She likes roses

Han Ye nodded. He placed his feet down on the floor and buried his face in his palms for a few seconds as he thanked God that it was air and not water that filled his lungs. That dream felt so real that even now, his hands were still trembling.

He could still feel the pain of the cold water entering his lungs... It was as if he had really felt what drowning was like before... The feeling both scared and confused him, to the point that he almost mixed dream with reality.

Han Ye thought about the woman he saw in his dream. She was so vivid... so real... Yet, he knew even then that she was no longer there.

His fiancee, or wife, as he often called her, passed away a few years ago. By right, she should have been gone more than 12 years ago, but Han Ye's stubbornness kept her in this world until two years ago. He was not ready to part ways yet... But two years ago, he was forced to choose between an innocent baby and his brain-dead wife... and he had chosen the baby.

Even though to many others, he looked like he was fine, but only Han Ye knew that he was not. He merely kept himself going by telling himself that this was what she wanted.

Once he calmed down, Han Ye looked at Zi Yan and smiled. "I'm fine. Really. It's just that it's near her anniversary… so I've been thinking more before I slept."

He glanced at the urn that was placed neatly on his sock drawer that was right opposite his bed. Han Ye and Zi Yan used to stay at a different apartment, but when they decided to make this a long term kind of thing, they moved to a bigger apartment and one that was wheelchair friendly.

After they moved over, despite Zi Yan said that he was fine with it, Han Ye decided to move the urn that contained his wife's ashes into his room instead of leaving it outside in the living.

He was no longer staying alone, and he did not want to be inconsiderate to his housemate. Besides, having the urn in his room helped him remember her every night. That, and a photo frame with a memory from one of their happier moments.

Zi Yan glanced at the urn for a second before nodding. However, he was still worried about his housemate's mental state. "Still, it's not fine for you to keep having those nightmares. Why don't you make an appointment with Dr. Phillip?"

"That whackjob? If you're an adult, one day with him equals one month of pay. No, thanks…" Han Ye shuddered just by the thought of it. He might be quite well-off now, but that did not mean that he was comfortable with spending money senselessly.

Standing up, he stretched his back a little before he walked to his closet. He had an important meeting coming up, so he had to dress nicely today. He could feel that his housemate was staring at him, but he did not say anything.

As he laid out his neatly ironed clothes out for later, he finally said something in order to change the topic, "Zi Yan, seriously. I'm fine. Enough about me. What about you? How was your date last night?"

Zi Yan sighed. He looked at his knees and smiled at himself. After a few seconds, he looked back up and replied in a joking tone, "Who would ever want the responsibility of dealing with a disabled person like me."

It was not even phrased as a question.

Upon hearing Zi Yan's words, Han Ye frowned. "Don't say that. I'm sure there's someone who would love you for who you are. Your past might be... different, but you're a good man. Look at President Du. He's cold and means, but he still found himself a wife that loves him dearly."

"It's different… Anyway, I'm not really feeling down about it. I don't really like that woman anyway. She kept asking about my salary. How I'm going to take care of the family since I'm disabled and all? Some women's nerve! As if I can't use my brain…" Zi Yan scoffed when he remembered his date with the materialistic, snobbish woman.

He then turned his wheelchair around, and he wheeled himself to the door before saying quickly, "Oh yeah. By the way… I created a Tinder profile for you. You have a date with a woman this Saturday. I've checked your schedules, and you're free. Don't create something just to escape."

Han Ye was looking at his collection of ties intently to find the perfect tie for today when he answered absentmindedly, "Ok…"

When he realized what Zi Yan was saying, he turned around and with a horrified look, he asked, "Wait! What?"

Zi Yan gave him an innocent smile as he said, "You made me go to all those blind dates. Now, it's your turn. Don't worry. I got you a pretty lovely date. Well, she looks lovely in the picture anyway."

As he wheeled out of Han Ye's room, he continued, "She likes roses. Don't forget! I'll send you the details later…"

"Zi Yan!" Han Ye snapped but the man was already gone. For someone who could not walk, his housemate was very good at wheeling himself around quickly.

Han Ye sighed loudly before he stepped into the bathroom. He had to get ready for his work, and so, he put the dating matter aside for now. It had been more than 10 years since he last went out with someone, and honestly, he did not really feel excited about the idea of going out for a date again.

"The problem with having housemates is that they are often busybodies!" Han Ye cursed under his breath before he took off his clothes and went under the showerhead.

...