Beneath the Surface

Part 15

Yok sat at his desk, his room dimly lit by the soft glow of the lamp beside him. His sketchbook lay open, a blank page slowly filling with the curves and lines of a face that had been etched in his mind for days-Longtai's face. His fingers moved almost on their own, tracing the delicate shape of Longtai's almond eyes, the gentle slope of his cheekbones, and the softness of his lips. Those lips... the same ones he had nearly kissed just days ago.

He paused for a moment, remembering how Longtai's skin had felt under his fingertips-warm, soft, and fragile in a way that made Yok's heart race. The way Longtai's eyes had looked into his, wide and vulnerable, as if he were opening a door into his soul, even if just for a fleeting moment. Yok's breath caught as he remembered the closeness of their bodies, the way Longtai's breath had ghosted over his skin, igniting something in him he wasn't sure how to control.

His pencil hovered over the paper, tracing the outline of Longtai's lips, the memory of that moment playing on repeat in his mind. His heart pounded in his chest, syncing with the rhythm of his thoughts, his fingers trembling slightly as he shaded the lines. The lips he sketched were parted, just like they had been that day. His mind wandered to what could've happened, to what he had almost done. He could still feel the pull, the magnetic force that had almost made him lean in, almost made him press his lips against Longtai's and taste the unknown desire between them.

Yok's hand stopped abruptly. The sketch was unfinished again-just like the others. He let out a frustrated huff, tossing the pencil onto the desk and running his hand through his hair. The lips, perfect in form, were still incomplete. No matter how many times he tried, no matter how deeply he focused, he could never finish a sketch of Longtai. It was as though something always held him back. He could draw the lines, capture the physical likeness, but he could never bring himself to fully translate the feeling-the intensity of what Longtai made him feel.

Yok leaned back in his chair, staring at the half-finished drawing, his thoughts spiraling. _What was wrong with him?_ Why couldn't he stop thinking about Longtai, about that moment when everything between them had felt so fragile, so close to changing? His chest tightened, and he closed his eyes, feeling the weight of it all-the desire he couldn't fully comprehend, the feelings he didn't know how to name.

_He's different_, Yok thought. Longtai wasn't like anyone else. There was something about him-something quiet, almost elusive. And yet, Yok felt like he was the only one who could truly see him, even when Longtai tried to hide. He wanted more than just to see him; he wanted to understand him, to know what lay behind those walls Longtai always put up.

Yok opened his eyes and stared at the drawing again. It wasn't just Longtai's face that haunted him-it was the way Longtai made him feel alive, like every heartbeat was louder, every breath deeper, whenever they were together. But it scared him, too. What if Longtai didn't feel the same? What if Longtai kept retreating behind those walls, hiding himself away?

As he sat there, lost in thought, his phone buzzed. Yok glanced at the screen, seeing a notification from the group chat. Black had sent another pinned location. His eyes narrowed as he looked at it, groaning inwardly. Another location, another night of chaos. He didn't want to go. Not tonight. Not when his head was full of Longtai. But as he stared at the pin on the map, he couldn't help but feel the pull of his other world, the one so different from the one Longtai lived in.

Longtai's world was peaceful, clean, and safe. It was a world of quiet libraries, familiar bookstores, and long walks in parks with soft breezes. It was a world where things made sense, where order reigned, and the chaos of Yok's life seemed distant and unreal. In Longtai's world, everything was contained, held together by invisible threads of comfort and security. And then there was Yok's world. Chaotic, dangerous, unpredictable. A world of graffiti-covered alleyways, abandoned buildings, and risky encounters.