meant, they said they wanted to have pizza!”
Flora gestured at their fancy surrounding “Don’t you feel bad leaving them with cold dinner while we're here having French cuisine, Nick Gor?”
“It’s okay!” Nick shrugged “I’ll take them here some other time!”
Flora stared at Nick in disbelief. The later avoided her eyes and pretended to scrutinize the menu. Suspicion mounted inside Flora.
Then Nick started to whisper in a super low tone, almost inaudible. Flora had no choice but to lean closer “Pardon me?”
“I said,” Nick cleared his throat and himself lean further toward Flora. They might just be a little too close to one another, when she heard him exclaimed cheerfully “Oh, there you are! Gallen, over here!”
“Gallen?” Flora looked up startlingly. Her head hit Nick’s chin in such a force that left the later groaned loudly in pain
“Oh my God, I am terribly sorry!” Flora gasped.
Gallen deftly caught one of the waiters passing his way, who was conveniently with a chilled bottle of wine. He borrowed a few ice cubes and advanced to Nick’s side.
“Are you okay?” He seemingly addressed Nick, but his eyes were fixed on Flora. She shook her head. Wrapping the ice in the large napkin, Gallen pressed it roughly against Nick’s swollen chin.
“Ouch, ouch!” Nick cried, snatching the assembly from Gallen’s hand “Are you trying to kill me or what?”
“Precisely!” Gallen answered with a straight face. “You deserve it!”
Despite her wish, Flora smiled.
======================================================================================================================