-15- Yibo wants to wait
Yibo and Zhan had watched a movie together and then thought about what they could do next. Because both of them didn't feel like seeing another movie, at least for now. After some back and forth thinking, Yibo suddenly said, "Why can't we just be childish for once today?"
"What do you mean?" Zhan wondered, confused.
"Well, we could make a cave out of blankets and lie down in this cave. In there, we could turn on an audio book or tell each other stories. Like when we were kids."
"Well, I never did that when I was a kid. I wouldn't have enjoyed it alone either. My sister always had other interests than me, and my parents didn't have time for that sort of thing. And we rarely were allowed to invite friends into our home."
"It's about time ZhanZhan. Let's make up for what you missed as a kid. Just let out our inner child and have fun."
"Mmm, okay, let's do that." And the two of them started moving the seating around the living room, getting lots of blankets and attaching them to the big heavy bookshelves. Yibo put a thick blanket on the floor and a clothesline stretched from one wall to the other made sure they had enough room for two in their " cave ".
As the two of them lay comfortably in their cave, with a small string of lights for illumination and some snacks, Zhan asked, "Tell me, why did you have the rings with you?"
"I bought them, because I thought they were beautiful. They are couple rings and I discovered them by chance when I was looking for some new shoes on the internet. At first I was annoyed that there was so much jewelry on the site. But then I saw the couple rings and immediately put them into the shopping basket. They were already delivered the following day, but I am still waiting for the shoes. Anyway, for three days I have always had the rings with me and I have only waited for a moment like today to put a ring on your finger. I know they're not engagement rings, but they still mean we belong together." Explained Yibo.
" These are really nice rings and you really surprised me with it today."
"I'm glad you like it. And I hope you won't take off your ring. At least not until I slip a real engagement ring on your finger."
Zhan leaned over to Yibo and kissed him on the forehead. Yibo smiled and put his arms around Zhan. "There's something I need to tell you, Bunny."
"What is it?"
"Well, even though I've been pushing an incredible speed with everything so far. So I still want to wait with the next step. I would like to save this for our wedding night. Not that I wouldn't want to eat you up right now. But I think that if we wait, our wedding will be even more important and I'll be proving that I not only respect you, but also how serious I am about you."
"I like your thinking, and I think we can wait." Zhan replied calmly.
"However, you should know that now more than ever, I want to move forward with the wedding. I don't want to wait a year to get married."
"Why are you in such a hurry Yibo?
"Let me explain it to you. I have waited 25 years for you to come into my life. When all my friends fell in love for the first time, I always wondered when the person who was meant for me would come into my life. All I knew was that this person would definitely be a man. But not who it is or when I will finally meet him. After waiting 25 years for you, I don't mind waiting a few more months. But I don't want to wait a whole year to marry you and have you all mine. Sure, for you I may be just a crazy lifeguard, but that crazy guy loved you from the first moment he met you and he has no intention of letting you go again. I don't want to go all the way and get to know you. I want to marry you and get to know you. Isn't it anyway that you don't really get to know someone until you're married?"
"Wow, I never expected to hear you say those words. You really seem to have given it some thought."
"Mhm, even though I seem to act without thinking, it's quite different. When I saw you come through the entrance, I knew you were the man I had been waiting for so long. And to make sure that no one could come before me, I had to hurry. I just had to make sure that you kept me in your head."
"You did it, Yibo. But look, in my 26 years, I've never met anyone like you, who can turn my world upside down like this in one day. It takes two to love. And you have made me not only see you, but fall hopelessly in love with you."
"Is this true, ZhanZhan?"
"Mm. I can' t even read without thinking about you all the time. Maybe I was just like you and I was just always waiting for the person who was meant for me."
"Right now I feel like I can fly ZhanZhan."
"Let's plan together from now on and work on our future together."
"Let's do that, Bunny. Just as long as you don't leave me."
Zhan wouldn't have expected a conversation like this. But even less would he have thought that Yibo wanted to wait. Everything since Zhan met the lifeguard went so fast, he could barely keep up. But when Yibo told him that he wanted to wait and why, he felt a little relief. Not that he had planned to wait forever for the next step. But the thought that they were waiting until the wedding night was a relief for him and gave him the time he might need to be ready for the next step.
"I love you, Wang Yibo. And I have no intention of leaving you."
Yibo looked deep into Zhan's eyes for a moment and replied, "And I love you Xiao Zhan. And I love you like crazy. I can't wait until I can finally marry you and spend the rest of our lives together."
Zhan gave Yibo a long and deep kiss before he put his head on Yibo's chest and the two of them listened to the audio play, which sounded through the speakers of the stereo system. But they didn't hear much of it, because they fell asleep together in their cave.
And when Zhan started dreaming, he dreamt of his grandfather. He was sitting in his bookstore and waving Zhan to him. Zhan hurriedly ran to him, hugged him and told him how much he missed his grandfather. They sat down at a table in the shop and drank a sweet Yasmin tea together. In the dream, everything looked exactly the same as in his memory.
The sun's rays shone through the big shop window and shone on the crystal that was on one of the shelves. And the crystal passed on the light of the sun and many shines in different colors illuminated the small bookstore.
Zhan, looked out of the shop window at himself in his childlike form. The little boy Zhan waited on the sidewalk with a book in his hand. He had just learned to read and was waiting for his parents to come and pick him up. And while he waited, another boy joined him. He stood beside Zhan and had a big piece of watermelon in his hand. He was maybe a few inches shorter than Zhan and had the juice of the watermelon all around his mouth.
The boy Zhan smiled, pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the boy's mouth with it. The boy laughed and held the watermelon out to him. "Want some?" He asked Zhan. Zhan nodded, put the book in his small backpack and bit into the piece of watermelon. It was very juicy and very sweet.
"Delicious." Said little Zhan.
"Mmm, from my parents grocery store." The boy explained and pointed to a small shop almost at the end of the street.
"Ah, the bookshop behind me is my grandfather's. Can you read?" Zhan asked. The boy shook his head in agony.
"Not yet. But soon, when I get to school, I'll learn." The boy explained.
"I've started school this year." Little Zhan replied.
In front of the grocery store, a man stood and waved. He called a name Zhan couldn't understand. "This is my dad. I must go back." Said the boy.
"Mmm, then you should go. And be careful not to fall."
"Will I see you again?"
"I often visit my grandfather. So maybe I'll see you again."
"I like you, and when I grow up, I'm gonna marry you."
"OKAY." Little Zhan replied with a grin. He waved at the strange boy for a while until he was with his father and went into the store with him.
Zhan, in his adult life, watched the whole thing and then looked at his grandfather confused. "I didn't remember anything about it."
"Well my boy, that was a long time ago, and you only saw the boy this one time. You hadn't been around much, because you went to school and you didn't have time. But that little boy keeps coming by the store asking for you from time to time."
"Really? You never told me that, Grandpa."
"I was old and forgetful. But I knew you would meet again someday and then you two would have a very special relationship."
"What do you mean?"
"Well Zhan, you met him again and he became an important part of your life. You were meant to see each other again."
"You mean that little boy is Wang Yibo?"
"Mmm, who else promised to marry you?"
The next moment Zhan woke up. He looked confused at Yibo, who was still asleep. He carefully crawled out of the cave, went into the bathroom and thought about the dream. Was it just a dream? Or did he actually meet Yibo as a child?
Zhan went into the kitchen, got a watermelon from the fridge and looked at it for a while before he cut two big thick slices of it with a big kitchen knife. He put it on a plate and took it to the cave.
No sooner had Zhan put the plate down than Yibo opened his eyes and asked, "Melon? I love melon!"