Just A Step Away From You

CHAPTER I: Our Christmas... Forever

"This Mai Ding, always like to find things to argue."[1] An Ziyan spoke to himself while driving his sleek, black car.

A while ago, he was scolded by Mai Ding for leaving. "I'm talking to you. Are you listening? Once you leave, don't ever come back!" He reminisced what his bespectacled lover said.

What made Mai Ding be infuriated like that? ; It's Christmas Eve and An Ziyan was leaving him behind, all alone.

***

He looked at his watch 'there's still time to get it.' He thought.

But as he was now facing the road in front of him, the worst possible thing happened.[2]

"SCREECH!"

A crashing sound could be heard. An Ziyan opened his car door, His hand full of blood, glass shards all over the concrete road. [3]

You can hear people screaming for his predicament; shouting and yelling for help.

Everybody saw about the car accident that happened to him.

Everyone knows except for Mai Ding.

***

Mai Ding woke up all of a sudden; he looked at the time on his phone.

It's already past midnight; It is now officially Christmas. He grabbed the picture frame at the top of the bed.

"That asshole always accepts whatever I say." He began to complain.

"Of course I was mad, leaving just like that saying he's busy doing very important things again, can't he even pacify me a bit?" He continues while looking at the picture of his arrogant lover.

His phone began to vibrate; he got a call from an unknown number. Mai Ding wondered who it is but then decided to answer it.

"Hel..." But before Mai Ding could continue, he was cut off by the person on the other line.

"You, it is because of you! If it isn't because of your wilfulness then everything would just be fine!"

"What are you talking about? Hey, An Suo. Please stop this already." Mai Ding recognized the girl's voice; it was definitely An Ziyan's big sister who's speaking.

He sighed and began to continue "If you're trying to separate us again then that won't happen. An Ziyan and I are..."

" An Ziyan's dead!" An Suo shrieked

Mai Ding's face is now distorted in so much anguish; his hands trembling. He doesn't know what to say.

"He got a car accident, my brother's dead because of you right? It's your entire fault!" She's becoming hysterical; An Suo relentlessly blamed Mai Ding.

"No, you're just lying!" He has already lost his composure.

"Please enough, I beg of you. Where is he? Don't hide him; I need to talk to him already." But no matter how he begged An Suo to tell "his" An Ziyan's whereabouts, nothing has come to fruit.

She left him with just hurtful words before ending the call.

"Because of that kind of love that my brother's dead already, If it isn't for you, an Ziyan and Bai Xiaosi will still be together and have a wonderful family."

Mai Ding was going crazy from worrying, this evil woman has yet again trying to destroy their relationship.

'But we were just talking this morning, how can that be? What's happening?' He thought. Mai Ding begins to try calling An Ziyan's number but every time he does it's always out of reach.

He lied on their bed and covered himself with the blanket... just before sleeping he wrapped the picture frame close to his heart and squeezed his eyes shut.

'I'll just sleep, after this nightmare everything will turn back to normal again. An Ziyan, its Christmas and you dare to scare me to death. You even ask your sister to prank me.' He put this idea into consideration.

***

But no matter how he tried, Mai Ding can't put himself back to sleep again. Morning came and someone ringed the doorbell. He then got up from his bed and run hastily to open the door " An Ziy-"

However, it wasn't the man he's expecting that appeared in front of him. It was no other than his lover's best friend, Zhou Ge.

The guy seems to be worn out and his tired eyes showed it.

"Mai Ding, I... I really don't know what to say. I tried to come here as soon as possible. An Suo, I don't know what set of connections she used in order for this not come out in the news...so that a lot of other people won't know, so that for you not to know." Zhou Ge stammered.

"What do you mean, what tricks did she said to you, too?" Mai Ding was now uneasy to what this man is trying to exclaim."

Zhou Ge was confused "So you knew, that Ziyan's de.. Mai Ding!" He wasn't able to finish his sentence.

"No, No, take me to him, I want to see his body. An Ziyan! An Ziyan!" He rushed towards the white car that was parked outside their house but with so much panic, he forgot that he doesn't have the keys with him.

"I'm sorry, I can't, and we can't. It's already too late." The other man said.

Mai Ding collapsed on the cold floor, covering his face with his palms, he cried. He cried silently. His head started to ache; He tried to cover up the pain that he's feeling.

An Suo, she wasn't lying at all.

An Ziyan...

The one man who lied to him that he is bisexual.

The one man who has a dark and rude personality.

The one man who loves him.

The one man whom he loves the most.

The one man who's gone and never to come back.

"He's not beside me anymore, he left me." The only thing he could do now is mourn for the lost of a beloved.

Everything is gone except the still pristine, white snow and that last memory left of them both fighting; that day on Christmas Eve, the day before their 2nd Christmas together as lovers.

"Their Christmas"

From today onwards is now nothing but a dream... forever.

TBC

[1] An Ziyan's line from the He's Beside You MV before having the car accident.

[2] Scene from the car accident of the HBY mv

[3] Scene from the car accident of the HBY mv