Light Years Away

Story of best friends, Kang Sola and Xue Guangxi, as they traverse their journey through adulthood, amidst conflicting choices and internal issues within themselves and from their past. Will they be able to resolve their personal struggles and find a common ground towards happiness? Will they have to compromise to achieve it? Will they end up together and overcome the threshold of their friendship into lovers or remain as platonic friends and each other's family? ---- She balled her fists, getting ready to punch the man in the face if the situation requires. They are, after all, alone in the room. Sometimes she forgets that Xue Guangxi was of the opposite gender – a man more than capable of beguiling innocent women when he sets his mind to the task. ‘Perhaps he had been gone for too long that I had forgotten how his charms work. That fact never left my head, but experiencing it firsthand… Well, Nah!!!’ She tried to shake whatever silliness her mind entertains despite her prudence. But what her neutral poker face could hide, her berserkly widened eyes could not conceal. Nevertheless, even if he noticed, the young man did not point it out. He was more concerned and occupied by other matters. Matters of far greater importance… …For example, her safety. She blinked several times, trying to disrupt the connection their locked gazes somehow managed to forge. She bowed her head, still blinking, and darted her lowered gaze to the floor. She straightened up her sitting position and swatted both of the man’s hands on her shoulders without force. But Xue Guangxi held her in place. “Look at me.” “What is it now, Guangxi?” She whispered. Her voice, thin and fragile and barely audible. Perhaps more from the earlier adrenaline pushed a blush on her face. Perhaps, it wasn’t the adrenaline to be blamed. She tried to swat his hands for the second time, but his grip only tightened, making his point more pronounced. Either he obeys or she does. Most of the time, Xue Guangxi always gave in to Kang Sola’s whims. Even when his temper wasn’t too great to be proud of, at the end of every argument, he lets the girl win. But in this instance, he wanted to be more assertive. “You always make me worry, Sola.” He breathed with all solemnity, like a prayer. The clasp of his hands on her shoulders tightened. She could feel it. She winced. Then, without further ceremony or introduction, he pressed her into a tight embrace, full of concern. Any person would be able to discern if a form of skinship was of sincere nature or not. Kang Sola could tell his was of genuine care and concern for her. “You are far more delicate than you think. God, Sola!” He cradled her head with his right hand placed just above her nape. Some of her balayage locks laced his manly fingers. ---- Other Info: Light story about friendship, family, love, and adulting. No offensive, dark themes (just the backstory, hehe), **Can be considered the second book after Milady's Fine Gentleman, but the story is stand-alone. Reference to the first novel is minimal if not only shown in the backstory. BUT THERE WILL BE SPOILER FOR MILADY'S FINE GENTLEMAN (It's inevitable, sorry)** "You are my sun, my moon, and all of my stars" -E.E. Cummings "Just like the moon, I go through phases." -Angie Weiland Crosby "Only in the darkness can you see the stars." -Martin Luther King Jr. ----- The author has a discord server and Instagram! Follow, connect, and share your thoughts. IG : author_midnight_bloom email : authormidnightbloom@gmail.com For kind appreciation efforts to the aspiring writer, please go to the following sites: https://www.patreon.com/midnight_bloom Ko-fi.com/midnight_bloom Disclaimer : Cover credits to Pinterest

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233 Chs

UNDER THE VAST SKY (3)

"Aren't you going to answer? It's the same when you spent lots of your time looking after the kids, doing their artworks with them, teaching them, loving them. Would you not be insulted when one day they will come to you and ask you what you want in exchange for the precious time you have allotted to them voluntarily? It's like asking payment for a gift you've thoughtfully prepared. Or a more befitting analogy is when they give you money for all your efforts as payment. You certainly didn't ask to be paid with monetary compensation." The young man whined but tried to explain the best way possible his thought process the night before.

"Okay, let's remain in the context of a gift. How you think of it this way. How about you throw away the most genuine gift someone could give you simply because you find it offensive? Would you or would you not hurt the giver's sentiments?" Kang Sola bantered back.

"Point taken. Let's just accept our differing views. I think they're both valid." He opened one sparky juice in can then chugged it.

"Yeah."

"So are we good now?"

"I think so." Her answer did not sound resolute but her smile was. She reached for an unopened can of the beverage. "By the way, you were cool back there when you stood up for the kids."

Xue Guangxi nonchalantly did not accept the credit. "I did not do anything anyway. Just some poking and provoking. He brought his fate upon himself. He's stupid enough to fall for his weakness."

"Still… If I were the only person-in-charge, I would have simply walked away. Even Mother and Father would have chosen a more diplomatic way of solving it."

"I suggest you try to be more assertive next time. If in case I won't be around to stand up for you or the twins."

The lady let out a sigh she did not know she was holding.

Reclining, the young man propped the ball of his left hand onto the ground behind him. He placed his right arm leisurely on top of his bent right knee, right hand carrying the can he drank from. There was a small portion of the beverage left. "We've gone a long way, right, Sola?"

"Yes, indeed. But we still have a long way to go."

She divulged the invitation for application her senior at the broadcasting company advised her to try on.

"That's great, Sola!! I'm all for it if you want to pursue it again. Didn't you say you're a weather girl before? I'm rooting for you."

"But it had been, what, around five years ago, I think? I'm old for that profession. Coming from a hiatus isn't something that people readily welcome."

"So what? Just give it a try if that will satisfy you. You shouldn't let regret eat you up when you get older."

The lady stared onto the starless sky. "Mhmm... Regrets..."

"Do you practice what you preach? You should do some self-reflection about your attitude towards your family. The Xue family." She emphasized which one she was referring to in case he tried to outsmart him or argue his way out of it.

It's the young man's turn to fall silent. It was a sensitive topic for him. Right now, he wore the scowl he most favored.

"I've met with my brother recently. It's the reason behind my ill temperament a few days back. Well, it's not because of him, per se, but about what he said."

"Father wants me to drop everything and come back to the company, to the Xue family."

"I'm not ready yet to give in to their wishes and subject myself to their rule AGAIN. Especially now that I'm not a kid anymore whom they can boss around and reprimand if I defy them."

"But… I'll give your advice some thought. For you."

"Do it for yourself." The lady shrugged one shoulder. "It's part of growing up."

She kept looking up at the starless sky.

"Huh?" Xue Guangxi's eyes unintentionally were glued on Kang Sola's bare neck. "You didn't wear your tattoo choker."

The lady shrugged with a smile dancing on her lips, "It's an important day for the twins. I want to look presentable. I don't want to put them into an unpleasant situation just because of any flaw in my appearance."

"It's just a choker, geez. You run in too deep sometimes."

"Hahaha. Shut up. You asked for it. But yeah. Just this weekend. But if I pursue the broadcasting stint, I'll need a complete overhaul." She winked.

It intrigued him, nonetheless. 'Uhm, how?'

Out of nowhere, inspiration came to him to take a leap of faith. He found it unnerving yet still blurted it out.

"Hey Sola, I have this crazy idea. Tell me what you think of it." Xue Guangxi's voice turned towards more animation and added a somewhat overly feigned touch of enthusiasm to it. "What if, you know, we... try to become a couple for real, like get married then raise the twins like our own? Haha. Crazy right?" He threw her a side-glance.

At the corner of his eyes, he saw her freeze.

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