REVERSE ; Yu Yan x Zeng Keni 🐉

#8 A Rejection🐉

Beijing, China

                                                                                                                      October, 2017

Yu Yan's POV.

"But Keni... I don't regret it."

These were the last words I said to her before I went inside the apartment, leaving her there to think it over. As I washed my body from the tiresome day at the café, I went inside my room to release some stress. It wasn't only Keni who was on my mind, there was also school, future and other usual things.

After I changed to my pajama, I sat on a stool in front of a bare canvas and began to paint. Doing an art with only my hand and lonely brush was very comforting, nothing bothersome was affecting me in this time. Combining lots of kinds of colors and putting them together to create something original was helping me get my inner peace. When the night ocean with an orange fireworks were almost completed, someone knocked on my door.

"Come in." I just answered, not stopping my movements with my hand.

The door opened and the tall girl entered my room, looking at me with an unrecognizable expression on her normally smiley face. "Yan, we need to talk."

"Then, talk." Was the only thing I said as I put my brush on the side and gave her my full attention.

Keni sat on my bed across from me as she began what she needed to say, "When you said that you don't regret it, does it mean that you like me?"

Huffing some air off my lungs as I thought what to answer at her question, I looked straight to her eyes, wanting to let her know that I was sincere. "I know that I don't love you, but I also feel more affection towards you that to my other friends. I think you could say that I like you."

"But I don't like you Yan... Not in that way."

Already knowing what to expect now, I just smiled. "Then don't like me, there is nothing I can do about it right now."

"...But isn't it painful? I know that it's selfish, but I don't want you to be sad because of me." Said Keni as she played with her fingers, avoiding my eyes from time to time.

Chuckling a little at her innocent words my head nodded a bit, "It is painful, but still I can get over it. So don't mind me."

"Will it be awkward between us now?" She asked, probably thinking about not wanting to break our good friendship.

I just laughed it off, "If you won't let it affect you, then we can be like always."

"...Yanzi. Thank you and I'm sorry."

Standing up from my stool and going to kneel before her to wipe a single tear that was running down her face as her eyes were watering, I joked to lighten up the mood a bit, "Why are you crying when I should be the one to cry right now?"

"I don't know... Anyway what are you painting?"

I turned the canvas to her direction to show her my almost finished work, "When I was about 16 year old, me and my parents went to a summer festival near my grandma's house. The weather wasn't that good, but these fireworks looked even more beautiful on the dark and cloudy sky with a moon in the background than normally."

"It is really pretty, you are really talented Yanzi. Come to think of it, do your parents live in Beijing?" Asked Keni and waited for my answer.

"My mom died in a car accident a few years ago and my dad lives in Hong-Kong."

The landlord gave me a sad look which I expected, "I'm sorry."

"It's okay now, I go to see dad sometimes."