Fan Fiction |
by Mimosa
“Dad brought Mom to Aunt Liza's house, remember?" Gallen emerged from the bathroom, wincing "And plese lower your volume Annie, you’ll wake the whole neighborhood up!”
Annie stared at his brother strangely
“What?” asked Gallen just as strangely
“You!” Annie pointed her accusing finger at her brother’s nose tip “Are you drunk?”
“No,” Gallen tilted backward and ran his fingers through his damned hair, smiling “No…”
“But…” Annie frowned “You do look drunk, Dai Gor! Your face is all red and your eyes are sparkled…”
“Nonsense!” Gallen shrugged and strolled into the kitchen. Annie squinted suspiciously. Her brother must be up to something! Well, she would find out soon enough, but let she just put away her books. Annie nodded resolutely to herself and strolled along the hallway to the largest room of the house. Used to be a dull library, this room had been transformed to an elegant home-office for the Lo’s siblings by their father. As Annie got closer to the slightly ajar door, she wrinkled her nose. There was some very pleasant scent floating in the air, and Annie was sure it wasn’t her Miracle. This scent was a little fruitier. Half closing her eyes leisurely, Annie took a lungful of the nice scent as she pushed the door to the office. Immediately she found herself stumble onto another figure
“Ah!” Annie yelled at the top of her lung
“Ah!” the other girl was just as startled.
“What’s going on?” Gallen rushed from the kitchen holding a tall cocktail class. His elbow caught the corner of the small decorating table along the corridor. The table titled and sent everything on its top sliding down
Amid the articles, there was a little square box with exquisite carving details. Together with everything else, it found its way down the hardwood floor.
“Oh no” Annie gasped.
Gallen widened his eyes, stretched himself and let go of the glass in an effort to save the box. He lost his balance and went straight down where the shattered bits of the broken cocktail glass were.
“No!” Flora cried and rushed to his side “Are you okay?”
“Dai Gor!” Annie was quick behind Flora’s heel “Are you okay? Oh my God, you’re cut all over!”
Annie jumped over Gallen’s sprawled body and rushed to the bathroom. She emerged almost immediately holding a first-aid kit. Flora was helping Gallen up in a sitting position.
“Gallen!” Flora felt the tingling at the corner of her eyes “Who told you to run so fast? See all this cuts, it must be painful!”
“I heard you screamed,” he reasoned, pouting slightly
“That must be your sister, not me!” Flora couldn’t help but laugh “Now be a good boy and stay still. We can’t get the glass chips out of you if you keep wiggling like a worm!”
“I’m not a worm!” His face felt “Could you at least find something decent to associate me with? Why should it always be stuffs like trash bin and worm?”
Flora laughed harder “Stay still!”
“Ouch!” Gallen let out a small cry as Annie threw him a sharp glance “You’re poking me Sai Mui. Are you trying to kill me?”
“No,” Annie replied with a very straight face “Not before you two kill me with all your scary sweet talks!” She poked her pair of tweezers a little deeper into his skin, causing him to wince
“Stop it, Annie! It hurts!”
“Please, let go of your precious box for a moment, Sir!” Annie rolled her eyes “There’s a large bit right here on your wrist, and I can’t get it out with you clutching to the box!”
“Oh…” he grinned sheepishly, and reluctantly let go of it.
Flora recognized that little box with the chanting carving details! It was the same one he had gotten from behind Eileen’s tombstone. Suddenly she found a tide of no-name feeling raising though her spine, invading her heart, freezing her thoughts, and leaving her speechless.
“Flora!” He nudged her gently “Flora!”
“Oh.. huh?”
“What’s wrong? Just now you seemed like you’ve escaped this space and time…” He winked meaningfully as he helped her to her feet
“Oh.. just…” She looked vaguely around “Where’s Annie?”
“She went to put the first-aid kit away…” He looked deep into her eyes “Flora!”
“Yes?” She averted her eyes…
“See..” He reached for her hand and stroke it caringly “I’ve always wanted to show you what’s in the box. I guess that’s the reason I took it out from where it belongs!”
“I …” Flora took a deep breath, still refused to look into his eyes “I’m not sure I want to see …”
Before she would finish her sentence, he had already removed the cover. Gently and with utmost care, he lifted the content. Flora widened her eyes in surprise…
“Photos?”
“Yes,” he said, his voice a little thickened “Every year on her birthday, we went and shared a sundae on Darling Harbour. It was always a bit chilly for me, but Eileen insisted…”
Eileen looked soft and very sweet in the photos, but there were only 4 pictures in the stack that had her sitting on the boardwalk. The other 4 pictures featured the same place, but the girl was no longer there. On the lower left corner Flora’s finger would read the imprinted date.
Flora blinked and felt that she was about giving way to tears. These pictures without the girl in them… they must have been taken after the disease had stolen her from him. So that meant every year on Eileen’s birthday, he would come to Sydney and took a picture of their endearing old place.
Her finger caressed the corner of the photo… May 2003 was the last one.
It was now June! There was no picture of May 2004! Flora widened her eyes. Everything suddenly came to her. Now she understood why Gallen was so angry the day they first met.
And now she knew what he had meant. “I don’t blame you!” he had said “Maybe it’s just fate!”
It was fate that she ran into him, it was fate that the camera was knocked away... It was fate that the picture was lost... It was.. a sign?
“I’m so sorry Gallen…” she bit her lips
“Shhhh…” He gathered her into his strong arms “I think everything happens for a reason!”
“You think?” She wasn’t sure…
“Yes I do” He placed a butterfly kiss on her silky hair “I think Eileen will be happy for us!”
“You’re sure?” She played with the button on his shirt…
“Yes Flora!” He whispered by her ear, his breath warm and magic “Yes, I’m sure!”
She danced on cloud nine
...From this moment I have been blessed
I live only for your happiness
And for your love I'd give my last breath
From this moment on...
She rested her head trustingly on his immense chest…
...From this moment as long as I live
I will love you, I promise you this
There is nothing I wouldn't give
From this moment...
He was drunk! Drunk in the demure way she looked…
...You're the reason I believe in love... (*)
Their lips sought each other…
“Ekk…” Annie held up a palm across her eyes and turned away “I see nothing!”
Blushing, Flora pushed Gallen away, but his arms would not let go
“Kiddo, go away!” He said laughingly, still holding Flora tight “Go!”
“Fine,” Annie grunted, running up the staircase “Go ahead with your adult stuff. But I think I heard Dad’s car turning into the gate!”
“Really?” Gallen swiftly transformed the intimate hugging into a much more innocent hand-holding
“Ha ha…” Annie broke into laughter “look who’re the real kiddos!”
“Annie!” Gallen’s expression changed “You!”
From the top of the staircase, Annie made a face… “Don’t carry thing too far, kie ?!” Pointing at her wrist watch, she added in an affected tone “It’s getting late, you have work to do tomorrow!”
Flora couldn’t but laughed. “I have no idea you’ve turned into a second Mom, Annie!” Gallen smirked, trying hard not to smile. Holding Flora’s hand, he nudged her to go back into the living room.
Just as when they were about to settled before the TV set, Annie popped her head out of the baluster once more…
“Where’re Mom and Dad?” she asked “I need them to sign a form for me!”
“You have asked the same question four times already, Annie!” Gallen rolled his eyes "At least be a little creative!"
“Really?” Annie scratched her head “I have no idea!”
“Then just go to bed, and leave us alone!” An exasperated Gallen pleaded.
“No, I can’t!” Annie shook her head and sat down, leaving her feet dangling outside the baluster “I can’t let you harm Flora!”
“Sis!” Gallen cried “Have I ever interfered when you have your classmates come over?”
“That’s different!” Annie said coolly “Those are just friends! You two are not!” She squinted her eyes knowingly “I see the dangerous glint in your eyes Dai Gor!”
“Yes, precisely, sis!” Gallen nodded “and the glint is here because I’m about to go up and wreck your neck!”
“Well, in that case…” Annie said laughingly “I’ll retire to my quarter. Flora, take care!”
She spoke the last three words with emphasis that simply made the other two cracked up.
“I don’t know what to do with this sister of mine!” Gallen sighed “She’s a handful!”
“She cares for you!” Flora winked
“How so?” he acted surprised
“Well… if you … you know..” she blushed a little “then you… you know…”
“To be honest… I don’t know what I know!” He inched closer and winked suggestively “But I certainly could guess what you meant.”
“Stop it Gall!” She blushed more “I don’t know what you’re talking about!”
“If you don’t, then why are you blushing?”
“No I’m not!”
“Yes you are!”
“No I’m not!”
“No you’re not!”
“Yes I… Oh, you’re cheating… why are you saying my line?”
Maybe Annie was right! They were acting worst than kids. What had love done to otherwise very sharp analytical minds? Their IQs suddenly dropped … 100 points.
But who cared… They enjoyed being silly!
They were in love!
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(*) From This Moment On: Shania Twain & Bryan White
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P.S. Bear with me... I know this is not much of an update, but my head isn't really working! Guess I'm in love too... GALLEN IS COMING TO MY STATE! Okay *breath... deep breath... breath*... I guess everyone would have known about it by now. LOL... I've been acting like a complete lunatics, ;)...
Love him...
And love you too! *huggiezzzzz*
...mimosa...