NEW LIFE : A SECOND CHANCE

As Xing Han sat there glaring at the still laughing Kyle, the waiter came over with several hot, moist face towels. He placed them on the table beside Xing Han and asked him for his order.

"Another latte for that stupid fool there," Xing Han replied, "Iced lemon tea and blueberry cheesecake for me."

"Very good, Sir," he said and went off.

Kyle wiped his eyes, "Sorry about that. How did you know that I had latte anyway?"

Xing Han licked his lips and replied, "How do you think?!"

Kyle really hadn't expected that from Xing Han, especially after thinking of such heavy stuff earlier. He had, uncharacteristically, listened intently at Xing Han for the 'problem' that Xing Han had identified. Kyle had been racking his brain, thinking of what was it that he could have possibly missed.

So, when Xing Han said that ... he just couldn't help it.

Kyle apologized again but one couldn't really sense the sincerity since he was still grinning like a fool.

Xing Han pouted, giving him another glare as he used the face towels to wipe off the stickiness on his face. The clothes were ruined, of course, for the stain would not be easily removed. Not that he cared but it was still a hassle.

"Luckily I have a spare change of clothes," Xing Han muttered.

Kyle raised his eyebrows, "If you didn't have any in that backpack of yours, I'd be very worried. After all, that's your entire luggage."

For convenience, they only had carry-on luggage as they didn't want to waste time waiting for their bags to come out. It was a blessing in disguise, really, as canceling the tickets was made easier. Otherwise, the airlines would have had to have a delay in unloading their bags from the plane.

"I was planning to buy my outfits later on," Xing Han explained, "Why fill up the bag with clothes when you can put junk food in it?!"

Kyle sighed.

He really should have checked Xing Han's bag.

Then again, Xing Han's a grown boy, right? But he was such a baby at times. It's times like these that Mum Kylie rears its head that Kyle finds it difficult to quash. He knew he had to learn - the Jason incident when Kay was nearly r*ped taught him that. They weren't his kids so he should seriously let them be more independent.

Manipula - no, guiding them is fine.

Doing things for them, however, is not.

Kyle scratched his head. It didn't help that Xing Han was like a baby at times, so it raised the maternal instinct within him. He had to keep telling himself not to do these things for him - or nag him about it.

He remembered how it was with his own son. No matter how many times he had nagged, those clothes still got strewn on the floor. The laundry basket was right there yet, the clothes were not. In the end, he ended up doing it instead.

It was damn hard, though.

The next day, Lucka and Edward arrived.

Kyle and Xing Han were at the resting area in the Exclusive First Class Lounge, so they headed straight there. The place was really deserted and it was only Kyle and Xing Han in the entire place.

It really was under-utilised.

Xing Han was truly excited upon seeing them.

"Lucka! Edward!!" he shouted as he bounced over to them.

Then, he screeched to a halt.

"OMG! Lucka!!! You've put on weight! And Edward! You've gone blond!!" Xing Han said excitedly.

He went around them, looking at them from top to bottom and front to back.

"Wow," Xing Han said, "You guys look so different when you're not in a suit."

Xing Han looked at them closely.

Lucka had indeed put on weight - not much, but it was still noticeable. He wasn't wearing anything fancy. His hair was short, but he had a rather wavy top and his hair was slightly brownish. He was in a slightly baggy T-shirt and jeans, with sneakers. He had on a cap and was wearing these round-rimmed glasses which reminded Xing Han of Harry Potter. He even had freckles on his face!

Edward was more simply dressed. He had gone blond, his hair peeking out from the beanie cap that he was wearing. He had on these sunglasses that filled half his face, and was wearing a turtle neck sweater with jeans. His sport shoes finished the ensemble.

Lucka and Edward basically ignored Xing Han's incessant chatter and was very serious when facing Kyle. No matter how many times Kyle told them to relax, they wouldn't - or couldn't - in front of him. Thus, they stood there, a bit stiffly, as they did a little bow to Kyle and then, reluctantly, to Xing Han.

"Sir," they said in unison.

"Let's go back to the room," Kyle said, getting up, "It's big enough to accommodate all four of us and the attached bathroom makes it easier as well."

Once inside, Lucka put his bag on Xing Han's bed while Edward put his bag on Kyle's bed.

Xing Han was practically jumping about and asking, "So! So! Just what do you have for me? What am I going to be?"

Lucka looked at him, pointed at himself then at Xing Han, "We're going to be each other."

"What? Really?" Xing Han gasped, "But you don't look anything like me and vice versa."

"The face isn't important at this stage," Lucka answered, taking out a make-up kit, "They saw us coming in so they know we're here and they also know that both of you haven't come out yet."

"Urgh. No way," Xing Han replied, "How come they're so persistent?"

"How come?" asked Lucka in surprise, "You're really asking that?"

"Er, yeah?" Xing Han said.

Lucka and Edward looked at each other, then answered in unison, "Because it's Kyle."

As if that explained everything.

Xing Han just stared at them.

No. This cannot be. Looking at how serious those two were, Xing Han suddenly felt his BFF position was in jeopardy.

Xing Han started studying the two in front of him, pursing his lips. They stared unflinchingly back at him, their eyes clear.

Kyle, who was at the side, rolled his eyes and whacked Xing Han at the back of his head.

"What the heck are you thinking right now?" Kyle asked, not really expecting an answer, "Just get on with the disguise already."

Xing Han watched in amazement as the Lucka who had gained weight took off the clothes he was wearing. Underneath, he had some sort of padding on.

"What - " Xing Han began.

"Well, Lucka is supposed to be you, right," Kyle said, his mouth twitching, "There is no way he would be able to pass off as you with his lean and fit physique."

Xing Han glared (yet again) at Kyle and he quickly took off his shirt, to stand next to Lucka.

"Look! Look!!" Xing Han said, pointing at his bare chest and then at Lucka's 'chubby' suit, "In what way am I like that?!"

Xing Han made several poses - hands on hips, flexing his muscles and twirling around ...

"This, baby, is a bundle of cuteness and suppressed power," Xing Han declared then pointed at Lucka, "That, however, is just flab."

Kyle, Lucka and Edward looked at Xing Han who continued strutting about like a peacock, showing off his magnificence. While Lucka and Edward were just looking with amazement, Kyle just laughed.

"Okay, fine," Kyle replied, pinching Xing Han's sides, "This is obviously a bundle of cuteness."

"It's fine that you know it," Xing Han said, his face giving this 'all-know-it' look.

Kyle then turned to Lucka and Edward who was as serious as ever. They had been chosen as they were the two who were the same height as Xing Han and Kyle respectively. They already knew what they had to do once Kay had told them that Kyle and Xing Han needed disguises. Thus, they came prepared.

The plan was simple. Lucka and Edward had already donned the disguises that Xing Han and Kyle were supposed to have so that it would not be strange to have unknowns exit the First Class Lounge suddenly. After all, those people had been camping regularly out there and the 'reports' on the site were very accurate.

"Alright, shall we get this show on the road?" Kyle said as he started taking off his shirt, revealing the muscular physique that belied someone of his age. He went to sit down on the chair, while Edward was busy mixing something in a small pestle bowl.

No matter how many times Xing Han saw Kyle when he's shirtless, he was still amazed by it.

He looked at Kyle, then at himself. He patted his stomach. It had gone down considerably, but it was still far from the vision in front of him. Then he looked at Lucka who was in that chubby suit and he frowned.

Nope. No way. He did not look like that.