chaps 5&6
1202 Words
Chapter 5: Midnight at the Glass Door
The next evening, Lu Chen called Xin and asked her to meet him at a small ice cream parlor near the city square.
The shop was bright and quiet, filled with the soft hum of pop music. Xin sat across from him, smiling softly as she stirred her dessert. But Lu Chen hadn't touched his cup. His face was pale, his hands clenched tightly under the table.
"Lu Chen? What's wrong?" Xin asked, her smile fading as she noticed his tense posture. "You've been quiet all day."
Lu Chen took a deep breath. With trembling fingers, he reached into his jacket pocket and placed the small felt pouch onto the table between them.
He opened it slowly. Inside lay the snapped silver chain and the fractured pieces of the star pendant.
"Yesterday... my teammates were at my place," Lu Chen said, his voice raw and choked with guilt. "They were playing around, and I tried to take it from them, but... it broke. I am so, so sorry, Xin. I know what this meant to you."
Xin stared at the pouch.
Her breath hitched. She reached out with a trembling hand, her fingertips touching the broken edges of the star that her best friend had placed around her neck in a hospital room months ago. The warmth of the ice cream shop seemed to evaporate instantly, replaced by a cold, suffocating wave of grief and betrayal.
"Xin..." Lu Chen reached across the table to touch her hand.
"Don't," she whispered.
Tears pooled rapidly in her eyes, blurring her vision. She pulled her hand back, grabbed her backpack, and pulled herself up from the chair.
"Xin, wait! Let me drive you home—"
"Leave me alone!" she cried out, her voice breaking.
Without looking back, she turned and sprinted out of the shop into the dark evening air, leaving Lu Chen sitting alone with the broken silver pieces.
Night fell over the city. Xin couldn't go home. She couldn't face her quiet bedroom, where pictures of her best friend hung on the wall. Instead, driven by an overwhelming sense of loss, she walked aimlessly until she found a dimly lit bar tucked away in an alleyway near the central district.
She sat alone at a small table near the front entrance, ordering drink after drink. She had never drunk alcohol before, but the burning sensation helped numb the sharp ache in her chest.
By midnight, rain began to fall again.
Outside, Lu Chen had been running through the streets for four hours, checking every bus stop, park bench, and cafe. His hair was soaked, his uniform shirt clung to his back, and his heart was hammering against his ribs in sheer terror for her safety.
As he turned the corner onto the avenue, his eyes caught sight of a brightly lit venue with large, floor-to-ceiling glass front doors.
Inside, sitting by the glass, was Yu Xin.
Lu Chen stopped dead in his tracks outside the glass door. Through the clear pane, he saw her try to stand up from her table. But the alcohol had completely stripped her of balance.
Her legs gave way, and she collapsed onto the floor with a loud crash.
Her purse hit the tile floor, flipping open and scattering its entire contents everywhere—lipstick, loose coins, bus passes, student receipts, and small personal papers slid across the slick floor in every direction.
Sobered slightly by the impact of the fall, Xin didn't get up. She stayed on her knees, her shoulders shaking violently as she sobbed in total isolation, her hands blindly sweeping across the floor trying to gather her scattered things.
Lu Chen pushed through the heavy glass doors, the bell ringing sharply overhead.
"Xin!"
He dropped to his knees beside her on the cold floor, his hands moving rapidly to pick up her fallen cards and coins. "Xin, look at me. I'm here."
As he reached under the adjacent table to retrieve a fallen leather cardholder, the plastic sleeve flipped open.
Inside was a small, worn photograph. It showed a young girl wearing a pale hospital gown and a white wristband, her smile radiant despite her frail frame, her arm wrapped tightly around a younger Yu Xin. On the back of the photo, written in faded blue ink, were the words: To my best friend Xin—Keep shining bright, no matter what.
Lu Chen froze. The photo rested in his palm. Looking from the photograph to the tear-stained, heartbroken girl weeping on the floor beside him, the full weight of her world settled into his soul.
He didn't speak. He gently tucked the photograph back into her wallet, gathered the rest of her belongings, and zipped her purse closed.
Then, slipping his hands under her knees and shoulders, he lifted her effortlessly into his arms.
Xin was too exhausted to fight. She buried her wet face into the crook of his neck, her small hands clutching tightly onto his wet collar as he carried her out into the quiet night.
Chapter 6: A Room of Her Own
Lu Chen brought her to his quiet two-bedroom apartment on the west side of the district, which he shared with his younger high-school-aged brother, Lu Yang.
When Lu Chen unlocked the front door carrying the sleeping, tear-stained girl, Lu Yang stepped out into the hallway, wide-eyed.
"Brother? What happened?" Lu Yang asked in a hush.
"Get me a wet towel and a glass of water, please," Lu Chen requested softly, stepping carefully through the living room. "And don't make noise."
Lu Yang nodded quickly, fetching the items without another word before retreating into his own room and closing the door for the night.
Lu Chen carried Xin into his master bedroom. He laid her down gently on his bed, pulling off her shoes and pulling the warm down comforter up to her chin. He took the damp towel his brother had brought and tenderly wiped the dried tears and dust from her face and hands.
On the nightstand beside the bed, he placed her cleaned purse, her photo wallet, and the velvet felt pouch containing the broken necklace.
Xin stirred slightly in her sleep, clutching the blanket and letting out a long, shuddering sigh.
Lu Chen sat on the edge of the mattress for a long time, watching her face in the soft moonlight filtering through the window blinds. He reached out, gently brushing a stray lock of hair away from her cheek.
"I'm sorry," he whispered into the quiet room. "I'll fix it. I promise you."
Quietly, he stood up, closed his bedroom door to give her complete privacy, and walked out into the living hall. He pulled a spare blanket and pillow from the closet, lay down on the narrow living room sofa, and closed his eyes—listening through the wall to the steady, peaceful rhythm of her breathing.
- Writer
