Take My Breath Away

Wesley felt helpless about Blair's simplicity. He lowered his head and kissed her lips. "What a simple-minded woman you are."

"Are you tired of me already?" She rolled her eyes.

Caressing her cheek, he answered, "Yes, you're too thin. The meatier, the cuddlier."

Blair pouted in anger. If she were stronger, she would have kicked him off the bed. "Then go find another woman!"

"No, I won't. I'll feed you till you weigh at least fifty kilos. No, that's still too thin. The ideal weight would be around sixty."

"You can't be serious. I'm only 1.63 meters tall. If I weigh that much, I'll look like a meatball."

Wesley laughed as he pictured that. Round faced and fleshy, Blair would be lovelier than ever. "That would be perfect. I won't be able to keep my hands off you."

Blair grabbed his hand that was still stroking her face. "Wesley, there's something I regret so much..."

"What's that?"

"Turning you down."

Wesley smiled gently and kissed her hand. "My regret is deeper and older than yours."

"What do you regret?"

"Rejecting your proposal years ago." That was his biggest mistake.

Blair's eyes reddened. "Wesley, will we have our happiness ever after now?" 'I'll never leave you again. Till death do us apart, my love.'

"We will."

"Wesley."

"Hmm?"

"I'm tired."

"Sleep, babe." He tucked her in.

"Wesley."

"Hmm?"

"I love you."

He stopped and looked up at her. She had closed her eyes. "Sleep tight, darling. I love you too," he said as he planted a gentle kiss on her forehead.

Blair gave a sweet smile and fell asleep.

Wesley and Cecelia took really good care of Blair. With her health getting better, Wesley started planning their wedding.

On the third night after she woke up, something occurred to her out of the blue.

"Wesley!" Blair yelled at him while he was lying next to her in bed, ready to sleep.

"What? Are you not feeling well?" He sat up right away.

"No. I just remembered something."

"What is it?"

"What did you say about me to Dad?"

Wesley didn't understand. "To Dad? Nothing."

Blair glared at him, fury plain in her eyes. "We should break up."

Wesley was stunned. "What are you talking about?"

"Somebody called me a slut."

Wesley had a sharp memory. He knew what she was talking about. After realizing that the so-called "Mom's bestie" was actually Blair, he had prepared himself for this moment of reckoning.

Awkwardness crept upon his face. "I didn't know it was you..."

"Didn't know? Niles told you so many times!" She sounded weak and sad.

"All he kept saying was 'Mom's bestie this' and 'Mom's bestie that.' It never occurred to me that it could be you. If I had known, I would have come to you sooner." Wesley had been so fed up with this "Mom's bestie" that he could have strangled Niles.

"I'm not good enough for you. So, just let me go," she said, shaking off his arm.

"How is that even possible?" He hadn't thought of letting her go even while she had been in a coma. Now that she was healthy and vigorous, he would only hold on to her tighter.

"But I'm not a good woman, right? What if my loose lifestyle rubs off on you?"

Wesley kissed her on the forehead with a smile. "Sweetie, I made a mistake. If I had known it was you, I wouldn't have said that. You believe me, don't you?"

"No, I don't."

Wesley held her in his arms and continued coaxing her. "I'm sorry. Will you please forgive me?"

"Gee, does a slut like me deserve an apology from you? It's okay."

"It's not okay. Fine. To prove that I'm sincere, I'll live in the forest for a month, with only essential surviving tools. No food or fluids. What do you think? Would that suffice?"

'That's crazy and dangerous.' Blair's heart softened. "Without even water?"

"Right."

"You won't survive without drinking water," she smirked.

"I'll drink water. I just won't carry it with me."

Blair blinked with bewilderment. "Where would you get it from? The springs?"

"That, and then there's dew water, plant juice, and rain. I will find something."

"Really? That's impressive."

Wesley never thought it impressive; it was just a basic surviving skill. "There are many other things you might find impressive. To survive, sometimes you have to eat creatures like snakes, lizards, frogs, crocodiles, and turtles. Even bugs."

Dumbstruck, Blair stared at him with widened eyes. "So, this is the man I have lived with for so many years."

Wesley looked at her calmly. "Are you afraid of me now?"

Blair hugged him. "Impossible. I just feel bad for you."

"Hm?"

"You could have lived a rich, comfortable life. But you chose the most dangerous, strenuous occupation. Honey, you're amazing." Blair's heart ached for him. She felt like crying. Of course, Wesley didn't enjoy drinking the dirty water or eating those slimy creatures. But once in that situation, he didn't have a choice. Survival was the first priority.

Wesley tousled her hair, "I'm drunk on happiness right now, because I have you." Blair had given him more happiness than she could ever imagine.

Her eyes brimmed with tears. To conceal her emotions, she declared with fake anger, "A few sweet words aren't enough to make me forgive you. I'll always remember that you called me a slut."

Wesley burst out laughing. After giving her a kiss on the lips, he said, "Then, I'll apologize to you for the rest of my life. Would that be enough?"

"Yes."

"It's late. Let's go to sleep. We'll talk tomorrow. Okay?"

"Okay." She was tired and sleepy.

"Good night, sweetie."

Blair pecked him on the lips. "Good night, honey."

For the next two weeks, Wesley came home as early as he could to take care of Blair. He fed her and cleaned her. Gradually, her pale countenance became rosy.

One day, he was on his way back to town from a mission. As soon as the car got off the expressway, the soldiers heard someone yelling for help.

The window was down, so they heard the voice loud and clear. It came from the dark alley nearby.

Talbot was sitting in the passenger seat. He and Wesley exchanged looks, and then they parked the car and got out immediately.

A few more soldiers got out of the car behind theirs. "You two, go check it out," he commanded, pointing at two of the soldiers.

"Yes, Chief."

Soon, they heard the sounds of fists and flesh colliding. One of the two soldiers ran back and reported, "Chief, some punks are harassing a woman."

"Let's go help." Wesley walked into the alley with three soldiers. Those punks took off as soon as they saw them.

The woman was on the ground, looking awkward and miserable. The young soldiers were confused as to what to do.

They looked at each other. Then one of them asked her, "Hey, are you all right?"

The woman's perfume smelled seductive and unusually strong. The soldiers found it repulsive. None of them wanted to get close to her.

"I... I'm okay," she replied weakly.