As if Yang Limei felt her stare, her identical blue eyes met Yang Lixue's misty ones as they both turned towards her direction.
Yu Shen smiled happily as soon as he saw her, and he pulled Yang Lixue into a hug. She didn't return it.
She flinched, her wide blue eyes focusing on his face, "Hey, beautiful."
Yu Shen signed, a soft smile on his face. His dark, warm brown eyes twinkled with what Yang Lixue could only term as affection.
"Have you been waiting here for long? I'm sorry, I had to make sure Limei found the place too " Yu Shen signed again, his sharp features softening with an apologetic look.
Yang Limei chose that moment to come between them both, pulling Yang Lixue into a hug, before returning to Yu Shen's side.
Her hands curled around his muscular arms and Yang Lixue's eyes followed the movement.
"Hi sis, you have your hearing aids on so you can hear me right?, I'm still no good at this signing stuff. " she blinked with an innocent look in her eyes. A look she and Yang Lixue knew was clearly false.
Yang Lixue nodded for her sister to continue, she could only faintly hear with the aids, and that was if she strained her ears very well, it might result in a migraine later in the night but at the moment, she needed to know what was going on.
Why was Yang Limei here with her best friend, she knew it wasn't because their birthday was today. For years, Yang Limei and Yang Lixue celebrated their birthdays separately, while Yang Limei partied with loads of friends and people, Yang Lixue spent her time with only Yu Shen.
So what changed?
" We're going to spend today together, after all Yu Shen and I got together last night. And as my boyfriend, it is only normal that he spends my birthday with me. But since you both had plans before, you're welcome to join the date. Right sweetheart?" she looked towards Yu Shen who gave her a nod, with an indulgent smile on his face.
Yang Lixue's hands trembled, and hot tears threatened to spill from her eyes. Her quiet demeanor didn't go unnoticed by Yu Shen, his expression softened, and the corners of his mouth crinkled into a gentle smile as he signed to her calmly.
" I'm sorry I didn't tell you about the change of plans earlier, I wanted to tell you in person that I have a girlfriend now, we were supposed to tell you tomorrow but Limei said it would make more sense if we told you over dinner today and celebrated your birthdays together"
His eyes remained locked on her. It was the way he gazed at her, the soft intensity in his eyes that always made her feel as though he liked her, so how come he got together with Yang Limei?
Yang Lixue closed her eyes and took a deep breath, feeling panic begin to bubble in her stomach.
Her eyes darted back to Yu Shen, who was watching her in curiosity. He raised one brow, the unspoken question obvious. "What's on your mind?" he signed.
She didn't reply, her eyes staring at her twin who also stared back at her unflinching.
Yu Shen's brow knitted, concern momentarily flickering across his features. "What's wrong?" he signed again.
Yang Lixue took a deep breath and steadied herself. "I need to tell you something," she signed, her hands moving more slowly than they normally did, the weight of her feelings forcing her to pause.
He nodded for her to continue.
"I've been meaning to tell you for years now, and I decided to tell you today because my dear sister over here encouraged me that today would be the perfect day." she continued her eyes staring into his.
Her chest was tight and every nerve in her body was telling her to stop but she pressed on.
"I love you."
The faint crackle of thunder could be heard from a distance, Yu Shen's face changed, the warmth in his eyes fading as he knit his brows together. His body went tense, and the gentle smile he had on his lips before was erased completely.
" What are you saying to me in the presence of my girlfriend Yang Lixue? " he signed cautiously.
But Yang Lixue didn't bother with him anymore, she faced Yang Limei who looked between them both with an innocent expression.
"Why did you do this?, You knew for years that I liked him, and you came to my room a month ago advising me to confess my feelings to him today. The whole month, I gathered my courage and planned meticulously for today to be perfect only for you to show up here flaunting a new relationship with him in my face. What have I ever done to you to deserve this?
I knew that ever since we were kids we have never been close despite being twins, we lived in different worlds, and different lives.
There have always been times when you make sure to take things that I liked and wanted because you spoke out faster than I could type, and you charmed everyone with your smile while I kept quiet without a choice, but you've stooped so low today Yang Limei" she croaked out, her voice small. She rarely spoke out. In fact, this would be the first time her sister would hear her voice in a while, and the shock of hearing her talk was evident in both Yang Limei's and Yu Shen's faces.
Yang Limei maintained an innocent expression as she spoke.
"What are you saying sister, I didn't do anything on purpose." she sniffed, eyes quickly tearing up.
" I knew you liked him, still yet I became his girlfriend, and I take the blame for that I'm sorry. But since Seth and I like each other, I believed as my sister you would understand and give your blessings, I really didn't mean to hurt you."
Her fists were clenched and her face pinched together in an aggrieved expression. Anyone passing by at the moment would immediately believe she was being wronged. Yu Shen immediately pulled her into his arms, missing the slight smirk Yang Limei sent to Yang Lixuei as she hid in his arms.
Yang Lixue's breath caught in her throat.
Finally, Yu Shen exhaled facing Yang Lixue, his shoulders sagging slightly as he met her eyes.
His hands moved slowly, each gesture careful and considerate.
"You shouldn't have said that, Lixue," he signs, looking grim.
An instant of sinking despair tightened Yang Lixue's heart, the sharp sting of rejection piercing her deeply.
She blinked, trying to stop the tears that were threatening to flow. "Why not, she didn't deny it did she?" she signs, with fast, frantic movements, the question tinged with pain.
Yu Shen's jaw clenched and his hands froze for an instant, before answering.
" She didn't mean to hurt you. ," he signed, his expression hardening. "Moreover, I care about you, however I have no interest in being in a relationship with you. The person I've always liked is Limei and I confessed to her on prom night. Although she rejected me, she told me when we got together that it was only because she wasn't sure of her feelings until a month ago, and now we're dating. "
The details and timing felt calculated, and Yang Lixue had a feeling that Yang Limei planned it all on purpose. This wasn't the first time her sister would plot against her since they were kids, even though she had no idea why.
But Yang Lixue didn't dwell on those details, her focus was on Yu Shen at the moment.
" But I thought you at least felt something for me, the other day you kissed my forehead and told me that I was the only special person in your life. I thought maybe you were scared to confess your feelings so I did instead."
His face revealed a slight panic at her words, before they hardened.
"There are no extra feelings to my interactions with you, I was just being kind.
Each word was a slap in the face, cutting clean through the carefully constructed hopes she had spun.
Yang Lixue's hands shook as she signed back, her movements frantic. "Is that all it was? Just kindness? All those holding hands, all those kisses, the dates and late-night calls for years — was nothing?"
Yu Shen's eyes narrowed, his face becoming colder. "You see only what you want to see," he signed, his gestures sharp and clipped. "I've said it before—I'm not in love with you, I only did it all out of pity"
His word washed over her like a tidal wave, leaving her to gasp for breath. Her hands fell, fingers gripping the bracelet on her wrist.
Pity… he felt nothing but pity for her.
"I'm sorry," he signed, his gestures slower now, as though he were trying to soften the blow. "I love you, but not in the way you hoped. You deserve a person who can provide what you want — what you deserve. But that's not me."
He moved away suddenly, holding Yang Limei's hand in his. Yang Lixue stared at them both, her eyes brimming with tears.
"My driver will take you home," he said as he did not bother to sign for her to see.
"Goodbye, Lixue."
"But she never even heard his goodbye. "
And just like that, he was gone. He entered the restaurant with Yang Limei, not even sparing her another glance.
Yang Lixue stood outside the restaurant, his words pressing down on her like a thousand-pound weight.
Her body was silently wracked with tears,
She hated how bitter his words made her feel, she tightened her fingers around the bracelet on her wrist:
She was just a pity project. A naive girl who confused kindness with love. How could she have been so stupid ? so blind.
She balled her hands into fists, fingernails digging into her palms, as she fought against the wave of self-hatred wanting to swallow her whole.
Thunder crackled, and the sky rumbled as fat drops of rain fell without further warning, soaking her from head to toe.
Yang Lixue stood outside in the rain, the bracelet around her wrist felt heavy, like a cruel reminder of the love she had lost—or maybe she had never had it in the first place.