Remember When...(YiZhan)

Chapter 21

A dark grey Audi pulled up to the security gate and the guard sauntered over to the window of the driver's side of the car.  The man inside rolled down the tinted window and nodded at the security guard.

"Good afternoon, sir," the guard said. "Could I get your name please?"

"Wang Yibo," he said in a deep voice.

The security guard glanced down at his list.  "Yes Mr. Wang, we've been expecting you, please drive into the underground parking.  You can take the elevator from the parking up to your apartment."

"Thank you," Yibo said and rolled his window back up.  He then drove down to the parking garage, parked his car and locked it as he was leaving.  Looking back at his car, he was happy he had chosen the nondescript dark grey car and not the flashy blue one he had modelled with.  He really didn't need the extra attention. 

It was just after 5:00, but he doubted that Li Yen would complain about his tardiness.  Most of the time she was the one who was late to all their meetings.   He rode the elevator up to the 18th floor and pulled out his phone to look for the message Li Yen had sent him with the passcode.  Upon entering the passcode, he opened the door into the apartment he had bought - the place where he and Zhan could spend more time together.  He sighed before taking a step into the apartment, admitting this was more painful than he thought it would be. 

"Yen, I'm here," he announced.

There was no answer so he took off his shoes and walked in further.  He glanced in the kitchen and saw no one there so he continued exploring.  He approached the eating area and noted the table was set for dinner with candles and flowers.  Yibo frowned, there was something very familiar about how the table was set.  "Yen?" he called out. 

He glanced in the living area decorated with a TV on one wall, a beautiful grey couch accessorized with charcoal pillows, and most surprisingly a Ducati motorcycle in the corner.  On the opposite wall from the TV, there was a set of floating shelves with various items on them, surrounded by a set of framed photos of him and Zhan in different photo shoots.  A dull ache formed in his chest as he reached up a hand to touch a picture of Zhan.

A slight tapping noise from the next room drew his attention away from the photo and he moved towards the sound.  He opened the door to the room. "Yen, why did you put photos of..." he stopped in mid-sentence and stared at the figure whose back was to him.  Yibo had imagined this a thousand times before – coming home to Zhan drawing or painting in front of an easel.  He blinked to clear the image, not trusting that his mind wasn't playing tricks on him.

"Zhan?" he whispered.

The artist put his brush down, turned and smiled warmly at him.  "Bo, you're here. I've been waiting for you.  Come look, I'm painting a picture of you on your bike," he said, beckoning him towards the easel.

If this was a dream, he wanted to live it for a few minutes longer.  Yibo's feet moved on their own volition towards Zhan. 

"Do you like it?" asked Zhan, quietly.

Yibo turned from the painting to look at Zhan whose face was just inches away from his.  By habit, he leaned in wanting to close the gap between their lips, wanting to feel the softness of Zhan's lips again, when suddenly he realized what he was doing.  This wasn't a dream... Zhan was really here.  Meaning Yen had set this whole thing up behind his back.  Yibo took two steps away from Zhan, annoyed for so many reasons.

"You shouldn't be here," Yibo said.

"Thank you, Bo," Zhan replied, ignoring what Yibo had just said. "This place you bought for us is perfect."