Chapter 22

Ling completed cleaning the room all alone an hour ago and was also done with showering yet there was no sign of Xian anywhere.

"Where did he go?" Ling said as he looked at the door, "I should go and look for him--" He thought and stood up, but right then Xian entered the house.

"Xian! Where were you? If you didn't come a second earlier I would have gone and reported you to the police." Ling jokingly said as he sat down again.

.

Xian looked at him, and walked towards him with heavy steps, "Here take this as an apology."

"Huh? A lollipop? Where did you get that?"

"Aunty gave it to me, saying that it's a new flavour and needed tasting so she gave one to me for free."

"Then don't you need it?"

"You can have it, take it as an compensation of letting you do all the cleaning alone."

"Fine then!" Ling said and smiled while Xian kept looking at him.

.

"...Ling..."

"Yeah?"

"Nothing...I will go and rest for a bit."

"Okay" Ling said as he turned on the TV, while Xian went to his room and flopped on his bed.

"Why does it have to be you..." Xian said as he closed his eyes and drifted to dreamland.

.

"Lets celebrate your win together." A women in her 30s said as she smiled,

"Okay mother!" A boy around the age of 10 said while smiling and hugging her tightly.

...

"Mother...you promised to celebrate together...you promised...please wake up...please.." The boy cried helplessly and everything went hazzy.

.

"Xian! Calm down, it's okay...it's okay." Ling said said he wiped Xian's forhead with a wet cloth.

"..please..please..." Xian cried and with a jerk opened his eyes.

"Xian Are you okay?" Ling asked but Xian pushed him away from him surprising both of them.

.

"Ouch!!" Ling cried as his head hit with the wall.

Xian was about to reach him but held back his hand and turned to the other side.

"I was surprised...I didn't mean to--"

"I know you didn't mean it, but you better lie down or else your fever will rise up again." Ling said as he made him lie down on the bed and covered him with a blanket, while placing a wet cloth on his forhead.

.

"Are you not angry with me for acting so harshly?"

"Why would I? You didn't do it intentionally anyway...plus what will I get by getting angry with a sick person."

"Only you think like that."

"Then be it, just because I think like that doesn't make me wrong, right?" Ling said and Xian kept looking at him with unreadable eyes.

.

"...Xian...about those dreams of yours...they seem very disturbing to you..."

"They aren't disturbing but painful...here it pains a hurt here everything I dream about it...no matter how many times I see it...the pain never subsidies..." Xian said as he kept his hand on his heart and looked downward.

.

"...And now the pain has increased a lot...and I know it will keep on increasing unless I find it's remedy...which I know will hurt those people, which I don't wish to hurt too. Ling...what should I do?" Xian asked as a tear rolled down his eyes.

"...Xian...did you get your memories back?" Ling aksed as he placed his hands above his.

.

Xian didn't answer him but instead hugged him.

"Ling...for today...can we be what we gave been for the past 1 month...tomorrow I promise to tell you everything." Xian said as his tightened his grip and hide his face on his neck.

Ling took a deep breath and returned the hug with the same amount of warmth,

"Fine..."

.

"Then let's go!"

"Go where?"

"To the riverside. I want to spend time with you there."

"..Okay..but your fever--"

"Ling let's go."

"Fine fine, let's get ready then."

.

With that both of them left for the river and sat there talking and when evening came, they walked side by side tasting every food stall in the night market, sweet, sour, slaty,spicy and bitter there was nothing they didn't taste and feeling they didn't feel...they passed the time today as if they will disappear the very next day.

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"Xian, why are you blindfolding me? After spending such a good time you don't want to sell me, do you?" Ling asked and got a flick on his forhead.

"Shut up and just walk."

"Okay"

"Now open your eyes in 3..2..and...1. Happy Birthday Xiao He-Ling!"

.

Ling opened his eyes and saw Xian with a small cake with him, along with his name written in it.

"This...you remembered my birthday?"

"...More like I realized it was tomorrow-- no today when I saw the date in the pictures. Now cut the cake before I change my mind and eat it all alone."

.

Hearing that Ling laughed and quickly prayed, wished, blew the candle and finally cut the cake.

He feed it to Xian and then had some himself.

"Xian..thank you for everything you did today. I really really enjoyed today!" Ling said as he smiled.

"Ling...thank you...." Xian said as he hugged him again. "...And I am sorry.." He thought as he looked at him with soft eyes.

.

Unknowingly Ling felt a lump in his throat and with the unusual tightening of his chest, he couldn't ask anything to Xian even though there were thousands of questions inside his head for him...and just ran inside his room and closed the door with a bang.

At times like this Xian will come and ask for him but this time he didn't and somehow it felt a goodbye to Ling without even saying anything.

.

"...Why..am I feeling this way...Something is telling me that something very wrong is about to happen..." Ling said as he looked at him at the mirror.

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On the other hand, Xian dialed a number in the phoneboot and after some ring the other side person picked up the call, "Hello...It's me.."