《This side of the cross》ErisedK

2、Chapter 2 Love at first sight The m

　　The first thing engraved in Pei Li’s memory was that, on a sunny afternoon, with her mother\'s gentle looks, her father chased her on the grass in the suburbs. Her mother is sitting on a blanket woven with claret lilies, preparing delicious food for them. Father caught her, picked her up, threw her into the air, and was caught, she felt dizzy in his arms under the dazzling sunlight. Her parents were laughing and she was giggling happily when she was only four. She still remembered the friendly gaze of passersby and her parents’ sweet kisses. After two hours, her father\'s car took an accident with a truck running a red light at the intersection.

　　For that, only Pei Li survived. She was raised by her grandmother, attended the school at six. She was careful, kept a certain distance from other children, and treated teachers at a respectful distance. As a result, everyone thought she was very reserved and introverted. In fact, she felt so lonely that she didn\'t fit in. Since becoming sensible, Pei Li realized that she had a different family. Her grandmother was her only relative. She couldn’t enjoy the happiness like other families. At school, her classmates all made friends, and talked with each other about newly bought clothes and places visited. Pei Li didn\'t engage in any topic, so she had no friends. In others’ opinions, she was lonely. Pei Li pretended indifference to protect herself from other children\'s attacks in the next few years. She preferred wondering alone and reading more books, and described what happened around her by imitating the sharp tone in books. Reading and writing made her have completely unexpected effects.

　　Since she was ten, Pei often gazed herself in the mirror for several hours, figuring out how to change her appearance. She yearned for wild beauty in her heart, hoping that people would be fascinated by her beauty. However, as if her reflection in the mirror were deliberately against her, it was only untidy black hair, proud black eyes and an ever-cocked mouth like asking for a kiss. She was not ugly, but no one ever praised her beauty. She tried to imagine herself as a star, wearing long skirts and high heels and posing in front of the mirror, which made her feel frustrated. She couldn\'t be a attractive beauty though that was her dream to be a woman with special charm, an unusual one who could stay in the memory of her lover and had love forever, forever and ever.

　　At 15, Pei already possessed all the mature characteristics of women, with black hair, fair skin and pretty face, lovely mouth, black smart eyes, slender figure, plump chest and buttocks, and long legs. But she was given a mysterious and indifferent expression, which was a gloom even didn\'t notice by herself. At that moment, she secretly fell in love with a boy older than her. Whenever she walked past him in the school corridor, her heart beat violently. She often imagined some clever and flirting words and expected to be stopped by him. But when they met, her tongue became stiff, and they often missed without a word. Later, when the boy had a beautiful girlfriend, Pei Li thought the love story between the handsome prince and Cinderella had ended before it started. She saw him taking a walking in the campus, sometimes with a beautiful girl or sometimes with two or three girls. God, wasn\'t he tired? She was surprised, but she still expected that he would be initiative to say hello to her one day, but never.

　　One afternoon in the summer vacation, Pei Li served at a fast food restaurant. Earl came here after an hour.

　　When Pei saw Earl came in, she could feel her whole body trembling and her heart began to beat violently. Earl was tall, handsome, thin, but strong, with deep facial features, and sunken eyes. When he walked past her, she turned around and glanced him going to the counter and ordering a set A, and sit in the compartment against the wall. After a minute, Pei took a deep breath and walked to the front of the compartment. Earl was reading a free car magazine.

　　\"Excuse me, please fill in the customer feedback, then you will get a gift.\" Earl didn\'t seem surprised. A girl stood there, handed him a form, and walked back to the counter.

　　Earl hold up the form, glanced at it and grinned. He folded and stuffed it into his pocket, and enjoyed his food while reading magazines. After a while, Earl was ready to leave, and took the tray to the recycling office. Pei Li stood nearby, Earl said nothing, but he gazed at Pei Li for a while, then walked out with a smile. Looking at his leave, she felt so foolish that she even didn’t know how to flirt a men.

　　After work, Pei Li took off her work suits and put on her coat, said goodbye to other colleagues in the restaurant and walked out. It was cool in a summer evening when a breeze blew slowly. The sky looked like an orange satin, glittering with soft light. When she walked across the sidewalk to the opposite, a figure flashed out from behind the tree.

　　\"Hey, where are you going?\" It was Earl. He was smiling to her. Pei Li\'s heart beat more violently, and finally it seemed to burst out of her chest. Her ears seemed to hear her heartbeat. She noticed that Earl was staring at her, and she was afraid that he would hear it, too. There was nothing strange that it must have done to countless girls. She tried her best not to show her nervousness, and reminded herself: stay calm.

　　\"Yeah.\" She hardly uttered in her throat.

　　\"Where are you going?\" Earl asked again.

　　\"Just walk around.\" She said in an induced tone.

　　\"Have you had dinner?\" Earl asked.

　　\"Dinner?\" She looked up at his face. \"No,\" she replied quickly, \"I haven\'t had yet.\"

　　\"Well. Do you like pizza? \"

　　\"Yes.\" Actually, she didn\'t like the strong onion flavor in Italian restaurants, however God will forgive her for this little lie, for it was the most important date in her life.

　　Earl took Pei Li to his car, a YZFR6 motorcycle. Earl rode, handed her a helmet, turned to adjust the belt of her helmet and looked at Pei Li\'s face.

　　\"What are you thinking?\" He asked.

　　\"Ah, I didn\'t think about anything.\" She also looked at him.

　　He couldn\'t help laughing. \"Hey, you cheated me.\"

　　\"Really?\"

　　\"I thought you were open - I mean being passionate toward men.\"

　　Does he mean I am too initiative or too casual? Pei Li thought so in her heart, but she said loudly, \"I only do this to you.\"

　　\"Are you? It\'s my honor ... Nice to meet you ... My name is Earl. \"

　　\"So am I, Pei Li.\" That was true.

　　\"Hold on, let\'s go.\" Earl started his car, driving on the elevated road like the wind, and it was excited to watch the neon lights on both sides rapidly backward.

　　Earl braked, and Pei Li hugged his back.

　　Located on a busy street, the restaurant was a transparent glass house. They kept talking during the meal, and Pei ate spaghetti but actually she felt absent-minded. She was so nervous that she couldn\'t enjoy it at all and felt thirsty.

　　\"May I have a glass of wine?\"

　　Earl beckoned, and a little waiter came to the table and asked what he can help. Pei seldom drank, but it was a different night, for she fell in love, which was worth celebrating.

　　Earl ordered a bottle of Torres wine, and he told, \"You know what? Spain\'s wine is known as\' sunshine in a bottle\'. Its total area of vineyards ranks first and its output ranks third in the world. Torres in Catalonia is its representative. In 1970, the same year of wine from Torres\' Mas La Plana even defeated that from the first-class French Bordeaux winery. \"

　　\"You know a lot.\"

　　\"Thank you for your compliment.\"

　　The waiter brought the wine, opened it and poured her a small half cup. She gulped down nervously. Earl looked at her in surprise.

　　\"Help yourself.\" He reminded, \"This wine has great response.\"

　　\"It doesn\'t matter.\" Pei Li said confidently.

　　Earl reached out to her hand over the table. \"Interesting. When I first met you, I thought you were mature, and I was wrong. \"

　　\"Really? Now? \"

　　He stared at her. \"You really lied to me.\" Earl took the piece of paper she gave from his pocket and flatted. \"Your prize is my 136XXXXXXXX\" he read aloud, and couldn\'t help laughing.

　　\"I am glad to meet you.\" Li said carefully. \"And I want to make a friend with you.\"
　　Earl stared at her approvingly, at every detail of her face, then to her hand he was holding, said \"How beautiful hands! Can you play any musical instrument?\"

　　\"I took piano lessons for three years when I was young.\"

　　\"I can play the guitar. When can I play it for you?\"

　　Earl told Pei Li that he was a professional racing driver, and shared many interesting things on the field. Her eyes never left him until Earl paid the bill and waiters tidied the table. Earl stared at her, which made her more confused.

　　\"Do you want to stay a little longer?\"

　　He was reviewing and was waiting her answer. Pei Li took a deep breath. \"Let\'s go.\"

　　He held her arm in the street, and she felt a shock. There seems to be an electric current coming from him. \"Pei-Li-\"he began.

　　\"What?\"

　　\"Are you going home?\" He said, \"I can give you a ride.\"

　　\"I don\'t know,\" said Pei Li. \"I don\'t know where I want to go. I\'m a little dizzy after drinking. I just want to stay with you a little longer. \" He grinned sympathetically. \"I have a good way to sober up.\" He led her to the parking and put on her helmet.

　　\"Where are we going?\" Pei Li asked through her helmet. What she saw was a handsome and unbelievable face with tenderness and sympathy.

　　It was dark. Earl drove R6 in the streets with endless traffic and pedestrians. Pei peeped at him. He was so fearless, maybe that was the reasons for his irresistible allure. They came to a comfortable residential area with tall and dense trees on both sides of the street. Earl parked in front of a hotel.

　　\"Here we are.\" He said softly.

　　Pei knew it was the last chance to refuse. When Earl carried her out of the car, she stared at him silently.

　　\"If it makes you feel better,\" Al said calmly, \"I want to tell you I am as nervous as you are.\"

　　He gently hug and kissed her. She felt as if she had a fever. Earl led her into the room without a word. The wine brought the spiritual and physical excitements. That night, Earl whispered near her ear, \"Is this your first time?\" Pei was too nervous to know how to answer, but nodded. Earl got it, and stroked her hair lovingly. \"I will be gentle.\"

　　The next morning, Pei Li awoke after first feeling such sweet pain, heard Earl said, \"Would you to be my girlfriend?\", near her ear.
　　\"All right\".

　　They hugged each other, and Earl\'s arm was around her as if protecting her, which seemed to be very gentle. She had never experienced happiness like this, and realized she loved him no matter whether he loved her. She was more satisfied that he likes her.