353 Was this a mistake? (1/2)

Wasn't what happened before enough? Did she need to lower herself more?

She cleared her throat to announce herself. Both Mei Li and Irene paused their argument and looked at her.

”You,” Irene pointed her finger at Ryn.

”It's already late. Aren't you tired? If you not, I am,” Ryn said before turned to wrap her arm around Mei Li's, ”Let's go home. I'm exhausted.”

Irene tried to stop Ryn but both Mei Li and Ryn sidestepped her. They were no longer interested in dealing with Irene. She was too irrational to deal with rationally.

”That's weird,” Mei Li said once they sat in the car. ”I thought she's your friend?”

Ryn sighed heavily. Mei Li did see her with those girls once. It felt like years ago but it was less than a year. So many things happened since then.

”I don't know actually what went wrong…”

Mei Li frowned. But it did not stop her from starting the car and driving the car away.

”I guess it is hard to find friends when I am different,” Ryn murmured slowly.

Mei Li didn't comment. She focussed on her driving while waiting for Ryn's explanation.

”But I guess it is better like this. I can focus on my study and work,” Ryn said. And nothing more.

”If you think it is better than it is up to you,” Mei Li said. She did not know how to help when Ryn refused to explain more.

Ryn just smiled grimly. She would not let Irene's incident affecting her.

Mei Li no longer touched about the topic. She focussed on driving. She knew how exhausted Ryn was, especially after seeing Irene, well, dealing with Irene. If she, within that short five minutes, feeling tired facing the crazy Irene, what about Ryn who spent hours with her?

Ryn sighed. She looked outside the window, watching colorful lights dotting and decorating the buildings. Her eyes started to get heavy and pretty soon she fell asleep.

Mei Li glanced at her model and sighed a bit. She felt sorry for Ryn. But this was a norm in this kind of world.

It took them almost half an hour, even with no car in the street, for them to arrive in front of Ryn's apartment. Mei Li parked the car at her usual place. She turned to look at the sleeping Ryn.

”Ryn, wake up,” she said, shaking Ryn's shoulder to wake her up.

Ryn stirred but did not wake up. She just mumbled something under her breath.

”Ryn, wake up. You can sleep on your own bed,” Mei Li said, shaking Ryn's shoulder. She was tired too and wanted to sleep in her own room. She could not wait to go home. She was sleepy.

Mei Li watched as Ryn stumbled up the stairs toward the elevator. She waited until she could no longer see Ryn before she changed the gear and drove the car away.

Ryn yawned all the way to her house. It was almost midnight. Way long after her sleeping time. Well, if she had one.

She even stole a few seconds while the elevator brought her up to her floor. No one was there. It was silent, so quiet. But Ryn was too sleepy to care.

She stumbled into her house after she unlocked the door. It was quiet, which what she used to. She locked the door immediately once she entered the house, and dropped her bag on the floor. Instead of going to her bedroom to sleep, she jumped on the sofa and continued her sleep. And all without switch on the light.

And her phone, put in silence, was left forgotten in her bag. It flickered to light but as the owner was deep in her sleep, the call went unanswered.

The next day…

Ryn woke up when someone knocked on the door loudly. She stirred and tried to muffle the sound by burrowing herself into the cushion but failed miserably. She mumbled something unintelligently against the small pillow.

Go away. I want to sleep.

But the person was persistent to meet her. The knocking never stopped and getting louder and louder.

She groaned but as the person still stubbornly insisted to meet her, Ryn pushed herself to open her eyes and stumbled to the door.

”What?” she asked as she opened the door roughly.

The person simply walked into the house and closed the door with his foot. And then, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her roughly.

Her hands flapped, shocked at the way he was behaving. He was too rough to her like. She tried to pull back from his kiss but he refused to let her go. His grips tightened to the point of paining her.