Twenty-six

Yibo's pov

I slowly moved my fork to the box of spaghetti that sat on Zhan's thigh. I took a little scoop and guided it to my mouth with my other hand under it, making sure it doesn't fall or drip. As the spaghetti sat on my tongue a powerful taste captured my mouth

"That's so freaking good." I muttered in shock as my body melted from the taste. Zhan chuckled at my reaction and went in for another bite.

Soon enough we'd finished all the food. It was one of the best dinners I've ever had. I was certainly not expecting a meal like this. The food at the food hall is usually mediocre.

"Well, I guess I should get this mess cleaned." Zhan grumbled as he stood

"No, let me do this." I shook my head and smiled at him. He raised a brow, wearing a questioning look.

"You sure?" He asked.

"Yeah I want to." I replied.

"Alright, well I'm off to shower." He announced, standing from the bed.

I carefully stacked all of the boxes and sat them inside the empty brown bags. I folded them and placed them in the trash bin near the kitchen. I returned to the room and decided to make Zhan's bed. The sheets were scrunched up and all over the place. As I was getting out a change of clothes Zhan came in from his shower. Blood rushed through my body like a bullet. Zhan stood in the middle of the room in nothing but a pair of boxers.

"You cleaned up nicely. I wasn't expecting this." Zhan chuckled while looking over his bed. I bet I was cherry red at that point.'

"I-I'm going to shower now." I mutter and scurry off to the bathroom in a quick motion. I literally gasped for air as I shut the door behind me. I honestly don't know why I get excited even though I know nothing can ever happen between us, since he's straight and all. Thinking that with every passing day hurts more and more. My feelings for him keeps growing

endlessly, even when I tell myself nothing can happen. Just one glance from him is all it takes for me to be sent over the edge. I decided to just get in the shower and bury my thoughts. I let the hot water trail across my face and down my body, easing myself.

The shower was a quick detraction, but the thoughts began to resurface when I stepped out. I sighed and started dressing. My face heated up when I realized I brought shorts. I wasn't expecting Zhan to sleep in his boxers so I planned on wearing a pair of shorts to bed. Earlier I rushed off to the bathroom too quickly to remember that. I sighed once more and finished dressing. I hesitantly returned to the room and saw Zhan leaning against the window on his phone. He stood up as he heard my footsteps with his eyes still on his phone.

"Are you heading to bed?" He asked as he finally removed his eyes from his phone. I couldn't reply as he silently scanned my appearance from head to toe. After a moment he set his eyes on mine. I got lost in his. They were so deep and beautiful, they captured mine, until I realized he asked me a question.

"A-ah... I'm heading to bed whenever you are." I answered, getting a hold of myself.

"Well in that case." He said before leaping onto his bed, back first. I smiled at him as he got under the cover.

"Shoot, I forgot the light, can you shut it out?" He asked lying sideways and facing towards me.

"Yeah, sure." I replied, still feeling red. I did as he asked and made my way to the bed.

"You don't mind me sleeping in my boxers do you?" He asked, wearing a curious expression. Like I said before, who am I to deny him what he wants, especially since I'm the one sleeping on his bed? I

didn't mind him wearing boxers though. It could be a problem for me though.

"No, plus, this is your bed so it shouldn't matter what I think." I speak.

"It matters to me." He said, lifting the cover. A shy smile captured my appearance. He is the best person ever.

I crawled in next to him and he lowered the cover. I was almost immediately warmed as the cover landed on me. All of Zhan's exposed skin was the obvious culprit. I wanted to snuggle against him and feed directly from the heat source, but of course, I couldn't. My heart raced as I tried falling asleep. I couldn't believe the situation I was in. Anyone in their right mind would take advantage of it, but me... I just couldn't. Plus, what I've gotten from him so far was already more than enough. I could accept being friends, as it's better than being alone. These were the thoughts running around in my head before I managed to doze off.

Sometime during the night, I felt Zhan shift. He removed the little distance between us. He wrapped me in his arm and pulled my small body into his, suddenly wrapping me in a world of comfortable warmth. His knee hugged my knee pit, meaning our bare legs were touching. The hair on his legs tickled my hairless ones as they brushed against it. His legs also produced quite a bit of heat. It felt like I was being wrapped in a blanket that just came out of the dryer. This dream felt so comfortable... so real.

To my surprise, it was indeed real as I woke in the morning still wrapped in Zhan's arm. A smile broke on my lips as I heard his soft snores. I quickly relaxed in his arms from his breathing. I could feel his body grew and sank as he breathed in and out. This made me feel like the small being I was in comparison to him. Even though I was relaxed I didn't fall asleep. I sat there lost in my head like I usually have. I quickly jumped when I felt Zhan's hand trail up my side then tickled me. I was in a state of constant giggles as Zhan held me down and tickled me lifelessly.

"Morning." He huffed, laying back on his bed.

"Good morning Zhan." I spoke, as I turned to look at him. I was a little embarrassed as I was so close to him while he was still wearing nothing but boxers, but I was still smiling like an idiot. He looked down at me with his arms behind his head. It was probably obvious how my face reddened when I scanned his appearance. The small patch of hair under his arm, his solid chest, his tight abs, just everything got me. He smiled at me and suddenly captured me in a headlock, making me redder. After much struggling and giggling he finally released me. We fell back onto his bed once again and this time I fell partially draped over his chest. As my laughter calmed I realized the situation and pulled back, totally flustered. I apologized as I sat on my knees. He looked confused and raised a brow. I quickly got up from the bed and headed to the bathroom. It took me a while to regain my composure. I brushed my teeth and used the toilet before returning to the room. Zhan made the bed and got out his phone while he waited for me to be done.

"Sorry for taking so long." I apologized, scratching my arm shyly.

"It's fine. I take quite a bit of time myself." He assured me. He got out a pair of pants and a shirt before disappearing into the bathroom. I stood there pondering what to do for a moment. I just decided to read as I usually do though. Just as I sat down I heard the front door open. Footsteps trailed to the room and I anxiously watched the door, waiting to see who it was. It was one of the teachers.

"Good morning." She started. I greeted her and she continued. "Today is our last full day here, so it would probably be a good time to start packing." She finished, then scanned the room."Where are your roommates?" She asked, turning to face me once more. I and Zhan are the odd ones out here as we are the only two people sharing a cabin. 

"Err, I only have one, and he's in the bathroom." I reply pointing towards the door behind her. She mouthed a silent "Oh." then spoke. "Please tell him that I suggest he begin packing." I nodded as she

finished. The reason she said "Him" was because only males are allowed to be bunked with other males, and females with females. She gave me a little smile and told me she had to go inform the other students. When she left I opened my book and began reading through it. I didn't notice Zhan returning to the room. The thing that caught my attention was the sound of pouring rain. If I recall this is the only day It rained during the trip. I was surprised to see Zhan standing next to his bed when I lifted my head.

"Hey, I'm going to make us something to eat." He announced, turning to me. It was pouring outside so there was no way we'd be making it out for breakfast. I smiled at him before he walked off into the kitchen. I did appreciate everything he did for me. This trip would've been much less enjoyable if I'd been bunked with anyone else.

I reopened my book and continued where I left off. A wonderful aroma captured the room, and my attention. I shut my book and stood from my bed to head into the kitchen. Zhan was making pancakes. He saw me as I walked in and gave me a little smile.

"I'm making pancakes, but I don't think there's any syrup." He said looking a little disappointed.

"Well that's unfortunate." I chuckled. He looked at me over his shoulder and scoffed jokingly

"There is sugar in this kitchen... right?" I ask with an idea popping into my head.

"Yeah, why?" He gave me a questioning look.

"What if you melted some in a pot with fruit or something? Maybe as a syrup?" I propose. I'm no cook so I have no idea if this'll actually work. I did read somewhere that this is how many people make jam though.

"That would work." He replies after thinking it over for a moment. "Can you check and see if there are any types of berries in the fridge?" He asked, focusing on the pancakes.

"I can't take my attention away from this at the moment."

"Sure." I replied, gladly. If I could be of any use to him it would make me happy. I walked over to the fridge and popped the door open. I scanned the contents of it and spotted a small bag of strawberries. Not the most exciting type of berry, but it's still very delicious. I sat them on the counter next to the stove, catching Zhan's attention.

"Nice, thank you." He said, making me smile. He poured a fresh round of batter into the pan and then got out a small metal bowl.

"I guess this'll have to do." He sighed, emptying the berries into the bowl. After he finished placing everything in he sat it on the stove. A while later he finished up the pancakes.

"Shit I think I made too much." He spoke in a hushed voice. "I never was good at measuring. "I hadn't even realized I'd been watching him the whole time until he spoke to me.

"See something you like?" He teased me. My face flushed unexpectedly as I was not prepared for the question. I see something I like... but I'm not going to say it out loud. Besides, the question was probably a joke anyway. I ended up not saying anything. I got so lost in thought I forgot to respond. He just shot me a smirk.

A sweet smell snapped me out of my daze. "Well, the jam is finally done." Zhan announced, with a relieved sigh. He got out two plates from the cupboard and placed them on both ends of the table. He put the pancakes at the center and the jam off to the side.

"Help yourself." He said, gesturing to the large plate of pancakes. My eyes grew when I saw him fork three large pancakes onto his plate. I could only imagine fitting one on my plate. While the jam was still hot we poured it over the delicious-looking pancakes. My first bite out of it was amazing. It was very light and fluffy. It almost melted on my tongue. The strawberry jam works well with the pancakes as well. It tasted almost as good as the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches my grandma used to make me, and trust me, they were good.

"This is really good." I said looking up at Zhan while taking a fork full of my pancake. A smile crept on his lips.

After breakfast, I cleaned the kitchen and then returned to the bedroom. Zhan had his phone out, scrolling through something I couldn't make out. I sat on my bed and watched as he dug through his bag. He pulled out a cord and studied it for a moment before plugging it into the small radio in the corner.

I hadn't noticed it sitting there until now. The music suddenly escaped from the speakers of the radio. The song and the sound of the pouring rain set a relaxing atmosphere in the room. I pulled out a book and read. Zhan sat on his bed and continued

scrolling through his phone. The rain picked up quite a bit, from earlier this morning. Outside was cast in dim gray lighting, making the cabin feel cozy.

After a moment he looked up and spoke. "I hope this doesn't bother you." I shook my head with a small half smile. He returned it before looking back at his phone.

After around an hour of reading, I began getting sleepy. The playlist Zhan put together was very calming. I just couldn't force myself to keep my eyes open any longer. I shut my book and hesitantly made my way up to Zhan's bed. He lifted his head and we locked gazes.

"Is something wrong?" He asked with a curious expression.

"Uh, no. I was just wondering if... you'd mind me taking a nap." I questioned quietly, pointing to his bed. 

"No, not at all." He replied simply, giving me space to get in. "Actually, I think I'll join you." He said while setting down his phone. My face heated immediately upon hearing that. "If that's okay with you." He questioned while lowering his head,

checking my facial expression.

"Of course! This is your bed after all." I

responded dramatically.

"You're right." He smirked. "Now get in!" He commanded. Zhan stretched back and relaxed into the bed. I slowly placed myself next to him, getting comfortable in the soft covers and sheets. The sound of the rain put me to sleep in a matter of minutes. The soft echoing of the raindrops hitting the ground, running on the tree leaves, and tapping the roof, felt very cozy. It reminded me of when I was younger, I'd always get excited at the sound of the rain, it always made me feel comfortable. It's out there and I'm in here.. those were my innocent thoughts as a child. During rainy days my mother would makes us cups of hot cocoa and we would all sit on the couch and watch a movie. It was one of the best feelings in the world.

Some would say sleeping on the last day of such an amazing trip would be a waste, but my original purpose was to come here and relax. I couldn't ask for anything more than to spend the last day relaxing in bed... With Zhan.