[BL] I never knew the World was this Bright

Chapter 39: A helping hand

Sitting in the waiting room for Jian Chen to come out was one of the hardest things An Lian had ever done.

He couldn't help but to feel to blame.

If I had listened to him and left early this would never have happened. Not to mention he got hurt protecting me.

Some worried nurses stopped by to make sure An Lian was okay, as his face was deathly pale and he looked on the verge of tears.

They gave him warm milk and a blanket to calm down. Gradually, exhaustion overtook the boy and he fell asleep on the bench.

When Jian Chen was done, his hand was wrapped in bandages and the doctors gave him cream to apply once the wound had closed. He saw An Lian had fallen asleep on the bench and emotions surged in his heart. He wasn't quite sure what it was, but he had a strong desire to go over to the boy and hug him.

He walked over and sat in the space near his head, which he carefully lifted to rest on his lap.

An Lian shifted around a bit before finding a comfortable spot to sleep again. Jian Chen sat petting his hair, making sure to contact Yu Ming who had been calling both their phones for the last hour.

Jian Chen explained to Yu Ming that he had hurt his hand and they were in the hospital. But most importantly, An Lian was fine.

Gradually, An Lian started to stir.

"Ah, Jian Chen how long have you been here?" An Lian asked as he got up and rubbed his eyes, slightly embarrassed from his sleeping position on Jian Chen's lap.

"Not too long." Jian Chen replied.

"Is... your hand okay?" An Lian asked his eyes fixed on Jian Chen's bandaged right hand.

Jian Chen: "The doctor said it wasn't that deep, and it won't leave a scar if I apply a cream."

An Lian looked up at Jian Chen guiltily, "I'm sorry, it's my fault."

With his non-wounded hand, Jian Chen stroked An Lian's cheek, "It's okay, it's not your fault, I did this myself."

Have being cleared, the two caught a taxi back to the dormitory.

That night, An Lian had troubled sleep once again.

An Lian felt to blame for what happened and made a vow to assist Jian Chen as much as he could. Lectures would start again the next week, and An Lian prepared himself to help Jian Chen.

As he had injured his right hand, and he was right handed, the next morning Jian Chen asked An Lian to accompany him to breakfast. An Lian complied without protest.

An Lian helped Jian Chen cut his food when needed, and even fed him with his own chop-sticks on a few occasions. An Lian was oblivious to the looks he was getting in the cafeteria, he was solely focused on feeding Jian Chen.

Jian Chen was beaming with joy.

If I had known An Lian would be this nurturing, I would have broken both my arms long ago.

When they returned to the dorm, Jian Chen had a bright idea to try his luck with An Lian.

Jian Chen: "Xiao Lian, I want to change my clothes. Can you help me? It's a bit hard with one arm..."

An Lian was shy at the request, but felt responsible none-the-less.

So after some silence, he agreed.

Jian Chen was currently wearing loose fitting pants and a long-sleeved shirt. As he looked through his cupboard of clothes, Jian Chen made sure to pick out the most difficult to wear – a tight pair of jeans and a white button up shirt. This would ensure the most skin contact.