Take My Breath Away

"That's exactly what you meant. You told me to get lost," Blair remarked sadly. 'How could he say that to me? If he didn't want me around, he could have just said that. Why did he have to be so rude and harsh?' she thought to herself.

Wesley panicked when he spotted the sadness in her eyes. He stood up and explained, "I wasn't saying it to you. That was meant for Niles."

Bam! That was the sound of a door closing. Niles fled to his bedroom and slammed his door shut—hard. You could hear it from anywhere in the house.

His explanation didn't make Blair feel any better. She gnawed at her lower lip and uttered dejectedly, "I should have left well enough alone. It's none of my business. I'm sorry. I'll get lost now."

She turned to leave. Wesley grabbed her wrist and said, "Blair."

"What!" She glared at him with red eyes.

"Cut it out!" Wesley said. The woman always had new tricks to play on him. He wouldn't be taken in this time.

Blair sighed, pouting. 'Fine. He's good. He got me. But how did I fall for it again?' She didn't dwell on her failure, though. "You're the older one. You're supposed to protect him. Why are you so mean to him? And you knew he did nothing wrong," she told him. Her voice returned to normal.

'He lay on your bed. He was asking for it. My only regret is that I didn't beat him hard enough, ' Wesley thought to himself.

He had been silent. Too silent. Blair sighed, "You're quiet. I suppose I can't convince you to go easier on Niles, huh? Never mind. Forget what I said. I'm going back to my room. Good night."

She wrenched free of his grip and continued to walk to the door.

"It's not like that," he said, looking at her receding figure. Blair giggled without turning around.

"All right. Go to sleep. We shouldn't disturb the others," she said.

Wesley leaned on the door and watched her leave. When she reached Niles' room, she lifted her hand like she was going to knock. But then something dawned on her. She put her hand down and continued to her own room.

Actually, she wanted to say something to make Niles feel better. But considering what happened tonight, she decided against it.

When everyone had retired to their own rooms, there was nothing for Cecelia to watch anymore, so she closed the door to her and Baldwin's room and made her way to their bed. "Since Blair got here, things have gotten a lot more interesting," she told her husband.

Usually, it was just her, Baldwin, and Niles in the house, and they didn't talk much. Sometimes she felt so bored being here.

When Wesley came back, it only got worse, because he didn't speak unless he had to.

This time, it was different. Wesley wasn't alone—he had Blair. And with her around, Wesley was more talkative than ever.

Niles liked talking to Blair too, probably because they were roughly the same age.

"Have to agree with you there. That boy's loosened up around her. And Niles likes her too," Baldwin remarked.

Cecelia suddenly clapped her hands. "Oops! I forgot something important."

"What is it?" Baldwin wondered what made her react so dramatically.

"I packed a red envelope for Blair. I was going to give it to her when she got here, but I forgot," Cecelia said ruefully. She hugged a pillow and contemplated what to do about it.

Baldwin glanced at her, not surprised at all. "I thought you gave it to her already. But it's not too late. Just give it to her when she leaves."

"I guess that's the only thing I can do," Cecelia replied. The New Year's red envelope was actually a gift from the entire family, but Cecelia had been so thrilled to see Blair she had forgotten all about it.

"It's late. Time for bed. The kids are already there," Baldwin suggested.

"Okay, I'll get the lights," Cecelia agreed.

The next morning, Blair woke up to her alarm. She squinted at the light from her phone's screen. 6:00 a.m. The bed was warm and she didn't want to leave it. But this wasn't her house; she was a guest. So she had to get up.

Reluctantly, she threw off the covers, left the bed, and walked into the bathroom to freshen up.

By the time Blair came downstairs, Keith was the only one sitting in the living room. He was watching the news.

Hearing her footsteps, he turned his head and said, "You're up early. I thought young people loved sleeping in." "Good morning, Grandpa Keith.

I got a good night's sleep, so I could get up early," Blair said. She sat down next to Keith.

"Cecelia and Niles aren't up yet. You don't need to get up so early on our account. Sleep as much as you want," Keith responded.

'Wow. I like the sound of that. He made it sound like I was a member of the family. So sweet. I wish there was a future for me and Wesley, but...' Blair thought to herself. "Thank you, Grandpa Keith. I'll remember that," she uttered.

Keith smiled, his eyes narrowed into lines. "Breakfast is ready. Eat up."

"Have you had any, Grandpa?"

"I have. You go ahead. Wesley should be coming back from his morning run anytime now." Keith checked the time on his watch, figuring that Wesley might be on his way back home.

Hearing this, Blair sat back on the sofa. "I'll wait for him. I want us to eat together."

"I wouldn't. When he gets back he'll shower and change clothes before he eats. You'll starve waiting for him." Keith gestured to make his point.

Blair followed his advice. She went to the kitchen and got some breakfast.

No sooner had she put it on the dining table than Wesley walked in. It was winter. She figured he'd be the only man who could only wear a thin T-shirt in the middle of winter and still be sweating.

Their eyes met. They nodded to each other. "Aren't you cold?" she couldn't help asking. The sight of him wearing so little clothing gave her chills.

He shook his head and answered, "Not at all. I just had a 5k run." He felt hot.

"Okay. Take a shower and let's eat breakfast," she reminded him with a smile.

"Okay." Wesley greeted his grandpa and went upstairs to his bedroom.

While Wesley and Blair talked, Keith observed them with a satisfied smile. But he pretended not to notice. It was best not to push the boy.

Near noon, a group of guests visited the Li family. Wesley was sitting on the couch, playing on his phone while Blair was watching TV with Cecelia. A bowl of sunflower seeds sat on the table in front of the sofa.

"Wesley!" Garnet called out. She was crushing so hard that all she saw was him. Shortly after, she realized that she had gotten too excited. So she greeted Keith first before walking up to Wesley.

It was not until then that she noticed Blair. But her glance didn't linger.

Garnet's parents were with her too. They had brought some gifts to say happy New Year to the family.

Wesley and Niles greeted her parents politely.

Garnet's father was a serious and proud man. But when he saw Wesley, he was all smiles. "Long time no see. Glad you came!"

"I have more available time now. I can come home for Spring Festival each year from now on," Wesley replied.

Garnet's mom, Lauren, said with a smile, "We heard Wesley got promoted again. He is so successful. You must be very proud."

Cecelia grinned happily as if there were a hanger in her mouth. She was always proud of Wesley. Still, she said modestly, "He's a great guy, but believe me, he's not perfect."