I woke up the next day with light streaming through my window hitting my eyes directly, I groan and reach for Lu Guang but I didn't fell any warmth, I sit up and rub my eyes, I saw a small sticky note on the pillow next to mine.
Sorry, I had to wake up and go to work, I prepared breakfast for you, your favourite, liangban tofu :) I also packed a lunch for you to bring to uni, it's in the fridge, good luck with your exam and come to the shop after you're done. I love you xxx
- Your Gunag Guang
I smile at the note and changed into a set of clothes walking out into the kitchen, I saw a small bowl of cold tofu with a strainer above it to keep the flies away from it, I lift it off seeing the bowl with a spoon next to it, I lift the spoon and saw about to scoop the silken skin when I glanced at the clock, "Ahh~-. AHHH!" I give myself a double take and it was 7:50, I scramble out of my chair and slip on my floorboards and fall on my forehead, I hiss in pain, holding my forehead, I slide in front of my fridge and saw the lunchbox Lu Guang made for me, cramming it into my tote bag, I slide my shoes on and hop out of the door, "Crap, crap, crap." My test was in twenty minutes and it takes me half an hour to forty minutes to get to university. I sprint past Time Photo Studio, "Hey! Where are you going!" I heard Cheng Xiaoshi yell after me, "I'm late! I'm so late!" I scream and don't stop, not batting an eyelash, "Argh!" I felt someone grab my hood, I slowly turn around and saw Lu Guang looking at me, "Lemme go! I need to go, I'll be late!" I try to run but he held my feet above the ground so I couldn't reach it, "I'll drive you." He ducks into the shop again and grabs his keys, "Oh you're a life saver Guang Guang." I hold my heart, "Don't call me that when he's around." He cups his hand over my mouth as Cheng Xiaoshi snickers, "Shut up." I pull Cheng Xiaoshi's ear and he cries in pain.
I sipped on my bottle of water with my feet propped up on the seat, "Why'd you wake up so late?" Lu Guang had his eyes on the road, "I dunno, it just happened, I'm sorry I didn't get to eat the breakfast you made for me." I look at him, "It's alright, did you get to eat something, that's what matters to me most." He rests his hand on my knee, I look at the time on his watch 8:10, "I'm gonna be late, I'm not prepared, I'm gonna fail." I started to have a small panic attack, I started hyperventilating and I felt tears trying to fall down, I rub my eyes frantically with my arm, "I'm scared, I'm so scared." I couldn't help but breathe deeply and more intensely, "Shhhh..." I look to the side and saw Lu Guang with his eyes still glued on the road but he intertwined his fingers with mine, "You'll do great, even if you don't do amazing, if you do your best, I'll still be proud as ever. You've studied so hard for it." He wiped my eyes, "We're almost there, I want you calm down and take some slow breaths. Take breaths in with I squeeze your hand and exhale when I ease." I feel him squeeze my hand, I finally began to slow my breathing and calmed myself down, my stomach hurt and I felt nervous all over, "You'll be perfect." We drove up to school, many people were walking into the gates, I look at his watch 8:12, "See I told you I'd get you to school on time. Just remember, take it slow." He says, I unclip my seatbelt and lean over, pecking his lips, "I'll come by to the shop after, yeah?" I open the door, he nods, "I can always get a helping hand in developing photoes, besides, I love doing it with you, when we're in the darkroom together and just in each other's silence, it's comforting." He smiles faintly, "Shut up." I flick my hand through his hair and close the door, he waves as I walk into the gates.
"Oh my God." I lean back in my chair after the teacher collected my paper, I look at my friend and she leans her cheek on her hand staring at me, "Tell me about it, I feel like I've aged twenty years." She jokes, I laugh and the class was dismissed, I stretch my arms up and I felt all my knuckles crack and some of my spine as well, "Ahh~ That felt good." I smile on content as I let all the stress leave my body, "How do you think you went?" Xiuying asks, "Okay, the questions weren't bad but I don't know how well I answered them." I frown, "Do you want to hang out, go to the cafe?" She asks as we leave the gates, "Sorry, I'm meeting up with my boyfriend at his work." I apologise, "Lu Guang? Doesn't he work at that photo shop?" She asks, I nod, Lu Guang, Qiao Ling and Cheng Xiaoshi all did a short university course and graduated last year however I still had to be in school for another three years, "Next time, I promise." I say as we got to the bus stop.
"I'm back." I open the door, "Oh, Xu Ye, how was the test?" Qiao Ling walks from behind the counter, "It was okay I guess, the questions weren't too bad." I flop onto the couch, "Where are the boys?" I look around, "They went upstairs, they're on some new mission to find out the special ingredient for some noodles or something. They just went upstairs." She says, "Oh, I'll go say hi. I'll be a second." I walk upstairs, "Cheng Xiaoshi? Lu Guang?" I poke my head into the room and I saw Cheng Xiaoshi lightly punching Guang Guang's face, "I'll scratch your handsome face!" He does it again, "Childish." Lu Guang pushes his hand off, "Xu Ye." Lu Guang perks up at my voice, "How was the test?" He asks, "It was okay, tired through." I sit on his lap and rest on his shoulder, Cheng Xiaoshi was about to 'punch' him again but Lu Guang held his hand out, "You're rock, I'm paper. You lose, game over." He says and puts his hand down, Cheng Xiaoshi and I laugh, "You're more childish than Cheng Xiaoshi." I stand up, "I'll go to the bathroom, then I'll tell you all about my test, are you boys ready to hear." I turn around.
I wash my hands and walk back into the room, I saw Lu Guang with his eyes closed, "Where did Cheng Xiaoshi go? I didn't take that long did I?" I look around, "He just left to go get some food, I don't think he'll be back though for a while." Guang Guang opens his eyes, "What's wrong, are you tired? You should get some rest." I try to push him down onto the couch but he wouldn't budge, "What's wrong, why... why are you acting so distant." I finally truthfully bring up, his eyes widen, "I don't mean to, it's just there are things on my mind, I-." He was about to say something before closing his eyes again and dipped his head down slightly, "Sorry to be a bother." I leave without saying another word, I felt him grab my wrist but his eyes were still closed, "Oi, let me go. I need to go study," I try to twist my hand out, "I know that you don't have any exams or assessments for the next two weeks. I'm sorry, just give me two seconds." He opens his eyes, I sigh and sit back down, I yelp when he pulls me into his lap, "Tell me, how was your exam?" He asks truthfully, I smile and felt my eyes light up as I began rambling like an excited child, he smiles at the way my eyes light up explaining how I thought I went.
Before I knew it I was asleep in his lap, I faintly felt someone lifting me up and climbing up the bunk bed and placing me on the bed before climbing in with me, "So, any progress on finding the recipe?" I heard Lu Guang talk to himself he was sitting in bed with his back up against the bed frame, "What are you mumbling about, go to bed." I wrap my arms around his waist and pull my body onto his lap still half asleep, "Local people dry it and grind it into a powder to use as seasoning. Your assertion would be right." Lu Guang was scrolling through his phone with his other hand running through my hair, "And because it's a folk recipe few people know that." He turns his phone off and lays it down, "Go to sleep now," He whispers and kisses my head, "I never know you were so romantic." I could have sworn I heard Cheng Xiaoshi's voice faintly, "Shut up before I never tell you what to do." Lu Guang mumbles angrily as he hugs me tight, "Why do you keep mumbling, go to bed Guang Guang, it's late." I turn around nad bury my nose into his shirt, "Yeah Guang Guang, it's late." I heard a snicker, "Oh shit, what do I say, Lu Guang, help!" I heard a faint voice, "What is that, it's so annoying." I mumble and slowly begin to regain consciousness burying myself deeper, Lu Guang was silent and holds me tighter, "Shhh, let's go to sleep." He closes his eyes,
The next day Qiao Ling and I were putting on facemasks to congratulate me for finishing my exam, we were having a self care day, "Try my copy, Bowl of the Male Dormitory! What does it taste like?" We hear Cheng Xiaoshi in the next room, "If you dare change the photo shop into a noodle shop, I'll leave right now." We hear Lu Guang, "Nobody can leave before the debt is paid off." Qiao Ling and I walk in, "Oh, yummy." I see two bowls of noodles, "Thank you~" I take one bowl and walk back into our room, "Yo, noodles." Qiao Ling takes the other bowl and follows me, "Hey! What about us!" Cheng Xiaoshi calls after us, "Make more then!" I yell before closing the door.
