Chapter 3 - Nice car ride

I had about 5 seconds to think how to react. Should I express my joy at being in a car with Zhan, and alone with him at that, by throwing both arms in the air and running to Zhan's car, cheering loudly "yay". Or do I pretend to be totally cool?

Suri took the decision away from me by nudging me toward Zhan and saying, "Come on, you can't pass up an offer like that. Or do you want to take the bus again?" Um, that was a little off, but OK.

I walked silently beside Zhan, looking at him out of the corner of my eye. How could it be that he just got more and more beautiful? He already looked like an angel back then. But now, ah I'm already at a loss for words. All I know is, my heart is racing and my stomach is tingling like never before.

Zhan opened the car, put my backpack in the trunk and then told me to sit in the car. I sat right next to him and was close enough to him to notice his scent of sandalwood. I buckled my seat belt and just couldn't stop staring at him. No matter how many times I yelled at myself in my mind to stop, I couldn't. How could anyone not want to look at a man like him either?

He started the engine and drove off. I told him my address and he claimed to know where it was. Well, if he knew, he wouldn't have made a wrong turn, would he? However, I said nothing. Because every wrong turn he took was more time for me to be alone with him.

Then after a few minutes, Zhan broke the silence in the car and said, "Suri said you study photography too?"

"Yes, I am." I said.

"And what exactly do you want to do later? Nature photography? Or what do you have in mind?"

"I want to be a photographer for models."

"Oh really? Mhhh, maybe we'll work together soon then. You behind the camera and me in front of it." Yes, that's exactly my plan. That's the only reason I'm doing this study. Because my Zhan, my future boyfriend, is a model and also a photographer himself.

I tried to look calm and replied, "Mhm, that would be possible."

Until we had to stop at a red light, silence fell again. That was, until Zhan turned to me, grabbed my head with both hands, spun it around, touched my eyebrows with his fingers and said, "Fascinating, they're different. One is round, the other is straight."

And I in my mind just, oh my god he's touching me, oh my god his delicate hands are in my face. I answered, "Mmm, I know."

Then when my eyes fell on the clock, and I remembered that I have to be at the university at noon to listen to a three-hour boring lecture by the most annoying professor, I was sorry to tell Zhan that he is not going in the right direction.

I gave him the right direction and just 15 minutes later we were at my house. And I already thought that was it, he will drive again now and I have to wait another 6 days to see him again. But instead he asked me if he could use our toilet for a short moment. "Yeah, sure. No problem." I said.

It wasn't until I got to the front door that I remembered my mom was home. I could only hope she wouldn't say or do anything weird. I opened the door, we entered the house and my mom came around the corner from the kitchen and asked me if I went all the way to Shanghai to shop because it took so long.

Then she saw Zhan, smiled, I said, "Mom, this is Zhan. Zhan, this is mom."

Then Zhan said." Hi mom."

And my mom, "Hi son."

And I was standing there just thinking, what the hell? I showed Zhan where the bathroom was and as soon as he was in there, my mom grabbed me and shook me like crazy and kept whispering, "He's so cute. So adorable. An absolute dream." The next moment, however, she grumbled when she saw that I just stuffed my dad's suits into the backpack.

"Oh great. I'll have to iron those again." She muttered as she retrieved the groceries and suits from my backpack.

When Zhan came out of the bathroom, she was just holding the sanitary napkins and quickly hid them behind her back. I think, after I embarrassed myself to death with them, she can do the same now! But no, she just hides them.

My mom looked at the clock and said, "Tell me Bo, can you make it to class on time now?"

Zhan spoke up and explained, "He does, since I'll be driving him." I don't remember when we agreed on this, but of course I absolutely approved.

I rushed upstairs to my room, grabbed my bag for college, turned around and ran into Zhan who had followed me upstairs. He looked around my room very carefully and thought I was a very tidy young man. Mhhh, but only because my mother makes me clean up every day.

Zhan looked at my certificates and trophies and said, "Wow, not bad. You seem to be very talented in many things. Basketball, dancing, and even singing. And what's that? You ride a motorcycle too?"

"Yeah, I race motorcycles from time to time." I said and showed him a picture of my motorcycle and me in my racing outfit.

Then he pointed to a picture of my big brother and me and said, "That's Hai Kuan, isn't it? I mean, we don't know each other, but I know he has a lot to do with my cousin Jiang Cheng. And he also has quite a few pictures of Hai Kuan." Oh that's new!

"Yeah, he's my big brother and four years older than me. I don't know what his relationship is with your cousin, he hasn't told me anything."

"So I think yes, they are a couple. That certainly would be obvious. Since my cousin even has a picture of him on his nightstand."

"My brother and your cousin? Um, I don't know. But if it's like you said, then it could be true." Apparently my brother has a pretty big secret. Let's see what I can do with it when we fight again. I wonder if he knows that my Zhan and his Cheng are related. No, I don't think so. He would have told me then. Since he knows how long I've been after Zhan.

Zhan also looked at the rest of my room, there wasn't much to see there and then we went back downstairs. It was time to get going again anyway. Even though I would much rather spend more time with Zhan.

We said goodbye to my mother and went back to the car. I got in, as did Zhan, and when we buckled up, our hands touched briefly. I really noticed how red my face got. But, Zhan's ears turned red too. I'm just not sure if it was because of me.

Zhan drove all the way back to the mall where we picked up Suri and Emma and then he drove us to the university. I thanked him for driving and went to get out of the car. Suri had already gotten off. Zhan held me by the forearm and said, "Wait here this afternoon and I'll pick you up again."

I stared at his hand that was on my forearm, nodded, and slid backwards off the seat to the outside. And it wasn't until I was almost all the way out that Zhan let go of my arm. Suri giggled at that.

"I told you my brother would like you. Tell me everything. What was it like being alone with him? What did he say? And how did you feel?"

I was so thinking about the car ride and that Zhan touched my face and replied, "It was a nice car ride. And I don't think I'm completely out of chances with him."

Suri immediately shrieked and hugged me. "Ah that makes me so happy for you. Wait and see, once we get to the beach, we'll figure out a way to make him fall 100% in love with you. And I already have an idea about that too."

"What kind of idea?"

"We'll play spin the bottle with truth or dare. And if my brother chooses dare, I'll tell him he has to kiss you."

"What, are you crazy? He'll never do that. And besides, I don't want to have my first kiss like that."

"Mhhh, well then what should we do? You could help him cook. You'll get closer then too."

"Yeah sure. Except I don't know how to cook."

"You'll be able to heat water and chop some vegetables, won't you?"

"Um, no. My mother never let anyone else in her kitchen. She's the boss there and no one else has any business there. We're not even allowed to make our own sandwiches."

"Why not?"

"You know my mother. She sees my hands, a knife, and the next minute she's imagining me cutting my fingers or me cutting my fingers off altogether. She's crazy."

"Oh that's right. How could I forget that. You can still help Zhan, though. Because he's going to be cooking for all of us for the whole week we're there."

"Alright. But that won't be enough to make him fall in love with me. We need more ideas."

"We still have a few days BoBo, we'll think of something by then. You better think of something for tonight. Because my brother wants to take us to the cinema."

"What?"

"He told me he wants to go to the cinema with us."

"When?"

"When he picked Emma and me up from the coffee shop."

"Did he tell he wanted me to come with him?"

"Mmm. He said I should tell you not to make any plans for tonight, that he wanted to take us to the cinema."

"I'm going to need your help later. I need you to tell me what to wear tonight OK? I don't want him to see me in my comfortable clothes again. I was really embarrassed. I had dressed quickly at home and thought my comfy clothes were enough and then I'd meet you guys. I would have loved to sink into the ground, that's how embarrassed I was."

"BoBo, you seem to forget what you look like. It doesn't matter what you wear, you look great in anything." Replied Suri.

And yet, I want Zhan to be impressed by me. I want him to think of me even when he doesn't see me or Suri talks about me. Just like I think about him all the time. But for now, it's time for the boring lecture. But with the knowledge that Zhan will pick us up later and that we will go to the cinema together tonight, it is easier to bear.