Ming's POV

I was totally caught off guard by the feel of Kit's lips against mine.

I would have wanted it to go on and on if not for the loud protest that came from Kit's father.

I got scared and pulled away from Kit's closeness.

Kit looked very upset but I did not blame him.

He pulled his dad to a far corner of the grounds while I watched anxiously as a heated argument seemed to be going on between father and son.

I felt someone touch my elbow gently. It was Kit's mom.

"Ming," she said, "don't you worry about a thing. It will all blow over. Kit always manages to get his dad to see things his way."

"I hope so, I really hope so, Mrs. Intochar," I said gloomily.

"Oh, just call me Mom," said Mrs. Intochar with a gentle smile, "I do believe that I will be seeing more of you in the near future."

"Thank you, Mom," I said, warming up quickly to Kit's mom.

After a while I saw Kit's dad stomping away through an exit which I guessed led to a back door of the house.

Kit walked back towards me looking visibly upset.

"Are you in trouble with your dad?" I asked anxiously when he reached me.

"Don't worry, Ming," I heard him say as he led me to the bar that had been set up beside the pool, "Dad just needs to get used to our closeness. He's very old fashioned and very traditional and does not approve of public displays of affection."

I wanted to confront him with 'oh, okay... so that was just some affection that you had shown me, okay.....'

"Don't worry Kit, Ming," Mrs. Intochar spoke up, looking from her son to me. We did not realize that she had followed us to the bar. "I am going to remind him of his younger days when he used to see his girlfriend in secret against his father's wishes, then maybe he will soften up."

"Was that secret girlfriend you, Mom?" Kit asked.

"No, Kit, it was some other woman whom his father did not approve of," said Mrs. Intochar.

She was looking intently at me when she said those words, which made me wonder why.

"Wow," said Kit and myself at the same time.

"Thank you for the info, Mom," again Kit and I spoke the same words at the same time.

Kit turned and looked at me curiously.

"Oh, I told Ming to call me Mom," Mrs. Intochar hastened to enlighten Kit.

"I'm not complaining," Kit said happily, his dimples showing.

Kit spoke again. "Mom, really, thank you for letting me know a secret from Dad's past. I will be able to use that as a leverage from when I ... " he stopped abruptly, blushing furiously.

"From when you what?" his mom prompted him.

"Nothing, Mom," said Kit, looking away.

I decided to help out his mom.

"Kit, answer your mom! Don't you know it is disrespectful to ignore your parents when they're asking you a question?"

Without a warning, Kit pushed me into the pool. The force was so strong that I almost hit the bottom of the pool. 

I quickly swam upward, gasping for air and shivering in my wet clothes as I climbed out of the water.

Kit was on his knees, grabbing at my wet pants.

"I'm so sorry!!! I'm so very, very sorry, Ming! I don't know what came over me!"

"Okay," I said pulling him up to his feet, "as long as you promise never to mention the banana walnut cakes again."

"I promise! I sincerely promise, Ming!" I could see the fervent contrition on Kit's face.

Kit's mom grabbed him. "Bring Ming inside the house and give him a change of clothes."

"I will," said Kit, quickly grabbing my wrist.

He led me to a room which he said was a room reserved for him for whenever he came to visit. The real guest room, he said, was located at the far end of the hallway.

There was a bathroom inside his room. Kit suggested that I take a shower first while he rummaged through his set of drawers to see if he could find any clothes that would fit me.

"Okay," I said, stepping inside the bathroom and shedding off my clothes and dropping them into a clothes bin.

Fortunately I had brought a satchel with me and had placed my phone and wallet in there and had set it down on a chair by the pool before I got pushed in, so my phone escaped from getting wet.

After my shower I dried myself with one of the towels that had been neatly folded on a rack. I tied the towel around my waist before stepping out of the bathroom.

Kit turned around from his set of drawers when he heard the bathroom door opening.

He stared at me, transfixed, his mouth slightly open, the white t-shirt and blue denims slipping from his grasp and dropping in slow motion to the floor.