Peace

Chapter 14: Love

Win regains his consciousness when he feels hot breath fanning at his nape. His thoughts are instantly awake in high definition. He flutters his eyes open to the faint light of the sun that is penetrating through the curtained window in the room. He tries to move his body, but someone is holding him back. Bright. The older man is holding him tightly in his arms. Bright's chest is glued to his back, leaving no space at all between them.

Suddenly, what happened last night slips into his mind. Maybe he fell asleep while crying and Bright carried him up to their bedroom. Imagine the burden that he had to put up with. The familiar echo comes ringing again. He breathes in and out a few times.

After a few moments, he removes Bright's arms from him, careful not to wake him up. He can't help but observe his calm demeanor while he is asleep. He looks untroubled and so perfect. Win slides his gaze away from the man once he feels his heart beat faster than usual. The digital clock on the nightstand shows five minutes past seven in the morning. Today, he has a class at 9 o'clock.

Win gets up and plants his feet on the floor. He hisses at the coldness that creeps into his bones without any warning. Ignoring his sleepiness, the younger man grabs his towel and enters the bathroom to shower. It is a long shower-enough for him to stare into space and think about everything that has happened. Is he not good enough for Bright? Is his boyfriend tired of him? Are they moving too fast? Is he at fault for everything? He is, isn't he?

He only gets out of the bathroom when his body starts to shiver from the cold water. He rushes to the closet to take his uniform. It's the usual uniform for university students, white button-up shirt with a pair of black trousers and a black tie. Looking at his reflection in the mirror is the hardest thing to do. He shakily breathes out and quickly styles his hair to look at least a little decent.

Win slips his wallet into the back pocket of his trousers and his phone into the front pocket. Then he grabs his backpack before going downstairs. He knows Bright has work today at di Luca, so he prepares breakfast for him. He grills sausages, fries two eggs, and pops a small bowl of baked beans inside the microwave to heat it up. He puts the food onto a plate after he's done and places it on the coffee table in the living room with a cup of black coffee without sugar for Bright.

The young man is contemplating whether to wake Bright up or just leave the house without telling him. In the middle of thinking, he notices Ame and Charlotte, who have just woken up from their sleep. "Hey, girls. Are you hungry?" He talks to them. A small smile appears on his exhausted looking face. Win feeds the pets with their respective food and washes his hands clean afterwards, since he just patted Ame's head.

Win walks to the front door. His hand is about to touch the knob when he feels like retreating. He clicks his tongue in disbelief because no matter what, his heart will always say Bright's name. He tosses his backpack on the sofa and strides to their bedroom. Bright is still sleeping soundly on the bed. He goes to his side and kneels on the floor. "P'Bai, wake up," he places his hand on Bright's chest.

Bright groans in his sleep. His hand unconsciously moves up to touch his hand that is still resting on his chest. Electric current jolts through Win for a split second. "P'Bai," he tries again. This time, the older man shifts his body and turns on his side to face him. The moment after that happens in a slow motion to Win's sight. Bright opens his eyes and shoots him a lopsided grin. His big eyes are dazzling so beautifully. It makes him forget about everything else.

"Good morning, Prince," Bright murmurs with his low and husky voice.

Win quickly comes to his senses and clears his throat. "Good morning. I have to go now," he tells his boyfriend, avoiding his eye contact. Bright is still trapping his hand on his chest with both of his hands. "P'Bai, let me go," he pleads.