"Good night," Meirong waved before slipping into her apartment. She closed the door behind her and heaved a breath she didn't know she was holding.
What's wrong with me?
ZhengTing took her to a place she would've never thought of visiting. A place she only dreamed of when she imagined being an actress in a drama. Yet there she was, under the star-studded sky.
She busied herself with her surroundings, it was the only way to stop her fluttering heart. It was when she realized that her neighbor, her friend, was a bigger part of her life now. They were together, most of the time, and they included each other in random things. Why did ZhengTing take her there? Did he know she had that spot on her to-visit list? Or was there something else behind it?
Whatever it was, Meirong didn't want to think about it. She didn't want to fall for her neighbor, but she knew it was too late.
Little did Meirong know that a few apartments away, her neighbor was going through the same thoughts.
ZhengTing started to acknowledge the fact that Meirong was on his mind more than a regular friend should be. Whenever he saw something, he'd unconsciously think of Meirong's reaction to it. As if it was an old habit. What would she say? What would she do?
When ZhengTing looked at Meirong that night, when he found himself drowning in her features, he realized that Meirong was not just a friend to him. She was different. He could joke around her, and she'd join him. He could rant out his heart's content to her, and she'd listen to him. He could gush about her secretly, but she would never know.
If you asked him about Huang Meirong weeks ago, he wouldn't have anything to say. But now?
ZhengTing could go on and on.
Could it possibly be-
ZhengTing shuddered, quickly shoving that idea away. There's no way.
But he was no fool. ZhengTing was very aware of his growing feelings for his neighbor.
"Hey, let's go to the park," ZhengTing suggested after he parked his car in the parking lot.
"You seem to enjoy taking me to parks lately, don't you think?"
"It's the closest thing to a date I could have with you," ZhengTing smirked playfully and left the car, leaving Meirong to tend the blush blooming on her cheeks. If only I had something to smack his head with, she thought as she got out of the car.
Meirong avoided ZhengTing's eyes as they made their way to the shared park by the buildings. Meirong had to admit, the park was beautiful at night. The peace and refreshing breeze were better than the screaming children and scorching sun of the day.
They walked in the same pace, comfortable silence shared between them. Meirong knew they were heading towards the lake, it was ZhengTing's favorite spot. She'd visited the place a few times before, sometimes alone, sometimes with company, trying to properly skip stones. But Meirong could do nothing more than adding more rocks to the bottom of the lake.
She looked at the way her steps matched ZhengTing's, then she started wondering why did her neighbor want her with him.
The truth is, ZhengTing wanted to clear his mind. He wanted to set a few things straight. His mind has been fuzzy all day. Thoughts and doubts ran a marathon in his head. He knew there was only one way to stop them, but ZhengTing was never the bold one.
But you changed. A voice spoke to him in his head. Remember how you stood up for yourself? Remember how you stood up for Meirong?
He did change, but ZhengTing wasn't sure he could rely on his change to confess to his neighbor. Their entire friendship was at stake. ZhengTing would rather live with his feelings than risk ruining a perfect friendship.
But will you really be okay with seeing Meirong going out with other people? The same voice filled his head. He knew the answer. He knew it would eat him alive. But ZhengTing denied. If there was something, he took from Meirong, it would definitely be stubbornness.
"What are you thinking about?" Meirong asked, finally looking at him and breaking his train of thoughts, "you're awfully quiet."
ZhengTing smiled. The girl walking with him was perfect, and he knew he would never see anyone in the same light. Was he really doing the right thing by staying silent?
"It's nothing." ZhengTing shrugged it off, but Meirong wasn't buying it. "It's something alright. You tend to randomly furrow your eyebrows when you're deep in thought."
ZhengTing knew he did that. "No. What do you mean?"
"You also tend to play with your fingers when you're not telling me something." Meirong pointed out, looking at ZhengTing's fingers, which were tangled with each other.
"Haha, you know me too well," ZhengTing laughed awkwardly as he separated his hands from each other.
"So, what is it?" Meirong asked, curiosity taking the best of her.
Tell her. The voice in ZhengTing's head encouraged.
"Uhm."
Will you go out with me?
ZhengTing gulped. "Will-"
"Yeah?"
"I..." Why was it so hard to say? ZhengTing wished telepathy was a thing at that moment.
Meirong waited for her neighbor to speak, she couldn't justify all the stuttering he was doing, but she was willing to listen to him nevertheless.
"Y'know, maybe we should head back, it's getting late," ZhengTing blurted out, he could hear the voice in his head sighing in disappointment.
"Yeah, sure." Meirong raised an eyebrow at the sudden change of topics, but she wasn't going to question ZhengTing about it. Not now.
Once they retreated to their apartments, ZhengTing plunked on his bed heavily. He missed his chance and he was going to regret it for the whole night.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
