Affectionate Dream ✔

Chapter 7

Author's note: Sorry for *yet another* long hiatus! There was a lot going on in my life and I had little motivation to write (or do anything, really). I also apologize if my writing quality deteriorates a bit, I think I've lost a few braincells over the past few months @_@. In any case, I hope you enjoy the story, and I will try my best to complete it over the summer! ^_^

Xiaojiu and Qingti return to their cabin in silence, surrounded by the dark and still night. After being out for the entire day, both of them felt relieved to be home. As they prepare to turn in for the night, both Xiaojiu and Qingti sit in the room in total silence, adjusting their blankets and whatnot. Xiaojiu watches as Qingti massages his shoulders: Right, she thought, he must be sore after working all day today. And then she realized it was all because of her... everything he'd done from escaping the palace up until now, was all for her.

As the thought entered her head, Xiaojiu felt a pang of guilt, as if her heart was sinking heavily in a sea of her faults. He gave up his perfectly good career with good income and stability to take her out of the situation that made her unhappy. He was willing to basically give up life as he knew it for her, and toil away instead, as long as she could be happy. 

Happiness... what was it really? Was it possible to make everyone happy, or would someone always have to make a sacrifice in order for another to be happy? Without her knowing, a tear rolled down Xiaojiu's cheek. She only noticed it when it fell onto her hand and rolled down her finger. Another fell onto her hand, and as she looked at Qingti through a blur of tears, she was just about sobbing.

The sound of Xiaojiu crying caught Qingti's attention. He stopped massaging himself and watched her. Why was she crying when her plan to escape the palace was being executed and she had someone to accompany her? Qingti had hoped something would change between the two of them during this time together, but to his dismay she didn't seem to develop any feelings for him beyond platonic ones, gratefulness, and guilt. Perhaps that was why she was crying. Was the only emotion she could feel for him pity?

Even though these thoughts ran through Qingti's head, he still couldn't bear to watch her cry alone like that. Looking at her from afar, head bent over, in a crouching position, and buried in her light coloured clothing, she looked so small and vulnerable; like some sort of fallen angel. Slowly, Qingti got up from his bed and walked over to her side. She had buried her face in her hands, so she was completely unaware that he had gone up to her. He sat down right next to her, so close in fact that if he leaned in just a tiny bit, he would be able to touch her. 

Maybe it was instinct, maybe it was on impulse, or maybe it was both at the same time, but suddenly Qingti wrapped his arm around her and enveloped her in a warm embrace. She didn't move at all as he did this: in fact if anything, she leaned a bit closer towards him.

"Don't cry," Qingti said.

It was his first time trying to comfort someone who was crying, so he wasn't quite sure what to do. He felt his heart thumping in his chest as he pulled her closer into his arms, and hoped she couldn't hear anything as she rested her head on his chest. As she cried even harder, she squeezed his muscular forearm, making him look down at her. Perhaps she felt pity for him constantly, but at this moment he couldn't help but feel pity for her too. His hand shook slightly as he reached it out to stroke her head and her soft, silky hair. He thought that he could smell the sweet scent of pastries as he was so close to her now. And then he realized, this was the first time he'd been so close to her without her trying to pull away. It was such a special moment that there were not just butterflies in Qingti's stomach, but it was also as if butterflies were flying around the room, filling it with a soft and calming glow.

Qingti didn't say anything more as Xiaojiu continued to cry in his embrace and gradually, Xiaojiu calmed down. She raised her head, only to realize she had been burying herself in Qingti's embrace for the past who knows how long. As this fact hit her, she quickly sat up and scooched away from him.

"I-" she managed to stutter. 

"It's alright," Qingti replied softly. He wasn't sure what else to say to her. Once he finished his sentence, a blanket of awkward silence filled the room. The two of them just sat there side by side for a moment, unsure of what to say to each other.

"Erm... do you want to grab something to eat? The only thing we ate tonight was pastries." Xiaojiu blurted out the first thing that came to her mind to break the silence, and food was always a good option. Besides, she had never really given him anything back for what he's done for her. Qingti looked her in the eyes and nodded; a meal together sounded like a great way to end the day.