Sunday, January 24, 2010

Me And The Boy Next Door - Round 24

Round 24 – I'm Wu Chun's Number One Fan




“I guess everything is set for the event. Thank you guys for the help, and I'll see you at the party.” Danson said. He stood up as soon as Calvin and Ella stood up, then he shook their hands. “Oh, and by the way, Cassie wants to say hello to you guys.” he added. Calvin smiled, and nodded his head. “Send my regards to her as well.” Calvin said. “And Ella, please tell Chun my regards. I wasn't able to see him after my wedding.” Danson said. Ella smiled at him, and nodded her head. “It's OK, we understand you wanted more time with Cassie. No worries.” she said. With that, Danson let out a playful smile, and gave a meaningful look at Calvin. Calvin could only wink at his friend. “Well, I guess we have to get going now, Danson. If Chun passed by the station and found out that his lovely girlfriend is out with me again, he might beat me this time.” Calvin said. Ella sighed, and rolled her eyes at him. “Aiyo, Calvin! Can you stop teasing me about that?” he said. “Oh, you don't have to be embarrassed, Ellie. Chun easily gets jealous when it comes to the girl he loves. I remember so well... when his crush was partnered to one of our classmates for a dance... he was really really jealous...” Danson said. He smiled at Ella, and winked at him. “You have no plans to tell me who the first love, don't you?” she asked. Danson nodded his head. “I told you, it's up to you to find out who she is.” Danson said. Ella just shook her head. Even if she force Danson to talk about Chun's first love, she knew he will not tell her who it is. “Fine, I won't bother with that anymore. I'll see you at the event.” she said. The two said goodbye to Danson, and headed to the hotel's lobby.

“So, Chun have a first love, huh? Why do you want to find out who she is?” Calvin asked as they were walking. “You see, Chun and I really hate each other. He bullies me and always plays pranks on me when we were young... and then Danson told me that the only way I could get back at him is to find the girl he had a crush on when were still in elementary... but we couldn't find a clue as to who that girl is.” she said. With what Ella told him, he began to be confused with the situation. “Wait... you and Chun hated each other before? But how did he became your boyfriend?” Calvin asked. Ella just gave him a smile. “That's the power of love.” she said. Calvin just shook his head and smile to himself. “Love is really a complicated thing...” he muttered. “You bet, it is!” she said with a laugh. “Well, at least the two of you loves each other now. As they said, the more you hate, the more you love...”

Ella let out a weak smile as she walked. She looked away from him as she began to ponder her feelings for Chun “But you know what, Calvin... I never expected that I would fall for someone like him...” she said aloud. “I wasn't expecting that someone would easily replace Sphinx in your heart.” Calvin said. Then, she paused. She looked at Calvin, shocked at what she just said before. “Yeah...” she could only mutter. She imagined whacking herself in the head for letting her thought slip out of her mind. Of course, it was very unexpected of our leading lady to fall for her sworn childhood enemy, but Chun have shown this good side of him to her. He was the most gentle person he have met in her entire life, and she could not help but love that gentle guy. “I can see Chun really loves you more than you love him. Don't let him slip away, Ellie. A guy like him is hard to find nowadays.” Calvin said. Ella let out another smile. She felt like a giddy school girl having a crush on someone when she heard what Calvin said. “I won't...” she said.

As she looked up, she saw a familiar face walking towards her. “Hi...” the guys said, smiling at him. Calvin looked at Ella. “You know him?” he asked. Ella shrugged her shoulder. “I don't know, but I think I know him...” she said. “You're Ella, right? Chun's girlfriend?” he asked. Ella nodded her head. “I'm Hiro, your boyfriend's schoolmate back in Australia.” he said. Ella just nodded her head. “Ah... Chun's rival, right? That big-headed and conceited guy who thinks so highly of himself?” she said. With that, Calvin let out a laugh, while Hiro flinched at what she said. “Ouch! That hurts a lot...” Hiro said. Ella folded her arms, and glared at him. “You're not here to ask me to help you to sabotage my boyfriend, right?” she said. Hiro let out a laugh as he shook his head. “Of course, not! Why would I do that? Besides, I know I will win again this time.” Hiro said proudly. Ella and Cavin could only look at each other. “Wow, it suddenly became so windy here inside the hotel. I think I'll go outside for a while.” Calvin said. He excused himself from the two, and then left.

“Is he a colleague?” Hiro asked as he watched Calvin leave. Ella nodded her head. “And I don't think it have something to do with you.” she snapped at him. Hiro looked at her, and let out a sexy smile. “You're a little to feisty... and I thought you can be so angelic, like your face...” he said. Ella let out a smirk at him. “Of course, I am angelic. But devilish when it comes to jerks.”
“You think I'm a jerk?”
“Chun told me a lot of things about you.”
“And you believe him?”
“Of course, I would believe my boyfriend.”
“And what did Chun told you?”
“That you are his rival. He always loses to you. And that you made Bianca your girlfriend and dumped her afterwards just to get back at him.”

Hiro let out another laugh and shook his head. “I can't believe he still tells that story just to get the attention of other girls...” he said. This time, Ella gave him a confused look. “What do you mean?” she asked. “Well, you know Bianca, right?” he asked. Ella nodded her head. “Well, it's true. Bianca and I dated back in Australia. But then, it didn't worked out, so we decided to go on separate ways. And since you know Bianca, it means that you know what Bianca really is to Chun, right?” he said. “Bianca is his senior...” she answered. Hiro nodded his head. “Not just his senior. She is Chun's true love. He loves Bianca secretly, and the girl is is clueless about how he feels. So, with him being hurt about it, he would usually tell every girls he meet how his heart was broken by me and his beloved girl. And then, voila! He will be able to get the attention of every girl. If he told you already that I'm a playboy, well, that's not true. Chun is the playboy. He dates a lot of girls at the same time.” Hiro said. Ella shook her head after hearing what Hiro said. “I don't think so. I know Chun.” she answered. Hiro folded his arms, and gave her a confused look. “Do you know him enough to trust him?”
“I'm known Chun since we were little. Chun can never be a playboy.”
“Well, people change. Maybe with you, he is showing that he is the faithful one. But give it another month or so, he'll be cheating on you. And besides, you don't seem to be Chun's type at all.”

Hiro walked towards her, and then looked closely at her. “Bianca is his type. She likes really pretty and sexy girls. That's why, I was surprised when he told me that you are his girlfriend, you don't seem to be his type.” he said. Then he looked at her from head to toe. Then, he looked at her, shaking his head. “Yep. Not really his type. You're a little fat on the side... I know Chun likes skinny girls.” he said. “Well, thank you for the insult, mister!” Ella shouted angrily at him. She knew there is no way Chun would like her for real, and Hiro doens't have to state the obvious. “But... I know someone who could like someone like you...” he said. He moved closer to her, and then he lifted up her and gazed into her eyes. “A pretty girl like you deserves a guy like me... not Chun...” he whispered huskily to her.

Ella looked into his eyes, and smiled at him tenderly. Then, with all her might, she stepped hard on his feet, making him flinch in pain. “Sorry, I'm not buying it. And sorry, I love Chun more than anything else. Game over, and no, you're not allowed to try again.” she snapped at him. Then, she walked away from him, leaving him alone. Hiro watched her as she leaves, and then he shook his head. “That's what I like in a girl – challenge. Don't worry, Ella. You're going to be mine soon.” he said to himself. As Ella walked outside the hotel, she saw Calvin laughing at her. “I saw everything! Great move! Want me to pound him to pulp for Chun?” he asked. Ella just shook her head. “No need. I guess he got my message that I'm not interested.” she said.

--

At the shop...

Ethan and Nicholas watched Chun as he drew his design with a smile on his face. Since the night before, he have been drawing a lot of designs, but he wouldn't let anyone of them see his design. Then, he lifted up his pencil, and looked proudly at his work. “Now, that's perfect.” he said. “How many designs do you have to enter in this contest again?” Nicholas asked. “One. But of course, I want it to be really perfect.” he said. “So, you've been drawing just one design all this time?” Ethan asked. Chun smiled at them, and nodded his head. The two just signed, and shook their heads. “Well, that's Mr. Perfect for you...” Ethan said. “It's just that I want my design to be as perfect as her...” Chun muttered dreamily. The two gave him a confused look, and he realized what he just said. “I mean, I want my cake design to be really perfect.” he said. “Well then, all the luck to you.” Ethan said.

Then, the door opened, and they saw Hebe come inside the shop. Upon seeing her, Nicholas' face immediately lightened up. “Hebe!” he said excitedly. Ethan gave him a confused look. “Wei, you're acting as if it's the first time you've seen Hebe in years.” Ethan said. Nicholas just gave him a death glare. “Hey, Nic. I knew I would be able to find you here.” she said. Nicholas immediately got out of the counter and walked towards her. He smiled at her excitedly. “Really?! I mean, really? Why?” he asked. “I was wondering if you could help me later? The faucet in my kitchen is not working, and I don't want to bother Chun since I know he's entering this contest. Can you come over my place later?” she asked. Nicholas bit his lips and flinched as she talks. Just as he was about to have a chance with her, he can't take that chance. “I'm sorry, I can't. I promised Arron and Jae Joong that I'll come over their place tonight.” he said. He could see the smile on her face slowly disappear at what he said. “Oh, I see...” she said. “If you want, Hebe... I can help you. I'll go over your place as soon as I picked Ella up at the station later.” Chun said. Hebe let out a faint smile at him, and nodded her head. “Thanks Chun. Anyway, I... I have to go. Sorry to bother you, Nic.” she said sadly. Then, she turned to leave them.

Nicholas just sighed as he watched Hebe leave. “Stupid me...” he thought. “Wei, Nic...” Ethan said as he walked over him. He put his arm around his neck, and almost strangled him. “Can't you see? Hebe wants some of your time! I thought you like her? Why did you turn her down for those gays who seems more masculine than us?” Ethan scolded him. “But I promised Arron and JJ that I will go to their place tonight.” Nicholas said in a low voice. “Tell me, Nic... are you losing interest with Hebe? Are you interested in Arron and Jae Joong now?” Ethan asked. Chun looked at his friend, and shook his head. He crumpled a piece of paper, and hit Ethan with it. “Wei, my brother is not gay, OK?” he said in defense to Nicholas. “But he might turn into one if he keeps on hanging out with them!” Ethan said. “Have you forgotten? Nicholas is the playboy one! He used to have five girlfriends at the same time!” Chun said. “But what if he only did that before because he is confused with his gender?” Ethan said. With that, Nicholas whacked him in the head, and Ethan could only flinch in pain. “Please... I like Hebe, all right? And if only I didn't ask a favor from JJ and Arron, I wouldn't be coming to their house always!” he said. “Oh, was that the...” Chun asked. Nicholas smiled at him and nodded his head.

Ethan looked at Chun, and then, he looked back at Nicholas. “What is it? Are you guys keeping something from me?” he asked. “Yes, we are. And no, we're not going to tell you. We've had enough of you and your big mouth.” Chun said.

--

A day before the competition.

Ella just got out of the DJ booth from pitch-hitting for Jiro, when their PA, Micah, approached her. “Ms. Ella, someone is looking for you...” she said. “Is it Chun?” she asked. Micah shook her head. “He said his name is Hiro Mizushima? You're friend...” she said. Ella gave her a confused look. “I don't have a friend named Hiro.” she said. “Maybe he's a fan of yours. He's waiting for you at the lobby.” Micah said. Ella said thanks to her, and then went out to the lobby to meet Hiro. He saw Hiro standing by the lobby, holding a bouquet of flowers in his hand. “Hi...” he said, walking up to her. “What are you doing here?” she asked him. “Well, I figured out that I've been a jerk the last time...”
“It took you a long time to realize that you are a jerk?”

Hiro let out a laugh, and shook his head. “You made me realize that I am being a jerk.” he said. “Well, now you know.” Ella snapped at him. “I know what I did and said to you the last time is really uncalled for, so I'm here... apologizing and asking for forgiveness.” he said. Then, he handed her the bouquet of flowers in his hand. Ella just stared at the flowers in his hand. While she was staring at the bouquet of daffodils, she suddenly remembered Chun. “If Chun would be giving me flowers, he would be giving me sunflowers...” she thought. “Please forgive me for the last time...” she heard Hiro said. Ella sighed, and took the flowers from his hand. “Forgiven.” she said. Then, she turned her back on him. As she made a step inside the office, Hiro called her again. “Ella, wait!” he said. Ella sighed, and turned to face him. “What?” she asked in annoyed tone. “Can I ask you out for a coffee? My treat.” he said, smiling at him. “No.” she said. Hiro gave her a confused look. “Why?”
“We're not even close for me to go out with you.”
“Are you scared that Chun would get mad at you if we went out?”
“That too. And besides, I only said that you are forgiven. I didn't say that we are friends now, that we can have coffee.”
“Won't you give me a chance to get to know you?”
“No.”
“Won't you give me a chance to be friends with you?”
“No. First impression lasts.”
“Then, can I try to change your impression of me?”

Ella paused, and just stared at him. “Can you give me a second chance to introduce myself again? I know the time we met was really a bad one... so... can I introduce myself to you again?” he asked. Ella continued to stare at him as she sighed. “Well, everyone deserves a second chance. Maybe I am wrong about him...” she thought. “OK. I agree.” she finally answered. “Yes!” Hiro exclaimed. “But... don't bad mouth Chun to me. Nothing you can say or do will make me change my opinion of him. And, don't flirt with me, or you won't be able to walk home. Do you understand?” she said. Hiro smiled and nodded his head. Then, he raised his right hand. “I promise. Cross my heart, hope to die.” he said.

--

Chun walked inside Ella's office, and the first person he saw is their PA. “Micah...” he called. Micah looked at him, and smile. “Oh, hey, Chun... Ms. Ella is out...” she said. Chun gave her a confused look. “Out?” he asked. Micah nodded her head. “A friend came in here a while ago, then she said to me that she will go out with him and have coffee.” she said. Chun looked away from Micah, and was wondering who could that friend be. Suddenly, he felt scared and jealous at the same time. “I believe they will be at the coffee shop a block away from here.” Micah said. Chun said thanks to her, and went to the coffee shop that Micah said.

“Really?” Ella asked in an amused tone. Hiro nodded his head. “Yeah. When I came inside the hotel lobby, there he is. Bon Jovi in the flesh.” he said. “Wow! That's great! You were able to see him in the flesh. You know what? I love him! He's my favorite singer!” Ella said. Hiro gave her a skeptical look. “No way! Get out of here!” he said. Ella laughed as she nodded her head. “Really. He is my favorite singer.” she said. “You're a rocker?” he asked. “Secretly, yes I am.” Ella said. Hiro smiled at her. “Well, I guess we have something in common now. Don't tell me, your favorite song is 'In My Life'?” he asked. Ella nodded her head. “Well, now we have more than one thing in common. That's great!” Hiro said. Ella nodded her head again. “I remember when I told Chun I like Bon Jovi, he couldn't believe that a girl like me could like rock music as well.” she said. Hiro nodded his head. “Well, that's Chun. He always goes crazy when there's a rock concert in school. Did you know he had this band before? He plays the drums.” Hiro said.

Ella was surprised at what she just found out. “Really? I didn't know that...” she said. “Back in school, Chun was a heartthrob. When he joined the band, he said he would rather be the drummer so that girls won't see him when they perform. You know how fans like when they go crazy.” he said. Ella laughed at what he said. “I've always wanted to learn to play the drums. Maybe I'll ask him to teach me one time.” she said. Hiro nodded his head again. Then, he took a sip from his coffee. “Come to think of it... I remember he and his friends joined this band competition back in primary school. He was the guitarist. Girl were really shouting at him. I remember when he went down the stage, the girls mobbed him.” Ella said. Hiro wrinkled his brow as he looked at her. “Really?” he asked. Ella nodded her head. “And you know what, I think he just ran away from those girls. Ha ha ha! Poor him!” she said. “And what about you? You must be very jealous at that time...” Hiro asked. Ella smiled, and shook his head. “Chun and I have this hate-hate relationship back then. I wasn't jealous. I was... well... laughing my ass out at him.” she said.

Hiro gave her a confused look. “Hate-hate relationship?” he asked. Ella nodded her head. “When he came back and when we met again, we were fighting like little kids. But then we realized we're all grown up to bicker, so we decided to try to be friends. And then... yeah... we fell in love.” she said. “I hope you don't mind me asking this, but what is it with Chun that made you fall in love with him?” he asked. Ella put down her cup of coffee, and then she looked up at Hiro. “I... I really don't know. Maybe it's because he cares for me a little too much. When we bicker, I like how he would just give up and let me win. When I cry, I like how he would offer his shoulder for me to lean on. When I'm happy, he's happy for me as well. We fight a lot, yes, but I guess any relationship wouldn't be complete without any misunderstandings, right?” she said. “So, you mean to say you guys have misunderstandings sometimes?” he asked. Ella nodded her head. “Just like any other normal couple.” she said.

Hiro leaned back on his chair as he is getting uncomfortable with their conversation. His idea of getting to know Ella and for her to get her to know him more turned into a Chun conversation. “All right. By the way, what's your favorite pastry?” he asked, changing their topic. “I like cookies. You know, Chun always bakes this chocolate cookies and they are my favorite! I don't know why, but whenever I eat his cookies, it would always remind me of the cookies that I used to eat during elementary days. I feel so nostalgic whenever I taste the cookies he bakes.” she said. Hiro just faked a smile at her as he pretended to listen to her. He already tried to divert her attention, but it always goes back to one topic – Chun.

Meanwhile, Chun walked past the coffee, when he thought he saw Ella with Hiro by the window. He walked back, and he saw Ella talking animatedly at him. He felt his heart crushing with the sight of Ella enjoying his rival's company. He felt envy seeing them together, that it made him wish that he is in Hiro's place. “Hiro is making his move now... it won't be long and Ella will fall for him too...” he thought. He lowered his head, and turn his back. He felt as if he is losing even though the fight have not started yet. He knew eventually that he will lose to Hiro. “Why can't I be better than him? Why does he have to take away those things that I want?” he thought. He let out a sigh, and then began to walk away with a heavy heart.

--

Ella walked towards her apartment, when he saw Chun outside their house. She looked at him, and saw the sad look in his face. “Chun, are you OK?” she asked. Chun looked up at her, and let out a weak smile. “I'm OK... don't worry.” he said. Ella smiled at him, and then walked towards him. “Tomorrow is the big day, right? You must be excited and nervous at the same time.” she said. Chun just nodded his head. “I felt like I'm going to lose...” he said. Ella shook her head. “No way! Why are you like that, Chun? Don't lose hope. Tomorrow, you will be announced as Taiwan's best cake decorator.” she said, lifting up his spirits.

Chun stared at her sadly, and Ella noticed the sudden change of expression in his face. “Anything wrong, Chun?” she asked. He shook his head. “Don't lie to me, OK?” she said. “I went to the station a while ago...” he began. “Really?” Ella asked. Chun nodded his head. “But Micah told me you went out with a friend for a coffee. I... I followed you at the coffee shop. I... I saw you with Hiro...” he said in a soft voice. Ella smiled again, and nodded her head. “Ah... yes. He came to apologize for what he said to me the other day. You can't believe the guts of that guy! I thought he was such a jerk for bad-mouthing you and for flirting with me... but then when I had coffee with him, I realized he wasn't that bad. We shared a lot of things in common, can you believe that? And he is so wacky and funny! He have a lot of funny stories to share!” she said. Chun observed Ella as she talked about her day with Hiro. He could see the excitement in her face. She was happy to spend a day with him. “It won't be long before she will fall for his charms...” he thought. He have seen this before. He remembered the time Bianca told him that Hiro asked him out for a date, she was this happy.

“Ella... do... do you think... do you think you could like someone like Hiro?” he asked. Ella paused to think for a while. “Hmmmm... I like guys with sense of humor. I think I could like someone like him.” she said. He could feel his heart breaking again because of her answer. “You do?” he asked. Ella nodded her head. “So... what... what if Hiro courted you? Will you... will you give him a chance?” he asked again. “We''ll see. But everyone deserves a chance, right?” she said. Chun smiled and nodded his head. “I... I understand.” he said. Hearing Ella's answer made him lose the confidence he have been building for the longest time. Know, he really felt like he is going to lose to Hiro again. Facing him in the competition again is a big mistake he made, and he wished he should have not joined that competition. He knew Hiro is way better than him – he is more handsome than him, more talented, and full of charms. He just closed his eyes, and resigned to his fate of losing to him once again, and for losing the girl he loves to his rival.

“I... I have to go, Ella. I... I need to rest for tomorrow...” he said. Ella smiled, and nodded his head. “You should. You don't want to lose to Hiro, right?” she said. She tapped his shoulder, and then went inside her house. Chun could only watch her weakly. Guess now, he really lost to Hiro.

--

Chun sat on his bed, and stared at his cake design. “Should I still continue to fight, although I knew that I've already lost?” he thought. The only reason why he wanted to fight is because of Ella. It's not because of the title, or the prize, or the recognition. It's because of Ella. He doesn't want to lose her to Hiro. But then, Ella already gave her the reason not to fight when he saw her happily talking with Hiro.

His thoughts were interrupted with a soft knock on the door. “Chun, can I come in?” he heard Nicholas asked. Chun nodded his head. Then, Nicholas went to him, and sat beside him on his bed. “You were staring on that sketch for a long time. And I noticed that when you came back, you looked so down. Anything wrong?” Nicholas asked. “I lost to Hiro again, Nic...” he said. His step brother gave him a confused look. “What do you mean?”
“Hiro likes Ella, and he'll do everything to win her.”
“So what? You're Ella's boyfriend, right? Even if you're her fake boyfriend, you are still her boyfriend and you two can't breakup till her grandpa is around.”
“I know... but Hiro and I had a deal. If I win, he will leave me and Ella alone. If he wins, he will do his best to take away Ella from me...”
“And you're scared to lose Ella?”
“I'm not fighting for anything anymore, Nic. I need to win this competition so that I won't lose Ella...”

Nicholas shook his head, and then he let out a smile at his brother. “You are being paranoid, Chun. You should know the dirty tricks Hiro have been pulling at you all these time! He's just using psychology on you so that you'll lose confidence and eventually give up. You can't give up, Chun.” Nicholas said. “I don't think I have enough reason to fight. I saw Ella with Hiro a while ago... and judging from the way she looked... she seems to enjoy Hiro's company. She told me that she find him interesting... and when I asked her if there's a possibility that she would fall for Hiro... she said yes.” he said. Looking at the sad expression on his brother's face, Nicholas couldn't help but laugh at him. And this made Chun very annoyed. “Why, thank you for laughing at me, Nic!” he said sarcastically. “It seems that you are already taking this fake relationship seriously, huh?” Nic said. “No I'm not!” Chun said defensively. “You are. Look at you, you're acting like a jealous boyfriend. You're scaring yourself to death just because you thought Ella will fall for a jerk that she just met. And look at you! You're just giving up on her? Hell, I know you've waited a long time to be close to her. She is your first love, Chun. You've waited all your life for a chance to be with her, and you're giving up on her because of your low self-esteem? Get a grip, will you!” Nicholas scolded him.

Chun was surprised at Nicholas' reaction, but nevertheless, he realized his brother is right. “Look... if Ella means a lot to you, fight for what you feel. Hold on. Don't give up on her. She is worth every fight and every competition you'll get into. And look at that design you are holding... you designed it because of her, right? You designed it for her. Don't just give up without even giving it a try. Because if you do, then you are a sore loser, and I will disown you as my brother.” he said. Chun looked at the paper in his hand for a long time. “I should fight for her...” he said. “Yes, you should. The only wrong thing in this life is to give up without a try. And the Chun I know never gives up. He will find a way to make things work. So be that Chun that I know.” he said. Chun looked at him, and then he smiled. “You're right. I should not give up on Ella.” he said. Nicholas smiled, and nodded his head. “Yes. That's it. Be more confident. Be brave. You will crush that jerk down, and you and Ella will have a happy ending.” Nicholas said. Chun looked at the paper in his hand again, and then he took a deep breath. “I will win tomorrow. For Ella.” he said.

--

Competition.

Chun was pacing back and forth, trying to calm himself down. As each second passes by, the more nervous he is getting. “So, are you ready to lose to me, Wu Ji Chun?” he heard Hiro say. Chun looked at him, and just let out a smirk. “I don't think you are ready to lose to me.” he said. Hiro folded his arms, and let out a smirk. “Well then, let's just see. You know what are at stake here, right? May the best man win.” he said. Then, he left him alone. As soon as Hiro is gone, he let out a big sigh. “That was close...” he thought.

“Chun!” he turned around, and he saw Ella walking up to him. Behind him are Selina, Hebe, Ethan and Nicholas. “Ella insisted that we go here. For moral support.” Hebe said. “Of course, we couldn't let this moment pass, right?” Ethan said, winking at him. Chun smiled at all of then, and he was thankful that his friends are here to cheer on him. “I'm glad you're all here. You don't know how much this means to me.” he said. Then, Ella took his hand, and held it tight. “Promise me you'll win this one for me, OK?” she said. Upon feeling her warm hand, Chun let out a smile. He is more confident now more than ever, knowing that the girl he loves asked him to win. “I will win for you. Don't worry.” he said.

And the competition finally began. The contestants have two hours to decorate their cakes. Chun was concentrating hard on his cake design. He made a royal icing and colored it powder blue, and he left some white icing for decoration. He smoothen the icing on the cake, making it look like as if the icing is fondant. Then, he started to decorate it using the white icing he made. He made waves and curves. The design looked like it was swaying with the music. At the end of each curve, he made little sunflowers on it.

Then, their time is up, and the judges began to look at the cakes. Everyone seemed to impress with Hiro's design, which is a two layered cake with two swans on it. Then, all of them took a look at Chun's cake, and they were as impressed with his design as they were on Hiro's cake. “Hmmm... I don't know... but care to explain the design of your cake?” one of the judges asked. Chun smiled, and nodded his head. “The theme for this competition is love. Unlike the other contestants who seemed to make a wedding cake, I decided to make a design for a cake which resembles the person I love. She likes the color blue, hence, the color of the base icing is blue. She loves music, so to represent it, I made curves and waves that seems to be swaying with a beautiful melody - a melody only I can hear whenever I'm around her. She also loves sunflowers, so I made little sunflowers for the design.” he said. The judge nodded his head as he listened to her. “Seems that you really love this girl, huh? You were able to incorporate all of the things she love in this cake. And not only that, I can see the name of that lucky girl on your cake.” he said. Then, he winked at Chun before going to the other contestant. Chun looked closely at his cake, and realized that the judge is right. Her name was on it. He put it there, it was hidden with the other waves he made, but he could clearly see her name on it. He smiled to himself, and then looked at Ella, who seems to be praying hard as she watched the judges go around.

After a while, it's time to announce the winner of the competition. Hiro and Chun stood side by side as they wait for the announcement. “Ready to lose to me, Wu?” Hiro asked. Chun just smiled at him. “Even if I lose to you, it doesn't mean I have to give Ella up for you.” he said. “Even if you don't give up on her, I will do everything to take her away from you.” he said. Chun just shook his head. “I know my girlfriend loves me very much.” he said proudly. Then, he looked at Ella and smiled. Hiro could see Ella smiling at him. He noticed the glow in her face when Chun looked at her. And then he remembered the last time he was with Ella. “I guess even before this competition started and even before we made this deal, you already won, Chun...” he thought.

“And the grand prize winner for this year's cake decorating goes to Wu Chun.” the announcer said. Everyone cheered on him. Chun stood frozen in his place as he heard his name being called. He can't believe that he won. He can't believe he beat Hiro. Meanwhile, Ella jumped up from her seat, and shouted with glee. She hugged Selina, who was sitting beside her. “He won! He won!” she shrieked. Then, he turned to Ethan and Nicholas, who were also shouting. “He won!” she told them. “He did!” Nicholas said. Chun looked at Hiro, and he just smirked at him. “Ha! See, I won!” he thought. He walked up to the stage, and took his trophy and his prize. “I won... it means I don't have to lose Ella to Hiro! I won!” he thought happily.

--

“Ella...”

Ella looked back, and saw Hiro walking up to him. “Oh, hey Hiro. Congratulations.” he said. Hiro just smiled at him. “Thanks. Your boyfriend must be really happy now.” he said. Ella nodded her head. “He should be.” she said. “Actually, I'm glad he won. I'm glad that he did it for you... I know you are the reason why he did his best.” he said. This made Ella really confused. “What do you mean?” she asked. “I know Chun. I know how in love he is with Bianca before, that I deliberately hurt him. I used Bianca to get back at him. When I did that, he did not dare to fight for Bianca... but with you... it's a different story. Honestly, I threatened him. He have to win, or I will take his precious girl away from him... and he did.” he said. Ella was surprised at what he said. “You... you threatened him?” she asked. Hiro nodded his head. “I was willing to make you fall for me and leave him. But then I realized that I can never separate the two of you. You love Chun so much, and I can see he loves you more...” Hiro said.

Ella fell silent at what he said. He doesn't know why Hiro was telling him that. “I never thought Chun could love someone as much as he loved Bianca. And it happened when you came into his life. I can sense he loves you more than he did love Bianca. You're lucky that he chose you over her. He have been loving Bianca for a long time, and no other girl could make him look at their direction. Only Bianca. I lied about him having a lot of girlfriends... the truth is, he is faithful to Bianca.” he said. Then, Hiro put his hands on her shoulder, and looked into her eyes. “Ella, you are lucky to be loved by someone like him. Trust me when I say that. Chun is one in a million. Other guys may hurt you, but I know he won't. Other guys may fall out of love with you, but I know he will can only fall in love with you over and ever again. You're one lucky girl to have him. Don't ever let him go.” he said.

Ella was taken aback by what he said, that she became speechless. She froze in his place, and could only watch as Hiro leaves. “Chun... does he... does he really loves me?” she thought. Then, she turned around, and saw Chun walking up to him. Upon seeing him, she could feel her heart beating fast. It gets even more faster as he made a step closer to her. “Hey... I... I just congratulated Hiro.” he said.

Chun stood in front of her, staring at her as she speaks. He saw her talking to Hiro, and when he saw them together again, he was scared that Hiro will do something to Ella. He is jealous of Hiro whenever he is around her. “You know what, Hiro just told me a funny story... or joke... he said that...” Before Ella could finish her sentence, Chun pulled her to an embrace. He held her in her arms tight, not wanting to let her go. Ella froze again and was shocked by his hug. “I'm not going to lose you Ella...” Chun thought. “I'm not going to lose you...”

Labels: fan fic, Me And The Boy Next Door