In Stanley''s apartment


    Stanley couldn''t take his eyes of Ang since she was screaming and crying wildly, heaped up in Nancy''sforting arms. He seldom came back home so early as today. He nned to spend more time after work with his girlfriend, Nancy, but now his wish was ruined by Ang.


    Atst, he couldn''t stand her crying any more, so he took out his cell phone and called Arvin toe get her. "Yeah, where are you, Arv?"


    Arvin had to leave the loud room to speak. "I''m eating with clients. What''s the matter?"


    "How long does it take you to eat?" Stanley asked rudely. He would have been sleeping with Nancy if it weren''t for Ang.


    "About 20 minutes. Why?" Arvin felt a sense of impatience from Stanley''s voice.


    "Your girl is crying in Nancy''s arms at my house." Stanley took a look at Ang. She was still blubbering.


    He would have caught her by the hair and thrown her in the garbage pail had not Nancy stole her away in her arms for a sob sesh. It was unfortunate that Ang had called ahead of time to schedule the waterworks.


    ''My girl?'' Arvin wondered in mind who on earth that could be before Ang''s image showed up like an error. "What is she crying for?" Arvin was curious and a little worried.


    "Well, they are scolding you, Arvin. In their eyes, you are an asshole, who has two-timed Ang!" Stanley couldn''t help telling Arvin the truth. He felt it would get him here faster, and he was not wrong. Between the unstoppable trifecta of Rosa, Nita and Ang, Arvin had three-timed Ang, to be more urate about it.


    Arvin tried hard to recall where he had gone wrong, and how he could have made her cry without even being present. How could she consider him an asshole?


    He told Stanley there must have been some mimunication, because he hadn''t even seen Ang since the talent show, and everything had gone swimmingly there, he felt. "Keep an eye on her. I will be there soon."


    "Okay, I don''t care big guy. Just hurry up and get over here!" Stanley urged.


    Arvin nodded.


    Stanley was never so eager to see Arvin before. It must have really been a wet one. Ang was clutching Nancy''s hand like a vice-grip, and turned the tears on and off like a sprinkler.


    Stanley wondered why Ang had so many tears; at the rate she was going, she would end up getting dehydrated. He pictured his home being flooded and having to craft some kind of ridiculous IKEA boat to navigate the deadly pools of water to his fridge to get that special club sandwich he''d ordered.


    At 9:30, the door bell rang. Stanley opened it and found Arvin standing there. He hurried in as fast as he could. Stanley felt set free as soon as he saw Arvin.


    At


    “Do you still want to run away after what happenedst night?”


    Their rtionship changes overnight. She tries to keep her distance from him, while hees closer and closer.


    Spoiling her, he gives her everything she desires. His only wish is to keep her around. The whole world is envious of what she has.


    “Never rush in a rtionship,” she says calmly.


    tive. Things between Arvin and Ang were far from over, nor would they be happy for some time.


    Arvin and Ang were still in the neighborhood at this point, and Ang almost wriggled free from Arvin''s hog-tied over-the-shoulder grasp; she dreamed of escaping barefoot down the deserted streets.


    Arvin immediately followed her in case she got cold since the streets were primitively cold outside.


    Soon Arvin bundled Ang up in the car. Sitting in the back seat, Ang covered her face for fear of meeting eyes with Arvin.


    He saw her andunched into an eloquent exnation. "Such is life and life is idental, is it not Ang? And so was my action, because it is natural."


    However, Ang seemed apathetic in the back seat.


    "Let me tell you why, Ang..." Arvin kept on exining.


    "I won''t listen to you, so you''d better say nothing now." Ang resisted. ''No matter what reasons he gives, just remember he slept with Nita and never told you, '' she thought bitterly.


    He sighed regretfully. He took her dirty socks off, put on her shoes for her like he was her father, and then he went back to his seat.


    The car drove swiftly all the way out of the cul-de-sac. Finally, it stopped at Xinhe Garden.


    Ang jumped out of the car before Arvin had even parallel parked.


    He harangued her and caught her by the wrist once she had taken a few steps. No one could beat Arvin in a footrace; he would always catch her, no matter what. She was the rat, he was the cheetah.


    In the elevator, Ang had to stand in the corner since Arvin kept approaching her, and it scared her to no end.


    "You''ll live with me here in this apartment, Ang, " said Arvin ominously. "Till I say it''s okay to leave. You understand?"


    Ang was so surprised and she barked, "Why?"