Chapter 6: Still Here

Here we are, standing in the elevator of my apartment building. I can't believe there is a guy standing next to me who is actually going to stay with me for a few days. Liang wanted to see some of the sights in Simerica and wanted to stay with me for a little while. Oh my berry, things are crazy right now. He's even sort of cute. I feel like a schoolgirl right now with her crush standing next to her. I don't know if I have a crush on Liang or not, but I keep thinking I want to kiss him. I've never been kissed. Don't tell me you're surprised by that.

"Well, Liang, this is my apartment. That door over there is the bathroom. Make yourself at home. We can take turns sleeping on the couch so that one of us can always have a good night sleep."

"Thank you, Nubby, for showing me around and letting me stay in your home."

Oh my berry, he is still being so nice. In the back of my mind, I always thought he was going to come with me, go sightseeing, and then make up some excuse for why he needed to stay at a hotel. Yes, I have trust issues. That's just what happens when you have a face like mine. People just aren't nice to you.

I laughed to myself as Liang ate his waffles with the pair of chopsticks he bought from Chinatown. I kept asking him if he wanted a fork, but he declined every time. Tomorrow we were going to go clothes shopping. Liang wanted to get some clothes that were more Simerican, as he put it.

After he finished his waffles he started working out to the Fitness Channel on the television. I wasn't quite sure what to think about this considering my abysmal physical fitness routine. He was nice, right? So he wouldn't push me into getting more fit? A girl can hope.

I was getting rather sleepy so I told Liang I wanted to go to bed. He was really sweet and he turned off the television since the bed was in the same room, choosing to go play chess instead. I hope he never leaves. He's my friend now. Oh dear, that sounded creepy. I don't know how to do this. I'm glad he's here, maybe that sounds better.

When I woke up, Liang was sleeping on the couch. He looked so peaceful, I had thought about waking him up and letting him know he could use the bed, but I didn't want to disturb him.

Liang woke up and went into the kitchen. There was a small traffic jam when I went to the refrigerator as he was trying to use the stove. I sighed because my fat ass got in the way again. Liang started singing while he was cooking the mac and cheese. I had no idea what he was talking about. I wondered if he would eat his pasta with chopsticks again.

After we had eaten, I took Liang to the store so he could check out some new clothes. We rode the subway and he was very intrigued that we didn't use bicycles to go everywhere. He agreed that it seemed to be faster to use the subway than a bicycle. He also was very impressed with the elevator in my building because of course, he was used to climbing eighty bajillion stairs everywhere he went. The nighttime lights seemed to be distracting him like a girl seeing a shiny object. He was very cute.

Liang made a funny face when we went up to the mirror. I don't know if he was just being silly because there was a mirror there, but it made me laugh.

"Tell me, Nubby, how do I dress like a Simerican?"

I went and picked out some clothes for him that I thought would look good on any guy. He tried them on and the result was very nice.

I picked out a t-shirt with a zip up jacket and some shorts. He looked excited to be wearing new clothes.

"Oh Nubby! I look like the Simericans I saw on the subway! These will be so fun to take home with me!"

My heart sank just a little bit because even though I knew Liang was just here for a few days, and I was by no means in love with him or anything like that, I did enjoy his company. I wondered if there could be anything more between us.

I picked out another outfit from the rack, it was a pair of hip jeans and a sexy suit jacket, shirt, and tie. When Liang put them on, my jaw dropped. He was hot. I guess it is true, put a man in a suit and his hotness level goes up by at least double.

I wanted to show Liang some of the nightlife in Bridgeport, but it was the wrong time, so I took him to the Bridgeport Sell n' Swap since it was next door to the clothing store. We found a couch and sat and talked.

"What do you do for money, Nubby?"

"I write books."

"Really? That is nice."

"Yeah, that's why I was in China. My publisher wanted me to bring a copy of my book to China."

"Nubby? I am glad you visited China."

Liang and I were both getting tired so we headed back to my apartment. It was my turn on the couch. I had almost fallen asleep when I heard the smoke detector go off. No, don't leave me, Liang. That was the first thing I thought. I peeked over the top of the couch and saw this. Good boy. Liang was extinguishing the fire.

After the fire, Liang must have been feeling hot because he went and got some ice cream to eat. At least he ate that with normal utensils. Liang laughed and told me they have spoons in China, just not normally forks. I told him he could have the bed tonight and resumed my place on the couch.

We both got up when it was still dark so I asked him to watch the stars with me. I got stuck in the elevator door again, but instead of laughing at me, Liang rushed over to help me pry the doors open. I still fell on my face, but he helped me up. When we got outside, I accidentally touched his hand. Crap. Now what do I do?