Until Then...

Chapter - 48

You taught me the courage of stars before you left

How light carry on endlessly, even after death

With shortness of breath, you explained the infinite

How rare and beautiful it is to even exist.....

He Tian stirred and groaned irritated as he was involuntarily dragged out from the comfort of Morpheus by blinding light pierced through tightly shut eyelids. Groggy and aching all over, a reward for him sleeping in unnatural position on the sofa for past two hours, "...why..." he moaned as he pulled himself up, cracking the stiff muscles along the spine and shoulders as he did so.

Mo stood before him quietly holding on to He Tian's coat, which was now folded neatly in his arm, and narrowed his eyes at the devil incarnate before him. "...Shouldn't you head to your own bed if you want to sleep? Scared the crap out of me." He shifted his weight on his feet from left to right, didn't know what should he do in this situation. Should he leave the room or should he stay here? If he stayed here, should he just stand like a doofus in front of him? And what the hell he should do with his arms and legs?

He Tian, not noticing Mo's inner struggle, let out a huge yawn and swung his long legs off the soft cushion. "...It has been a while since we see each other, Momo. Have a heart..." A lazy smile hung on his lips as he looked up at Mo. Dark fringes were longer now reaching half way past the pair of charcoal eyes that seemed to hold all the secrets of universe in their endless pits. His shirt buttons were opened, revealing the toned chest underneath. The man woke up like he came back from a runaway, charming in his white shirt and dress pants. Mo dropped his coat on the table and retreated his steps, finally decided to leave the room, his escape strategy all laid out.

He Tian who noticed Mo's shifty eyes, quickly grab hold his hand and stopped him in his tracks. "What are you..." He Tian looked up, using the power of his puppy eyes to the max and coaxed in a low voice almost pleading. "...Don't leave...Sit with me for a few minutes..." Mo opened his mouth but closed again when no smart retort came out. If he were to say he didn't feel the heat spurt from where their skin touched, it would be a blatant lie. The veins in his temples pulsed fiercely, almost making him deaf to outside sounds. "..." Seeing Mo was hesitant; He Tian knew it was his chance. Just a little push. "I will be good...Please, Guan Shan...Just sit with me."

It didn't take a lot of time before Mo gave in. The man rose the flag after a couple of minutes of protest before the cunningly adorable puppy eyes and then there he was sitting right beside He Tian on the sofa. He Tian leaned forward on his elbows braced on the knees and stared at Mo with a soft smile across his face. "...What?" Mo asked, knitting his brows tight in a frown and quietly prayed his face didn't reveal how his nerves were struggling on the inside.

He Tian shrugged and leaned back on the seat, thrown his arms over the headrest, eagle style. "...Nothing. It just...I haven't had a chance to look at your face... Not in a very long time..." Mo felt his breath stuck inside his throat when he heard the words. "...I..." "Relax, I won't do anything. I just wanted to say it out loud." He Tian chuckled watching Mo turned red from anxiety with eyes so soft and gentle, none of his employees would believe it was their boss.

The two sat side by side, neither of them said a word but quietly immerse in their own thoughts. They struggled to understand the rhythm of their hearts which beat in different tune but on same wavelength. "...You look like shit." Mo almost cursed himself when the words left his mouth and ruined the air of romance that had nowhere to go. Why the hell he sounded like a jerk? Damn it. He Tian who had his head tipped back and staring at the vacant space above, turned to Mo and replied with a smirk, "Are you worried about me, Momo?" "Like hell I am...I mean...you...you can look in the mirror and see for yourself." Mo flustered like a hamster, being totally defensive.