A crash resounded through the house and Mei tumbled out of bed, startled by the sound. She rubbed her eyes, confused, then heard footsteps close to her bedroom door. Mei stood up just as Kris almost fell into her room, and moved back against the wall.

“K-Kris? Are you okay?” Mei asked carefully, moving forward to where Kris was leaning against the door.

“Mhm,” Kris mumbled, his eyes opening and closing slowly. Mei realised he was drunk.

“Kris... This isn't your room...” she told him slowly, pushing him out of her room and through to the corridor outside. Suddenly Kris fell onto Mei's shoulder and she struggled to hold him upright as she dragged him to his own room.

 

Finally, after almost falling over twice, Mei reached Kris' room and opened the door, meaning to push him inside and run away quickly. However, Kris took Mei's hand before she could escape and pulled her into his bedroom.

“Kris? Kris, let go,” Mei struggled, and Kris' held her hand tighter. “Kris, you're drunk, let go.”

Kris started pulling Mei towards his bed and she struggled and struggled, finally managing to fling Kris away and he landed, face-down, on his bed. Just as Mei thought she was going to be able to leave, Kris caught the loose shirt she wore to bed and pulled her back.

“Seriously, Kris, let go,” Mei sighed, getting tired. “This is why I don't drink!” She cried in frustration. Kris seemed to be suppressing a grin as he used his strength to tug Mei and make her land right on top of him.

 

“Hey,” Kris said ily as Mei regained her senses. Mei quickly pushed herself off Kris and ran to the door, her heart beating fast. She looked back quickly as she opened the door, then sprinted back to her room as fast as she could. She closed the door behind her and leaned against it, hand clutching her chest. Even after a few minutes her heart was still beating fast, maybe faster than before. She shook her head, trying to wipe out the images that Kris had left in her mind and returned to bed, lying awake for hours.

 

After a sleepless night, Mei dragged herself out of bed and into some clothes then went to go and see the twins. She didn't let herself panic when she saw the twins weren't in their beds again, she looked around the house methodically and when she made it to the kitchen saw a note on the table.

Hi Mei,

We told Kris yesterday but in case he didn't tell you, we've taken the twins on our business trip. We'll be in Japan until the end of summer. If you've got any questions, call us. We'll come back on 31^st August. Please keep the house tidy and cook for Kris, he doesn't know how to cook at all.

Mr and Mrs Wu

Mei looked around the kitchen, throwing the note down on the table. Mr and Mrs Wu were usually great but they always forgot to tell her important things like this. Mei was about to start baking cupcakes for Kris for going to the interviews the day before when she heard muffled bangs coming from upstairs then heavy footsteps coming down the stairs. Her first instinct was to hide, but they'd spent some time together the day before, so she could stay in the kitchen, right? The footsteps stopped for a moment and Mei pulled her phone out of her pocket, and typed quickly.

You free today? I need to get out of the house.

 

“Get out,” Kris muttered as he strode into the kitchen, showing no signs of being drunk the night before.

Mei nodded. “Are you okay now? Last night you-”
“Do you really not drink at all?” Kris asked suddenly, turning to Mei as she left slowly.

Mei shrugged her shoulders. “Alcohol doesn't appeal to me. Wait, how did you-”

Kris put his hands on Mei's shoulders and steered her towards the door. “You can bake when I'm out.”

Mei huffed and stopped forcefully, making Kris walk into her back.

“I said leave! Didn't you listen?” he said angrily. Mei shrugged.

“Your parents told me I had to cook for you. Unless you don't want any breakfast?”

“I got my own breakfast yesterday-”

“You ate the leftovers from dinner the day before. I won't talk, okay? I'll cook for you and clean for you like a good dumb nanny,” Mei told him. She started off speaking calmly and in Korean, but suddenly switched to Mandarin near the end of the sentence and had to stop herself yelling. Kris looked surprised for a moment before he hid his emotions away again and sat down slowly.

“Fine. Stay.”

 

After an hour of both of them being in the same room uncomfortably, Mei finished cooking some food for Kris for his breakfast and his lunch.

“Why did you make so much?” Kris whined when Mei gave him a plate of freshly cooked food.

“The plate over on the side is for your lunch,” Mei told him, taking off her apron and hanging it on the back of the door.

“Aren't you going to be here for lunch?” Kris asked suddenly.

“Well, seeing as I don't have to look after the twins, I thought I could go out,” Mei said meekly. “Is that alright with you, sir?”

“Whatever,” Kris shrugged and turned back to the table.

 

A light breeze ruffled Mei's new skirt as she waited for the bus for the second day in a row. The bus stop was quiet; there was one other teenage girl waiting for the same bus as Mei, and they sat in a comfortable silence waiting for their ride into the city. Mei spotted her as the bus drew into the station and he noticed her; they began waving manically until the bus stopped and Mei ran off, leaving the girl on her own.

 

“Vic!” Mei cried, crushing her in a hug, being equally crushed as she hugged her back. Victoria laughed as Mei rested her head on Victoria's shoulder, smiling brightly.

“How come they let you out of the house?” Victoria asked incredulously.

Mei shrugged and finally let go of her. “I should've stayed and cleaned, but their son is a complete . They've taken the twins on their business trip to Japan, so I thought it was safe to leave.”

“Fair enough,” Victoria nodded as they began to walk towards the café Mei had been in yesterday. “I've been so bored lately. All my parents want me to do is study- I haven't even started university yet!”

 

They arrived at the café and ordered drinks before sitting down at the table by the window.

“Did you get accepted?” Mei asked suddenly.

“Accepted to what?” Victoria furrowed her eyebrows. “Oh, Qingdao? Yep! Did you?”

“Yes!” Mei grinned. “Maybe we'll be dorm buddies!”

Victoria laughed, sipping some of her coffee. “Mei, who's that guy over there? He's been staring at you since we got here. Do you know him?”

Mei didn't even need to look to know who it was, but she turned around anyway, and met Luhan's gaze with an angry glare.

“Ugh, it's him again. He tried to make a move on me yesterday, so I-”

“He's really cute,” Victoria sighed. “You're lucky. Why don't you go talk to him?”

“I already have Tao!” Mei put her coffee down suddenly.

“Are you sure? I mean, you haven't seen him for five years,” Victoria said slowly. “He might have found someone else.”

“Don't say that,” Mei said quietly. “Please don't say that.”