Four

Yibo's Pov.

Before I knew it, two hours had already passed. I spent so much time wrapped up in reading that historical fiction novel.

Reading is a pleasant distraction from the rest of the world. It's an escape that I need. I could feel the loneliness kick in, though. That guy mentioned dinner was around six, and I'm quite hungry.

I decided to check if Zhan was still in the backyard. If I'm lucky, we could go to dinner together. If he hasn't already gone. I hopped up from my bed and tugged on my shoes before heading for the door. The moment I swung it open, the enticing ocean smell and the evening breeze came rushing through the house. The fresh air put a smile on my face.

That smell of the cool evening always made me feel nostalgic. Directly out the back, there was a small deck with stairs leading down to a grassy floor. If I had known how peaceful it was out here, I would have chosen this as my reading area. I plodded through the backyard, taking in the scenery.

Everything out here was truly breathtaking. After gazing around for a while, I caught a glimpse of a picturesque hill and someone on it, that someone being Zhan. He was lying there with his earbuds in. I stopped to stare for a moment, folding my arms, trying to shield myself from the oncoming breeze. He noticed my presence and patted the ground next to him. I looked around for a moment, searching for any other soul around. He couldn't mean me, could he? He patted again, looking straight at me. I could feel my heart ready to burst. Did he really mean for me to come over? I slowly and hesitantly made my way to his side. I pointed to myself and looked around once again, making sure he meant me. He replied and confirmed it with a smile. So I lay beside him on the grassy hill.

"You're a quiet one, aren't you?" Zhan chuckled to himself.

"Sorry, I'm just not used to conversing with people." I replied moments later. I felt terrible about it, but it wasn't my fault, to be honest.

"No, it's alright. I like quiet. " He laughed a bit while readjusting himself on the hill. Hearing that made me feel at ease. I didn't have to force myself to keep up a conversation if I didn't want to, or start one either. It's been forever since I've relaxed around someone like this. He seems like a jock, but he's still pretty polite.

I merged myself with the grass and lay still for a while. I felt something being placed up against my ear, so I jerked my head in Zhan's direction. He had placed one of his earbuds in my ears, and the other in his. He let out a breathy laugh at my reaction, then returned his eyes to the sky. It really surprised me at how friendly he was. When I saw how he acted at school, I assumed he was like that all the time; grumpy, bossy, and annoyed.

I just basked in the moment. The music playing on Zhan's phone was very good. I've never really listened to this type of music much, but now that I've heard this, I can say I like it. The purple, pink, and yellow clouds were drifting across the horizon as I looked at the sky. I felt myself getting sleepy and my eyelids growing heavy. Even after that long nap I took earlier. I couldn't stay awake. I gave in and dozed off, forgetting about dinner.

Zhan's Pov.

I finally got off of that dreadful bus. So many annoying students pestering me and everyone else. I came here for a break from all the craziness going on in my life. My mom and dad constantly invite their loud, annoying friends over. Ninety-five percent of my friends are annoying, but at least I don't invite them to the house. The only time I ever really get a break is if I sneak off to the park. I get to relax a little, lie back and unwind. My friends found out that I'm usually at the park when they can't get a hold of me, so nowadays my peace and quiet only lasts for so long. Their clinginess gets me riled up. They can be so annoying that I yell. They've gotten used to it and ignored it these days.

When I heard the school would take a trip, a wonderful idea popped into my head. I knew that one or more of my friends would ask me if I was going, so I'd just tell them I was not.

By the time they figured out I was lying, it was already too late for them to sign up. I can't imagine how they're feeling right about now.

I was one of the first out of the bus door. I couldn't stand to be around those idiots a second longer. I stretched, feeling good from being cramped in the back by so many people. When everyone got off the bus, the teachers led us to an area where they gave us the schedule of things going on in the park. The next day they'll take a tour of the local town, and the day after will be the mountain hike. I didn't come here for extra credit. My grades are pretty good as is, though going hiking doesn't sound too bad.

They began handing us our keys. After giving me my key, they called out for the last person, and they were nowhere in sight. We waited a couple of minutes for them to show, but in the end, they didn't. We figured they never made it on the bus.

I was happy they didn't make it because I had an entire cabin to myself. Since we were the last two chosen, we would have shared a cabin, but now I have it all to myself. After one teacher gave us a quick rundown of the rules, I headed off to my cabin. It couldn't have been in a better area. It's spaced away from most of the cabins, and the grass is greener on this side of the park.

I ran up the stairs and unlocked the door. The first thing I did was check the fridge, and to my luck, it was packed. Not everything in there was edible raw, but I have some experience cooking, so I may prepare some of it. The next thing I did was check the bedroom. It looked pretty cosy. It had four beds, two on each side of the room, with one below the other. I chose the one on the left, closest to the large bay window. I dropped my rather light bag on the bed and unpacked my stuff. I bought a couple of changes of clothes, my phone, and a couple of towels because there is no way I'm using the ones here unless they're brand new, and also a few other things I left in my bag.

I grabbed my towels and headed for the bathroom. It's tight, but everything fits well enough. It looks pretty clean too. I hung my towels on the towel rack near the sink before exiting. My phone was blowing up for a while, but I didn't bother checking it because I knew exactly why I was receiving so many notifications. I eventually gave in sometime later and scrolled through all of my messages. I'm glad I did because reading them made me chuckle a bit.

Yubin: "Where the hell are you, man?"

Meng: "OMG, you better not have lied to me. "

Lu: "Wait,?

Ji Li: "Why didn't you tell me?"

Zhao: "I'm not letting you out of my sight when you get back!"

Yubin: "NVM Meng just told me you went off on that trip. How cruel! "

Those were only a couple out of dozens. The number of texts I received made me sigh. Most of the conversation went in circles after I took some time to reply to them. All of them had their IDs blocked by me. When I am trying to relax, I don't want to deal with them. I signed when I realized how much time I wasted chatting with them.

I got pretty frustrated and stuffed my phone back in the bag. I decided now would be a good time to take a little walk and explore the exterior of the cabin. I exited from the back door and strutted down the stairs to the small deck. The backyard is stunning. I was amazed that I got all of this to myself.

The grass was short and green, making it easy to walk through. I came across a sweet-looking hill. This would be my new resting place for sure. I plopped myself down for a second, feeling the soft grass hit my back. I wanted to listen to music, so I got back up and headed towards the front door, admiring the landscape on the way. The front also has a deck, so I took the stairs on the side of the house leading up to it. I was heading for the door when I heard a voice.

"E-excuse me, is this cabin twenty?" I turned to meet with a young guy. He seemed a little lost.

"Yeaaah... can I help you?" I replied, stretching the A. He seemed rather shy.

Well, my uh... my key says this is where I-I'm supposed to be staying. He spoke, still sounding unsure, before pulling a key from his pocket and holding it up to me.

"Oh, so you're the kid that didn't show up earlier, huh?" I sighed. "I guess I won't have an entire cabin to myself after all." I said, making it obvious that I was disappointed.

"I, uh, sorry." He whispered. At least he wasn't loud and rude like my friends.

"It's cool. You seem like an okay dude, at least." I say before heading back inside. He didn't seem like a bad person. He just seems timid and maybe a little shy.

I headed straight for my bag and rummaged through it, looking for my phone. It couldn't have gotten that deep when I tossed it in here earlier. I heard footsteps in the doorway and glanced up to spot the boy from earlier. I returned my gaze to my bag and went back to searching for my phone. The boy seemed to settle in. He brought a pretty large bag. I wonder what he has inside. It got pretty frustrating thinking of him as "the boy," so I introduced myself and asked him his name.

"My name's Zhan. Yours? " I start, before returning to my bag.

"I'm Wang, Wang Yibo." He looked flustered for a moment, which I found a kind of adorable. I can't say that to any other guy I've met.

I chuckled a little before responding. "Sounds pretty nerdy." He smiled a little, then returned to his book. At that very moment, I found my phone, mentally sighing with relief.

I figured now would be a good time to lay down some rules. I know little about this "Yibo". He could be a total party animal or rowdy around friends. Still, I spoke to him as politely as I could.

"I, uh, I want to set some rules since we'll be living together for a week in this cabin." He looked my way, worried but still nodding. "Tell me in advance when inviting any friends over, and please, no parties." I tried to be as clear as possible, trying not to sound mean.

"It's okay, I—I don't have friends, anyway." He responded with obvious hurt in his tone. I suddenly regretted starting the conversation. For a moment, I tried thinking of a way to apologize without actually saying sorry.

"Do you have any rules you want to lay down?" I ask, getting nervous, waiting for his answer. I couldn't help but start playing with my hands. That is my way of apologizing.

"Y-yeah. My only rule is that you do not restrain yourself because of me. You can do whatever you want. Though I would ask for some peace every once in a while. " He stated I immediately felt like a villain after hearing his response. He made me seem like a total asshole in comparison. When he broke into a shy smile, I couldn't help but smile back. He seems like a great person.

"I'll be out back." I announce I have my phone and earbuds, so it's time to relax on that hill in the backyard, as I planned earlier. I looked up at him again and gave him a half smile before returning his eyes to the pages of his book. I made my way down the small hall and out the back door.

The breeze felt refreshing. I'd have to make a note to open the windows in the bedroom. Spending the nights in my bed, with fresh air blowing in through the windows, would be ideal. When I got to the hill, I fell back onto the soft cushion of grass. I popped out my phone and began putting playlists together. It took me a while, but it was worth it. When I finished, the sun start to set, casting the sky in a purple hue. The tracks I chose for my playlist fit the atmosphere perfectly.

After relaxing for a while, I popped my head up to the noise of a door opening. Out came Yibo. He strolled elegantly through the backyard, admiring the scenery. I returned my eyes to the sky, watching the clouds. I looked around the backyard a little while later to see if Yibo was still present, and sure enough, he was. He had his gaze on me, so I patted the ground next to me, inviting him over. He looked around, probably checking if anyone else was out there. I patted the ground once more, and he came over. He curiously pointed to himself. I couldn't help but smile. He's such a goof. He finally came closer and lay on the hill next to me.

"You're a quiet one, aren't you?" I say, letting out a laugh.

"Sorry, I'm just not used to conversing with people." he responded softly responded. He seems like a really nice guy. I wonder why he doesn't have any friends.

"No, it's alright. I like quiet. " I reply, readjusting myself on the hill. He seemed to loosen up a little after our conversation. He got comfortable on the hill. I didn't want to be listening to music while he lay there bored, so I took one of my earbuds and placed it in his ear. He jerked his head in my direction, a bit startled. I couldn't hold back a laugh after witnessing his reaction. I turned my sights to the sky once again, feeling the most relaxed I've been in ages. Yibo seemed to enjoy the moment, and I felt content that he was.

He fell asleep several minutes later. He seemed exhausted when he arrived, so I don't blame him. As I scanned his sleeping appearance, I noticed how peaceful he looked. I stretched my arms out in the grass, making sure not to touch him. I didn't want to wake or startle him. He let out a little sigh before turning my way and cuddling against my side. He placed his hands on the side of my ribs and his head on my shoulder. His nose was almost touching my cheek. He let out a gentle breath against my neck. This unusual situation surprised me, but for some odd reason, I wasn't uncomfortable with it. It felt... pleasing, in a way.

The heat from his soft body took the chill of the night air away. But his gentle buffs sent small shivers down my spine. We both seemed to be quite comfy, so I didn't want to move. I slowly drifted off to sleep. I never thought I'd find myself in this position. I didn't think I could be this comfortable around a guy. Just being in the presence of my male friends makes me shudder. I can't even imagine being in this type of position with them.

I and Yibo ended up sleeping the entire night outside. After snuggling against me, he didn't move an inch.