Chapter Forty-Seven

Holding onto her shoulders, she spoke with more conviction.

"This is not a joke, Riri. You cannot just suck this up like salt. If you do not put your foot down, that family will cause you to lose your fated love. Didn't you tell me one time Yoyo is the only one for you?" 

Rita's laughter died down as the weight of Sharlene's words fell on her shoulders. Contemplating, she quickly nodded, for Sharlene was right. She needed to put her foot down. 

At seeing her nod, Sharlene expressively added after pulling away. 

"Well, if that is true, his family should know how much you care about him. It is time for the no-nonsense Rita Choon-hae Kim from a few days ago. You are not one to admit defeat after a problem. I know that from experience." 

Walking over, she grabbed a rectangular box of tissue paper from her vanity cupboard and passed a few tissues towards her.

Shaking her shoulders as if to rid herself of the painful emotions, Rita took the tissues from her hand and gently wiped her eyes. 

"You are right, Shar."

Briskly nodding, Sharlene sounded confident. 

"Of course, I am right. I am always right."

Grabbing her phone from the bed, Rita murmured as she looked at the blank screen. 

"But what about him not answering my calls and texts? It is giving me mixed signals. Do you think he found someone else? Someone better than me?"

Processing her words, as she placed a hand underneath her chin, Sharlene sighed. 

"Yoyo would never do that. He cares about you far too much. He might have left because something happened at home, and his meddling parents must have done something to his phone."

Pointed eyebrows, she looked up at Sharlene.

"Are you serious?" 

"Very."

Shaking her head, she placed the phone back into her bag. 

"You watch way too many soup dramas, Sharlene. Remember what you said when I said your life is like a rom-com? You said we are in r-e-a-l-i-t-y."

Mimicking her sing-song voice, Rita found her reasoning disbelieving.

Rolling her eyes, Sharlene sat next to her with a huff. Placing the box of tissues on the floor near her feet, she drawled.

"I know what I said, but this is different. I could be right. I knew Yvonne and his family before you, you know."

"Yeah, yeah. I know. I know."

Murmuring, the smile Rita had buried underneath the sadness returned to her lips. 

"That's the smile I like to see."

She said with a smile. When she saw that she was now completely relaxed, Sharlene continued to babble.

 Recalling the story, Rita sighed. 

"They were always controlling him, huh? Am I a burden for him then?"

Gently, she pushed her shoulders against hers to dispel such thoughts. Sharlene did not want her to wallow anymore in sorrow. 

"Hey. Don't think like that. You are not a burden in Mr. Yvonne Chan's life. I'd say you were a dream come true. You can't tell me he did not want to see miniature versions of you. You already have a bun in the oven." 

Wiping the tears already falling down her cheeks, Rita chuckled before murmuring. 

"You are right. I shouldn't think like that. Yvonne loves me."

"That's the spirit. And I was not supposed to tell you this, but Yoyo said that he wants to propose to you again, the right way. Not with...What was it again last year?" 

Blushing when she remembered the awkward moment during their summer break, Rita shyly murmured. 

"The key ring on the cola can?" 

"Exactly! What were you two thinking anyway? That was pretty hilarious but sweetly romantic, by the way! Until someone had to go and say no. You had Yvonne running around like a lovesick puppy ever since." 

Laughing, Sharlene continued to bounce her shoulders with hers. 

"Oh, stop it. That was the closest thing to a ring he could have found at that time. And I was not ready for marriage. We were still going to College that year."

Rita whined while gently hitting her with the small flow pillow she grabbed from the middle of the bed.

"Okay. Okay."

Chuckling, Sharlene raised her hands, and Rita dropped the pillow. 

"Anyway," she continued while placing the loose strands of her hair behind her ears as her chuckle died down. 

"He told me, don't tell you this, but you deserve to know."

Glancing at her, she suddenly took her hands in hers. 

"He will marry you no matter how long it takes or the obstacles he has to face."

Shocked, Rita gasped. 

"No way. When did he have the time to tell you all this?" 

"The day he realized you were the most precious thing in his life," she hummed. "Which was two hours after your cola can key ring disastrous proposal moment and when you could no longer hold the two cans of cola drinks in your system."

Rita made a face, but Sharlene brushed it off. 

"He gave me a whole rundown of the engagement party and wedding he envisioned with you. How it would be. Who he'd invite. Then when half an hour had passed, I saw him change white as a sheet with fear of your whereabouts. We thought you had died, and someone buried you in the washroom after half an hour had passed."

Rita groaned.

"I was too embarrassed to face him."

"I saw Yoyo changed white as a sheet with fear of your whereabouts and was like a headless chicken searching for you. He thought his childish proposal had you running for the hills."

Laughing as she remembered the events that had occurred that time, Sharlene's eyes were twinkling with glee. Whereas Rita, on the other hand, had raised her eyebrows until they reached her hairline. Tears were also falling down her cheeks, but happy tears this time.

"I had diarrhea that time, Shar, and there was also no toilet paper. I thought I would sleep there."

"Ew. You did not have to remind me of that embarrassing moment twice. But, it was your worst excuse ever."

Scrunched face, she plucked a few tissues from the box and passed it towards Rita again. 

Gingerly, she took it and loudly blew her nose.

"I was the one tasked with asking random people for tissue paper while blushing and rattled Yoyo forced himself not to laugh until he burst into laughter when he heard your pitiful whining: 'I don't want to sleep here tonight. Please find it quickly.'"

Rita continued to blow her nose into every tissue she handed to her.

"You two were enjoying my misery. I can't believe the joy I'm hearing in your voice now."

Gasping, she felt elated. Her tears had long dried after padding her eyes with numerous tissues. They fell like fallen leaves on the floor.

"That we were until a generous and kind lady handed an unopened toilet paper roll she found in her purse. Can you believe that?! You were lucky that night."

"That I was. But tell me something, Shar."

Rita stated, her spirit lifted by Sharlene's dramatic gestures and smiles.

"Go on. I am all ears."

"Why don't you quit your job and become a March Maker? I bet you would make a lot of money."

Cheekily smirking, Sharlene hugged her side. 

"That's so random, but to answer your question, you, my friend, would not be able to seek my assistance, for there would be way too many customers ahead of you."

Snorting, Rita rolled her eyes. 

"You always have a comeback for everything."

"That's what makes me special." 

Grinning, she pulled away from her. Cautiously, she asked for she was still worried. 

"Are you feeling better now?"

"I am still a little hurt and angry, but you are there to cheer me up. So thank you for always listening to my sob stories."

"Anytime. And I have a feeling you are staying over."

Smirking, Rita placed her purse on the floor near the bed.

"You know me the best."

With that said, she crawled into the middle of the bed. 

"Hey! That's my favorite spot!"

"Not anymore, because it has become mine."

Murmuring with her eyes closed, Rita made herself comfortable on the soft sheets. 

"Oh, come on, Riri. Where am I going to sleep?"

"You can always sleep with your mom."

Yawning, Riri hugged the other pillow to her chest.

"Goodnight."

She tiredly murmured, and Sharlene pursed her lips.

"It is still 5 in the afternoon."

Rita never responded again because she had fallen asleep. It appeared all her crying had made her tired. 

Inaudibly grumbling, Sharlene quickly tidied the room. 

With every last soiled tissue paper in the bin, she moved towards the bed where Rita snored to dreamland. 

"Everything will work out in the end." 

Murmuring, she draped the bed cover over her. As if sensing her presence, Rita sleepily whispers.

"Thanks, Shar."

"You are welcome."

Smiling, Sharlene kissed her on the forehead.

~*~

An annoying ringing resonated around the room, causing the lightly snoring people lying on the queen-sized bed toes to twitch at the disturbance. 

But they neither moved nor cared to stop the ringing because the bed was warm, and their dream was exhilarating. 

After a few seconds, the ringing stopped, and they unconsciously smiled in their sleep. 

Fixing their position, they were about to doze off when the ringing abruptly returned, and they could no longer stand it. 

Groaning as she placed the pillow on her head to fend off the sound, Sharlene snuggled in the warm covers and made to fall asleep again.

However, the ringing did not give her peace because it did not stop this time. 

"Shut it off, Shar."

Helena groggily muttered as she lifted her body to glance with eyes half closed the direction of the obnoxious ringing. 

After Sharlene got evicted from her bedroom, she sought refuge in her mother's bedroom after a light dinner and a warm bath. Her mother did not mind, for she had missed the odd sleepovers she would do in the past, and that not a single snore left her lips unless she was bone tired. 

All in all, she was the best roommate anyone could have.

Groaning once more as she pushed the pillow from her face, Sharlene pushed herself to the edge of the bed. Stretching her hands, she searched the floor, for in her mind, that was where she had left the phone last night. 

As her hands touched the object, she lifted it to her face but rapidly shut her sensitive eyes from the unbearable light. 

"Ah."

She groaned, her hands flying in front of her face to reduce the intensity.

"Put it off."

Hearing her mother's drawl, as she also shied her eyes from the light with her palm, Sharlene quickly shut off the call, which she thought was a useless alarm she had unreasonably set. 

"Sorry, mom."

Murmuring, she placed the phone on the end table. 

Loudly yawning, she fell back into the bed and sought her current position where she felt the warmest, curled against her mother's side. 

Satisfied, Helena returned her head to her pillow, her eyes closing as she pulled the cover over her person. The moment she was about to doze off, the phone began to ring. 

"What is wrong this time? Is our neighbor's dog going to die again?" 

Sleepily muttering, her face scrunched with irritation. 

Pushing the cover off of her, Sharlene sat up with a huff. She hated to be disturbed in her sleep by unnecessary things.

"I don't know. I did put it off."

As she fussed, she stretched and grabbed the phone. 

Sharlene forced her sensitive eyes open, and a strangled scream came from her mouth when she saw the contents on the screen. Her scream caused Helena to rapidly sit up in the bed with widened eyes, for she thought she was experiencing a heart attack, especially with her scary widened eyes as she looked at the screen.