Take My Breath Away

"No, Kasie didn't sleep here last night, but I do have a funny story about her!" Debbie said as she threw the wrappings of her heating pad into the bin and sat on her chair. "She asked her dad for ten thousand dollars yesterday to pay for some VIP membership. Her dad, though, accidentally transferred a hundred thousand dollars instead! Right after she received the money, she felt scared that her dad might ask her to wire the ninety thousand back. So, she blacklisted him right away! She had much fun in a club last night, I'm guessing!"

"Hahahaha!" Kristina burst into laughter. "I guess her dad will come to school to teach her a lesson today," she replied as she got out of bed and began to get dressed.

"Maybe he will. He already complained that Kasie's monthly expenses are way above average," Debbie said. Suddenly, Kristina realized something and eyed Debbie from head to toe.

"You were in a bad mood just last night! Now, you're bubbly like a spring flower. Let me guess. Did you see your husband this morning?" she asked suspiciously.

Debbie looked so much better now than she had yesterday. She was clearly in a bad mood even when she and Jared set off to the club she worked at. But now, she was smiling and was sporting a very sunny disposition.

Kristina didn't believe that it was all because of that funny story.

"Mmm... I saw him this morning," Debbie replied. She didn't plan to keep it from Kristina, anyway. Besides, she and Kristina were currently alone in the dorm room. Their other classmate, Kasie, and their three other roommates, who had different majors, were all out for classes.

"Tell me the details. Did you apologize to him or—" Kristina knew that they had fought and why so she was eager to know how it turned out.

Debbie rolled her eyes. "Hmph! He apologized to me, of course!" she snorted.

Kristina giggled. She put her hand on her friend's shoulder and said, "Debbie, you just made a proud CEO like Carlos Huo beg for your forgiveness. Now, I believe that he must really love you."

"He was wrong so he apologized. I don't see anything unusual about that," Debbie replied. 'It's all because of Megan Lan!' she thought angrily.

"Oh, come on. Don't be so stubborn. Anyway, I'm gonna wash my face and brush my teeth. Let's talk more later!" Kristina said as she stood to go to the lavatory.

"All right," Debbie said.

She and Kristina had lunch together in the school canteen at noon. Debbie found herself fixating on a couple that sat near their table. The boy and the girl looked as if they were existing in their own world. They touched and kissed as if no one was looking. Somehow, this made Debbie miss her husband, Carlos. So, she put her chopsticks down and proceeded to send him a message on WeChat. "Hey, Mr. Handsome. I want milk tea."

"Okay," was his reply. His message was quick and concise.

Debbie stared at the word, wondering whether he was going to add something. To her disappointment, no other message arrived.

It wasn't until twenty minutes later while Debbie and Kristina were on their way to the dorm that a notification alerted with a message from Carlos. "Go to Curtis' office now," it said.

"What for?" Debbie replied.

"You'll know when you get there,"

Carlos texted back.

Debbie put the phone back in her pocket and turned to Kristina. "I have to deal with something urgent. Why don't you go to Dixon?" she said.

Before Kristina could reply, she already dashed away.

As she watched her friend's retreating figure, Kristina took a bite off her baked sausage and mused, 'Dixon, a straight-A student, is busy studying for his final exams and has no time to date me. I am such a hopeless student.'

Upon arriving at Curtis' office, Debbie knocked. A familiar voice answered, "Come in."

Her heart skipped a beat. 'Carlos is here!' she thought.

She pushed the door open, and the sight of her dear husband welcomed her instead of the original occupant of the office.

"Mr. Handsome, what are you doing here?" she asked.

Carlos stood from the couch and handed her a paper bag. "Your milk tea," he said.

Taking the paper cup, Debbie blushed. She had missed him and only wanted to exchange messages with him on WeChat. She had actually expected him to reply something like "Buy one if you want" when she had messaged him about the milk tea. Instead, her busy CEO husband brought her a hot cup of milk tea himself despite the freezing cold.

She had wondered why he asked her to go to Curtis' office, and guessed that he might have sent someone else to buy milk tea for her. Her eyes turned red. "It's so cold outside! You didn't have to come here. You should have had one of your assistants bring this for you," she choked, holding back her tears.

Carlos stroked her hair and said, "I'm fine. Emmett drove me here. Drink it while it's still warm."

She took the cup, put a straw through the cover and took a sip. Her eyes lit up at the taste. "This is it! My favorite flavor! Old man, how did you know that?" she inquired.

Bubble milk tea with popping boba and coconut jelly—this was her favorite and she would never get tired of it.

Seeing her so happy made him smile. Instead of answering her question, he replied, "I'm glad you love it."

"Come, taste it!" she said hopefully as she put the straw near Carlos' lips.

On second thought, she suddenly realized that the man was obsessively tidy. He might not be willing to use the same straw. She quickly withdrew her hand. "Oh, never mind. Next time, I'll just buy an extra cup for you," she said.

"Why?" Carlos asked. He was just about to take a sip when she drew the drink away.

"There's only one straw," she said with a shrug.

Carlos held her hand holding the drink and looked her in the eye. Then, much to her surprise, he raised the cup together with her hand and took a sip.

After swallowing, he commented, "It's too sweet. Remember to rinse your mouth after finishing it."

"You...you don't mind using the same straw?" Debbie could not help but ask. She knew he was a neat freak. His bedroom and bathroom were spotlessly clean. She avoided entering his room unless it was absolutely necessary, too scared to mess anything up in there.

Raising one of his eyebrows, he replied, "Why would I? You're my wife."

She flashed a huge grin when she heard his answer. "Take another sip," she offered.

As if to prove his words, he not only took another sip of the drink but also pulled her into his arms and kissed her.

The sweetness of the milk tea spread through their mouths. Debbie was so happy she wished this moment could last forever. 'I wish we would never fight again!' she thought.

Large flakes of snow fell outside the warm and cozy office. Carlos sat on the couch while Debbie sat on his lap drinking the milk tea.

Suddenly, Debbie remembered a joke. "Carlos Huo, let me tell you a story," she said.

"Okay," he replied.

He could tell from her sly smile that she was plotting something.

"Listen, uh, once upon a time, there was a fool who liked saying 'No'. He always answered 'No' when people asked him something," she narrated. After some pause, she continued, "Oh, by the way, have you heard this story before?" She looked Carlos in the eye, waiting for his reply.

He curled his lips and answered, "Yes, you told me the story before."

"No, I've never—"

It was not until Carlos chuckled that Debbie realized that he had her fooled.

Frustrated, she pinched his arm and beat on his chest. "Aaaaaagh! Why do you have to be so smart?! You called me a fool! You are an ass!"

Carlos held her tighter and smelled her hair. "Are you sure it's I who called you a fool? You were the one who called yourself a fool," he retorted.

Debbie snorted and looked away while pouting her lips.

She thought hard about how to get back at Carlos. After a long pause, she started again, "Hey, let me ask you a question. If there were a girl with a pretty face and perfect body sitting on your lap, would you fall for her?"

This time, he answered without hesitation, "No, I wouldn't." There was only one girl in the world whom he would fall for, and she was none other than Debbie.