Mizpah《Zhanyi version》

Chapter 4

Present time . . .

Zhan bit his lip until it almost started bleeding, but not yet and once again he took a sip from his coffee, he knew that Yibo was getting impatient because Zhan wasn't going right to the point.

But Yibo wouldn't understand it if Zhan would have cut any part of the story, Yibo needed to know everything, every small detail to understand the whole picture, so Zhan once again took a deep breath, picking up his story after where he left . . .

***

Sixteen years ago . . . 

He was alone.

Yibo was all alone, sitting on his bed while trails of old dried tears were visible on his pale cheeks, he just sat there, not moving, as if he was only a body without a soul anymore, and his body slowly moved on the soft rhythm of the wind that howled outside the four walls of his small room.

When someone makes a promise to stay forever, it's a lie, forever is just a word that shouldn't get used so carelessly anymore, as a kid, Yibo always believed in a happily ever after, that was also the reason he loved fairy tales, but now he was finally fourteen, he realized some things parents tell you at a young age are just lies, deceitful lies to fill your heart with.

A deep sigh escaped Yibo's mouth, while he buried his head into his hands, new fresh tears slowly trickling its way down his face, and without his own notice the clock had struck twelve, yet this Christmas day was different from others, it was tiring, more tiring than usual, but negatively, and Yibo felt like he was deceived by the word forever.

When Yibo was on the verge to break down again, he felt two pair of arms embracing him into a comforting hug, as if the hug was telling him he was safe, and at the moment Yibo wished he could drown in it, Yibo realized the worst thing to be left with at night were your own thoughts.

The whole day Yibo had been pushing people away he loved, telling them he was okay, smiling while hiding the tears behind his facade, and people even bought his lie, even his closest friends and family, and here he was, embraced by two pairs of arms that carried a familiar fragrance.

"Z-Zhan . . ." Yibo chuckled the name out of his throat while a snicker followed, new tears kept coming like a waterfall, while Zhan kept hugging the older boy while a pang hit his heart watching the other person cry, Zhan didn't knew what happened, but what he did know was that it's sometimes better to not ask the things you don't wish to know.

"Z-Zhan . . . ?" Zhan nodded while caressing Yibo's hair, and slowly shushing the crying boy, he squeezed Yibo's warm hand with his cold one, trying to motivate Yibo.

"Z-Zhan, will you stay f-forever w-with me . . . ?" Yibo cried after the words left his mouth, it was a heartbreaking scene, two boys holding each other, one crying while the other looked at the crying boy, his eyes displaying the very same pain, two souls that were both suffering and intertwined through the cruelty of fate.

Instead of answering, Zhan slowly shook his head, placing a small butterfly kiss on Yibo's forehead while wiping his tears away.

He locked Yibo's gaze and flashed a small gentle smile before answering him, "Yibo, I can't promise you to stay forever because someday our paths will stop crossing, but what I can promise you is to be there when you need me though once again I can't promise you to be always on time yet what I can promise is to be by your side. Even if I am not physically there, I am invisibly there by your side, watching you, you're a warrior Yibo, my small lion warrior, and you're fighting as I have never seen someone fighting before, you're so brave my little lion cub . . ."