Take My Breath Away

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Hartwell laid his chopsticks down on the table and said, "Wesley goes to see my father very often. I'll ask my father to talk to him and your substitute guidance counselor."         

    

"Thanks, Hartwell, but that's not necessary. I'm fine now. Besides, he saved my life in the library," said Blair.     

"I don't know exactly what happened in the library, but he is a serviceman. He would have saved anybody under the circumstances."     

Hartwell's words came as a wet blanket. Blair had been eating, but she paused when she heard that. Her spirits dampened even further. She knew that she had been fooling herself into thinking that Wesley cared about her, and that now it was time to wake up. "You're right. As it happens, I was the one being held as the hostage that day. Anyway, why don't we move on?"     

Hartwell studied her face; there was nothing unusual about her expression. "Have you gotten used to living alone? You're too stubborn, you know. I told you not to move out, but you insisted."     

"I enjoy living on my own. I don't like restraints. You know that." Everyone in the Ji family was nice to her. But she had to follow all kinds of rules, which were insufferable to her.     

Hartwell smiled helplessly. "As long as you're happy. Since I work in another city now, I have so little time to take care of you. I'd like to check out your place after dinner. Only after making sure that you're safe and comfortable will I be truly relieved."     

"All right, fine. By the way, why didn't you let me invite Joslyn to join us tonight?"     

Hartwell smiled. "I'll ask her out some other time."     

Blair nodded knowingly. "Oh. So, you didn't want me to be the third wheel."     

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Hartwell didn't deny it. "I have been really busy lately, so I couldn't call her. Now that I'm here, I want to make it up to her so that she won't misunderstand."     

Blair understood. At work, Hartwell's phone was kept by his secretary. And when he was finally off the clock, it was usually very late. This time, he had come to Y City because he had some work to get done here. Otherwise, this dinner wouldn't have happened.     

After dinner, Blair and Hartwell went back to her apartment together. It was past nine already. Usually, she never met Wesley at this hour. It would be embarrassing if the three of them met unexpectedly.     

And that was exactly what happened.     

No sooner had Blair and Hartwell gotten off the elevator than Wesley appeared near the stairway of the sixteenth floor. They saw each other.     

Hartwell was surprised. "Wesley?"     

Wesley nodded slightly. "Hartwell."     

As the two men shook hands, Blair was wondering how she was supposed to explain Wesley showing up on the floor where she lived.     

She didn't need to explain anything to Hartwell. But since she had moved into the building to chase Wesley, she was nervous that Hartwell found out that she lived on the same floor as Wesley. She had failed to keep it a secret that she had a crush on Wesley from her uncle. If Hartwell found out too, it would be really embarrassing. So as soon as the two men greeted each other, she said in a hurry, "Wesley! You live here too? Are you my neighbor?"     

She pointed to the door of Wesley's apartment and kept winking at him behind Hartwell's back.     

Wesley understood that she was trying to tell him to play along. But he didn't understand why she was pretending that this was their first meeting in the building.     

Normally, he would have said, "We've met many times here. Why are you pretending you don't know I live across the hall?"     

After a moment of hesitation, he gave her a simple nod. "Hmm." And nothing else.     

But that sufficed.     

Hartwell smiled. "Now that I know Wesley is your neighbor, I have nothing to worry about." Then he said to Wesley politely, "She lives alone. Please look after her for me. Thank you."     

"Will do."         

    

To avoid them giving her secrets away to each other, Blair started dragging Hartwell towards her apartment. "Come on. It's late. Check out my apartment and then go home and get some rest. You are a busy man!"     

Hartwell had to say goodbye to Wesley in a hurry. "Bye then. Let's grab dinner together sometime."     

"Sure."     

After entering Blair's apartment, Hartwell looked around and said, "It's a nice place. Has my father ever been here?"     

"No, he has been in another city ever since I moved in." Adalson had rented the place for her. She couldn't afford it.     

"Okay then. I should leave. My work awaits me. Good night." Hartwell was in such a hurry that he didn't even wait to drink a glass of water before he walked out of Blair's apartment.     

"Don't be a workaholic. Take care of yourself. And marry Joslyn already, since you like her so much," she said to him at the elevator.     

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"Got it," Hartwell replied with a smile.     

"Bye."     

After he left, Blair glanced at Wesley's door and walked back to her own home.     

The next morning, since she was feeling unwell, Blair skipped the first class to get more rest.     

Before the fourth class--her Arabic class, she felt a little better decided to go to the classroom. Since she hadn't fully recovered from the sunstroke, she looked listless. Joslyn, on the other hand, was upbeat. Of course, that was mostly because she had met Hartwell the night before.     

"Bless, you were alright yesterday. How come you look so dispirited today? Are you still ill?" Joslyn asked with concern.     

Holding the Arabic textbook in her hands, Blair bent over the desk. "I think so," she replied.     

Joslyn gave it a bit thought and figured out what was going on. "You didn't take your medicine, did you?"     

Busted, Blair giggled. "I already had an infusion. I don't need rhe medicine. I don't know what's going on. I was fine yesterday."     

Joslyn was unhappy. "You don't know? You brought this upon yourself because you didn't take your medicine! I'll personally shove the medicine down your throat at noon. I'm not gonna leave you be." Joslyn knew that Blair hated taking medicines, but she was worried about her.     

"All right. All right. I concede," Blair said. She was feeling too miserable. This time, not having medicine was more terrible than having them.     

Near noon, the students started walking towards the cafeteria.     

Joslyn complained about the hot weather; it was making her uncomfortable. While they were chatting, she suddenly thought of Wesley. "How is everything going?" She asked Blair.     

Blair knew what she was referring to. "Here is my strategy--sometimes take the initiative, sometimes be inactive; never be impulsive, always be perceptive; no matter how eager you are to give, always play cool to achieve. That's how you make a man fall in love."     

Joslyn looked at her excitedly. "Sounds brilliant. So, how is that working for you? Did he fall in love with you yet?"     action