The night was clear but there was no moon tonight with only the stars filling up the dark night sky. Athough they seemed a little dim, it was peaceful and calm to look at them.
Sera stood under the gazebo in the garden of the hotel staring at the stars in the sky, a soft smile crept up her pink lips under the glow of the fairy lights decorating the gazebo.
Ethan who was looking for her everywhere stood stupefied when his dark eyes stopped on her frail figure under the gazebo.
Slowly advancing his steps he approached the dazed beauty, trembling lightly when the cool breeze brushed past her bare shoulders.
"It's cold here, let's get inside..", his words startled her, she turned to look at him and shot a smile in relief.
"I'm fine, it's peaceful here..", she turned back to look at the sky, her voice was low and melodious soothing Ethan's anxiety from earlier.
"I passed your gift to Xia Ruo Lan..", he spoke looking at the sky, he was enjoying the cold breeze and tranquil of the night with Sera beside him.
"Thank you, I totally forgot about it!", she averted her gaze from the sky and smiled at Ethan who turned to look at her.
A gentle strain of music, scarcely audible, seemed to resonate from the banquet hall in the silent evening.
Ethan extended his hand in front of her, she looked at him with a confused look and raised her eyebrows questioningly.
He didn't reply instead mimicked the action of playing a piano with his fingers earning a sweet-sounding chuckle.
Sera nodded her head, she placed her hand in his palm.
Her soft touch electrifying his senses, he held her hand firmly and twirled her body, her skirt akin to slow waves of the ocean.
"You dance quite well..", he commented while his hand snaked around her willowy waist.
"Oh well.. Just a bit", she laughed awkwardly at his compliment.
They danced at a slow pace under the brightly lit gazebo, it was a mystical sight to look at when their bodies moved in sync.
A shadow faraway was staring fixedly at the dancing pair with a complicated gaze, trembling with profound feelings of disquiet before storming away in the dark.
Ethan pulled her body forward with a jerk, their faces were only a few inches apart, he lost himself gazing into her clear eyes.
His palm traveled from her slender waist to her back, bending her body backwards he held the position for a few seconds holding his breath while looking into her eyes.
Their lips were dangerously close, almost touching when a phonecall interrupted the rare moment.
Ethan pulled back cursing the caller, turning away his red and embarrassed face away from Sera he answered the call.
Meanwhile Sera was shaky, her thoughts in disarray as she looked at the dignified man in the distance.
Shaking all unnecessary thoughts she exhaled and inhaled, trying to calm herself and turned to look at his approaching figure.
"Sorry, it was an important call..", he shot an apologetic smile.
"It's okay, let's get inside. I'm freezing..", she laughed, he nodded his head smiling dotingly at her as he walked.
Ethan halted his steps and turned to look at the fine looking woman beside him.
Impulsively his hand went to her soft cheeks, he caressed them with his rough thumb, shocking Sera.
Before she could react he pulled back before twisting the stray hair strands falling on the sides of her face, he tucked them behind her ear.
His finger tips brushing the delicate skin behind her ears, he was momentarily amazed by the soft feeling on his fingers.
Five years, since five years Ethan was living his life as a celibate, this was the first time in five years that he was having such close contact with the opposite sex.
Sera was at loss. She was beet red in embarrassment, her ears were tinted with red as well.
"The breeze messed up your hair..", he chuckled nervously.
"Yeah..", she touched her hair trying to fix them as she spoke.
"I have to get back to office so I'll drop you home now.. let's bid goodbye to Xia Ruo Lan.."
Ethan spoke with a calm voice as though the earlier incident was a fragment of Sera's imagination, she nodded mechanically matching her footsteps with his.
Ethan and Sera's entry was a surprise to Xia Ruo Lan who assumed that the pair had left the party unannounced.
"Ethan, Miss Lu, I thought you guys had left..", she trailed off when they reached her side.
"Not really but we have to leave now.. It's quite late and I have some business to attend to..", Ethan said in his calm voice like a ballad to Xia Ruo Lan's ears.
"Oh.. that's okay. I'm glad you could make it despite your busy schedule..", she went ahead and hugged him, her hands trembling with excitement at the close contact.
"No big deal! We are friends..", he returned her hug, pulling back his hand went to pat her perfectly styled sleek hair with a genuine smile on his thin lips.
"Right, we are friends..", she repeated his words, her voice dispirited and eyes dim at his declaration.
"I'll see you on Monday..", he reminded her about their meeting.
"Of course I remember, Miss Lu, thanks for coming.. I'll see you at the meeting on Monday", she smiled at Sera.
"It's my pleasure, see you!", Sera shook her hand and turned to walk out of the hall holding onto Ethan's arm.
"It wasn't bad..", she trailed off looking at the door behind her, turning her head she walked to Ethan's car.
- - - - -
Su Yin was standing near the balcony, the cool breeze caressing her gentle locks and smooth skin.
Dressed in a sleek black halter neck dress with a thigh high slit, her black wavy hair tumbling down her shoulder on one side, with a glass of red wine she stood motionless staring at the dark sky with dim stars.
"What are you doing here?", a man dressed in a classy black suit stood beside her, sipping his scotch on the rocks casually.
"Department head Shaun, what a pleasant surprise..", she mocked him.
"I didn't know you were this happy to see me here..", he chuckled much to Su Yin's displeasure who glared at him.
"What? You're really interested in me?", he raised his eyebrow provocatively and smirked at her.
"I don't wish to die from indigestion...", she gulped the wine and walked away, leaving the man dumbfounded.
The night was clear but there was no moon tonight with only the stars filling up the dark night sky. Athough they seemed a little dim, it was peaceful and calm to look at them.
Sera stood under the gazebo in the garden of the hotel staring at the stars in the sky, a soft smile crept up her pink lips under the glow of the fairy lights decorating the gazebo.
Ethan who was looking for her everywhere stood stupefied when his dark eyes stopped on her frail figure under the gazebo.
Slowly advancing his steps he approached the dazed beauty, trembling lightly when the cool breeze brushed past her bare shoulders.
"It's cold here, let's get inside..", his words startled her, she turned to look at him and shot a smile in relief.
"I'm fine, it's peaceful here..", she turned back to look at the sky, her voice was low and melodious soothing Ethan's anxiety from earlier.
"I passed your gift to Xia Ruo Lan..", he spoke looking at the sky, he was enjoying the cold breeze and tranquil of the night with Sera beside him.
"Thank you, I totally forgot about it!", she averted her gaze from the sky and smiled at Ethan who turned to look at her.
A gentle strain of music, scarcely audible, seemed to resonate from the banquet hall in the silent evening.
Ethan extended his hand in front of her, she looked at him with a confused look and raised her eyebrows questioningly.
He didn't reply instead mimicked the action of playing a piano with his fingers earning a sweet-sounding chuckle.
Sera nodded her head, she placed her hand in his palm.
Her soft touch electrifying his senses, he held her hand firmly and twirled her body, her skirt akin to slow waves of the ocean.
"You dance quite well..", he commented while his hand snaked around her willowy waist.
"Oh well.. Just a bit", she laughed awkwardly at his compliment.
They danced at a slow pace under the brightly lit gazebo, it was a mystical sight to look at when their bodies moved in sync.
A shadow faraway was staring fixedly at the dancing pair with a complicated gaze, trembling with profound feelings of disquiet before storming away in the dark.
Ethan pulled her body forward with a jerk, their faces were only a few inches apart, he lost himself gazing into her clear eyes.
His palm traveled from her slender waist to her back, bending her body backwards he held the position for a few seconds holding his breath while looking into her eyes.
Their lips were dangerously close, almost touching when a phonecall interrupted the rare moment.
Ethan pulled back cursing the caller, turning away his red and embarrassed face away from Sera he answered the call.
Meanwhile Sera was shaky, her thoughts in disarray as she looked at the dignified man in the distance.
Shaking all unnecessary thoughts she exhaled and inhaled, trying to calm herself and turned to look at his approaching figure.
"Sorry, it was an important call..", he shot an apologetic smile.
"It's okay, let's get inside. I'm freezing..", she laughed, he nodded his head smiling dotingly at her as he walked.
Ethan halted his steps and turned to look at the fine looking woman beside him.
Impulsively his hand went to her soft cheeks, he caressed them with his rough thumb, shocking Sera.
Before she could react he pulled back before twisting the stray hair strands falling on the sides of her face, he tucked them behind her ear.
His finger tips brushing the delicate skin behind her ears, he was momentarily amazed by the soft feeling on his fingers.
Five years, since five years Ethan was living his life as a celibate, this was the first time in five years that he was having such close contact with the opposite sex.
Sera was at loss. She was beet red in embarrassment, her ears were tinted with red as well.
"The breeze messed up your hair..", he chuckled nervously.
"Yeah..", she touched her hair trying to fix them as she spoke.
"I have to get back to office so I'll drop you home now.. let's bid goodbye to Xia Ruo Lan.."
Ethan spoke with a calm voice as though the earlier incident was a fragment of Sera's imagination, she nodded mechanically matching her footsteps with his.
Ethan and Sera's entry was a surprise to Xia Ruo Lan who assumed that the pair had left the party unannounced.
"Ethan, Miss Lu, I thought you guys had left..", she trailed off when they reached her side.
"Not really but we have to leave now.. It's quite late and I have some business to attend to..", Ethan said in his calm voice like a ballad to Xia Ruo Lan's ears.
"Oh.. that's okay. I'm glad you could make it despite your busy schedule..", she went ahead and hugged him, her hands trembling with excitement at the close contact.
"No big deal! We are friends..", he returned her hug, pulling back his hand went to pat her perfectly styled sleek hair with a genuine smile on his thin lips.
"Right, we are friends..", she repeated his words, her voice dispirited and eyes dim at his declaration.
"I'll see you on Monday..", he reminded her about their meeting.
"Of course I remember, Miss Lu, thanks for coming.. I'll see you at the meeting on Monday", she smiled at Sera.
"It's my pleasure, see you!", Sera shook her hand and turned to walk out of the hall holding onto Ethan's arm.
"It wasn't bad..", she trailed off looking at the door behind her, turning her head she walked to Ethan's car.
- - - - -
Su Yin was standing near the balcony, the cool breeze caressing her gentle locks and smooth skin.
Dressed in a sleek black halter neck dress with a thigh high slit, her black wavy hair tumbling down her shoulder on one side, with a glass of red wine she stood motionless staring at the dark sky with dim stars.
"What are you doing here?", a man dressed in a classy black suit stood beside her, sipping his scotch on the rocks casually.
"Department head Shaun, what a pleasant surprise..", she mocked him.
"I didn't know you were this happy to see me here..", he chuckled much to Su Yin's displeasure who glared at him.
"What? You're really interested in me?", he raised his eyebrow provocatively and smirked at her.
"I don't wish to die from indigestion...", she gulped the wine and walked away, leaving the man dumbfounded.
