High Energy Collision [Completed]

Chapter 48 - No Rice?!

"It was so fast. Most of the time I only cheered when the people around me did, because they had to have a reason, right?" Win said dramatically. "Ah, but it was freezing in the arena, even with all the cheering."

Mean was sitting on the bench in the kitchen again, eating the Thai take-out Viola and Rose had brought back from their trip to the art district, only half-heartedly listening to Win's story. Plan hadn't returned from his welcome dinner with the conference organisers, yet, and Mean couldn't help being worried about him.

He hoped everything would go well in the end. Plan had been trembling by the time he needed to leave for dinner, despite all the distraction they had had beforehand. It had to be unsettling, attending a dinner in a foreign place for the first time, meeting bigshots in your own field... only a few months after starting university.

It had the capacity to unnerve anyone.

Though... Mean shouldn't forget that Plan had managed to charm the sponsors unprepared, and all on his own, back at the Chamber of Commerce dinner.

He'd be fine today, too.

No, really, he'd be fine.

"What did you expect from a sport called Ice Hockey?" Laure asked, rolling her eyes.

Could Mean still just hate his cousin? She was such a party pooper.

"I can still tell them, even if I expected it," Win answered, clearly not hiding his annoyance. "You should be grateful that I took you with me."

Win could also mention that Mean had generously offered to pay for their tickets – somehow, his dear cousin wasn't sneering at him for spending money left and right anymore. Curiously. Laure had shown a rare glimpse of genuine enthusiasm, before they had left Mean and Plan alone in the apartment.

Mean smiled to himself when he thought back to it.

These tickets had been one of the best investments he had ever made. Not only had he been dying to be alone with Plan in general... they had managed to clear up the misunderstanding that had bothered Mean somewhat in the depths of his guts since before they had left Bangkok.

He felt much calmer, now.

He was relieved that he could get it all off his chest, and that Plan had been not just understanding, but very enthusiastic... very enthusiastic indeed.

It didn't hurt – well, not in the bad sense, anyway, he was rather sore – that Plan had managed to get him to come untouched... ah, it had been intense. He needed to be mindful not to think back too vividly right now, or he might get himself in a predicament.

He still couldn't believe that something could feel so amazing.

He was sure that it wasn't just the physical experience itself, which was incredible enough, but because of who he had been with.

Sometimes, he wondered what he did to deserve to be so lucky, that the first person who had fallen in love with was someone as special as Plan. He must have saved someone's life in his previous life.

His thoughts were still somewhat hanging onto this tingly happiness he felt, when the door of the apartment was unlocked, and Plan's shouted "I'm back!" reached them.

Mean had to hold himself back from running out to greet him – he didn't want to shoo Win off the bench, and it felt like overdoing it.

A few moments later, Plan came into the kitchen and shouted:

"Oh, thank heavens, you have rice!"

He didn't even wait for Win to let him sit next to Mean again – he just pushed onto the bench and grabbed one of the rice boxes and started eating without another comment. Mean wasn't the only one who was mesmerised, watching him shovel the rice into his mouth as if he hadn't eaten for weeks.