| Fan Fiction |
by novemberbaby
4:30 P.M.
“We caught up with Angela and Arron a few hours after their first cooking lesson together. Aside from being an award-winning singer-songwriter, Arron loves to cook and he made a pasta dish for the lesson. “I’ve always liked cooking for other people,” the star said. Wonder if he’s ever cooked for his supermodel girlfriend? “Not really. She says all the food I cook are too fattening for her”. As for Angela, she made mango chicken and said that, “It was intimidating to be in the same kitchen as Arron Yan because he looked like a professional when he cooked!”. When asked if she’s ever cooked for a boyfriend, she said, “No. All of my past boyfriends preferred to dine out”. She hopes to find a boyfriend who’s willing to cook for her.”
________________________________________
5:38 P.M.
She had spent the rest of the lesson outside in the hallway, fighting back tears.
He lied. Nothing was the same anymore.
He wasn’t. She wasn’t.
He wasn’t the shy young man that captured her heart. He was now an accomplished man with big things to do.
She wasn’t the “love-is-the-sole-reason-I-exist” type of young woman anymore. She needed security more than love.
Heck, even the fettuccini was different. Too creamy.
So, no, nothing was the same anymore.
Nope. Nothing.
Not even the apartment they had lived in before. The day she had returned from Japan, she had taken off all the photographs from the walls and painted them over. Even the opposite wall that witnessed the happiest moments of their relationships had fallen victim to destruction. Then, she had collapsed to the ground and sobbed endlessly. It had been her decision to say good-bye, but the pain was deeper than she had thought. After that night, she would go to the apartment at least once a week. It had become an unbreakable habit. A bad one, actually. But she herself had no idea of it.
“Hebe Tian, what the heck are you doing here? He’s already back in Taipei. He could be returning home any moment now,” she muttered to herself as she entered the apartment. She sighed at the sight of his belongings scattered all over the wooden floor. Well, maybe one thing was still the same. He was still so messy. Not that she was neat, either.
There was a note on the coffee table and she picked it up. It was written for Mrs. Fang, the neighbor and the supposedly “housekeeper” of the apartment. But it was her who had kept the place clean for the past two years. Mrs. Fang dropped by occasionally to chat, but that was pretty much it.
A vibration in her pocket startled her and she set the note aside. She pulled out her cell phone and took the call. “Hey, Chun. What’s up?” she said cheerfully.
“Why didn’t you tell me that Angela wants a guy who can cook?” he asked in a panicky way.
She snorted. “Because that’s not exactly true. She loves you, Chun. She won’t give a crap if you can’t cook to save your life.” She sat down on the sofa and grabbed a pillow to hug. “By the way, I heard that you gave her the jonquil bracelet. Didn’t you buy it two months ago but was too scared to give it to her?”
“I had to send it back to the jewelers four times after I bought it. It was too long and you know how tiny her wrists are. I don’t want it to fall off when she wears it. But then the charms were too heavy so I had them make lighter ones.”
“God, if you weren’t in love with Angela, I’d have you for myself,” she said with a chuckle.
“How long do you think it will take her to say yes?”
Ah, good question. “I don’t know, Chun. I really don’t.”
“Oh, but I do know how long it will take for you to fall in love with Arron again,” he teased.
“Never. He has a girlfriend now and so that makes him off-limits.”
“So you would take him back if he breaks up with Rina.”
“I don’t want to be the third party.”
He sighed. “You’re very hard to please.”
She stuck her tongue to the phone and then said, “Now how did we go from talking about Angela to exploring my negative qualities?”
“No, really. Tell me what happened today. I just spoke to Arron and he seemed pretty pissed off. Anything you wanna share?”
There were a lot of things she wanted to say. She wanted to tell Chun that she was on the verge of tears at the school, and that she knew he was clearly jealous when he offered his jacket to her. She knew all of that and she understood him well. But she also understood that he was taken, and that any decision made based upon her raging emotions could jeopardize his career, and that was certainly not she wanted. Chun would then tell her to shut up and stop playing the “I’m-willing-to-do-everything-for-the-man-I-love” type of role. Moreover, she needed security than love. And, staking everything on Arron Yan’s love was not something she would consider “secured”.
“Actually, I have nothing to say except that he’s taken and I’m not doing anything that will make him think that I still like him,” she answered in a rushed voice. God, then what was she doing in his apartment? She was crazy, hypocritical, and still in love with him. A combination like that shouldn’t exist in her. She picked up her bag with her free hand, which she had carelessly flung onto the sofa, and left the apartment as she fast as she could. Her car was parked across the street from the building and she ran to it.
“I don’t think you can do that,” Chun responded confidently. “The more you try to convince yourself that you’ve lost feelings for him, the more you find yourself caring. Plus, you have to see him everyday for at least three months. Or, maybe four months if the filming goes slowly. Are you going to tell me that you’re going to put up this act for that long?”
“Yes. Then, after the filming is over, I’ll be free.” Easier said than done, really.
There a short moment of silence on the line and then a sigh came through. “Hebe, you’re going to get hurt from this. But if this is what you want to do, then go ahead. I’ll always be available to listen.”
She cracked a smile. “You’re a wonderful friend, Chun! Angela should just date you right away.”
“Please don’t get carried away with flattering me. Well then, I guess this is the end of the discussion. I’ve got a meeting to run to. Bye.”
She smiled as she ended the call and slipped the phone in her bag. Chun really was a wonderful friend. She knew he was frustrated with her, maybe even wanted to strangle her, but he just sighed and showered her with heartwarming words.
But her smile faded as she spotted a silver car pulling into the driveway of the apartment building. The faces of the car’s two occupants were enough to make her face turn pale. “Suck it up, Hebe Tian. Remember what you just told Chun. You’re not interfering with Arron Yan’s life in any way,” she muttered to herself. “So what if he’s brought Rina Zhao to the apartment? There’s no trace of you in there.”
Right, no trace. None at all.
Upon finishing her monologue, she turned around as quickly as she could and climbed into her car.
The moment the two figures disappeared up the stairs leading to the apartment, she drove off with stinging tears. “Suck it up,” she repeated to herself. “Pretend you don’t care. How hard is that?”
___________________________________
7:30 A.M.
Two hours of sleep. Oh so perfect.
She rolled around in her bed and groaned. Last night was a bit hellish. When she had returned home, her answering machine was filled with messages from her parents, Angela, Mark, and stupid telemarketers. She listened to every single one of them. All ten of them. She even responded to them by pacing back and forth in her living room, and talking to herself. Actually, she had cried as she spoke, and so she wasn’t even sure what she had said, but none of it mattered.
Completely hysterical.
Then, she had spent the rest of the night convincing herself that she needed to repress her feelings for Arron Yan.
It was five-thirty in the morning by the time she decided that she was ready.
Arron Yan equaled Mr. Yan plus business plus professionalism.
The equation was simple enough.
She was never really good at math, but surely even a kindergartener understood this equation.
She hopped off the bed and slipped into her bunny slippers. Then, she dragged herself and her adorable bunnies into the living room where she was greeted by the smiling face of Angela. Hebe took a few steps backward and frowned. “What in the world are you doing here so early in the morning? And how did you get in?” Oh, Lord, maybe she was dreaming. But who would dream of seeing Angela in one’s living room so early? Oh, Chun. Right, and she may be a bit stupid at math and hysterical, but she was certainly no Chun Wu, the charming and hopeless romantic model.
Angela rolled her eyes. “I have a key. You gave it to me, remember?” Not giving Hebe a chance to retort, she went on. “Anyway, I was wondering if I could talk to you about something.”
“Shoot,” Hebe mumbled, as she walked over to her sofa and plopped down. “This must be important since you’re here so early.”
Angela heaved a sigh and joined Hebe on the sofa. “I need you to attend the cooking lesson by yourself today. Just bring a video camera and record the entire lesson for me.”
“Give me one good reason you’re not going to the lesson,” Hebe demanded with a confused expression.
“I’ve already told the teacher that I’m not going.”
“No. Not good enough.”
“I’m having a lunch date with Chun today.”
Hebe felt an aneurysm coming. She turned to Angela with eyes that were about to fall out their sockets. “You’re skipping work just to have lunch with Chun? What about the paparazzi? You’re not an office lady, Angela. You can’t just take time off in a snap. You’ve got to make plans in advance!” Panic, panic, panic. It wasn’t healthy for someone like her to panic so early in the morning. Or anyone, for that matter.
But the pop princess was calm. “I’ve got everything covered, Hebe. Don’t worry. The paparazzi won’t know. Mark’s got some special people working for him, and they’re going to make sure Chun and I will have a smooth lunch date.”
Hebe put a hand over her forehead and got up. “I must be having a really bad dream right now.”
Angela pulled her down. “No, you’re not. Look, Chun called me up last night and wanted to know if I wanted to have lunch with him. It’s not an official date, you know. Please, Hebe, do me this favor.”
Hebe turned to Angela with narrowed eyes. So, no, maybe this wasn’t a dream, after all. But it was just really, really weird. She knew that Chun often took Angela out on dates, but none of them were “official” ones. Yeah, that would be normal. But to have Mark and his team of mysterious employees to help out? That was weird.
‘’I’ll do you the favor if you tell me why you’ve suddenly changed your attitude about Chun.”
“Oh, well, it’s just that I’ve been thinking about him ever since he gave me the bracelet.” As if that explained everything.
Hebe glared at Angela. “You’re unusually fickle.”
“Do you want me to give Chun a chance or not?” Angela snapped.
She wanted that badly, but she wasn’t sure Angela’s intention was genuine. What if Angela was just being impulsive? Was it wrong of her to have such suspicions? Certainly not, she concluded. She wasn’t thinking all of this just for the sake of Chun, but also Angela. They were both very good friends of hers, and if she were to give an opinion regarding their relationship, she should consider it very carefully.
On the other hand, however, she had a funny feeling that Angela was serious. To her, Angela was obviously in love with Chun. There was something that made Angela appear different whenever Chun’s name was mentioned. Like her eyes would light up. Something like that.
“Fine. I will film the lesson for you,” Hebe finally said with a sigh. “I just hope you’re not going to make this a habit.”
Angela wrapped her arms around her friend. “You’re my best friend, Hebe. Did you know that?”
Hebe rolled her eyes and untangled herself from Angela’s arms. “Go away. I’m about to head out to breakfast and then to the lesson. You should be heading to Prada or Gucci or some other designer boutique to do some shopping for the date.”
“You have to come with me, Hebe! I’ll need your opinion!”
Hebe stared at her bunny slippers and willed herself to fall asleep within the next two seconds. There was no way she would accompany Angela to shopping for a date. She was so bad at that department that it wasn’t even funny. She had been lucky with Arron in the past because he always said she was beautiful and didn’t care if all she had on were baggy pants and a sweatshirt. He was that kind of guy. But after they had broken up, she realized that he had been overly generous with his comments on her clothes. Bright green with yellow polka dots. Brown with purple. People in the company always made fun of her unusual fashion taste, which was why Mark and Jenna had been so shocked to see her dressed up properly.
“I have six hours to spare, Hebe. Hurry!” Angela exclaimed as she dragged Hebe’s tired body out of the living room. “Throw on a shirt and a bottom! Hurry!”
“This is a nightmare,” Hebe muttered to herself as she closed the bedroom door behind her.
That was an understatement.
________________________
8:59 A.M.
Hebe nearly tore her hair off when Angela’s car pulled up in front of a brand-name store.
That was because Arron Yan was standing in front of the store with his hands inside his pockets.
Hebe looked around immediately, trying to see if her paparazzi radar was still working. She picked up nothing. What, had all the paparazzi been finally killed off? Oh, wait. Mark’s men probably killed them off for the pop princess.
“Angela. You set this up, didn’t you?” Hebe scorned at her friend.
“No, I didn’t. Arron is a close friend of Chun’s and I thought naturally that it would be best to ask his advice on Chun might like.”
“Chun would still love you if you wore a clown’s costume,” Hebe pointed out as she unbuckled her seatbelt. “I don’t know why you’re doing this but I’m not going to let you be successful.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, you hysterical woman,” Angela claimed and got out of the car.
“Sure you don’t,” Hebe retorted sarcastically and followed her.
When they approached the entrance, Angela flashed Arron a bright smile. “Morning, Arron,” she said in a sweet voice. “I know you’ve probably got a ton of other things to do so I really appreciate it. In fact, I appreciate your help so much that you’ll get something in return later at the lesson.”
Both Arron and Hebe stared at her, confused.
With a chuckle, Angela entered the store, followed by the two former lovers. Arron held the door open for Hebe, and she nodded at him as she walked past him but said nothing. In actuality, however, her heart was racing, and breathing was very difficult.
Once they were inside the store, the employees greeted Angela with bright smiles as she was one of their frequent customers. Hebe just walked off to a side, exploring the racks of clothes that she would never buy. She spotted a light pink dress and pulled it out. It was a strapless bubble dress that would look extremely cute if worn with a cropped cardigan. When she turned around with the dress in her hands, she ran right into Arron. “God, you like sneaking up on people, don’t you?” she muttered sarcastically.
He ignored her. Instead, he took a good look at the dress and said, “This dress looks really good with the heels that I bought you two Christmases ago.”
“This dress isn’t for me,” she answered as she walked past him. “And for your information, I threw those heels away a month ago.”
“Why? Were they broken?” he inquired as he trailed along. Pandora Records had given him a check with many zeroes before they decided to send him over to Japan. The first thing he did was buy her a pair of Jimmy Choo heels that was worth at least two times his university tuition for a semester. But he had bought it for her anyway.
“No, they were just too annoying to look at,” she answered coolly.
“Oh,” he uttered softly and then pretended to look at a rack of pants.
Looking at his dejected face made her heart sink. She had thrown out those heels because they were terribly worn. Of course she wouldn’t tell him that. Or the fact that she’d cried for two nights after she’d thrown them out. She had loved those heels.
He barely made any conversation with her for the rest of the time. In fact, he even avoided making eye contact with her.
His evasion made her feel as if she was being pulled into guilt’s hole.
And she wasn’t even trying to get out of it.
______________________
Author's Note: Yatta! I finally updated! Have not been feeling well lately so hence the lack of updates. But my birthday is coming up and I'd like to share some happiness with my readers. (But this chapter is no where near happy...)
Keep the comments coming! <3
novemberbaby.
Posted on Sunday, November 2, 2008.