Chongyun
I want to smack that asshole in the head for taking so long. I know that he had basketball practice, but he should be done by now. I have been waiting here for an hour already.
I'm starting to regret this. I should've just gone along with others instead and not bothered to convince that jerk. However, I just want to pinpoint something because what he said on the phone call doesn't make sense.
•Flashback•
"Xi, are you done yet?" I asked.
We're at the library because he has another novel to write. I can just read books, but I'm not in the mood for it.
He chuckled and kissed my forehead. "Silly. Not yet."
I groaned. "Can you do that later after we have a date?"
"How I wish! But we can't have a date today." His answer made me pout.
"What? Why not?"
"Venti texted me that we will celebrate his birthday at Dawn Winery. I also have to finish a chapter before that happens," he explained.
"By 'we', does that include the others?"
He nodded his head. "Yes. Now that reminds me. Yun, can you inform the others about the party?"
"Sure."
It shocked me when he suddenly grabbed my collar and kissed me on the lips. I blushed, and he giggled at my reaction.
"What was that for?"
He smiled and responded, "My Yun is just too cute."
My cheeks feel hotter than before. I stood up from my chair and informed him that I had to make a phone call outside.
At the same time, cool the heat from my body. That almost gave me a heart attack. Anyway, I dialed Xiao first.
Xiao
What?
I rolled my eyes when this jerk didn't even bother to say hello.
Chongyun
Hey. What are you up to later?
Xiao
Training.
Chongyun
How about after that?
Xiao
Rest. Why?
Chongyun
Venti invited us to celebrate his birthday at Dawn Winery. Want to come?
He became silent. I guess that's a no.
Xiao
Will Aether be there?
Now, this is unusual. I know that he doesn't like parties or any intimate get-togethers because he hates crowds, but he will always be there when Aether is around.
However, it surprised me that he asked that question first. It's usually me who does that because it's actually a power move, especially when he doesn't want to go with us. It was obvious that he likes Aether, but he was just too dense to realize his own feelings.
Chongyun
I haven't asked him yet. But I know he will. So, will you go?
Xiao
No.
Did my ears hear that correctly? He doesn't want to go? Now, this is more interesting.
Chongyun
What? But Aether will be there.
Xiao
And? I'm not going. I want to rest.
Am I calling the right person? Did that asshole get possessed or something?
Chongyun
But—
He didn't even let me finish my sentence because he suddenly hung up on me. That jerk!
• End of flashback •
If my hunch was right, Aether's the reason why he doesn't want to go. I have seen him avoid Aether, but this time it feels different. What's going on with these two?
My attention was diverted when a familiar person walked towards the car. I immediately ran up to him. "Asshole! What took you so long?"
I know that he is annoyed, but he doesn't have to show it on his face. "I know what you're after, and it's not going to happen, so leave me alone."
"I will only leave if you state the reason why."
He walked past me and put his bag in the car. "I already did when you called me."
I quickly blocked his way with my hand when he was about to go inside the car. "Remove it," he said and glared at me.
You think a glare will scare me off? Yes. My little soul almost left my body. But I didn't run away, which may or may not be a bad decision.
"No. Not until you answer my question."
He clicked his tongue and closed the door. "Okay. What is it?"
"I want you to be honest. Is Aether the reason why you don't want to come?"
He didn't give me a reply, but the answer was already obvious when he had a troubled look on his face. Bingo! My hunch was right.
"So, what happened?"
He sighed and leaned his back against the car. "I don't want to talk about it."
I moved beside him and scratched the back of my head. I think I know what's going on. I never expected to act as Cupid in my life, not until now.
"I know that you're the type of person who doesn't like to share, but what you really need is just to realize, dude."
I noticed that he gritted his teeth and clenched his fist. "Fuck that! I'm so tired of hearing the same word all over again. Can't you just tell me what it is? I can't have peace of mind from thinking about what to realize."
To be frank with you, that scared the shit out of me. I never thought that he would actually get pissed off by what I said.
But wait. Did he just say that he's tired of hearing the same word? Does that mean that someone already gave him a piece of advice? And this asshole still hasn't got it? Wow. I had never met someone this dense before.
I rubbed my temples. "If there's an award for being the densest man in the world, that would be you."
He rolled his eyes and sarcastically replied, "How wonderful."
"Did Aether confess to you?"
His face became red. He immediately covered his cheeks to hide his blush. "How did you know?"
"It's really obvious because I had the same reaction as you, except that I'm not as dumb as you are."
He glared at me and raised his middle finger. "Die."
"Face the truth, man because it amazed me that you still haven't realized your feelings for Aether."
He widened his eyes and looked at me. "My feelings?"
I sighed. "Let me ask you: how did you react when he confessed to you?"
He bit his lip and mumbled, "Mixed emotions."
"Picture this. How will you react if the both of you hang out together?" I just realized that I sounded like a psychologist right now.
"I'm cool with it."
"Okay. How about when he hangs out with a guy who likes him?"
He became silent, then answered, "I don't care as long as Aether had fun."
I bit my lip to hold my laughter because he's obviously jealous. His eyes looked like they wanted to murder someone.
"Now for the moment of truth. Do you get aroused by him?"
I smirked when he coughed and turned red. "You do, don't you?"
"N-no!"
And he still had the guts to lie about it. "Quit denying it, man."
He groaned and defeatedly replied, "Fine! I do."
It was hilarious to see that his alter ego was defeated. "How often you get aroused by him?"
Of course, he remained silent. But his blushing made me assume that he gets aroused every day.
"Answer my question if you want to know the answer to your problem."
"Shit. You're blackmailing me." Bet right I am.
I wickedly grinned. "I'm not. I'm just helping you."
He curled his hand into a fist and muttered, "Very often."
I slapped his back and laughed. I never thought that would actually work. It's a rare sight to see him being honest. It seems that he really is desperate to know, even though the answer was already obvious from the start.
"Shut up," he said.
I rolled my eyes. "Are you sure you only see him as your best friend?"
"I don't know." It's hard to believe that he got a perfect score in every test.
"So, you haven't actually considered that you might like Aether?"
It startled me when he hiccupped. I guess that he finally understood it.
"Are you so shocked that you started to have hiccups?"
He blushed and zoomed down, then wrapped his hands around his knees. "I tried considering it. But I ran away because I didn't know any of these new emotions. I was okay with what we had, despite what I feel, but a part of me doesn't want to."
Aether really is his soft spot. I didn't know he could hold his honesty this long. It also amazed me that he had an expressive side. He usually limits his words.
"But what do you want?"
His ears went red and mumbled, "I want to stay by his side. I want to make him happy."
My smile turned into a grin. It turned out that his heart is not completely made of stone. "Xiao, what you said sounds like a proposal, which means that you really do like him."
He groaned. "I'm a dumbass. It took me that long to realize."
"So, does that mean you will come to the party?"
He sighed. "Do I have a choice? I'm pretty sure you will force me either way. Besides, I want to tell him how I feel."
"Don't worry. I will support you as your wingman. Phew! It's good to know that I still have a ride."
He raised an eyebrow. "Who said that I would be your chaffeur?"
"Wow. Is this how you reward people for helping you?"
He rolled his eyes and opened the door. "Ladies first, Elsa," he teased, which made me glare at him in reply.
We drove off, heading towards the tavern. It wasn't that far, so we didn't waste a lot of time. We went inside the bar, and it was in complete chaos.
•••••
Author's Note:
Scenario: When Xiao realized his feelings.
Us: