Take My Breath Away

"I feel you, but Blair's having a really hard time of it. When you were by her side, she was happy. But things were different when you left. You focused on your job, and you weren't there when she needed you. But she didn't hate you for it. She just told me she missed you—a lot.

And Blair was in a really bad way after hearing you were dead. I really hate to remember those days. She used to be so strong. She hadn't contemplated suicide once, not even after her parents died. She tried to OD on sleeping pills after she learned you were dead. But in reality, you survived from the explosion and didn't even tell her. She waited for you, suffered for you, and then you run off and marry another woman. Oh, she knew it was your mission; she just couldn't accept it. She was a basket case then. Finally, she made the decision to dump you. It hurt, but what could she do?"

Actually, Wesley already knew about this. But hearing it from Joslyn made his heart break into a thousand pieces. He felt bad for Blair, and hated himself for hurting her so deeply.

"So that's how she ended up embracing hookup culture," Joslyn said with a bitter smile. "You know her. She's actually a conservative gal. She decided to not love so deeply, to play the field, but she wasn't happy. She went out with a lot of guys, but never slept with them. Once she dated the youngest son of the Liu family, and he wanted more than she was willing to give. So he beat her and tried to **** her. Wacian came to her rescue. He even taught Mr. Liu a lesson. Frankly, I think Wacian let that guy off easy. What if he actually got his way with Blair? It's not easy to bounce back from that." Joslyn stopped and shot Wesley a meaningful look.

She was pretty sure she made her point.

Wesley said nothing. He took out a cigarette from the pack and played with it absent-mindedly.

"By the way, the cancer lie wasn't Blair's idea. Did you know that?" she asked.

Wesley's eyes darkened and he shook his head. Neither he nor Blair had mentioned the cancer thing after that.

Joslyn sighed. "I knew she wouldn't tell you the truth. Actually it was your mom's idea. Blair told me everything later. She said she didn't blame anyone. Though it was your mom's idea, she agreed to it and lied to you. You were mad at her because of this, and she didn't blame you. After all, she lied first. But she was angry because you broke up with her and even made out with Garnet in front of her."

Wesley closed his eyes. He really wanted to take Blair in his arms and tell her he loved her.

"They say never marry a soldier, because they don't have time for a family. I think Blair has it worse than other military spouses. Normally, they wait three years before they can be with the ones they love. Five years at the most. But Blair has been waiting for you for nearly ten years. Because of your special mission, you had to leave her behind and marry someone else. Poor Blair!"

'Luckily, they're married. At least, her years of waiting paid off, ' she thought.

Joslyn thought she had already said enough this evening, so she stood up from her seat and added, "She's super insecure. You really fucked with her head. You need to work hard to fix that. Or take her to therapy. Some patients know they're ill, but they just refuse to get help. And Blair's one of them. Hartwell even brought a mental health pro by, but she shooed him out. She just refused to pour out her heart to anyone else. She needs a guy to make her feel safe. And I think you're that guy. Whenever you're with her, she's happy. Mr. Li, don't let her down."

"Thank you," Wesley simply said.

Joslyn didn't know if her words worked or not. She couldn't tell from Wesley's simple reply or his deadpan face. "No need for thanks. I'm Blair's best friend; I just want her to be happy," she sighed.

"She will be," Wesley said firmly this time.

Blair thought that Joslyn might go looking for her. But after she got changed and waited for a while, she still didn't see Joslyn. She wanted to leave, but she still had Wesley's shirt. She sighed and decided to go back to the theater to give it back.

When she got inside, she saw Joslyn walking toward the door. When she saw Blair, Joslyn asked with a smile, "What took you so long? Did you fall in?"

"I should ask you the same question. I was waiting for you outside the theater."

"Oh really? I caught some of the movie. It was pretty funny." Joslyn slid her arm into hers.

"Let me give his shirt back first. Wait for me, okay?" Blair said.

"Sure."

Joslyn released her arm. Blair walked towards Wesley's seat. The movie had ended, and the lights were on, but low. She found him and held out his shirt. "Thank you for the loan."

Wesley took his shirt from her and said with a meaningful look, "Don't forget what I said."

'What's he talking about? He said a lot of things. So what does he want me to remember? Screw it. Life's too short, and I forgot most of it already.'

Ignoring his words, Blair turned and left the cineplex with Joslyn.

The day ended, slipped into night, and then back into daylight again. It was now afternoon.

When Blair got off work and left the office, she saw a brand new black Hummer. But she didn't recognize the license plate.

Blair didn't think anything more of it, and felt around in her purse for her phone.

Before she found it, a tall figure stood before her. She raised her head and saw Wesley.

He was wearing casual clothes. Blair found the clothes quite familiar. After racking her brain, she realized that they were the ones she'd bought in D City.

She had bought the clothes for him. But when she saw him holding two women, she threw the clothes in a nearby trash bin.

'Why is he wearing them? Did he fish them out of the trash can?'

No matter. Blair didn't care to hear his answer. She kept searching for her phone in her purse while trying to walk past him.

But he stepped in her path. She tried to move around him, but to no avail.

It was rush hour, and Wesley had attracted the curious eyes of many of her coworkers. Losing her patience, she raised her head and asked in a cold voice, "What?"

Wesley just stood there.

"Just spill it," she said, rapidly losing her cool.

"Follow me." He grabbed her wrist and led her to his car.

"I'm busy. You have something to say, just tell me." Blair shook his hand off.

"I'm taking you to see someone." Wesley pressed his lips into a thin line of determination. "You have to come with me," he added.

"What if I don't?" Blair asked in return.

"Then I'll take you there anyway."

Blair was shocked into silence. 'Again? Does he know what boundaries are?' she thought angrily. "If you do that, I'll never forgive you," she threatened.

"Like you're not mad at me now," Wesley mocked.

He scooped her up in his arms, put her in the passenger seat and strapped her in.