It’s still Wednesday here!!! Here’s a lil chunk of the third chapter of Cannot Say, which I’ve been editing for too long and not making enough progress on.
The moment he turns the corner, he spots them, a compass needle drawn to magnetic north. He almost jogs down the block, preparing his apologies. Slams the button for the crosswalk—like it makes any difference. From across the street, he can see Di Feisheng talking on his phone, his entire body visibly tense with irritation, while Li Lianhua stands next to him, sipping at an enormous luridly green fruit tea with a primordial sludge of pearls and pudding at the bottom. His lips are pursed around the straw, and he keeps looking at Di Feisheng and making stupid faces, trying to get him to laugh on the call. Fang Duobing is struck in that moment by how their life together has simply—gone on without him. They remain somehow, seemingly impossibly, happy together.
When Li Lianhua spots him across the intersection, he smiles at Fang Duobing. Waves, a little wiggle of his fingers. He watches Fang Duobing the entire time, tracking him carefully, as if he might disappear if Li Lianhua looked away.
When he gets close enough that Di Feisheng notices him, Fang Duobing sees the spark of recognition, the twitch of a smile. Di Feisheng says into the phone, switching into English, “Sorry, I have to go. The kid’s here and he’s going to tell us about his day at school, and frankly, I’d rather hear about that. Bye, baobei.” He stabs the button to hang up viciously.
The moment Fang Duobing walks up, Li Lianhua hugs him, his chin settling against Fang Duobing’s shoulder. Li Lianhua lingers a fraction of a second too long like it’s been more than a scant week since he saw Fang Duobing.
As he pulls away, Fang Duobing rubs Li Lianhua’s arm, fond. He wants to hug Di Feisheng, but Di Feisheng wouldn’t like that, so instead he says, “It’s Sunday. Why is Jiao Liqiao calling you?”