This is not a game

Game Over: Qi Yi

"Sorry," Eli says, "for all of this. For dragging you into my problems. And thank you."

The guy nods, gives him a worried look, and presses his lips together.

"Sit."

"I should go. I've already ruined enough of your evening," Eli says with an apologetic smile, but the guy shakes his head and repeats, "Sit."

Eli shrugs and sits down. Honestly, he doesn't have the energy to argue. He has even less energy to go home, if he's being honest. He finds an unremarkable spot on the table and spends the next few minutes staring at it, trying to convince himself that everything is fine. Dr. Cruz had said everything would be fine. That sooner or later, Eli would have to face his past if he didn't want to start over from scratch, but in the end, everything would be fine.

"We'll talk later."

He shudders. Then the spot he's been staring at is covered by a cup. Judging by the smell and color, it's hot chocolate. Eli looks up. The grumpy guy who had chased off Silver sits down across from him.

"Thank you," Eli says for what feels like the hundredth time that evening. He frowns thoughtfully. "I don't even know your name. I'm Eli."

"Qi Yi," the guy says, pushing the cup closer to Eli. "Drink."

"We're not friends," Eli says, "I mean, with him. He's my ex."

"I figured."

"We broke up in October. I didn't think he'd track me down and show up out of nowhere..."

"Track you down?" Qi Yi tenses up, his expression shifting slightly at the mention of 'tracking'.

"I mean, it's unlikely he just happened to walk by and decided to come in. I think I need to check my phone's security settings. You know, all those location-sharing features..."

Eli chuckles nervously and wraps his hands around the cup. His fingers burn from the heat, and he clings to that sensation, letting it drown out the cold inside. He looks up. Qi Yi is looking at him softly, warmly, and even though he looks away once Eli catches him staring, the warmth lingers. Eli smiles gratefully.

"You saved me today, Qi Yi."

The name rolls awkwardly off his tongue and sounds wrong to his ears. Eli sighs and smiles apologetically.

"Sorry if I butchered the tones. I'm learning Chinese... or, well, I was. But I'm pretty stereotypically bad with phonetics. Can you say it again?"

Qi Yi raises an eyebrow, intrigued, and repeats his name a little slower than the first time.

"First and fourth?" Eli asks, grinning triumphantly when Qi Yi nods. "Qi Yi. Nice to meet you. By name, I mean... You probably don't remember, but I used to come here a couple of times a week. Your place is cozy and the food's great, so I guess we've met before, in a way..."

"I remember." Another almost-smile that makes Eli wonder what his face would look like with a real one. "Drink."

Eli falls silent for a bit and obediently drinks the hot chocolate. The warmth spreads inside again, just like before his unexpected encounter with Silver.

"Soup, tea, hot chocolate... I don't know how many more hot liquids I can take today," Eli jokes awkwardly. "Although, the day's almost over... I'll finish this and head out. Thanks again. And sorry, I'm probably keeping you. I mean, you must've had other plans for New Year's Eve besides nurturing random gay guys back to sanity after dramatic encounters."

"You talk a lot," Qi Yi notes when Eli stops his nervous rambling to catch a breath and drink some more hot chocolate. Eli blushes and is about to apologize again but doesn't get the chance. "It's adorable."

"W-w-what?" Eli stammers, blushing even more. "You're sure you didn't mean 'annoying' or 'amusing,' or..."

"非常可爱," Qi Yi interrupts him with utmost seriousness.

"I... um... okay."

Eli feels like an idiot and isn't entirely sure whether Qi Yi is teasing him or means it in a condescending "what a cute little puppy" way, or... Qi Yi lowers his gaze to the table, and Eli allows himself to cautiously take in his features instead of staring him in the eyes in shock. Turns out, he's not the only one blushing. Eli takes a deep breath, exhales, and thinks: he's not in the best emotional place right now for... well, anything, really. But that comes with its own advantages. For example, the ability to leap into the unknown. Believing in someone's genuinely kind intentions is a leap into the unknown for him, but after the soup, the hot chocolate, and especially after seeing those burning red cheeks, it feels a little less scary.

"So, what about your plans for tonight? You're not spending the night here, are you? You guys usually close at ten."

It's half past ten already, and Eli feels a bit guilty to be the likely reason the restaurant is still open, but he also feels a little excited at the thought.

"My friends and I are going to Times Square," Qi Yi says, glancing at the clock on the wall. 

Eli mentally calculates: fireworks are at midnight, so there's still time. But then again, Qi Yi likely planned to meet up with his friends beforehand. He nods and downs the rest of his cup in one go, only burning himself a little bit in the process.

"Join us," Qi Yi says quietly, meeting Eli's gaze, then repeats a bit more confidently, "If you're alone tonight, join us. The guys won't mind."

It is tempting to agree. To say yes and go to a bright, crowded square with this grumpy guy who shielded him from Silver, calmed him down with hot chocolate, and called him adorable (okay, he said Eli's rambling was adorable, but no harm in letting his imagination run a little wild, right?). Eli almost says yes but at the last moment he thinks: it's probably just pity. And even if it's not pity, he'll find a way to mess it up.

"Thanks. Really, thank you! But I don't want to burden you with my company any more than I did already," Eli smiles warmly and stands up. "So thank you. For the soup, the hot chocolate, and everything. Happy New Year!"

"Wait." Qi Yi stands up almost at the same time, waits for Eli to finish his goodbyes, and pulls out a notepad and a pen from his apron. He quickly scribbles something down, tears off the paper, and hands it to Eli. "In case you change your mind. Or..." He looks at his own outstretched hand holding the note, "Just... if you ever want to talk."

For a second, Eli thinks he might just throw caution to the wind, agree to the invitation, take a risk, and see what happens. He thinks: if his intuition isn't wrong, this guy likes him. If his intuition isn't wrong, Eli likes him too, and that means... maybe...

But his intuition is far from reliable.
And he is (always, but especially now) a tangled mess of problems and misunderstandings.
And he's not sure he can handle another disappointment right now.
And it's not fair to drag others into his life until he figures it out himself.