Make Me Yours

“Aw… look at y’all. Just hear yourself out. There was a time we couldn’t afford to go to Hawaii and Jenny had to fly our asses out, because she got tired of seeing us mope around and rejecting her offer to help.”

“Oh, I remember. It was second year in college and our asses were miserable!” That was Mariah.

“You guys were going to drive me crazy with the sadness you were contaminating the air with. I just had to do something.”

“So you threatened us, eh? Bi*ch had videos of every one of us high, and making fools of ourselves.” It was Mariah again.

“We should have just let you release those videos. Every college student has had one of those moments.” Carrie pointed out.

“Yes, you could have. But deep down, y’all knew you wanted to see Hawaii more than anything else, so you finally took the excuse. Believing you were ‘living off of me’ because I blackmailed you was much better than accepting that you had agreed willingly. I was counting on that.”

“And we ended up having loads of fun. All the while, knowing deep down that you never would have released those videos.” Zoey ended. The memory was evergreen in her mind. That had marked the beginning of the numerous girls’ trips that had followed.

“Oh, hold your horses. I already made duplicates in case something happened to my phone. I so would have leaked them. You know me; I don’t bluff.”

Halting in their steps, they all turned to look at Jenny. It was the first time they were hearing that she had made duplicates.

Together, all three of them chorused. “Really?”

Jenny looked them all in the eyes, one by one, her face expressionless.

“Sure. Wait, you actually thought I was bluffing?”

“Well….”

“You-”

“We’re friends…”

“More reason why I would have leaked it if you had called my bluff!”

Not knowing what to think about that, the girls went quiet. Jenny stood looking at them, as if expecting them to say something.

Not that Zoey was mad, or anything. Not at all. It was just new information that needed to be digested.

The tension in the air broke the moment Jenny burst into laughter.

“Oh my goodness, you should see the look on y’all faces! Hilarious! Got you!” She almost doubled over as her laughter echoed through her, and Zoey contemplated smacking her head.

“You are such a fool, you know that?” Mariah asked, feigning anger.

“Of course, and you are so pained.”

Despite themselves, they all began to laugh. It was impossible not to. Not when Jenny’s was so contagious.

They were still laughing by the time they got to the elevator and as they waited for it to come open. The moment it did, their laughter ceased.

Zoey froze, heat instantly crept up her veins, and she knew that she already had it terribly bad.

There he was… the man from yesterday, Mr Li. Had she thought he looked hot yesterday? He looked even hotter with all that natural light pouring in.

Her friends recovered before her and rushed into the elevator. When she wouldn’t join them, he finally spared her that arrogant look.

“The doors will close any moment from now. I’m certain your friends are happy to wait for you in the lobby.”

Mortified, she found herself then, and stepped into the elevator. It was just in time as the doors missed her hair by merely an inch. The close shave kick started her heart and as she stood next to him, she prayed that he wouldn’t hear it beating so wildly.

Darn it! She didn’t walk away so gloriously yesterday to become an awestruck fool today. What was it about this man? It was simply the shock of seeing him so soon again. Yes, that had to be it, she told herself. Anything to offer consolation.

Desperately, she racked her brain, trying to decide how to salvage this situation and how to get what was left of her dignity back.

Clearing her throat, she eventually decided.

“Fancy seeing you so soon, after last night. I had assumed our last meeting would be the last, indeed.”

 He said nothing, and the silence rang loud as church bells, deafening her ears as they dampened her spirits.

She should have taken her cue and left it, but she didn’t.

Clearing her throat again, she called, “Mr Li?”

He turned to look at her then, slowly. Very slowly. When those eyes narrowed in on her, she nearly lost her speech ability again – nearly.

His response took the dignity she had struggled to get back, set it on the floor and trampled all over it, until there was nothing left but mashed pieces.

He said, “I’m sorry, but I do not give autographs, thanks for understanding.”

Just then, the elevator opened and he stepped out to meet two men dressed like body guards who were waiting for him. Because the lobby was their destination too, they too stepped out.

Their jaws remained open as they watched him leave the hotel. It was only when Zoey was certain he was out of sight that she turned to face her friends.

“Shoot me. Make me disappear. Anything, to rid me of the shame. My goodness. I, Zoey Martins, in all of my thirty years on earth, have never been washed down by a man like that – hell, by anyone. Ever!”

“That’s the Li? Mr Li? Hell, he’s lucky he stepped out real quick. I was going to smack his head from behind, teach him never to speak to a woman like that ever again,” Mariah fumed.

“He wasn’t rude though, was he? He seemed not to have recognised you,” Carrie tried to reason.

“Not recognised her, my foot. I saw the glint in his eyes when those doors opened before we stepped right in. He knew who she was, alright.” That was Jenny.

“Damn right! And what was that talk about autograph? He a celebrity or something? ‘Cause God knows, I have never seen him in the news. Babe, how the hell did you just stand there and let him talk trash like that? I haven’t seen you this smitten by a man in so long.”

Feeling a headache coming on, Zoey rubbed at her temple absentmindedly. Then, gulping three steady breaths, she plastered a bright smile on her face.

“Mariah… girls, it’s totally fine. We are simply overreacting and he isn’t worthy. It’s my birthday tomorrow, and I’d be damned if I let anybody ruin today. Let’s go have that magic spa and get on that shopping spree. Next tomorrow, I’d be back in Colorado and I would never have to see him again.”

Bless her friends, for they agreed wholeheartedly and as the day went on as planned, she soon forgot about the bratty Asian.