Love Around the World 07: Guangzhou

A/N - Never been to Guangzhou. Never been to China. But when trying to think of a place starting with G, won't pick Germany as already based a story there (Dresden). Won't pick Greece as I have an idea for a story there later (Xanthi. Trust me, the letter X was not easy.) There are 11 countries starting with G... Ghana, Gabon, Guatemala...

Then cities. Guangzhou, otherwise known as Canton, is by far the largest city starting with the letter G. Could have done Giza in Egypt but... Nah. Never been to Egypt but all I've heard are horror stories of being a tourist in Cairo and elsewhere in the country.

Given the large population of Chinese-Australians, I figured I could do a story based somehow around Guangzhou and make it work. Googling differences between Mandarin and Cantonese, from what I could find, I learned they are not particularly related and can be considered two completely different languages, so knowing Mandarin won't particularly help trying to understand Cantonese.

Previous stories in this series:

Love Around the World - Andorra (Mature)

Love Around the World - Bangkok (Interracial)

Love Around the World - Colombia (Transgender)

Love Around the World - Dresden (Romance)

Love Around the World - Estonia (Group Sex)

Love Around the World - France (Anal)

Australian / British standard English. There is a good chance of reading the following: lots of profanity, characters drinking, typos, and bad grammar at times.

Proofreading and editing suggestions provided by OhDave1. Any mistakes are still mine.

Comments are appreciated as always.

Feedback by email is always welcome. Enjoy chatting with anyone who likes my work.

*****

Best friends finally admit their feelings for each other.

*****

I guess I was thinking of the future not just of myself but of the country when I was trying to decide what to study in university when I was preparing for my last exams at high school. Australia, and in particularly Sydney, had become a true melting pot of cultures while I was growing up. No one could miss the influx of immigrants arriving from across the world; it was obvious that Australia was pivoting away from the old Empire and the Commonwealth and taking note of our position in the world, that of being regionally close to Asia and the billions of people that inhabit that area of the planet.

The high school I attended wasn't a sea of white faces. Most kids were at least second generation, their parents having likely immigrated with their parents, so they grew up in bilingual households. I was at school with children descending from China, Vietnam, India, Sri Lanka and Indonesia, just to name a few.

Given our proximity to China, the fact it was one of our largest trading partners and no-one could miss that it was going to become the regional superpower within a few decades, perhaps not rivalling the United States, but certainly able to throw its weight around, I wasn't the only one thinking that learning to speak Mandarin wouldn't be a bad idea.

Universities across Sydney offered numerous courses based on language and culture. I eventually chose a broad course based on Asian studies, focusing on language, history and culture. I could choose a variety of subjects each semester, ensuring I selected a language course for each one while selecting other courses that would simply interest me at the same time. Plenty of courses on Chinese history and culture, but also Japanese history, Indonesian, Vietnamese, Philippines, Indian...

I had quite a few friends of foreign ancestry but the university campus I attended was something else entirely. And in that sort of environment, it was hard not to suffer from a touch of 'yellow fever'. Definitely not a politically correct term, but it was hard not to be carried away with the number of pretty girls surrounding me each and every day. I was an average-looking white male of around six foot, somewhat broad and kept myself fit, rather dark almost black hair, blue eyes and I guess I was handsome enough. Had no problem dating in high school with a new girlfriend every year, or so it seemed.

Still didn't stop plenty of interest from being thrown my way in return. Whenever I was in a Chinese language class to learn Mandarin, I had a girl of Chinese descent on either side of me to assist me as they were usually fluent in the language, left wondering why they were even in the class. Japanese history? I felt like one of those I think they call weebs as I had them giggling away with some incredibly bad jokes.

I swear I don't watch anime, manga or anything like that!

I wasn't the only one who probably had a switch of interest to a certain type of woman after a year or so of university education. Plenty of Anglo-Saxon men were dating women of Asian extraction. I hadn't really dated anyone during my first year though made plenty of friends, but I soon realised I had a core group of small friends. Three more Anglo-Saxon white guys and six gorgeous girls, all of them of Chinese origin. I had no idea why though one of the girls, with the anglicised name of Cindy, suggested they didn't want to date Chinese men.

Maybe some Asian women had white guy fever or something?

Though I had retained friendships with guys and girls from high school, my best friend at university was easily one of the girls. She called herself Wendy, going so far as to show me her driver's licence, smirking when I asked if that was her birth name, aware many Chinese-Australians were christened with a traditional Chinese name though were happy to be called an anglicised form. A friend at high school was christened Meng but he insisted on being called Michael as one example.

"Mum insisted I have an English name," she told me the first time we introduced ourselves, "I mean, do I sound like a stereotypical Chinese person, Mark?"

"You sound like a true-blue Aussie bogan," I retorted.

That earned a playful slap on the upper arm, but the smile suggested I'd answered correctly. We'd met at a function organised by the university for people to meet, and after that first conversation getting to know each other, we'd been thick as thieves ever since. We were on the same course, doing many of the same subjects together, and we simply relied on each other when it came to studying and completing assignments and the friendship blossomed from there.

Her family was originally from the Guangzhou region in China, and she was fluent in the language of Cantonese. Having been born and raised in Australia, much like her parents, her primary languages were both English and Cantonese, not particularly learning much in the way of Mandarin, explaining the reason why she was in language classes with me.

Our courses were for three years, and our friend group all graduated together before thinking of what to do once we headed out into the workforce. My parents had both graduated from university, yet their careers had little to do with what they studied. I knew learning a language could be a way to open doors when it came to working for some international organisations.

Growing as close as we did, heading out for dinner together earned no raised eyebrows as we simply enjoyed the company of each other. We shared some similar interests. Her parents knew me; I knew her parents. They probably wondered why we weren't dating. She'd dated during our time at university, I'd dated around after that first year.

But our friendship always remained solid. I helped her when left broken-hearted by more than one man. Wendy hadn't been shy in telling me when she thought a girl that I was dating simply wasn't good enough for me. What amused me was that one of the girls I dated was part of our friend group. Thankfully, we realised within a couple of months that we were better friends than partners and parted amicably, keeping the basis of our friendship solid.

"Enjoying the new job?" I asked six months after our graduation.

"At least I'm getting paid," she replied, laughing to herself, "At least work ends when I walk out the door. No more having to study for hours and endless assignments. How's your role?"

"A little boring, to be honest. Knowing the language certainly opened doors, but I think they're struggling to give me enough work though I know my job is safe simply based on my language skills."

She scoffed though smirked at me. "Can't believe a white guy speaks better Mandarin than me!"

"Yes, but you're fluent in Cantonese and I have no idea what you're saying most of the time."

"If only you knew," she teased, resting her hand on mine as she sipped at her wine glass, "Thank you for taking me out tonight, Mark. I really needed it."

"I sensed you were feeling a little out of sorts during our last phone call."

"See, you know me so well."

"You've been the one person I can rely on for the past three years too, Wendy."

"That's what friends are for."

After dinner, we headed out to a couple of pubs for drinks, the conversation flowing naturally as always. It was amusing to look around and see plenty of guys like me on dates with girls like Wendy. I often wondered if we looked like they did. We were out by ourselves as often as we were out with our group of friends. Since leaving university, two of our guy friends had started dating two of the girls in our group.

What I knew was that Wendy was beautiful. Flawless skin. Perhaps around five-two at most. Black hair that she kept rather long though nearly always up in a ponytail. She suffered the vision problems so many seemed to and wore glasses that were perched on her cute little nose, her brown eyes as expressive as any I'd seen. She was rather petite with not the biggest bust in the world, making up for it with a pair of very nice legs.

We both lived in the western suburbs of the city, catching one of the last trains back home and then relying on a taxi from there. We both still lived at home with our parents as affording to live alone was impossible considering the price of rentals, though I had plans to perhaps move in with a friend or two so rent and bills could be split.

The taxi stopped outside Wendy's home first, getting out to walk her to the front door. Her parents kept the light on for her safety. "Thank you for tonight, Mark. It meant so much to me," she said softly, turning and resting a hand on my chest.

"Got to look after my best friend."

"I'm more of a best friend than Mike is?"

"Definitely. You look far prettier on my arm, at least."

Sharing a tight hug, I felt her relax against me, head against my chest as she sighed softly to herself. Caressing her back, the moment was broken by the taxi driver beeping his horn. We shared a glance and chuckled, watching her eyes close as I caressed her cheek. I knew there was a line in our relationship we couldn't broach. I dared not consider anything more than what we shared as I hated the thought of losing her if it went wrong.

"Call me tomorrow?" she whispered.

"I'll call you when I wake up."

Kissing her cheek, we enjoyed one last hug before I let her go, walking towards the taxi as I heard the screen door open, checking she was safely inside before I got into the passenger seat of the car. Waking up the next morning, I read the message that had arrived, Wendy's very sweet message earning me a smile. I knew she wasn't dating anyone and did spend much of her free time with me and our friends. Hoped I wasn't interfering in her meeting someone.

Having headed straight to university after high school, we'd all worked part-time jobs from time to time, but living at home certainly helped us save some money. That first year of employment seemed to fly by, and apart from perhaps an occasional day here and there as a holiday, none of us had an extended break heading into Christmas.

Gathering together one evening a week or so before Christmas, Mike was the one to suggest that perhaps we should head off together for a holiday. He was dating Cindy by now, and it was obvious the pair was deeply in love with each other. Rather sweet to see. He was the only person who would occasionally pull me aside and suggest I should really make things official with Wendy.

"Have you slept together?" he asked one night over a beer.

"No," I replied bluntly. I didn't like discussing my sex life at the best of times.

"Why the hell not? You're clearly into each other."

"We're just good friends," I insisted.

"Bullshit. You know it. I know it. Wendy knows it. Cindy knows how much you like her. And Wendy... Mate, her interest in you... Surely you're not that oblivious..."

"We like each other a lot. I'm not stupid. But I don't want to ruin our friendship."

That made him snort. "Please, the only thing that's going to happen if you two end up together is that you'll be married and starting a family by the time you're both twenty-five."

Back to that night just before Christmas, it was almost a tradition by now, even though we'd only been a friend group for a few years. We'd book a table in a nice restaurant, buy each other gifts, catch up on each other's lives if we hadn't seen each other in a while, and it was always a great time spent together. Wendy took my breath away when she waltzed in wearing what I knew was a traditional dress, a glorious red with yellow patterns, tight to her body, leaving her arms bare, highlighting her pert little bottom and flowing all the way to her feet. I almost staggered to my feet to greet her, dazzling me with a smile as she noticed my reaction.

"I take it you approve of my cheongsam?" she asked with a giggle.

"Wendy... You're fucking gorgeous."

That earned a soft kiss on my lips. That was something we rarely did. A kiss on the forehead or the cheek was okay. A kiss on the lips... "You look as handsome as ever," she replied, running her hand up my arm to my shoulder, "You've been working out."

Running my hands down to her lower back, we gazed at each other in silence until Cindy cleared her throat. "You know we're waiting here, Wendy!"

Wendy would always sit next to me on a night out. The only other woman in our group who I knew might have nursed a little crush on me was Linda though Mike had assured me that she was aware of Wendy's obvious feelings and would never do anything to hurt her friend. Anyway, Linda was apparently dating someone casually.

"You know we really need to take a holiday," John stated during dinner, "We've all studied our arses off then headed straight into the workforce. I haven't been away since a family thing when I was sixteen."

"Shit, I can't remember my last holiday," I admitted, "Most Christmas holidays were spent at home as the parents needed to work."

"I've had one major holiday," Cindy stated, "Naturally, we went back to China. My grandparents want to see our extended family."

Mike cleared his throat. "Well, you see, John and I have been talking and that's what we were going to suggest. We know you girls all have Chinese heritage. None of these white boys have been to China before so... Well, we were going to suggest that we head there sometime next year."

"You're serious?" Cindy asked, such a loving smile on her face as she turned to her boyfriend, "You'd go with us there?"

"Of course. It's where your family comes from and..."

He couldn't finish his sentence as Cindy laid such a kiss on him, even I started to blush as I felt Wendy take my hand, locking our fingers together. When I glanced at her, her eyes were only for me. "What do you think?" I had to ask.

"I'd love to go away with you anywhere. Don't care when. Don't care for how long."

We ended the night with an agreement that we'd look into the best time to travel, where we should go, who we should fly with, and the budget we'd need to do all of it somewhat comfortably. Christmas Day was spent with the family, Mum and Dad, my younger sisters, aunts, uncles and grandparents. I knew Wendy celebrated Christmas as it was far from just a religious event in Australia.

The best present of the day was her knocking on our front door as we were sitting down for lunch. I had no idea until Mum walked into the dining room with Wendy on her arm. "And here is my surprise for my son," Mum stated, a beaming smile on her face.

Considering the warmth, Wendy was dressed comfortably in a string vest and a pair of shorts with flip-flops on her feet, but even dressed casually, she still caused my heart to stop. Hugging her tightly, I didn't hear a word mentioned before my father cleared his throat and suggested everyone was hungry.

After finishing our meal, we wandered out hand in hand to the backyard, taking a seat in one of the comfortable armchairs as Wendy settled down on my lap, resting her head against my shoulder.

"Thanks for coming," I finally stated.

"Your mother invited me. Well, she actually spoke to my mother, and they readily agreed that I should be here with you."

Pulling her a little tighter, I felt her hand on my chest as I slowly caressed her side. We must have sat in contented silence for nearly an hour, the umbrella keeping the worst of the heat away. My sisters eventually wandered out, glancing to see them both in bikinis and jumping into the pool though they'd soon have suncream on and would be doing their best to top up their tans.

"You bring anything for a swim?"

"I always bring a bikini when I come and visit as we always end up in the pool if it's warm."

We quickly headed inside to get changed, slipping on a pair of swimming shorts and grabbing us both a towel. I was waiting outside for her when she walked out in such a tiny bikini, I couldn't stop the wave of arousal that washed over me. It was pure white, and I was left wondering if it would end up showing the parts I couldn't see.

After ensuring we were safe from the sun with cream on parts of our bodies, we slid into the pool and cooled off. Wendy was friendly with my sisters, the pair chatting away with her as I enjoyed the cold water. My sisters eventually got out and laid on their towels on the lawn as Wendy paddled over to where I was leaning against the side.

"Any ideas for the new year?"

"Mike's suggesting that we just go to his place. I think things are moving quickly with Cindy. They're talking about living together."

Wendy laughed. "Please, they've been in love with each other since like day three. Just took them a while to figure out how it would work. They'll be married in a short time. Mike's smitten and Cindy tells me every time we talk how much she loves him."

"Mike's a great guy."

Wendy stayed until late in the night, neither of us drinking much so I could easily drive her home. Could have walked but it was too hot for that even that late at night. Walking her to her front door, holding hands like always, we turned to face each other, discussing our plans leading up to the new year.

"We should travel in late October next year," she suggested, "Gives us plenty of time to save and plan, and Mum said it's the best time to visit. The other best time is around April, but that's probably not enough time to get everything organised."

"October works for me. Already told my bosses that I would like to take some holiday time next year. Considering I've taken barely anything this year, they know I'll have a little time saved up."

"Anywhere you'd like to go?"

"Well, apart from where your family is from, I'm thinking we start north and head south. Fly into Beijing?"

"Ugh, they're going to wonder what's going on that the man I'm travelling with speaks Mandarin better than the Chinese-looking girl."

"They've got great high-speed rail so thinking south to Nanjing and Shanghai. I'm sure there are cities between them that are interesting."