Hidden love fan fiction

Promise of Tomorrow

Nervous was an understatement for what I was feeling right now. I looked at the mirror, taking in my reflection. My hair was messy on top of my head, and I sported a black button-up and denim cuffed jeans. Dark circles loomed under my eyes, and even after dressing up, I still looked like a mess.

“She’s gonna be there,” I muttered to myself, feeling my heart rate spike at the thought.

It had been a week since I last talked to Sang Zhi, her wet, teary face still haunting my mind. “I don’t think this is going to work out, Duan Jia Xu,” she had said, her voice breaking.

Since she lost her sister, she had been spiraling into a self-destructive mode, pushing everyone, including me, away. I put my hand in the pocket of my jeans, feeling the small box inside—her birthday gift. I wasn’t even sure if I was welcome at the party anymore, but I grabbed my car keys without thinking any further.

Throughout the ride to her house, my mind wandered, thinking about what I would say to her, but each scenario I imagined only frustrated me further. Soon, I found myself surrounded by the smell of sweat and cheap perfumes. Half the people were drinking, while the other half were in the corners, passed out or bored.

My eyes darted everywhere, trying to spot her among the sweaty bodies. Holy s**t! My breath hitched as I saw the gorgeous figure gulping down another shot. She was wearing a strapless, body-hugging wine-colored dress that accentuated her stunning figure, and her brown beach waves hung loosely around her waist. She laughed at something Amanda said, and then they both downed another drink. Oh, she was definitely drunk.

I walked towards the bar on the other side of the room, my eyes still on her, as I silently tried to muster the courage to go and wish her a happy birthday. Half an hour passed, and I was three Pepsis down, watching her drink, joke around, hug her friends, and drink again. If I kept this up, I would never face her today.

I watched as she walked towards the dance floor and started twerking with Amanda behind her. Why girls do that is beyond me, I thought, staring at her in shock. How a girl like that had been saying “I love you” to me for the last five years was still a mystery.

Before I could lose myself in the trail of thoughts, I saw Jack taking her hand for a dance. Oh, hell no. I sprinted towards them just in time to hear him ask, “Finally single, huh, cupcake?”

Before she could reply, I tugged at her waist, which I now noticed was bare because of the side cuts of her dress. Did the shop have a shortage of cloth or what? “No, she isn’t,” I said, smiling at him while glaring, and then I dragged Sang Zhi out of the dance floor.

She looked at me, her blue eyes scanning my face, and then a smile broke out on her face. “Baby…” she dragged out, her lips spreading wide and her eyes squinting at me before the smile fell, as if she just realized what had happened last week. “What the hell are you doing, Duan Jia Xu?” she glared at me.

“I… I just wanted to give you your birthday gift,” I lied.

“Okay, do it fast,” she sassed, visibly still mad at me, folding her hands on her chest and tapping her foot on the floor.

I bit my lower lip as I slowly took out the box and handed it to her. She wouldn’t have taken it if she weren’t drunk, but I would take whatever chance I got. She glared at me before violently tearing the gift wrapping. She knew how much I hated it when people tore up my carefully wrapped gifts.

Her glare softened as she stared blankly at the gift. Seconds passed as she looked at it, and I looked at her, taking her in for maybe the twentieth time today. Gosh, she was beautiful. I let out a shaky breath as she took the necklace out of the box and silently handed it to me. My heart shattered, thinking she was going to deny taking it, but then she silently turned around. She wanted to wear it.

A ray of hope surrounded my heart as I clutched the diamond necklace. She turned back to face me but didn’t meet my eyes, her blue orbs looking at anything but me as I fastened the customized necklace around her neck.

“I told you I don’t want it,” she finally mumbled, touching the necklace.

I kept quiet, looking at her. The necklace was actually a promise ring I had given her two years ago, now attached permanently to a thin chain. It had taken lots of arrangements and money to get done. “I never broke my promise, Sang Zhi,” I mumbled back, and her eyes finally looked at me.

We stared at each other, lost in the moment, as she mumbled, “I know,” and smiled lightly at me. Taking my chance, I held out my hand, silently asking her for a dance. She looked at it, her eyes landing on the promise ring I wore, still in its place because I didn’t have the guts to remove it yet. I don’t want to let go. I felt her hand slide into mine, and I closed my eyes briefly before opening them and giving her a small smile.

We entered the house again, and I turned her towards the Bluetooth speakers. I took out the mobile it was already connected to, shooed the grunting girl away, and ignored the complaints from the people dancing. I connected my own device via Bluetooth. I kept my phone in my pocket as my playlist started playing on shuffle with “All of Me” by John Legend. All the crazy dancers groaned and got away from the makeshift dance floor, leaving the normal ones who didn’t grope or the couples who stayed.

I placed my hand on Sang Zhi’s waist as the song started, and I felt her laughing. “I forgot how cheesy you are,” she smiled up at me, her height just perfect for me to engulf her in a hug, but I resisted the urge.

As we swayed from side to side, ignoring the next two songs, a sudden sadness settled into me. Sang Zhi was still in my arms. “I’m moving to New York,” she said softly, and my brown eyes snapped to hers.

“Please don’t. We’ll get through this,” I spoke, feeling as if I was being choked.

“I can’t, Jia Xu,” she replied softly, resting her head on my chest.

My mind drifted back to three years ago. We were lying at the back of my jeep at five a.m., looking at the sky change colors. “You know why I named you Ace?” Sang Zhi had asked, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

“Why?” I squinted at her, turning my body away from the sky and towards her.

“My name is Sang Zhi, but you’re the one who named me Grace, and I just… wanted to make a name for you too,” she trailed off, blushing.

“Why Ace?” I asked, not confronting her about her red cheeks.

Her eyes softened as she spoke, “You’re my ace. My winning card. My good luck.” Her head tilted in innocence, and love shone in her eyes as they looked lighter in the morning light.

I sighed before pulling her in for a kiss. “I love that name,” I smiled at her, and she smiled back.

“Did you make a different playlist for today?” her voice snapped me back to the present.

“I may have,” I sheepishly admitted.

She smiled at me, and my world stopped. “Sang Zhi, I don’t want to do this,” I murmured, tears welling up in my eyes.

She kept quiet, looking at my eyes, then roaming around my face before settling on my eyes again. “I don’t want to either, but I have to,” she said, her eyes welling up as well.

I slowly took out my phone and clicked on a particular song. A tear fell from her eye as “I Won’t Give Up” by Jason Mraz started playing.

“I’m not supposed to make this easy,” I smiled through my tears.

Her breath hitched hearing the word “love,” and more tears dropped from her eyes. We stayed silent, listening to the song, our emotions raw and exposed.

“Well, I won’t give up on us,

Even if the skies get rough,

I’m giving you all my love,

I’m still looking up.”

Her eyes traveled to my lips, and mine went to hers, instinctively moving closer. I felt her warm breath as she looked into my eyes, hesitant. Slowly, our lips met in a kiss. My hand went to her cheek, wiping her tears as our kiss deepened, mixing with both our tears.

I didn’t want to give up. I couldn’t.

Through the kiss, I desperately tried to convey my feelings—love, sadness, passion. Eventually, we pulled away, our foreheads resting against each other.

“I love you, Sang Zhi,” I whispered.

She looked at me, tears still streaming down her face. “I’ll always love you,” she replied.

We stared into each other’s tear-filled eyes. Her ocean blue eyes were full of sadness, regret, and love. But what I hated the most was also there—dedication. She was dedicated to go through with her decision.

She rested her head on my chest as I buried my face in her hair, inhaling her vanilla scent. “Don’t go,” I tried again.

“I have to. But we’ll meet again,” she replied, and I believed her.

I closed my eyes, swaying with her tight in my arms.