MG2018 - On the Island

Part 4 - Ximen

Ximen stomped off to the beach. He turned around to look at the campsite and saw that all the tents-- except for Xiaozi's, which he knew was empty-- were rustling. He shook his head in disgust and continued to make his way to the beach. It was Meizuo's fault that he was out here, and now he knew exactly what everyone was up to tonight. He didn't even want to know!

And what was that he blurted out back there? I can't do this! I love Xiaoyou! He shook his head again as he sat on a log and stared out into the ocean. Ah, Xiaoyou. All of his life, he worked hard to keep his emotions at bay. It was like the water in a dam-- he checked the water levels every day, making sure they were normal, that there was no danger of overflowing because he knew it could wreak havoc on the world. Feelings were like that, he thought. Powerful enough to ruin your world, if you didn't keep them in check. But Xiaoyou was a force. She seemed determined to disturb his still waters. Whenever she was around, he felt like he was pushing against the dam's barrier, trying to keep that sudden force of water from bursting through. It was tiring, struggling against her so hard, but it was necessary. He was a ruined man, thanks to his parents. He had ruined Xiaogeng before. He wouldn't be able to forgive himself if he ruined Xiaoyou too.

He sighed deeply. Maybe he should just follow Meizuo's lead to keep his mind off things, off her. He absent-mindedly scrolled through his contacts and tapped on a number. He was sure someone would be down for some-- "Hello?" Ximen nearly dropped his phone when he heard Xiaoyou's voice on the other line. Why had he dialed her number?? Was he-- well, she did kinda throw herself at him before... "Ximen? Are you there?" he heard her say. He cleared his throat and said in his most seductive voice, "Hi..." Immediately he wanted to kick himself. What the heck was that voice?! What was wrong with him?? "Are you okay? You sound weird," Xiaoyou asked in that innocent way of hers. He could picture her peering up at him worriedly, and felt his body relax. This would never happen with her. He cleared his throat again, "Sorry, I'm fine." He could picture her smile, "Oh okay. So... is everything okay? Why'd you call?" she asked softly. His eyes widened, "I'm sorry, did I wake you?! I'm so stupid, I didn't even--" "Don't worry about it," she reassured him, "I was only half-asleep, I was wondering about all of you, thinking if you're okay." He smiled, then realized she wasn't there to see it. "We're okay, I don't know how long Xiaozi's keeping us here."

He turned around and saw the tents were still moving and he rolled his eyes. He sat on the sand and leaned back on the log. "Actually, I'd say everyone else is more than okay," he said dryly. He heard her giggle, "What do you mean?" He held the phone to his ear and looked up at the night sky. "Well, Si and Shancai are getting it on, if you know what I mean," he said and she laughed, "Good for them! I knew Shancai had it in her!" He laughed with her, "And Meizuo is off having phone sex with Caina. He didn't even care that I was right behind him." He heard her gasp, "Noooo! I hope you didn't see anythi--" "No!! I got out of there as soon as I could!!" He laughed about it now, realizing how comical the situation was now that he wasn't in the middle of it. "And then, I hear something in Lei's tent so I go to check on him and what do I see?" "What? What did you see?" she asked breathlessly, and he smiled, knowing he had her full attention. "I see Lei and Xiaozi about to..." "Get it on??" she finished, "No waaaaayyy!!!" He could imagine her eyes widening and he couldn't help but smile. "So where are you now?" she asked. "On the beach," he replied and shut his eyes for a while. They fell silent, then after a beat, she asked slowly, "So did you call because you wanted some..." Ximen's eyes flew open and he sat up straight. "No, no, nothing like that," he hastened to reassure her. "I just... wanted some company, that's all," he admitted. It was true. And if he was going to be completely honest with himself, he didn't just want some company, he wanted her company. Suddenly, Xiaoyou switched to video call and he saw her lying on her side in bed. "Well, I'm here," she said softly, and the sight of her made him smile. "You want to see the beach?" he asked and she nodded with a smile. He flipped his phone's camera to show her the ocean, the stars, then the campsite, where the tents were still moving. He heard her laugh. "Aren't they done yet??" He flipped the camera back so he could see her eyes twinkling at him. "It looks like I'll be out here all night," he groaned, settling back against the log. "Well, I have all night," she smiled. Ximen looked at her and wondered how long he could keep the dam from overflowing. Because looking at her now, he was sure of one thing: he definitely didn't want to ruin this precious gift that was Xiaoyou.