𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 ➤ 𝐱𝐢𝐚𝐨

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟔.

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"𝐇𝐄𝐘 𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐑." 𝐈 𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐃 𝐌𝐘 best to keep my voice at a stable level to prevent her from noticing my shaking hands. "could i just sit in a corner for a while?" without asking she nodded her head quickly, then rushed into the back room behind the desk.

as i dragged my feet through the walls of books i felt as though everything was caving in on me, crushing and squeezing me until i couldn't breathe. my chest became heavy again as i began to sway softly from side to side, my head becoming foggy. before my vision blurred fully i felt a pair of arms wrap around me, supporting me incase i collapsed.

"let me walk you." verr's gentle voice rang through my ears. i didn't say anything in response, i just let her guide me through the rest of the bookshelves. after a few seconds she had laid me down in my normal corner, wrapping a blanket around my legs as i hugged my knees to my chest, burying my head in an attempt to block out the world.

i only looked up when i heard a cup being placed down beside me and a familiar book coming into my line of view. "the boar princess?" i muttered. verr simply nodded and crouched down to sit next to me.

"it's the book you read when you came in before. i thought it might cheer you up." she nudged my shoulder, a gentle smile appearing on her lips. i slowly gave her a small smile back, whilst wrapping my arms around her waist to pull her into a hug.

"thank you, verr. for everything.." after a while i released her and she stood up, patting my head, before walking back to the front desk. i took in a deep breath and carefully opened the book that was in my hands.

as my eyes trailed along the pages i didn't notice the figure standing in front of me, their hand on their hip. "where's your boyfriend, bestie?" i almost dropped my book as i shot my gaze up to be met with a pair of brown pigtails.

"hu tao?!" my eyes widened at the sight of her, but she just gave me a wide smile.

"i came here to look at some books about tailoring to get some tips." i noticed a few books piled up in her arms. "i didn't expect to run into you here." her expression faltered slightly as she noticed my blood-shot eyes and tear-stained cheeks. she placed her books down on a small table beside her and looked directly into my eyes.

"y/n. i'm not blind, you don't have to tell me anything but i know you aren't going through the best time right now. it's been a while since we've last seen each other but i consider us friends, and i can always tell when a friend is going through a hard time." she placed her hands on her hips, a gentle look in her eyes. "instead of focusing on what people expect of you, try focusing on what makes you happy. once you figure it out, chase it. chase it until you get it. things likes that don't last forever, so make the most of them before they're gone."

she then gave me a quick wink and a wide smile, grabbing the books she placed earlier back in her arms and spun on her heel. she walked away, turning her head to look at me one more time. "your boyfriend is looking for you by the way! he looked a bit shaken up.." with that she disappeared through the maze of books.

i tried to focus back onto the book i was holding but all i could think about was hu tao's words. chase it until you get it. but..i can't do that. i'm forbidden to disobey my father. my eyes began to sting again, my chest feeling heavy, stopping my ability to breath properly.

"the boar princess? isn't that a kid's book?"

it felt as though a flash of lightning shot through my heart as i saw a familiar hand laying on top of the book, pulling it down to reveal a pair of sad amber eyes. xiao's teal hair fell onto his cheeks, which were stained with tears. i noticed the red mark from my father's hand. i brought my own hand up to his cheek to gently cup his face, being gentle so as not to hurt him more.

more tears fell down my cheeks, as i used my other hand to cover my mouth, muffling my sobs.

"don't cry, sweetheart. i'm here." i felt my body being pulled into a comforting embrace. i tried to pull away but xiao wouldn't loosen his grip around my waist. "i won't let you go."

"why..you got hurt because of me, xiao. why wont you leave me?" my tears began to stain his shirt but his grip only tightened.

"i'll never leave you, y/n, because i love you." i finally received the courage to remove my head from his chest to look him in the eyes. as soon as we made eye contact i felt his lips on mine, creating a gentle rhythm. his hands began to massage my lower back, calming me down until i melted into his arms.

he broke away from the kiss and rested his forehead on mine, smiling widely. i smiled back at him. "i love you too, xiao."

we were suddenly interrupted by clapping and squealing. i peered around xiao's figure to see verr and hu tao jumping around in each other's arms. "you guys are so cute! just get married already!" we all just laughed together, as i felt my worries slip away.

my phone buzzed after a little while, and i reached into my pocket to pick it up. "who is it?" the teal haired boy asked, sitting beside me holding my hand in his.

"my mother." my hand was shaking slightly as i pressed accept and put the phone to my ear.

"y/n? y/n?!" her voice was distressed, causing my heart to almost break. "i'm so glad you're okay." she let out a sigh of relief as i reassured her that i was fine.

the tone of her voice then shifted into a more serious one. "y/n, you have to come home. something has happened."

my eyes widened and i began to feel panicked at her words. "what happened? what's wrong?"

"i cant explain over the phone, please y/n, you have to come home."

with that she hung up, leaving my shaking hand holding my phone. i forced myself up and looked down at xiao with a serious yet worried look in my eyes.

"let's go.."