It was a very hot day when they headed to Qingdao. Mei was especially excited for this part of their trip, because the last time she had been to the beach was around five years ago shortly before her mum left the family.

Now, returning back, seeing the sea, smelling the salty water and the sunny weather, would really awake some bittersweet memories. But she also didn’t miss the memories in which she used to love to bath in the sea and to relax in the summer sun while eating some ice cream. Though this time, it wouldn’t be her parents with whom she’d make the memories - it was Luhan (and it didn’t bother her at all, because she grew to like him very much in a very short period of time).

“Have you ever been to the beach before?” Luhan asked.

He was especially relaxed today and so was Mei. Whether it was due to the extremely awesome weather or their anticipation to be at sea – whatever it was, they were happy.

“I have,” Mei answered, turning her head from the window to Luhan who quickly looked at her with a cheerful smile before concentrating on the street again. “Before my mum left the family.”

“I’m sorry,” he answered and pursed his lips in embarrassment.

Mei shook her head with the corners of her lips slightly tilted up. “You don’t have to be. It’s alright. Sometimes, not every kind of love is meant to be forever, right?”

Luhan was painfully reminded of his own (ex-) girlfriend whom he left behind. And he was aware how selfish and coward he had been to do so. He was aware that it was wrong to leave and to not tell her that he didn’t intend to come back to her.

Thinking that everything would be as before, she was anticipating his return, but Luhan actually never wanted this trip to end because he knew that, at the end of the road, he had to face her. And the message he had to bring wasn’t a good one – but he was too much of coward to tell her that deep down, he already ended everything, while she was anticipating her boyfriend running back into her arms.

He was scared to take the last step, because since high school, he hadn’t been without her. Back then, he was so, so in love and never wanted to be separated. And Luhan didn’t know what had happened that his feelings faded away as time passed by. She wasn’t the one for him, he was sure about that now.

But ending everything would mean he would be alone from now on. And he was unsure how and if he would be able to handle this.

He didn’t want to be alone. He couldn’t cope to be alone.

(And he surely didn’t want to be reminded of the fact that he was actually going to propose to her.)

“You’re right.” Luhan admitted. He knew that situation too well. “Sometimes it takes longer to find out that two people aren’t meant to be together.” His voice had a sad undertone coming along with it. “How about you and Ren?”

“Oh, I think he is the one!” Mei answered directly. “I just have the feeling.”

“Sure,” Luhan scoffed and she furrowed her brows in irritation.

“What?”

“How can you be so sure about that?” He continued with a serious voice. “There were a lot of people thinking like that and at some points, their relationship came to an end, too.” (Just like his own relationship.)

Mei shrugged. “I just have this feeling. You know… there is nothing which gives you more safety as when you look at the person you love and think: That’s the one. In the years we’ve been together, my feelings never changed and there weren’t moments I ever doubted my love for him. I am always happy when I’m with Ren. We never fought, we never had arguments. We just match perfectly.”

In fact, Luhan didn’t doubt that. Since the first time he encountered Mei, he was sure that she was so similar to Ren. But now that he got to know her a little better, he discovered more and more things which made her much more special… which distinguished her from him.

Luhan smirked. She was speaking so frankly about that topic and it reminded him of himself when he was deeply in love with the girl he left behind. And it made him feel bitter.

He shouldn’t feel that way, yet he did hearing Mei speaking so lovingly about him. He could actually feel her love through her voice. And he envied Ren for that.

“That’s what your parents probably thought as well,” he challenged with a smug facial expression.

Luhan was asking himself how she could dare to speak about a young love just like that. Feelings were ephemeral and so was love. (Or was he just embittered?)

“Well, for some people it works, for some not,” she replied a little touchy and crossed her arms as she pouted. “And I thought you’d understand me, because you have a girlfriend. But apparently you don’t care that much for her since she always needs to call Ren to get in touch with you.”

Mei hit the bull’s eye. Luhan’s grip around the steering wheel got tighter.

“Thank you for telling me,” he answered coldly.

For a moment, it was silent and Mei was wondering whether she did something wrong to turn the atmosphere and the mood into this cold and awkward one, making her feel nervous. But wasn’t it Luhan who offended her first? How come he suddenly got so embittered over the fact that she thought Ren was ‘the one’?

“Seriously Luhan…” She started softly as a sort of conciliation. “You should call her. I even lent you my phone. You don’t need to be scared if it’s too expensive. I don’t mind. Just call her and tell her you’re okay, because I bet she’s missing you like crazy. If I wouldn’t be able to call Ren and make sure that he was okay… I would be so scared that something had happened to him. Or more… that he didn’t want to see me. It’s painful, I can imagine that. Just call her, okay?”

Luhan looked straight forward, being aware of how true Mei’s words were.

He always knew it, yet he tried to avoid that conversation with his (ex-) girlfriend as long as possible. He didn’t want to hurt her by telling her about the break up through the phone, but he also didn’t want to pretend to love her and to whisper sweet words which weren’t true at all.

And now hearing Mei being so happy and lovey-dovey… he wanted that too. And for a blink of an eye, he was so jealous of everything what Mei had (and what he lost).

“It’s still my own decision what I’m going to do, right? It’s nothing of your business.” Luhan snapped.

Mei immediately turned her head and looked at him with angry eyes. “What’s your problem?” She asked back. “I’m just concerned, okay? You don’t need to be so rude to me.”

Luhan knew she was right, but his bitterness and jealousy was still sitting in his throat. He didn’t return something and neither did she. It was a silence filled with awkwardness and nervousness, also a slight touch of anger.

After a while, Luhan calmed down a bit, because he got to realize that it wasn’t Mei who did something wrong, but he. Yet he was too proud and too hurt by this situation to say sorry.

“How did you get to know Ren?” He then asked full with hope that she’d answer. It was his way to say: let’s forget this.

It took moments for Mei to react and Luhan wasn’t able to shift his head and look at her face, fearing that she’d still be mad. But that wasn’t something th