What Happens In Rome.... [Lgbt] [✔]

Chapter 8

Wei didn't sleep much that night, the conversation he had with Yunlan kept playing in his head and he couldn't let it go.

Yunlan was confident and free, but he wasn't. He had never been comfortable being at the centre of attention, and he specially hated people gossiping about him. He had never been able to shrug it off like others did.

Maybe that was part of what attracted him so much about Yunlan. The daring eyes, the cheerful attitude, the carefree spirit, everything about him spoke to Wei's heart of all he had ever dreamed of, all he could have now with him.
And maybe he had just ruined everything.

Part of him wanted to call Yunlan and apologise, but what could he say? All his words had been true, he didn't believe that he could change just like that.

He turned in his bed all night, cursing himself for being who he was, with the result that in the morning he had bags under his eyes and looked awful. He stared at his reflection in the mirror, considering his options, then he applied some makeup to cover the damage until he was satisfied that he looked normal again.

He prepared for work and left the small apartment above the store that he had been allowed to use at a very small rent. He locked the door and went down the road, circling the side of the store until he reached its entrance.
He hesitated a moment, he wasn't sure how to face Yunlan today, but at least at work he wouldn't need to worry about personal conversations, they always kept it professional in there.

He sighed and went in.
The first sign was the giggling of the girls at the checkout counters. They hadn't even noticed him yet so he raised a hand in greeting. They all said good morning like they always did, but he could see that they were still giggling. What was that for?

Wei went on to work as usual, wondering what was going on. He still hadn't seen Yunlan anywhere, but a couple of times he saw people giggling just like the girls before. It made him feel uneasy not knowing the reason behind it.

It all became clear when he caught sight of Yunlan.

It wasn't just the way he was dressed, with a flashy yellow shirt so different from his usual sober ones.
It was the way he spoke in a singing tone, the way he acted as if he wanted everyone to look at him.

If that was his aim he certainly succeeded. Every single person in the store, from the customers to the staff, had noticed him.

Wei stared at him wide-eyed, had he gone insane? Or was this his way of telling him that he had chosen the spotlight over him?

He stood away from him and set back to work. At closing hours, Yunlan quickly said goodnight to everyone and went away. He paused to lock eyes with him for the first time that day, and he had a serious look on his face that Wei didn't understand, then he stepped out and just like that he was gone.

He didn't wait like he always did for most of the staff to get out so that he could walk with Wei, instead he went first.

Wei felt heartbroken, had he lost him already? He could understand him though, who would put up with someone like him? Always restraining himself, never fighting for what he wanted, always running away from his problems.

He walked home alone, feeling miserable, and he spent the night watching his phone, wanting to call Yunlan but not knowing what to say.

The next days were all like that, with a cheerful, flashy Yunlan monopolising everyone's attention, and Wei standing far away feeling abandoned.
People had stopped giggling but they still hovered around the charismatic Yunlan as if he was a movie star.

Finally came the day of Qiqi's arrival - that was the name Chu had given him - and Wei took a day off to go meet her at the airport.

He wrote her name on a white sheet of paper and waited until a pretty girl smiled and walked towards him.

He hadn't even asked for a picture, so this was the first time he saw her. Qiqi had a slim figure and long silky black hair. She couldn't be much more than 5feet tall, and she was very pretty. Wei was surprised to see that she was so beautiful, but he guessed she had her own reasons for accepting his proposal.

Chu hadn't said much other than a simple:
>Don't worry, I'm sure you'll get along fine, I think she already likes you.

Whatever the reason, Wei didn't think that the ticket's money could be enough. He would probably find out soon, so he put that thought aside and greeted her with a smile.

"Qiqi?"

"Yes, you must be Wei right?"

"I am. Give me your bag, I'll carry it for you."

Together they reached Wei's apartment by bus, where she would be staying.
He put her bag down and showed her the place.
"Sorry if the apartment is so small, I will be sleeping in the living room and you can take the bed of course, please consider this your own home."

She looked around but could see no couch.
"But where?" she asked. "There is no place to sleep here."

He blushed, he really wished he could give her something more but this was all he had at the moment.

She continued, "I see only chairs but they are very uncomfortable to sleep on. Do you have a sleeping bag? Or a futon?"

"It's not easy to buy a futon here, but I guess I could buy a sleeping bag..."

"So you don't have it yet? I can't let you sleep on the floor like that, you must sleep on the bed."

Wei considered this. "If you are uncomfortable here, I could find you a room at a hotel, maybe not an expensive one though but..."

She shook her head graciously. "No, I meant to say that we could share the bed."

He didn't reply and she blushed even more than he had before. "I mean, it's not a problem for me, I feel safe with you after all you're... I mean, Chu said that you weren't looking for a relationship, so I thought that maybe you were..."

Wei nodded. "Yes, I'm gay". He was surprised of how easily the words came out, but Qiqi gave out a relaxing aura, and they would be spending a lot of time together from now on, so they had to know each other after all. Still, it felt so strange to say it out loud now, he had only said it once in his entire life before this very moment, and he felt like this brought him closer to her.

She smiled. "Then it should be ok, right? Either side of the bed is fine for me, and I never snore."

He laughed. "I think I don't either."

They looked at each other with a smile then she extended her hand. "Thank you for this chance."

He shook her hand. "Thank you for being here."