14 days with my love

Hello Storytime readers, I am back with chapter two of " 14 days with my love". Be sure to enjoy part two as much or even more as part one. As you might recall in chapter one Clara arrives in Beijing to meet her lover Michael. On her first day there he introduces her to some of his friends. In chapter two Clara gets to meet his family. I'll keep these stories coming as long as my creative fuel keeps the engine in my mind running. But I won't keep you excited for too long. Without further ado here is chapter 2.

                            Chapter 2: " Meeting the family"

As the first rays of sun touched Clara her face she woke up. It was a new day and a new morning in a foreign country. She stretched her arms out and looked beside her. Michael wasn't there, so she decided to go looking for him in this big penthouse. A few moments later she found him in the kitchen. " Goodmorning love, I am making breakfast for us." " Michael it smells delicious, thank you." she gave him a kiss on his cheek. " Don't I get one on the lips?" " Let me go take a shower first." Clara heads to the bathroom and takes her time to get ready. She walks into a beautiful marble closet and selects a colorful but comfortable yellow dress for the day. There is a big round mirror in the closet area and a powder station that she uses to apply light makeup. After she finishes she joins Michael for breakfast. " What do you want to do today? " " I would love to see more of Beijing!" " Great then I'll arrange for some activities. How about we leave in an hour? Then I'll take you shopping first" " That would be perfect, maybe you can help me find some souvenirs to take back home for my family and friends?" " That won't be all too difficult to arrange. There are many good things that you can find here. What did you think of the breakfast?" " I loved it, thank you very much for spoiling me. Is this a Beijing recipe?" The steam buns is a recipe that I received from my mother, the dumplings and porridge are my grandmother's recipe and the pancakes are compliments of a google search." " You are a great cook! Your family must really like being in the kitchen." " You could say that I remember growing up, every Sunday we would cook together as a family. It was a tradition my grandmother started with her children and my mother made sure that the tradition was carried on. Now that I think back of those times, those were some of the happy moments in my childhood." " They seem to be very nice, could you tell me a little bit more about your family before I get the chance to meet them? " " Of course, because I can't wait for you to meet them." " I hope they will like me." " Clara, I know they will like you. If they don't that wouldn't change anything. Because for me you still are the love of my life." Clara felt her heart skip a beat as Michael said these words. " You make me glow," she said as she leaned in to give him a passionate kiss.  " Thank you for the magical kiss darling, now let me tell you a bit more about my family. I am the youngest of four. I have three sisters, the eldest is named Li Jing.  She runs a fashion designer company in Shanghai. But she comes to visit my mother at least once a month in Beijing. She isn't married yet and is more focused on running her business. My mother's second daughter her name is Li Mei and she lives right here in Beijing. She is married to my brother-in-law Zhang. Together they have two children. Li Mei owns a flower shop and cafe with her husband. Then you have Li Na, my eccentric sister. She is a lot of fun to be around, she is a popular actress and model. Right now she is the main star of a popular local series. She recently signed a contract with them for the next three years."  Michael grabs his phone and shows Clara a picture of him and his three sisters. " You guys all have the same face and of course all of you look so cute together in this picture." " Thank you, this picture was made last year during Li Na her birthday. Look in this one Li Mei, had gotten cake all over Li Na her face." He kept swiping along as he showed Clara more pictures of Li Na her birthday party that was held in the cafe that his other sister Li Mei owned. Michael kept sharing more stories about his mother who worked hard to raise and educate her children.  She divorced Micheal his father when he was only three years old. Apparently Michael his father had taken interest in a younger woman and left his family for this woman. Her name was Lanfen and she was now Michael's stepmother. Michael still has contact with his father, but they don't really share a close bond with each other. " Look at the time, I have to get ready. Wait for me here, Bao will be waiting for us as well.  And you forgot to open this last night, so you can open it while waiting for me". Before Clara could even get one word out Michael sprinted off towards the master bathroom as he quickly handed her the gift package that she saw laying on his bed last night. He really tried to make her feel special in a romantic way. But for her, it wasn't about the gifts and the flowers. Those were only a bonus. The way Michael would make her feel was what she loved the most about him. When she was around him she didn't feel alone. Before she met him, it wouldn't matter if she was surrounded by a hundred people or not. She would still feel alone and misunderstood. Now for the first time in her life, she had met someone who could understand her and make her feel special. Someone she could relate to and share all her love with. She looked down at the neatly wrapped gift box Michael gave her. She carefully opened the box in it there was a beautiful golden bracelet alongside a key card. There was also a note attached to the box. Clara read the text that said; " I am happy to have you here with me. The keycard belongs to the penthouse. I hope that you enjoy every day that you spend with me here. Looking forward to the many happy memories that we will make together, love Michael". Clara smiled as she read the text. Suddenly she gets distracted by the ringing of her phone. She looks at her phone and sees her sister's caller i.d., she picks up the phone. 

The moment the phone call is connected she immediately heard Jessica complain. " Why haven't you called us yet? I've been trying to reach you for a couple of hours now." " I am sorry I slept in a little bit since we went out till late last night. You haven't forgotten that it's a 15 hour time difference right?" " No, I haven't forgotten about that but we were so worried about you." " I spoke to mum yesterday, she knows I arrived well." " And, tell me everything? How is Michael and is he treating you well?" Clara continues the conversation with her sister for at least another 30 minutes. Convinced that she had reassured Jessica not to worry about her she told her that she would call her again tomorrow. For they had to leave as Michael was going to bring her shopping. " Get me something nice as well." " Will do !" after she hung up Michael joined her. " We have to leave in 15 minutes are you ready?" " Yes I am, I just spoke to my sister Jessica." " What did she say?" " She was worried about me, and she says I should be careful. But I told her not to worry about a thing and that I would talk to her about it." " I can understand it, your family doesn't know me. My family was as worried about me as well when I was in Denver with you. Would it make her feel better if I spoke to her tomorrow as well?" " I think it would, she would love that. I'll send her a message to let her know that we will be video calling her tomorrow". She was clearly excited and Michael thought that she looked really cute when she was excited about something. He gave her a big warm hug and held her close to his heart. " I love to see you happy". She smiled at him: " well, in that case, let's have a fun day together and I'll be very happy. As long as I have you by my side I am happy. Thank you for the lovely gift, you didn't have to. But I still appreciate it, just like I appreciate you. Ten minutes later they were standing outside of the hotel where Bao awaited them. " Good afternoon Bao, how are you today?" Bao stood beside the car door that he opened for her. " I am doing fine Madame, thank you for asking and how are you doing today?" " I am doing great and I feel happy to be here in Beijing." " That's wonderful, I hope you visit many times more". She stepped into the car and took a seat right next to Michael. As Bao took place behind the steering wheel she continued the conversation. She looked at Michael; " Bao I think my heart would definitely bring me back to Beijing. I've already fallen in love with many things in Beijing." As she said this she let out a smile. Michael immediately caught on and held her hand." " Bao could you drop us off at the mall, Clara and I are going shopping. I'll give you a call to let you know when and where you can pick us up". " As you wish boss". As they drove towards the mall Clara admired the scenery outside. " I never knew Beijing is so beautiful". " It really is, and you have barely seen anything. It's just your first day here. Tomorrow I am taking you to see the great wall of China. If you don't visit the great wall of China, you haven't seen Beijing at all".  They spent the entire afternoon shopping. Michael took her to different shopping streets as well. She found a lot of great gifts to bring back home for her friends and family. She also managed to find some cute outfits for herself as well. They tried different street foods. Everything she tasted was delicious. But some of the other food items that she saw the vendors sell were a bit out of her daring range. The streets of Beijing were busy and full of life. She made lots of pictures with Michael because she knew that these would be the memories that she would treasure forever. Some of the pictures that she took she sent to her sister Jessica and her mother. Both of them were glad to see Clara having a good time. Bao picked them up at a Bubble tea cafe. " Where are we heading to right now?" " We are going to my sister her shop. I told her that I was spending the day with you to show you Beijing. She insisted that I take you to her shop as well. I hope you don't mind, she is just really excited to meet you". " I don't mind, I am actually happy to know that your family is eager to get to know me as well". " Bao could you drop us off at Li Mei, and when you return to the hotel could you have our parcels taken up to the penthouse?" Bao looked at Michael through the rearview mirror " It will be arranged sir". " Thank you, Bao, I know I can always count on you". They arrive in a street filled with brand outlets for luxury shopping. "This street seems to be even busier then the other streets we visited today". " That's because this is a famous street for high-end shoppers and tourists in Beijing". Suddenly the car stops, " We have arrived," Michael says to her. Bao opens the door on her side and as she steps out the first thing she notices is a big red sign above a little modern shop. On it is the text " Happy roses" and some more words that Clara couldn't read since she wasn't familiar with the language. She walks behind Michael as he entered the shop. A bell rang when he opened the door. As she stepped into the shop she smelled a sweet nectar-like aroma that was spread all over the shop.  There were displays of beautiful bouquets spread out in the shop. The decoration was rustic, and the buddha statues combined with the flowers gave this shop a calming atmosphere.  A young lady walked towards them " Miss Li Mei will be with you shortly, can I get you anything while you are waiting?" " Thank you, Jiang, this is Clara, my girlfriend". " Nice to meet you, Clara". Clara blushed because this was the first time that she heard Michael refer to her as his girlfriend. " Nice to meet you as well Jiang". " Can I get you guys anything while you are waiting?" " A glass of champagne would be fine for me". " Would you like anything as well Clara?" " I'll have a glass of champagne as well Jiang." " Very well I'll be with you in a moment". As Jiang took off to arrange the glasses of champagne they waited on a couch that was centered in the middle of the shop". " Your sister has a real talent, I love her flower arrangements". " Thank you" a soft voice replies. They turn their heads and Clara sees a beautiful slim woman standing in front of her. " Li Mei" Michael says as he gets up to give his sister a hug. " This is my girlfriend Clara, and Clara this is my sister Li Mei". " Well Michael since she has excellent taste and loves my work I can already tell you found a good one". " I do really love your bouquets. Do you make them on your own?" " My work is my art, each of the flowers I use is handpicked and carefully sorted by growers from all over Asia. I like to use the best of the best since my clients deserve that. Fortunately for me, they also have the budget to be able to afford me" she says as she lets out a smile. " I am sorry to have kept you waiting, I was busy with a client who is getting married next week. You should see the work I do for weddings. Maybe one day I could decorate for your wedding with Michael." " Already looking for new clients, sister? I thought the business was going well for you."" Very funny, business is going well but a sister can only dream of the day she can create floral art for her younger brother's wedding. And since we are family, I wouldn't charge you the full price." " Don't worry if I do get married in Beijing I'll surely hire you for my decorations." said Clara. "I already like her, Clara would you mind joining me and my family for dinner?"  " I would love to" Clara replied. Great then we'll head to my place the kids are already waiting for us. Zhang is making arrangements for dinner. We will have to leave right now if we wish to be on time."

An hour later they arrive at Li Mei her house. She has a beautiful house filled with elements of nature. " I love your house". " Thank you, Zhang and I bought this house shortly after we got married. At that time we got it for a steal." Li Mei walks towards her dining area while they follow her. Two boys run towards Michael " Uncle Michael, what did you bring us?". One of them immediately jumps into Michael his arms and the other grabs a hold of his leg. "Boys behave!". " But mummy," they all said in a disagreeing tone. " We have a guest so be nice. Clara this is my oldest son Bingwen he is 8 years old and this is my youngest son Huan who is five years old." The two boys let go of Michael and walk towards Clara. " Nice to meet you Bingwen and Huan. Your children are so cute Li Mei." " They are cute but they can be very naughty. Boys, did you already freshen up for dinner?" The youngest one nods his head in agreement. " Are you sure you aren't lying?". He nods his head again. " Do you want me to ask daddy?". Suddenly the little boy his facial expression changed. His entire reaction confirmed that his mother caught him. " I thought so, now don't be naughty and go freshen up".  The boys run off to take a shower. Li Mei turns towards Michael and Clara. " Boys will be boys, you guys can have a seat in the living room for a moment. Excuse me I'm going to help Zhang set up dinner." " Do you need any help?". " That's nice of you to offer Clara, but you are my guest. The boys will be back shortly and then you guys will surely have your hands full with them. We'll have dinner ready in 30 minutes." Before Clara could insist even further Li Mei had already left. Clara took a seat next to Michael on a comfortable big red sofa that was in the middle of the living area. " What do you think?" Michael asked her as he grabbed hold of her hand. " I think your sister is really nice and talented. I already like her." " I am glad to see you guys getting along, I can already tell that she likes you as well." They continued talking to each other until Bingwen and Huan showed up. Clara could immediately notice that the boys were very close and attached to their uncle. Bingwen leaned into Michael's ear and asked him who the pretty woman was. Michael told him that she was his girlfriend. The boy looked strangely at Clara and smiled. Huan jumped into the conversation and asked " Is she going to be my new aunty?". Before Michael could give an answer a short man showed up in the living room.  " Boys, what are you up to?". " We are getting to know our new aunty daddy". Zhang walked towards Michael and Clara, he looked at Clara and said: " So you're Michael's girlfriend? Nice to meet you I am Zhang, his brother in law." " It's nice to meet you as well, I've heard so much about you." Clara answered as she gave Zhang a friendly handshake. " I've heard a lot about you as well Clara, welcome to Beijing. How do you like it so far?" " I love it, but most of all I love being here with Michael". " I am glad you like it here, you guys look great together. And for what it's worth I know Michael is happy to finally have you here with him as well. Now, I've been cooking away for more than two hours. The food is finally ready, shall we all head to the dining room before my patient wife hangs me?" They all laugh at the joke that Zhang made. " My dear sister is known for being very patient" Michael says to Clara in a sarcastic tone. They head towards the dining table where Li Mei is already waiting for them . " This looks and smells amazing!" Clara says out loud. Li Mei answers: " It tastes even better than it looks. You should try a little bit of everything. My husband loves to cook, and to my luck, he is a great cook as well." Zhang smiles and immediately answers "Thank you, honey, even though I am trying to be modest. " The table is filled with different kinds of food, snacks, and dessert. " You really went all out Zhang, thank you for the effort. I want to thank you and Li Mei as well for having me as your guests." "It wasn't too much work at all Clara, as my lovely wife pointed out I do enjoy being in the kitchen. Growing up my family owned a noodle shop. That's where I learned to cook. I gained years of experience in that kitchen. But my best experience there was the day I met Li Mei." " How did you guys meet?" Clara asked. Zhang looked at his wife " Do you want to tell the story honey or should I?". Li Mei answered: " Since you brought it up, you might as well finish the story darling". " Li Mei was still in school and her school wasn't too far away from my parents their noodle shop. One day she came into the shop and ordered ramen for herself and her friends. Since we were short on hands that day I had to help my family with bussing the tables. The moment I saw her grumpy face, I knew she was the one. " "Grumpy face?" Clara asked. " I had gotten a bad grade that day and I had gotten into trouble with one of my professors. So I wasn't in a good mood." " How did you guys start talking?" " I kept making jokes to get her to laugh but she wouldn't let out a single smile. But when she ordered a coffee I must have gotten so nervous and distracted by her beauty that I didn't pay attention and bumped into an old man who was about to leave. The hot coffee spilled all over me as I fell to the ground. That was the moment she laughed. I should have known by then that if we got married she would laugh at my misery" Zhang said jokingly. " After I pulled myself together I asked her for her number before she left with her friends. She agreed, and we started dating. That's how it all started for us." The conversation continued for the rest of the evening. Clara enjoyed herself and had a great time getting to know Michael his family. She even got along well with the boys. As the night ended and they were about to leave Li Mei told Clara that she was happy to have her as a guest and that she should visit them as often as she likes. " I will, thank you for the hospitality" Clara gave Li Mei a hug. " I hope to see you Saturday, my mother is having a dinner party specially arranged for you". " Michael did tell me about that, I am looking forward to it". " You are like a sister to me now, stay safe and if you ever need anything from me you know where to find me".  Zhang gave Clara a strong handshake, the boys each gave her a hug. Back at the penthouse Clara immediately took a shower while Michael made them some coffee. " I am tired, but I  had fun with you and your wonderful family". " Li Mei is certainly under your impression". " Yes I can easily bond with her, she reminds me of my sister Jessica". They cuddled on the couch for a while as they enjoyed their coffee. They spent hours talking to each other while they shared intimate kisses. " I love you" Clara whispers. " I love you even more" Michael answers.  After that, they headed for bed since Michael said that they had to get up early the next day. Before Clara fell asleep she kept thinking about how she hadn't missed home for a single moment that she was here.

Keep an eye out for chapter 3. Hit the subscribe button so you won't miss any new stories on Storytime.  Until the next episode of 14 days with my love.