5 Dream

"A..ri"

"..."

"Airi."

Hmm?

"Wake up!"

Lian-ge?

"Airi, wake up!"

Am I dreaming? I just heard Lian-ge's voice. But it can't be right? Because he...

"Hey Airi!"

With his voice, came a slight nudge on my elbow. I was stirred awake. Although I felt sore on my arms, back, and neck, the excruciating pain I had felt back then was no longer there.

I felt lightweight. That feeling after you had taken a short but good nap.

Slowly I opened my eyes. What came into view was my best friend, Xu Ting's moving hand. She was writing on her notebook.

My eyebrows scrunched up as I stared at her face. I rubbed my eyes once and then twice. But it was still the same scene.

Xu Ting glanced at me and quietly giggled. She mouthed, 'Sleepyhead.'

"..."

I tried to raise my head and immediately I felt the soreness on the nape of neck. I saw a thick book under my folded arm with numbers and formula written all over it and a doodle of a penguin making a snowman at the top left corner of the page.

I remembered this drawing. I had drawn it on Miss Ze's math class because I was desperately bored and I couldn't understand anything she said. So I ended up daydreaming and doodling all over my desk and notebooks.

As I wondered at the drawing, I heard Miss Ze's voice explaining the lesson. I looked up immediately to see her to make sure that this wasn't my mind playing tricks on me.

However, I didn't manage to catch a glimpse of her but instead, a firm steady back greeted my eyes.

I froze, staring with wide eyes. And as if time had stopped, all the voices around me seemed to have faded away.

No sound of pencils scratching against the paper, the tap of someone's pen at the edge of the table, or the whispering of the students at the back.

It was just the loud beating of my heart and his voice as he whispered to me with a slight turn of his body, allowing me a little view of his side profile.

"You're awake, Airi?"

I didn't have to see to know the upturn of his lips that had curved into a smirk from the way he spoke to me.

I didn't have to see to know that his eyebrows had rose in a slightly teasing manner.

And I didn't have to see to know that his eyes had shone with a gentle touch of love. The tenderness that he had showered me countless times whenever he gazed into my brown eyes.

I found it funny how I could picture all of these and saw through his every gesture and felt that it was all natural.

A wave of relief swept over me. I could hear his voice. I could see him sitting in front of me just like any other day.

When my hand moved to touch his shoulder and managed to hold him, a drop of tears escaped from the edge of my eyes.

This... was real.

Ahh...I smiled. I see, previously, I was just dreaming. I had taken a nap during class. I looked down at the wet spot on my book.

Oh gosh, I even drooled on my math book. Guessed that was why I had suffered from that nightmare.

For me, math had always been a bad omen. I had zero affinity with this subject. I always barely passed even though I studied hard for the exam.

See? Bad omen.

I rested my forehead on my desk as I breathed a long sigh of relief.

"Thank God," I muttered.

"Airi?"

I flinched at the call of my name. Oh, I heard his voice everyday. Yet, I somehow I missed his voice this much.

I lifted my head to see him. Immediately, I saw that pair of pitch black eyes gazing down at me and the spark I felt when we first met struck my entire being all over again.

Every time, every single time, it always managed to immobilize me.

I had always been an indecisive girl. I was never sure of what to do or if the choices I made had been correct. So, I always needed someone to make that decision for me and told me that everything would be okay.

But whenever I saw his eyes staring lovingly at me, it didn't matter anymore whether it was right or wrong, sure or not sure. All I knew was I loved him and that was a fact.

I grinned at him. He raised an eyebrow.

"What?" He asked, amused.

"Nothing." I shook my head in a cute way as I cupped my jaw with both of my hands.

He went to pinch my nose and I slapped his naughty hand as always.

"That smile of yours looks as if you're up to no good."

With a pout, I retorted angrily at him, "What are you talking about? I've always been a good girl."

"Wrong. You're a troublemaker!"

I turned to the source of that voice. I snorted at her.

"It's not like you're any good, Ting! So shut up!"

"Eh? At least I'm not the one who got called by the guidance counselor yesterday," Xu Ting responded smugly.

Not wanting to lose, I hit the sore spot. "Eh? At least I'm not the one who has to do tons of remake tests."

As I expected, her face became as black as the bottom of a pot. Xu Ting had missed the chance to enjoy her summer break with her boyfriend because she scored poorly on the last exam. She had planned to go on a trip with her boyfriend and that had gone the drain because she had to join the supplementary class.

But the saddest part was they had already bought the tickets. So in the end, her boyfriend went alone because he didn't want to waste his money and Xu Ting had to give up her ticket to her older sister.

Right now, I really had the urge to laugh at her sour looking face. It was so ugly!

I was trying so hard not to laugh but my boyfriend had to be tactless and burst out laughing.

"Pfftttt.....HAHAHAHA"

I was speechless. I couldn't bear the shame so I buried my face onto my folded arms where I secretly had my own share of laugh.

"I know you're laughing Airi!"

I lifted my head and faced her with the utmost effort to keep my lips together.

"I'm not!"

"I'm not deaf okay and I also saw your shoulders moving!" She exclaimed through her gritted teeth.

Well okay. If she had found out, why hid it?

"HIHIHIHI...Hahaha.." Immediately I burst out laughing as I hit the table.

"Go on, laugh! Laugh until your stomach bleeds!"

"Oh no..hahaha...ha.." I held my aching stomach while I tried to ease my laughter.

Lian Hua had long stopped laughing. But I could still see the humor in his eyes that had yet to dissipate.

I inhaled and exhaled until finally the urge to laugh within me disappeared.

"Ah...sorry, Xu Ting. That was really funny. Can't help it. Hihihi..."

"Stop it or you'll really die from laughing."

"Okay okay." I wiped the tears that had welled up in my eyes.

"Are you guys not gonna eat?" She asked.

I was dumbfounded. Right, aren't they in class right now?

"The bell has rung since five minutes ago. If you don't run to the cafeteria now, you won't get anything."

"Eh? The bell has rung?" I asked with a confused face.

Both Lian-ge and Xu Ting stared at me as if I was the world stupidest person.

"What?"

Lian-ge sighed. He rubbed my head. "What am I gonna do with you? One of these days, that muddle-headed of yours will get you in trouble."

Xu Ting grabbed a hold of my shoulder. She looked at me with pity in her eyes. But for me, it was like a mocking instead.

"The least you'll experienced is probably being kidnapped. Especially with how cute you are."

She pinched my cheek.

"Ouch! Stop!"

I knew I had a slightly chubby cheeks. That was why they couldn't help but played with my cheeks. But I hated it. It was painful!

Xu Ting giggled and I could see the warm smile Lian-ge directed at me. It instantly brought a smile to my face as well. I grinned widely.