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Yanli was already up since dawn, and after preparing breakfast for Zixuan, she waited on him hand and foot, until he left for work at 8 a.m. The she left for work herself, preparing pastries for the little cafe she owned. It was the only thing that kept her sane, although Zixuan has started to make a fuss about her going out for work and not having enough time to take care of him, but she put her foot down. The cafe was the only thing she couldn't give up, wouldn't give up. It was the only thing that tethered her to the outside world, giving a connection to other people.
 
She sighed deeply, while she started to knead the dough, not knowing how to get out of her situation. It all started innocently, girl met boy, girl fell in love with the boy, boy returned her love, and together they lived happily ever after.
 
Or did they?
 

Lately he had been more disapproving of everything that she had done. Like when she went home a little later than her usual time, or when she was too tired to cook for him and instead suggested take away. He would just look at her and say that he already ate too much take away at noon and he expected to have a home cooked meal while he was at home. So, off she went to the kitchen, tired to the bone, but still needing to please her soon-to-be husband.
 
Lately, it happened more often than she would have liked. And if she even sounded a tiniest bit of disapproval, he would just dismiss it and tell her that she was lucky that he was that into her, that he didn't find any other girl to satisfy his 'needs', that he was the only one who loved her enough to look past all of her insecurities and provide a life for her.
 
She knew it was not right. She could provide for herself, but there was a little voice inside her that told her the opposite, "What if it is true? What if nobody would love me enough? What would mom do if she knows that I'm having second thoughts about the upcoming wedding?" She tried to squash it to no avail. It would still be there. Those malignant thoughts lingered inside her like cancer and would only show up when she was alone.
 
She was still kneading the same dough over and over, when her assistant told her that she had a visitor.
 
"Who?" She looked at the overworked dough distastefully and threw it away before cleaning her hands.
 

"A young woman, named Wen Qing. She said she was your friend?" Her assistant, shrugged, and then went about his own work.
 
Wen Qing.
 
She felt her cheeks become hot, although she did not understand why.
 
She took off her apron, washed her hands and took a peek on the nearby mirror, to fix her messy bun. Then after she was satisfied, she went outside.
 
 

"Hey there, Q," she smiled at the beautiful woman, wearing her ripped jeans and rock band t-shirt under her leather jacket.
 
"Li." She stood up from her seat, to greet Yanli with a hug, before she sat back after her.
 
"So...were you in the neighborhood?"
 
"Ah, yes. Actually my apartment is not that far from here, and since I'm free, and in need for lunch, I thought, why not?" She shrugged nonchalantly.
 
Yanli suddenly felt a bubble of laughter trying to escape from her throat, and she giggled like a child. "Good, I'll make you something so special that you would come here often."
 
Qing looked at her, eyes unreadable and smiled.
 
"If you want me to come by anytime, I would," she said in a serious tone,"besides, a girl has to eat, right?" She ended it in lighter tone.
 
She looked at her, eyes widened, and nodded shyly.
 
 
-----
 
 
The flutter inside Wei Wuxian's belly had not stopped ever since Lan Wangji said that he wasn't into guys until he had met him. It was a funny feeling. He never felt like this before, so naturally it made him very flustered the whole day.
 
I am acting like a schoolgirl in love! What's the matter with me??
 
He groaned a little too loudly, earning a look from his live drawing study professor. 
 
"Sorry..sorry.." he ducked behind his canvas and tried to concentrate more on the fluid line of the model's body. He had a nice figure but somehow he didn't think this model would compare to that certain someone. Even though he had never seen the man naked or even half naked, he had felt his 6 pack abs when he had held onto him that night of the race.
 
I would love to sketch him someday.. All those hard ridges, the smooth back... He's already offered to be my model, so... He was already imagining him shirtless when he reared back.
 
Get a fucking grip, Wei Wuxian!
 
He wiped his forehead off the sudden appearance of cold sweat, and cursed silently when he saw his hand was stained by the charcoal he was using to draw, and it surely left smudges on his face. He looked for a clean wipe but couldn't find one. He finally gave up, and just used his sleeve. It did come back smudged.
 
He sighed.
 
This was not a productive day at all. 
 
 
 
He waited until the last student had left before he packed his stuff and shoved it all into his locker. He was still feeling a little unsettled so he decided to have his favourite boba to calm his nerves. He smiled as he imagined the sweet taste of taro bubble tea with extra bubbles.
 
He headed to the canteen, already enroute their usual spot, when Nie Huaisang waved at him. He waved back and walked closer, but stopped abruptly when he saw an alien presence on their seats.
 
He was still at a safe distance, but he could recognize that body anywhere.
 
Lan Wangji.
 
Everywhere he looked, Lan Wangji was there.
 
How did he end up here, on their table? And it seemed he brought Wen Ning's sister with him, and they talked and laughed as if without a care in the world.
 
He looked towards the bubble tea shop and then at the table his friends and the person he was trying to avoid were sitting. He wanted the boba but he didn't want to be seen by HIM. He stood in the same position for a minute trying to calculate the risk. Was it worth it? He had had enough of a distraction already, especially this kind of distraction that involved a walking wet dream, for the day, so he decided to just to skip the rest of the day and contemplate his life at home. 
 
Shit! Goodbye Taro boba, I will come back for you tomorrow...
 
He turned around and almost ran out of the canteen without saying anything to his brother and group of friends, not that they would notice anyway with Lan Wangji there. 
 
He had planned to go home but instead he ended up in the washroom, washing his face that had turned red and tried to calm himself down.
 
At this rate, he was going to have a permanent residence inside the toilet, trying to hide for the rest of his life from him. He raked his hand through his hair, frustrated.
 
When he started getting weird looks from other students for standing in front of the mirror for too long, he dried his hands and went out. And such was his luck today that he found a small crowd of giggling girls, and boys too, in front of the door. With the now familiar figure standing in the middle, like a movie star being swarmed by their fans.
 
He sighed.
 
There was no way to escape now.
 
He could only pray that the man was too busy with his small crowd of admirers that he would pay no heed to his hopefully-stealth-enough sneaking out of the toilet. But he could only try, as God himself laughed at his scattershot plan to exit from Lan Wangji's peripheral.
 
As soon as he took a step away, HIS gaze landed on him, like a predator honing on his prey. And then he smiled. So sweetly it almost blinded Wei Wuxian. Before he knew it, Lan Wangji was standing in front of him, handing him a takeaway glass of..
 
"Taro bubble tea?" He squeaked.
 
"I heard from Huaisang that this is your favorite. In fact last time I saw you got two of these for yourself. You remember last time bunny? I got to taste this that day."
 
Wei Wuxian kept opening and closing his mouth like a fish. He did remember the last time Lan Wangji had taken a sip of his drink and then licked the straw seductively. His cheeks felt hot again and he tried to turn away to hide his blush. But obviously Lan Wangji had other plans. He held his hand and placed the plastic cup in his hand. Wei Wuxian didn't know what to say so he took it, speechless.
 
"You know... a simple thanks would suffice." There was a hint of laughter that glinted in his eyes, and the corner of his mouth, as if he knew exactly why Wei Wuxian was a scrambled mess. "Come on, it's nice outside today. Let's go sit under the shade of the tree over there." He gestured to Wei Wuxian to follow him to a cherry blossom tree near the small pond in their campus.
 
And he followed him.
 
Might as well bite the bullet.
 
 
 
 
Lan Wangji sat under the shade of the tree, sighing contentedly, and patted the ground beside him to Wei Wuxian, who sat close, but far enough for his own peace of mind. Lan Wangji chuckled, and then laid down with one arm cushioning his head.
 
"I really enjoy sitting here, under the shade, worrying about nothing, and just...breathe." he shuffled his gaze onto Wei Wuxian. "What about you? What do you do in your down time?"
 
This is a safe enough topic, sans the intense gaze.
 
"I... I probably don't have enough down time to just sit around doing nothing. Unlike you, I have to work to pay my bills."
 
That came out a bit harsher than he had originally intended, but he just looked straight into Lan Wangji's eyes, as if to test the waters.
 
Lan Wangji looked at him, for the longest time, then chuckled.
 
"I get it now."
 
"Get what?" Wei Wuxian relaxed a bit now that the other was not looking straight into his soul.
 
"You get mean when you start to feel something."
 
"Wow..and you find that out after only a couple of meetings?" He slurped his boba, trying to do anything other than look into Lan Wangji's eyes. It was a very dangerous territory.
 
"Four meetings now, and yes I know more about you than you think I do." He pulled his body up and was now leaning on his elbow. "Like the way you' touch the side of your nose when you're trying to make a choice, the way you unconciously twirled things around on your fingers, the way you pout when you're angry, the way your ears flush when you're embarassed..." and his eyes suddenly darkened, resembling something akin to liquid gold, "and the way you bite your lips whenever I'm close...that's so... erotic and it does things to my...inside. Do you know that? Or do you do it on purpose?" In an instant Lan Wangji's face was near his, literally just inches from his face. His gaze stopped on the beauty mark under his lips. Wuxian unconsciously bit his lips, then remembered what the other said, and released it immediately.
 
Lan Wangji's thumb hovered close to the mole under his lips, but he retracted it before it touched anything, and cleared his throat. "I... I need to go to my next class, I hope to see you again...soon. Don't run away, bunny." Then he left, leaving Wei Wuxian in a daze, imagining what if he really did touch his lips.
 
This situation was quickly spiraling out of hand.
 

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