The Wish From Heaven | ✓

side-stories | dale; alex

Dale's Love

"What are you doing?" he asks.

"Maths," Dale replies.

The finals of the National Maths Olympiad was postponed by two days due to a question leakage in the secondary level. Hence, Dale had to find a hotel to stay in temporarily, as it felt like too much of a bother to return home and come back again. He was more than fine about not seeing his parents' faces for a few days, but the same doesn't go about his boyfriend. Right now, Dale is holding his phone on his right hand and running his pen with his left.

"Of course," Aster replies from the other side. "It's not like you'd be thinking of me. . ."

"Why would I be thinking of you?" Dale is pretty sure that right now, Maths should be the only thing in his mind.

"I was joking, sweetie."

"Oh."

A sigh is heard on the other side. It makes Dale slightly nervous. He must have made another mistake to disappoint him again. "I'm sorry," Dale says.

"Hmmmm? Nopes. Saying sorry about small things isn't cute at all, dear Dale." Dale hears a dog bark in the background. "See? Chlorine agrees with me."

"Okay." Dale notes it down in his mental notebook. He would think twice and decide whether the matter is small or big first before apologizing from now on. He also notes down the name of the third pet Aster has ever mentioned about. Dale has met Bromine and heard about Iodine before. Dale realizes they are named after the first trio of chemicals elements, Law of Triads, by a scientist whose name he could never quite remember.

"Dale-dale?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you talking to me while solving some complicated calculus problems?"

"Yes."

"Pfft." Aster clicks his tongue. "Okay, time to put down your pen for some time, sweet cheeto."

"Okay." Dale notes down another new nickname for himself in his mind, so that he knows that he is the one being called when Aster shouts "Sweet Cheeto, over here!" in the cafeteria.

"Now, take a breath."

Confused, Dale says, "I am breathing already."

"I mean, take deeeep, loooong, freeeesh breath."

"Okay." Dale does so. However, the pressure being created on his chest due to inhaling a lot of air at once doesn't feel too great. He wonders why Aster told him to do it, but doesn't ask.

"Done?" Aster asks.

"Yeah."

"Good. So are you nervous about tomorrow?"

"Yeah."

"On a scale of one to hundred, how confident are you about getting in top 3?"

"Zero."

"Pffftt. Umm, let's see." Silence on the other side. Dale can hear Aster's breathing, which is strangely comforting. He still can't figure out the exact reason behind these small comforts from small things, but he is sure that someday he will.