When people were telling about their fondest memories, Mei would have always reminisced about her childhood. She would tell about her grandmother who had always baked a cake on Sundays, how the delicious scent filled the rooms and how she dared tasting it even before it was served. She would tell about her father, who had brought her to the playground on Saturdays and bought her ice cream, much more than her mother had allowed, but it was always a secret between them.

When Mei reminisced about her fondest memory now, she would tell about her real first kiss. Not the day her boyfriend had asked her out, not the day he had kissed her slightly on the lips for the first time and not the day he had indirectly proposed to her.

Instead, Mei thought of his best friend. And Valentine’s Day. And Zhi Nu and Niu Lang. And fireworks. And rain. And his lips on hers.

The feelings she had evoked that night were still locked in her heart. Maybe forever.

Mei’s phone showed 10 missed calls and 15 unread texts. But without feeling the urge to open even one of them, she had shoved her phone to the ground of her backpack to give in, to get weak and finally look at it. She had promised Ren to talk to him on Valentine’s Day – and he was the one keeping his promise whereas she was the one declining his calls.

She didn’t want to face reality. Not yet. Because she just didn’t know what to do. All she knew right now was that she wanted to stay like this with Luhan for a little longer.

After the kisses, there was no uneasiness between them. There were no embarrassing looks and ashamed silences. Instead, their gazes got a little more longing, their smiles a little more jaunty and their touches lasted a little longer. It was like they had built up a bubble in which they would let nobody in and nobody out, not even their minds or thoughts. It was only reality which would break through it soon.

“Where are we going?” Mei asked as she got out of the car. It was afternoon already and they weren’t far away from Chongqing anymore.

Luhan had parked the car in some grass, probably in the middle of nowhere. There were no people and no other cars in their sight as well, only delightful nature which had passed by their windows for the past hours. It was quiet, calm and the view way too beautiful to be captured by eyes only.

“You’ll see soon,” Luhan simply said and took her hand naturally, b with anticipation, cheerfulness and sparkling eyes to show her something - just like a little kid.

They hiked a long trail, Mei always following a step behind and although he kept his eyes forward, Luhan’s hand held hers tightly to support her and every now and then, he looked back to make sure that she could keep up with his pace. The long path didn’t get more uneven as they continued walking, though it turned rockier as they went on. The sudden sound raised a roar in Mei’s ears before it even came into view.

“Waterfalls?” She asked, her eyes widened in surprise as she they approached the spot where the noise was coming from.

“Mmhmm.” Although Mei couldn’t see his smile, she was sure that Luhan was doing it now – his cheeky smirk. They quickened their pace, each of them eager to see the spot, and the trail continued at its full width forward as the sound of the waterfall was to their rights.

She was so eager to see it, but couldn’t free herself from Luhan’s grip. He held her even tighter as she heard the waterfall approaching. She expected to see the fall any second, overlooking the natural spectacle from a distance at the bottom, but it was all just a bluff. The trail ended – but they weren’t at the bottom of the waterfall, but on the top. The water streamed down in fast rushes, glittery, sparkly and clear as the summer sky, too fast for the eyes to exactly proceed. There was no fence, no warning sign. It looked all untouched, hidden from humans to disturb this natural beauty.

“Can we go to the bottom?” Mei questioned. Though, this sight was something new. She had only seen waterfalls from the bottom before. She had never dared to climb up to the top.

“Eventually,” Luhan replied and they continued walking along the river, the source of the falls. It was clear and swift, a huge contrast to the thunderous sounds of the water falling. Letting her hand go, he took off his shoes and waded into the water. Turning back, he grinned widely and reached out his hands. “Come in.”

“What?” He had caught her off guard.

“It’s a little chilly in the first moment, but you’ll get used to it since it’s so hot today. Come in! If you find it too cold, you can get out again.”

If it was that way… Expectant, she toed off her shows and reached out for his hands. Slowly, she set a foot into the cool water, freezing for a second because the first touch had sent an unpleasant shock up her spine. She gasped and grabbed Luhan’s hands even firmer, forcing herself all the way in, the chilly water rising up to her calves, then knees. Shortly after, she stood with Luhan in the middle of the river and as they walked towards the fall, the rocks beneath their feet dangerously slippery, they stopped a few meters before everything went downwards.

“What a wonderful sight!” Mei exclaimed as she looked around at the trees, the landscape displayed in front of their eyes in its finest glory. It was a whole other experience rather than standing at the bottom could ever give off, but it was ever so special and something to rarely experience twice in life.

“Come!” Luhan said and dragged her with him along the river, nearer to the current. It was much stronger than it looked from the surface, feeling like it would pull them with it and the further they went, the harder they had to fight to stand still.

“Where are you going?” Mei suddenly blurted when they were only like a meter away from the fall. She stopped, forcing Luhan to stand still too.

“Didn’t you want to see the waterfall too?” He asked back, slyly.

“I wanted to see it, not fall to my death.”

Luhan let out an amused laughter, wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him. His voice was seductively close to her ear as he whispered, “I’m not going to let anything happen to you. Trust me.”

And she truly did. She trusted him with all her life. She had followed him through a river in a secluded forest, towards a waterfall. She was doing things she had never dared to do or to think about before. But now, she was only excited and full of anticipation to do them. And she would only want to experience all of this with Luhan. How crazy was that?

“We’ll jump.”

Still, Mei froze. “You really mean it.” They stepped a little further to get enough sight to look down at the waterfall. It was not that far. Maybe like a five-meter board on a diving tower.

“What do you think?” Luhan began. “I’m scared too. But it’ll be amazing. It’ll feel like flying. Or… first you soar, then you fall and then you dive. It’s surely awesome.”

“I can’t swim really well,” she admitted. She didn’t waste a thought about her clothes, how they would get dry, where they would change or whether this action was even legal. Instead, she looked forward to the experience Luhan was offering her.

He rubbed soft patterns against the fabric of her shirt, but still so intensive that she could feel it against her skin, and it soothed her. “Look, you don’t need to do it if you don’t want to. But I think you will like. I’m with you, after all.”

But Mei shook her head immediately. “I want to.” And as an answer, Luhan laughed happily into her ear. It sounded as light and clear and cheerful as a love song.

“Count of three?” He asked and she nodded. His grab around her waist loosened and he let his hand slide into hers again, intertwining their finger tightly.

“This is crazy,” Mei breathed. Her fear didn’t vanish fully and neither did Luhan’s, but their anticipation and excitement were way too dominating. But they couldn’t not do it. It was a nonrecurring chance to do something forbidden, dangerous and overall, a chance to escape from all fears and to truly live, even if for a few seconds only.

“It really is.” Feeling his heart pounding faster, Luhan counted, “Three… two… one.”

And synchronically, they jumped. And then, they soared.

It indeed was like flying. It felt like the air had caught them and lifted them high up in the sky although they were drawing closer to the shore. It didn’t even last for a few s