38

~*~

[the next evening]

“Hello?”

What is it with people just letting themselves into our apartment? Seriously w-...wait a minute. Kai paused the evening movie that we were watching and we all looked at each other in realisation.

“Oh, so we come back from China but we don’t even get a ‘welcome back!’ or a ‘well done for bringing one of our best friends back from a different country, Kris, thank you so much!’” Kris’s voice called sarcastically down the hall followed by Tao’s quiet laughter.

Lu Han and Chen immediately ran towards the front door - followed by me and Kai walking calmly - and flung themselves at Tao.

“What? I get no hug?” Kris pouted.

Kai opened his arms and hugged Kris overdramatically, slightly mocking the way that Lu Han and Chen were like with Tao.

“Thanks,” Kris laughed as I patted his shoulder.

“I was so worried!” Lu Han said as he tackled them, both this time,  into an awkward hug (considering Kris was extremely tall).

“Oh come on, we were only gone for what-  two days?” Kris rolled his eyes.

“That’s longer than you could stand without seeing him!” Chen pointed out teasingly. Kai laughed and hi-fived him.

“Thanks for trying to stop me from going, Chen,” Tao smiled and Chen turned to him, “It was all a trick, actually,” Tao finished with more of a sigh.

“Huh?” We all stared at him in confusion, including Kris. This seemed to be the first time he’s heard this too.

“Well, my parents lied to me...my grandfather wasn’t ill.”

Tao took Kris’s hand and looked up at him, then looked back at us.

“So why did they want you to go?” Lu Han asked curiously as he scratched the back of his head.

“They...wanted me to get married to a Chinese girl.” Tao said slowly. We all gasped loudly. Wha-?

“M-Married?” Kris looked at him and gulped, while his boyfriend blushed at his reaction.

“But you’re so young!” Chen shook his head in disbelief whilst Kai leant against the wall.

“Getting married young is good in China,” Tao shrugged.

“S-So what are you going to do?” Lu Han asked.

“Well I already told them that I wasn’t getting married to her,” Tao explained, “Er- and then after, that we when I told them I was gay.”

He looked up at Kris shyly, “And then Kris saved me from being hit by my father.”

WHA-?!

“It sounds really cheesy when you put it like that,” Kris laughed awkwardly before he cleared his throat and completely changed the subject. “C-Can we just...watch a movie or something...for now?”

~*~