Zhan kept on going mile after mile, but his sight was never on the clean and pristine scenery, but of the meeting he had of his first love. His mind is full of the gorgeous man, and he couldn't save himself from drowning further down the pit of love and yearning.
He did not realize how long he had ran and how far he had reached, until he caught a glimpse of the moon, indicating it is already night time.
Sweats trickling down his whole body and panting from his long run, Zhan decided to head back home when he'd seen his wrist watch indicating it's already past 11pm.
His mind was far off this galaxy, sitting on his grief, jealousy, curiosity and frustrations, he almost missed the existence of Mr. Lam, who is UNIQ's manager.
"Mr. Xiao! What a coincidence!" The older man greeted, waving a hand on the dazed Zhan.
Registering the presence in his buffering brain, Zhan forced a smile and responded with a bow, inching his way to the elder. He scanned the hallway and was surprised to realize that Mr. Lam is standing in front of the Emerald Penthouse he mistakenly entered a few days ago.
Horrified and embarrassed, Zhan sharply inhaled and stutteringly asked, pointing at the suite, "A-Are you the owner?"
"Oh, No! I don't live here." Mr. Lam shook his head vigrously. "I can't even enter that house." He laughingly continued, "The owner is too secretive and possesive of his abode. Me, his poor manager, couldn't even have a glimpse of his haven! That's why I'm just waiting in here outside for that kid."
Apalled, Zhan circled his index finger between himself and the door to that penthouse. "Do y-you mean...?" He started but couldn't continue. Aimless and unhinged, his heart pounded, hopes clashing whether wanting to hear who the real owner was or not.
But does he even need to ask?
Recalling the Sandalwood scent, the black outfit, the green and dark motif of the interior of that penthouse, the collection of skateboards, legos and helmet he had briefly seen inside...was he that dumb to even ask who lives in there? Who else could be that phantom who resides as his neighbour in that house?!
Zhan felt all his senses numbing and his sight swirling. "I-Is it M-Mr. Wang?" He queried despite the obvious answer.
"Ah. Here he comes!" Mr. Lam cheerfully called at the figure now standing by the doorway, a duffle hanging on the younger's shoulder. "Yibo! Look who I've bumped into."
Zhan's vision worsened and his legs weakened at just the sight of the man from his periphery. His body refused to follow his commands, so he just focused suppressing his rapid breaths which might knock him unconscious from hyperventilation.
All too sudden, he felt really unwell, stress and exhaustion with his mixed emotions adding to his plight.
Yibo's unreadable eyes glanced at Mr. Lam then to Zhan, giving only the tiniest nod as regard with his poker face on. Zhan already in a disadvantaged wellbeing, only felt more disheartened and afflicted.
"You're done packing? Should we go then?" Mr. Lam awkwardly broke the lingering silence, wondering what is the unspeakable tension he is sensing between the two.
"Mn." was Yibo's response, closing the door behind him then marched his way to escape the inadvertent meeting.
Zhan's mind was in havoc staring at Yibo's figure walking away from him. He wanted to know how long has they been living that close, but never had the idea of their close proximity. He ought to confirm as well if Yibo was really the good samaritan who helped him that night.
His dread increases with every question left unanswered.
But the thought of him being welcomed to enter and stay over night at Yibo's place, while Mr.Lam wasn't even allowed to see the inside of it, should he let his hopes up? Does it mean something?
The further Yibo went away from his sight, the more Zhan felt drawn to him.
Until Zhan let it all loose.
Before he completely miss the chance and loose Yibo for the second time, he tottered his way and ran after him.
A loud thud reverberated on the enclosed platform as Zhan blocked the closing elevator door with his arm, alarming Mr. Lam who looked at him with wide open eyes, while the usually impassive young man he was after, lifted his beautiful eyes and only gave him a once over glance before busying himself back to his mobile phone.
"Bo-di." Zhan unconsciously called with a low sound when Yibo gave him a cold shoulder for the umpteenth time. At this point, his eyes were watery and his sight was clouded but he couraged up and blinked away his tears. "Yibo. It's you, right?" He started, pertaining to the previous night's incident. He felt utterly embarassed letting his drunken scene be their first meeting after 10 years.
Yet, wasn't everything happening now, the coincidences and inadvertent meetings, a sign that destiny is realigning their fates to cross again?
Mr.Lam looked between the two in confusion. "Y-Yes, he is Yibo, Mr.Xiao. Is there a matter?" he answered in the stead of Yibo who kept his lips sealed as usual.
Feeling desperation for Yibo's regard, even with the tiniest hint Yibo could spare Zhan's poor heart, Zhan is willing to beg for it. "I know it's you. I just want to thank you and...to say sor--"
"Forget it." Yibo eloquently pronounced halting Zhan. He uttered those two words unaffectionally without care, making Zhan froze in place.
Yibo getting impatient with Zhan's stance of halting the lift's door from closing, he slowly advanced near him, coldly shoving his arm off the lift's sensor, whispering, "It doesn't matter." as the elevator's door closes on Zhan's face.
Zhan's lung made a loud exhale to unburden his tight chest. But it only made his world sway and his vision flickered like a dying light bulb.
As the lift's door closed, Yibo let his eyes linger at Zhan's washed-out pallid face. He doesn't want to care despite seeing the hurt he had caused on the man or regret his vicious words but when he saw Zhan's body plummeting to the ground, hell breaks loose to the known stoic prince.
He banged the elevator door and when he failed to stop it from moving, he pressed the button to the next floor and dashed his way back upstairs like a lunatic. His manager frantically shouted his name to stop his insanity, but Yibo doesn't care about anything else except for the man whom he had just pushed away.
He ran as fast as he could, taking the emergency stairs back up to where Zhan is, impatient to wait for the next lift which might take another 100 years to come.
Yibo's knees dropped together with his heart when he scooped Zhan's unconscious body off the floor and onto his chest.
"Z-Zhan-ge..." his voice shaked along his trembling fingers caressing Zhan's face.
It might be a bit too late now to reflect what he has done, but as he let his wall crumble and came back for Zhan, Yibo had already opened Pandora's box--a treasure he forbids himself to greed for, and its accompanying troubles which might not just break him but them both.
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Author's Note:
Sorry for the slow update folks!
I hope things will go smoothly for the two from now on 🤭🤔
Do you want Yibo to remember the past as well? Or is it enough for Zhan to just remember their past?
30-June&4-July, 2020
YOU ARE READING
Fated Encounter (BJYX Fanfic) - Completed
Fanfiction"I've waited for fate to rewrite our story. And now you're here, in flesh and in reality, my Yibo." Zhan's heart swell with the sight of the man he was desperate to meet again. Yet, did time warp and bring him back to the past, when love was at its...
