The 1 Rule - haobin

sun-kissed

"Hao?"

"Hm?"

"If you hated me so much, then why would you tell me?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, aren't you supposed to be perfect? Prefect people don't insult others" I say teasingly. Hao doesn't look at me, but I see him roll his eyes

"Because I REALLY, really didn't like you. But because I'm a decent human being, I thought it would be nice to let you know."

"....didn't?" I say teasingly, putting my arm over Hao's shoulders. I see him flinch ever so slightly, his ears turning red.

Why does he look nervous?

"Don't" Hao confirms, then pushes me away from him. I laugh, enjoying seeing him show an annoyed side. I bet he doesn't act annoyed around all the others.

We walk towards the ice cream stand, where it is quite empty at this time of day. Weird, but not very surprising. The weather today is extremely warm, and I don't judge people for not wanting to leave their air-conditioned homes.

"Hi!" Hao greets the woman at the stand kindly. He flashes her his beautiful smile, and she immediately gets tricked into his kind demeanour, and smiles back

"Hello! What can I get for you today?" she asks. I smile lightly, and immediately start frowning while looking at the list of ice cream flavours.

"I'll get chocolate" I say after inspecting the options. The woman nods, handing me the ice cream almost immediately. I thank her and look at Hao, who is still looking at the list

"I'll get... mint chocolate, please!" He says happily. The woman beams in return and hands it once again almost immediately.

"Alright! That'll be ___ won!" (i got too lazy to put a price) the woman says. I see Hao reach for his pocket, but I'm faster, my wallet already in my left hand, and my card in my right hand. Zhang Hao looks at me and shakes his head

"I'll pay" he says

"Nope," I say, mirroring his shaking head movement, and extend my right arm to the woman "that'll be all" I say. Hao pouts but puts his thin wallet back in his pocket

"You didn't have to..." he whispers, sounding annoyed, but a hint of tenderness is still in his voice

"I wanted to," I say, smiling fondly at the younger boy "And anyways, you told me in the first lesson to always be a gentleman" Zhang Hao scoffs at my comment

"Only when it comes to Cho. Not when it comes to her brother"

"Whatever. At least be happy that I've been listening to your advice"

"Gee, thanks" Hao says sarcastically, but a slight smile lies on his lips. There it is, for only a second, and then disappears again. I turn my head away from him, disappointment written all over my face

The woman gives me my card back, and I thank her with a smile, not brighter than Zhang Hao, who beams at her, bowing 90 degrees, and waves at her. As we walk, I notice how Hao still seems exhausted. I don't mind stalling time. After all, I despise studying

"Want to sit down?"

"Hanbin, we need to study" Hao says, voice annoyed at my clear procrastination

"There's nothing wrong with taking a break. You seemed tired" I answer. Hao looks at me, hesitant, and sighs

"Fine. If I fail my exams, it'll be your fault" He says, pointing a finger at me.

Huh, why was that kinda cute?

We walk to a bench, a clear view of plain grass before us, nothing more, nothing less. I sit comfortably on the bench, my back slumping, while Hao stays with a straight back, looking stressed

"Hao... relax" I say, rubbing lightly at his back before taking out my phone to check the time. I see him relax at my side, his back touching the bench, his back arching slightly.

"We can stay here for 30 minutes and then go back. We'll have enough time" I assure the younger boy before me. I see him nod from the side of my eye, and I feel glad to know that he won't start stressing all over again.

"How do you have good grades?" I hear Hao ask me. I look at the boy, confused. He looks back at me and notices my confusion "I mean, you yourself said that you don't study. How come you have good grades?" he asks is a quiet voice

"I dunno," I shrug. "I have a photographic memory. I guess that's why"

"Must be nice" he says

"I guess. I don't really think about it as a privilege to be honest"

"How come?"

"I dunno. I guess it just annoys me how everyone uses my memory as an excuse, saying that I don't work hard for good results. They say I'm just lucky"

"And... you don't think so?"

"No. I mean, I do, kind of. I know that I'm lucky to have a good memory, but it kind of annoys me how people don't appreciate my hard work for some projects. They say that I don't study" I reply, frowning

"You don't though" Hao says in return. I look at him and roll my eyes, a smile displayed on my lips

"I know, but I don't appreciate it when someone else points it out" I say. Hao laughs.

There it is. The smile that disappears in a glimpse of a second. But this time, a laugh comes along with it. The laugh that I heard weeks back, while he walked in the hallways.

Beat.

Beat.

Beat.

I stare at the flashy smile that disappears as soon as I see it. There's nothing more to see. Just the boy in front of me, who's looking away from me, looking as if he is in thought, his face lighted up by the sun above us, the sky slowly turning orange. His hair shines with the light reflection on it, his eyes narrow, but I still see them shine. His skin sun-kissed, almost as if the sun were embracing him.

I smile fondly.

A silence comes over us, but it is not awkward. I enjoy my ice cream while Hao looks at the horizon. As time passes, I feel more and more comfortable, leaning onto the bench lazily. The breeze hits the left side of my neck lightly, my hair brushing to the side along with it. The cold breeze doesn't seem to reach Hao, the sun still shining on him.

"Why do you always look at my lips when I smile?" he asks, breaking the silence and catching me off-guard. I look at him, his eyes widely looking back at me. They are dark, black, but the sun shines on his eyes, making them bright. His narrow eyes seem bigger than usual. They look like Cho's, but a little hint of everything beautiful in them. Whoever gets to stare at those eyes all the time in the future will be a lucky girl.

"I like your smile" I answer.

"Oh"

"Not the fake one. The real one"

"Yeah?"

"Yeah"

".....Thanks"

"No problem"

♡♡♡

Help me 😭

I just finished 8 tasks and I have 10 more left... and they're all for studying.... for test this week

10 GOD DAMN TESTS THIS WEEK 😔🔪 don't be surprised if I unalive myself by the first day of exams 

Anyways who else is excited for zb1's cb?

Me 🤭🖐️I'm very excited 

(stream 'rock with you' by seventeen)