Stellar

22 - Glare (Dylan)

4:30am - Shanghai Pudong Airport

It seemed like it was only yesterday that Dylan had to act cold and unbothered by all the fans screaming Yue's name at him at the airport. He had to be unfazed when people handed him letters and trinkets, some still for her as people have always thought them to be friends despite blatantly broadcasting everywhere that they were not close.

"Didi, the purple one is for you. The yellow letter is for Shen Yue. Please give it to her? Please?" they would always request, one they left to fate for they never really knew if the letters would ever reach her.

But of course they all did.

He spent years being the delivery guy, the mail man, wholeheartedly keeping all of them (care of Hao Ge) to hand to her when they would meet. Even during the time when they were no longer together, he would still accept them, despite not knowing how or when he would be able to give them to her.

"Didi! This is for both of you!" someone was reaching out to him to give a yellow and purple colored envelope. It had "to our beloved Wang He Di and Shen Yue" written on it in bold letters.

Normally, Hao would automatically keep them for him. But Dylan was feeling extra chipper today so before Hao reached out for the letters by reflex, Dylan smiled at the enthusiastic fan and took the letter from her himself.

The fan squealed unapologetically as if it wasn't the wee hours in the morning, as she tried to keep up with his strides to the airport lounge. The phone she had focused on him to record this moment was forgotten.

"Please read it! Both of you! I hope both of you read it!" she called out again as he reached the entrance of the lounge.

"Thank you! I will show this to Shen Yue when I see her tomorrow." he promised the young girl, showing her that he carefully put it in inside his knapsack.

Later on, as he sipped his Americano and started people-watching in the airport lounge, he observed the small sized crowd of fans skirting around the entrance waiting for him. He couldn't help but imagine how much more of a frenzy it would be if he and Yue would go out for flights together.

He could already imagine the struggle of getting in line in counters, going through the x-rays with all their phones pointed in their faces.

He smiled as the image of him making sure his tiny woman wouldn't be swallowed whole by the crowd. He would be able to protect her at will now, at least. So even if it seemed like the upcoming chaos would be a hassle, it would also mean more time for him to step up and be the protective boyfriend he had always wanted to be.

He took out the letter from his bag, the one the fan handed to him, and studied the photo on the back. It was another one of those fan manipulated pictures of him and Yue in the airport.

They were always so good at these. Because of so much restrictions, they never really got decent photos in the past. Even if they took flights together, they weren't even allowed to be beside each other.

If only all these fans knew how many of these fan made photos he had in his gallery and just how much he wanted a real photo of him and Yue together at the airport. They would totally freak out if they all found out.

He struggled to keep his smile from showing. Dylan had another secret. Little did the fans know that Yue actually dropped him off for his flight today. She was wrapped up in her ninja gear, curled up in the back of the van so that she couldn't be seen.

He actually told her not to come because he needed to be in the airport at an ungodly hour. He wanted her to get her full night's rest because she had work this morning. But she had insisted adamantly, wanting to keep him close until he needed to get off the car.