Echoes of My Heart

Chapter 10

Xiao Yuan's words hung heavy in the air, the room going silent as he spoke. He had expected some kind of reaction, but instead, Wei Qian simply looked away, his expression closed off. Clearly not expecting it.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Wei Qian spoke, his voice soft yet carrying an underlying intensity.

"I don't know what to say." Wei Qian swallowed, still not looking at him. "You almost died and you didn't bother telling me?"

"We were not talking at that time, Gē"

"Still. Wei Zhiyuan!" Wei Qian finally looked at him, and there was anger in his eyes. His frustration was palpable, his clenched fists betraying his restrained emotions. "How could you keep something like that from me?"

Xiao Yuan paused, looking at his brother closely. He didn't understand why Wei Qian was reacting in such a manner.

"I thought you wouldn't care." He spoke slowly. "It wasn't a big deal..."

"Not a big deal?!" Wei Qian exclaimed, his eyes dark and flashing with fury. "You were stuck in the middle of nowhere, probably freezing to death while I was all warm in my bed, and you don't think it's a big deal?!"

"I survived, didn't I?"

"That's not the point, and you know it! You said you wrote a 'last-words' letter..."

Xiao Yuan winced as the memories resurfaced. He had tried so hard to forget that moment. The desperation, the fear. It was all coming back now. The regret of never being able to see Wei Qian or tell him how much he adored him.

"It was just my final message for you," Xiao Yuan responded softly, his eyes following Wei Qian as he rose to his feet.

"What about today?" Wei Qian's voice was harsh, each word laced with anger as he stood in the middle of his room, looking across the door at Xiao Yuan.

"What do you mean?"

"What if something had happened today? What are your last words now?"

Xiao Yuan flinched at the question, his heart clenching.

Did Wei Qian really want to know?

And would it change anything?

But he had come this far already. He couldn't turn back now. This may be the only time he may ever be able to say this out loud.

"I love you."

The world seemed to hold its breath, as if time itself froze in that suspended moment. Every sound, every movement, seemed to cease as the weight of those three words hung heavily in the air.

"Wei Zhiyuan!"

"No! It's the truth," Xiao Yuan replied, his voice firm but filled with emotion. "I would rather tell you this now than to regret leaving it unsaid while dying somewhere."

"Zhiyuan..."

"I was not going to say this, ever. But this is the truth. This is my truth. Whether you like it or not. Whether you want to hear it or not. Whether you believe it or not."

Xiao Yuan waited anxiously, his heart pounding in his chest as he watched Wei Qian's reaction. He could see the mix of emotions playing across his beloved's face – surprise, shock, and something else that he couldn't quite identify.

It wasn't anger or disgust, but something that felt almost like pain.

And it physically ached Xiao Yuan to see his brother fight whatever demons haunted him.

"I..I need to take a shower." Wei Qian spoke, his voice a hoarse whisper.

Wei Qian looked torn, and for the first time, Xiao Yuan realised the impact of his confession. Xiao Yuan released a breath he didn't know he was holding and curbed the disappointment.