The Unknown

The kiss was soft and short and...still so very new. It had been two weeks since they have been dating but every kiss still felt like it's his first to Li Cheng.

Their first drunk kiss barely counted for him even though he clearly felt the tenderness of Mu Ren's lips when they fell on the bed that night. And their second kiss hardly registered, firstly, because he was in shock after Mu Ren blindsided him with the confession, and secondly, after all, it was too emotional for the both of them and filled with tears. After the brief kiss and confession, they had cuddled and fell asleep that night.

The next time they kissed, it was a tad bit longer and the kiss almost melted Li Cheng. He had known then that he was already addicted to the feeling of Mu Ren's soft, full lips over his. He reckoned how kissing Mu Ren felt so very different from all the times he had kissed his past girlfriends. In the past, it was never this soul-crushingly ecstatic...the goosebumps...the butterflies in his stomach...everything was new and refreshing for him. He had fallen headfirst into the unknown and couldn't wait to dive deep into it. He had cradled Mu Ren's face and angled him for a deeper kiss and Mu Ren welcomed his tongue. He was ready to give his heart, his soul, his everything to Mu Ren at that moment. But before he could do any of that, they had to stop as they were interrupted by Xing Si coming home. And Li Cheng was once again left gasping and longing for more.

Since then, in the past three weeks, they had kissed many times - quick chaste kisses on the cheeks, hands or forehead or even the lips but never an actual kiss, deep like the way he wanted to devour Mu Ren. There was always something that worked against him. For one, Xing Si was still living with them and also accompanied them when they hung out and he didn't want to make things too awkward for him. Second, they had not been on an actual date since they became official. And third but most important, Mu Ren never really tried to initiate the kisses. Not that it bothered Li Cheng. He knew that his TengTeng was not the type to display affections through physical intimacy and he also knew that he was romantic enough for the both of them.

Over the days, he realized that every kiss brought out his overwhelming desire for Mu Ren. He wasn't sure if it was because he was kissing his best friend, or because his love is seared so deep into his bones, but every small kiss took his breath away making him week in the knees. Until a few days ago, he had not expected that he would be kissing his TengTeng like this. That his love would even come true like this. He had never imagined kissing another guy could even feel like this. And yet here is he now, ruined for life after tasting Mu Ren's lips.

He had been dying internally to explore more of the softness of those lips, touch that silky smooth skin, desperately, since that drunken night. So he had set the stage for tonight, planned everything perfectly for a romantic night with Mu Ren. Yet, by the end of it, he blew it up.

Li Cheng knew that Mu Ren has been a little sad after Xing Si moved out the previous week. So to cheer him up, he had prepared this nice romantic dinner for the two of them, complete with scented candles and even flowers. He painstakingly cooked Mu Ren's favorite dishes and even played his favorite music all through the night. It did bring a smile to Mu Ren but just as they were finishing up dinner Li Cheng's mind had started to wander.

Now that Xing Si is no longer here, do we still have to sleep in two separate rooms? Can we sleep together now? Is it too soon? We've only kissed so far, never even made out. Does TengTeng want that? Should I make a move tonight?

He spent the rest of the night lost in his thoughts and by the time he came to his senses, Mu Ren was tired after doing the dishes and was leaning over to kiss him good night before retiring to his room. Once again, it was the quick brush of his soft lips that was not nearly enough to satisfy him and almost drove Li Cheng crazy.