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It was only natural for people to bond and form ties, tying the knot and all that stuff, maybe get kids too. Some loved them, some thought it would steal their precious youth, then some would rather adopt for various reasons, whatever their choice, it was valid. In the bunch, Stelle did not really know where to put herself. She was nearing her thirties, the best time to settle down apparently, but her mind had never been clouded by such questions. Or at least, until today. To herself and her parents' surprise, she got recognized for her good looks and offered a job from a company of the entertainment world. She was only a freshly graduated high school student who still wondered what path to choose at that time and as she saw no downsides, there was no reason to refuse. Plus it paid handsomely.
In the end, one thing led to another, her popularity skyrocketed and contracts with various sponsors kept flowing in spite of her manager's sleepless nights. It almost felt as if from one day to another, her face suddenly was plastered on every television advertisement and billboards. Her acting skills were the most notorious though, from series to movies, her career knew no boundaries. She learned a lot but she was also confronted to a lot of struggles. The latest job she got was from one of the key figures in cinema so she definitely had to accept it, however, she was assigned with the role of a single mother going through all kinds of hardships while trying to maintain the balance between taking care of her young child and meeting her job's expectations.
A pretty interesting story for a change from those absurd reality shows. The only issue was, Stelle had absolutely no idea of how living as a single parent was like. Hers were still together and living well and due to avoiding all possible sources of scandal, she did not have many opportunities to make friends who could help her too. Trying to get in character and first understand it, was tougher than expected, she was at a loss of words. Thus, from all the alternatives she could come up with to know more about how to play her role, Stelle found herself sitting on the bench of a park, not far from a children's playground. She would usually wear a cap with glasses and a mask but she thought that she would seem too suspicious if she did so settled for a simple summer hat in the end. She could already imagine some crazy headline like 'Actress B behaving like a creep!' if she had gone with the former.
In any case, there was not much material for her to learn from unfortunately. Perhaps it was because she went to a park near her home which neighborhood was not much frequented but there was not a single kid there. None until she noticed a blond head playing with the sand, well concealed behind the slide. Since how long was he there and where were his guardian? Just then, the kid's gaze met Stelle's. The boy was probably not older than eleven years old yet his eyes were as piercing as those paparazzis making her life a hell, the kid was cuter than them though.
They stared at each other for a while, the boy wearing a deep frown on his face for the whole time. After a minute, he got up and walked towards her with determination, only stopping once they were face to face.
"You. Won't you be my mom?"
Stelle looked around before returning her eyes to the kid.
"M-Me-?" The boy nodded. Of course it was her, they were literally the only two people here. "Hum- Are you here alone? Where is your dad, dear?"
"Dad..."
Tears welled up in his eyes and it looked like he would burst into tears at any given moment but just then, loud step noises treaded and the next instant, a tall man with long grayish hair tied in a ponytail lifted the kid in his arms, a deep glare offered to her.
"Sorry, miss but may I ask you what you were doing with my son?"
His voice sounded severe and he was holding the child's head against his chest in a protective manner. Great, now she got mistaken for some kid's abductor. Though the situation could lead to misinterpretation.
"Oh- Hum..."
"Idiot-!" was shouted between the two adults, followed by a forceful push to get his freedom back, "You're gonna scare my new mom!"
The blond kid stood in front of Stelle with his arms stretched out while his dad wore quite the interesting expression, a mix of disbelief and shame probably. Every piece fell back together now and the man massaged his temple with a sigh before raising his eyes to the woman in a softer look this time.
"I think I have a grasp of what's happening here but may I invite you for a cup of tea to apologize and give an explanation, miss?"
Honestly, Stelle had nothing better to do so she agreed and before she knew it, she found herself in front of some huge house, then seated at a table in a fancy kitchen with a steaming cup of tea beneath her eyes. The kid had apparently gone, or rather was dismissed, to his room so the two of them could talk peacefully.
"I hope I'm not taking too much of your time." he started.
"What- No, it's fine."
She quickly replied as she took a sip. The atmosphere was a bit awkward.
"I should start by introducing myself." He shot a smile. "My name is Jing Yuan, and you already saw my son, Yanqing."
"I'm-..."
"Ah, no need. I think anyone a bit aware of the news knows who you are."
"I guess you're right."
She sketched a faint smile. Jing Yuan's voice was surprisingly soothing and relaxing which quickly made Stelle more at ease with him. She knew she had to beware of strangers and all, who knows what length reporters were ready to go to get her into a scandal, but Jing Yuan did not seem like the type of man who would do such a distasteful thing, he seemed trustable.
"So back the main topic... You probably already understood it by now but it's only Yanqing and I in this house."
Just him and the kid...
"Is it okay for me to hear about it?"
"Don't worry, it's no secret since a long time and I've turned the page but Yanqing... He misses his mom. She died while giving birth to him and I tried to give him all the love in the world but recently there was one of these meetings between the parents and the teacher so maybe he felt the affection was lacking because all the other kids had their two parents."
He kept his smile on yet the sadness was clear in his voice. It made Stelle's heart ache despite knowing him for only a short while. Well, who would not after hearing such a story. She felt compassion for Jing Yuan.
"You've been a great dad to Yanqing, I think. Some in the same situation as yours may have resented their kid but you didn't."
"Thank you for trying to console me, I'm sorry he went up to you like this by the way..."
"It's alright. Actually, I can't be his mom but I would gladly spend some time with him if you could allow it. I'm currently on a break for my upcoming role and I won't lie to you that it is quite similar to your life amd thua be great material for me to work with, but I really find Yanqing endearing and would love to see him more."
"Really? I must say that this is... surprising, but also very welcomed. Yanqing doesn't have many friends to be honest and I'm often at work so he spends most of his time at a relative's. It would be good for him to get closer to other people as well." His face brightened a bit and he joined his hands together on the table and next to his mouth to hide his smile widening. "Oh, but wouldn't it be dangerous for you to be seen with him outside?"
"Indeed... I didn't think about that."
"You said you were on a break, right? If you don't mind, I have a free room upstairs, you could stay here for a while so it would save you from commuting, also this house is well safeguarded since I sometimes had to leave Yanqing alone so you shouldn't have to worry about reporters."
Things were taking an unexpected and crazy turn. Cohabitating just after meeting each other? If she was not desperate and short on time before the first scenes would be filmed, but also bored out her mind these days, maybe she would say no.
"Deal."
Thus, after she went back to her place to prepare her suitcase so as to have enough stuff not to worry for a while, Stelle officially was given the room upstairs at the end of the corridor, incidentally next to Jing Yuan's. The room was big and decorated in the same way as the rest of the house so staying here would not be too bad.
The first days Stelle spent at Jing Yuan's and Yanqing's house were not that bad so far. As he had previously mentioned, the single dad was indeed rather busy most of the time so she would play games or do other kind of activities with the boy during the day before sending him to bed. Just then would the long-haired man come back from work with a tired expression and fall on the sofa.
"You're back later than usual today." commented Stelle while making him a cup of decaffeinated coffee.
"The client was so happy that he insisted on inviting me to the restaurant and I couldn't refuse him." He sighs just thinking back about it. "Did everything go well with Yanqing?"
"Yeah, we played video games a bit. I clicked on some button then he screamed about getting a five star or something? He seemed very happy in any case."
"Sorry to burden you with this."
"Don't worry, I think he's cute. He never lacks energy." she smiled at him.
Jing Yuan let out a laugh before taking a sip of the coffee prepared by Stelle. He drank it black and without sugar, yet its flavour was surprisingly sweet without displeasing him. He glanced at the young woman and noticed the tips of her damp hair - she had probably just got out of the shower. She was wearing a simple white t-shirt that looked oversized and a pair of shorts that showed her legs despite the dim light.
"That's good to hear but don't let his face mislead you, he's quite a sly kid."
Jing Yuan stood up from the couch from which he grabbed a blanket, he had used it a handful of times when taking naps there, before wrapping it around Stelle's shoulders.
"Thank you..." She said quietly, feeling like the atmosphere was different than usual.
"Don't stay up too late."
"Same goes to you, though Yanqing likes my company, it can't be compared to the presence of his own dad."
"Of course. That being said, I don't have work tomorrow, I know we can't really go out all of us together due to your circumstances but perhaps we could do something at home, a movie session?"
Stelle's heart missed a beat.
"That sounds delightful."
"Let's do this then." He smiled brightly when a yawn could not help but get the best of him. "I'll go first, see you tomorrow."
He left a gentle pat on her head and went upstairs. Stelle's gaze did not leave his back until he was out of sight. She touched the spot where his hand grazed her, as if she could still feel its warmth. Her stomach and chest also felt tight. Maybe it would go away after a good night's sleep.
Another day rose on the house and for once Yanqing spent some time with his dad. Because of this, Stelle thought it would be better to give them some time alone and stayed in her room to write some notes of what she had experienced so far. The main reason she had accepted to live her was due to her upcoming role after all. That, and nothing else... is what she thought until that night.
"Stelle! Look at the movie I chose!" shouted the boy.
"Yes, yes, I'm coming."
The kid was dragging her by the hand when his dad interrupted them by stealing it from him with a smile.
"You'll hurt her, Yanqing. She's not going anywhere don't worry. How about you start the movie, I already got the popcorn."
The blond nodded fervently and rushed to the sofa to turn on the television. In the back of the living room, Jing Yuan stood in front of Stelle, still holding her hand. The young woman was looking at them and it was strange how she thought their hands intertwined like this looked nice.
Jing Yuan also noticed that but unlike her, he thought he crossed a border he should not have. They were not so close... Stelle was only here temporarily.
He let her hand go and went to sit next to Yanqing, Stelle doing the same by taking the spot on the kid's other free side.
"What are we watching?" asked Stelle.
"Jaws."
"That's quite an old movie," commented Jing Yuan, "Won't you be scared though?"
Yanqing snorted with his arms crossed.
"I'm not a kid!"
Stelle laughed weakly at his childish behavior despite him denying it and they started the movie. She had already seen it as it was like a mandatory thing to do when she was such a big figure in cinema so instead of watching the screen, she kept stealing glances on her left from time to time.
Yanqing was not scared indeed, it was even the complete opposite because the blond boy had fallen asleep between the two of them, snoring peacefully.
A bit farther, Jing Yuan seemed focused on the movie, wearing his usual calm expression. His sharp and thick eyebrows gave him a severe look even with that light smile he always bore and she wondered how he would look like when truly angry. Maybe Yanqing could tell her about it, she doubted he was a kid who could stay put so his dad probably scolded him more than once. But then, she could not see Jing Yuan as someone who could be mad, perhaps his tone would rise a notch but then his soft side would win over and end the story on a good note.
"Do you not like the movie?"
Jing Yuan's voice startled her and she noticed he was now staring at her. Did he see her glancing at him- And if yes, since when- A faint blush tainted her cheeks as she tried to come up with an answer as embarrassing and awkward the situation was.
"It's just that I watched it already..."
"Really? You should have said so, we could have put something else instead." he replied, surprised.
Way to go Stelle.
"It's alright- Hum, perhaps we should put Yanqing in his bed, it's not very comfortable to sleep like that..."
"I'll do it."
Yanqing was not a baby anymore but Jing Yuan was still able to lift him easily and walk up the stairs while holding him in his arms. Stelle watched from the door's threshold as Jing Yuan covered him with a blanket then came out of the room, closing the door.
"It didn't really go as planned..." he said, scratching his chin.
"It was still nice. I hope we could do more things like that."
More of these... In which future? She looked up at Jing Yuan, she grew fond of this face more than she intended to. Were they so close until now? He seemed to say something bit she was too lost in thought to really understand, she knows she answered but not the words she spoke. The only thing that remained in her mind was the moment their lips met.
It lasted not even a minute but within that short time, she engraved the feeling of his hand going through her hair softly like she was the most delicate being, his fingers lightly sliding on her forearm, and his golden eyes staring right into her even when they parted.
"Sorry." he quickly said, hiding his mouth with his hand.
"N-No, I should be the one sorry. Hum, I'll go to bed."
Stelle fled as fast as she could from the scene and hurriedly hid beneath her sheets. During the whole night she tried to sleep but her eyes were so wide open that it was useless and when the first rays of sunlight slipped under her curtains, she was still contemplating.
It was hard to get out of bed. Not because of tiredness but because she was too scared to confront Jing Yuan about last night. Unfortunately, her plan of laying dead like a corpse the whole day was ruined when Yanqing suddenly barged into her room.
"Stelle! Get up! Dad made pancakes for breakfast so how could you still be in bed, sleepy head!"
Alas adults could never get a moment of rest, and even les for those who had to care about a kid. Thus Yanqing dragged Stelle downstairs from where a nice smell was wafting through the air. They both walked up to the kitchen and the blond immediately stole a plate of pancakes Jing Yuan just got ready before disappearing, leaving the two of them in an awkward position.
"Good morning, Stelle."
"G-Good morning..."
"Would you like some pancakes?"
"Ah, sure."
Jing Yuan seemed like his usual self. He was not drunk last night so the possibility of forgetting was unlikely but maybe he decided to act like nothing happened. Or at least tried to when Stelle saw him so clumsily bump his hand into a glass full of juice and making a mess on the counter. Stelle was quick to take a cloth and wipe it under the man's gaze.
"Sorry and thank you for being faster than I could be."
"No, it's okay. It happens even to the best."
"I think my hand slipped due to having such a beautiful woman in my house." He let out a chuckle. "I hope I didn't create any discomfort between us."
"Not at all, really."
"You don't hold any grudge?"
"No... I... I didn't hate it honestly."
"I see." He put a few pancakes in a new plate and held it toward her. "It may be a bit presumptuous of me and we only know each other since a short time but, it's the first time in a long while I ever thought of having a serious relationship with someone. What about you?"
"I think... I'm the same."
She accepted the plate and a smile etched on her lips when she noticed he made a heart with blueberries on top of it. When did he do this? It was silly but incredibly cute at the same time, just as how crazy their bond was growing deeper each minute they spend together.
"I'm glad to hear that. Then, would you like to stay a bit longer for this purpose? Let's say, for an unlimited time?"
"I would love to."