Finally, with an aromatic cup of tea by his side, he summoned the nerve to say what he had been thinking of, in the past few hours.

"I missed you, much more than I thought that I would. Before I ask you to give me a response to my letter, I want to share something. The last time round that I liked someone, procrastination had crippled me. I don't want to repeat the mistake, no matter the consequences. I understand that you have experienced the kind of love which most of us only dream of. There is nothing which can come close to it. Today, all I am asking you to do is just open yourself to the possibility of a different type of affection, one without expectations," he was interrupted by her.

"Please don't say things which you have no clue about. First of all I want you to ask yourself this question – is this rebound affection that you are feeling for me? You forget the fact that I have been around you during the time you wrestled with your unrequited love for Chu. So how do you know that its not your heart's defence mechanism acting up? Secondly, I have been down that path where one person is ready to give all and the other is incapable to either receive or return the feelings. It results in bitterness and guilt and terrible pain. I am sorry…I like you enough to not go down that path with you. Can you accept us as we are? Cos I am honestly inept at giving anything more than my friends.h.i.+p," she spoke fiercely and then lowered her eyes.

They strolled back towards the inst.i.tute, each lost in their thoughts.

"I am leaving back in an hour. Don't think that your words are going to scare me away. Whether it's the rebound theory or the inability to return affections, I have enough patience to prove you wrong on both counts. Because I know words alone won't mean anything to you, I will show my heart's true intention through action. I will see you next weekend," with a determined smile and a wave, he left her at the doorstep of the language inst.i.tute.

Five Months Later

"The place won't burn down to ashes if you were to leave it for a couple of days," Li Jie spoke drily into the phone.

Scolding him for even thinking of such horrible things, Jia Li continued to rattle off last minute instructions to her a.s.sistant.

"I will see you directly at the hotel. Don't stay back at the airport when you land because it may be a long wait. I have to run back home now to finish the last minute packing," she disconnected the call with his protests ringing in her ears.

"Are you planning to leave Moganshan anytime soon? At this rate, you won't reach in time for us to board our flight from Shanghai to Yalong Bay," this time it was Wei who called and berated her.

"Can all of you stop breathing down my neck? Between you and Li Jie, I have only been fielding calls since the past couple of hours. How the h.e.l.l am I supposed to wrap up stuff and leave? Don't you dare call me now. I will see you at the airport," she put down the phone hurriedly.

Wei couldn't control his excitement. It was her birthday and after a lot of cajoling, she had agreed to celebrate it on Sanya on Hainan island with her closest friends. He had made all the arrangements, making sure both Chung and Li Jie with their respective families were joining in. The island was equidistance from both Shanghai and Beijing and was famously referred to as the "Oriental Hawaii". It was the best place to escape from the early December chill.

In the last few months, there had been a gradual change in Jia Li's demeanour. Earlier she used to be wary of revealing much of her thoughts. Gradually though, she was now allowing things to flow naturally. He was in no hurry to speed things up. It was enough for now that her smile lit up her eyes more often.

The inst.i.tute had flourished under her command. It was garnering more attention and accolades than either one of them had envisioned. He was yet to inform her about the call that he had received from the government yesterday, urging them to open more such centres across other smaller cities.

He knew her exact reaction to the news. First she would be happy for about a minute, then the worrying would start. As more logistical questions would rise in her head, she would start to trouble that lower lip of hers. The poor thing would be a.s.saulted till it turned ruby red. Wei couldn't remember the number of times that he had physically stopped himself from reaching out to soothe that lip of her or caress the mole which was located just above that luscious mouth. He had imagined erasing her teeth marks with his thumb and then sucking on it gently to bring it back to the original shape, multiple number of times.

He fought to rein in the ardour. She was nowhere close to being ready for this side of him yet. He would be patient…there was no hurry.