"Why don’t people say ‘adore’ anymore?"

"What?"

You turned to lie on your back, holding your arms straight out, the soft, yellowed pages of an old paperback smoothed back against the surface of your thumbs on either side of the page.  The words danced across the page in rich black, the warm scent you could only describe as “old book smell” making its way to your nostrils.

"Adore," you explained, glancing at the bathroom door, a beam of light shining through the slight opening, "Why don’t people say that anymore?"

"I heard you the first time," the young man chuckled, pulling the door ajar as he rubbed a towel over the wet strands of his burgundy hair, "I meant, what do you mean?"

He tossed the damp cloth upon the small chair in the corner, making his way to sit beside you on the bed. “People still say it.”

"When’s the last time you heard someone say it?"

He shrugged, leaning back upon the numerous pillows, the rich scent of his herbal shampoo surrounding you, “Well I can’t say for sure, but I’ve heard it before.”

"In what context?" you arched a brow, flipping to the next page of the book.

Again, he shrugged, “How could I remember? Probably someone saying something was adorable.”

"That doesn’t count."

"Why not?"

"Because it doesn’t."

"You’re being unfair, don’t you think?" he frowned, leaning closer as you sat up, his head resting on your shoulder, "Adorable is a different tense for ‘adore.’"

"Adorable and adore mean entirely different things, Yixing." you sighed, folding the corner of your book as you placed it on the side table, "Adorable means something is cute, or a likeable. Aesthetically pleasing, you know?"

He hummed in affirmation, taking a hold of your hand, absentmindedly lacing his fingers between your own.

“Adore means to like something. No, not like, really. More like love.”

"Women say they adore shoes all the time." he suggested.

You laughed, watching as he played with your fingers, “Well, they do, I guess. But that’s not really what I meant.”

"Not what you meant when you said what?"

"How no one says ‘adore’ anymore."

"And what did you mean?” he asked,  glancing up.

A small blush crept up your cheeks at the proximity of his eyes, gazing intently into your own.

"I meant more to other people." you muttered, brushing a strand of hair away from your face, "When was the last time you hear someone say they adore someone else?"

He chewed his lip for a moment before replying, “Never.”

"Exactly."

"But what does it matter? There’s plenty of other ways they say it."

"They’re not the same, though.” you curled your legs in, pulling the blanket over the both of you, “A person can say they like someone, or love them, or what have you, but it’s not the same as saying they adore a person, you know?”

He lied down, turning to face you, the damp strands of his hair falling over his eyes, “No. What do you mean?”

"It doesn’t have the same charm, I suppose." you sighed, resting your head on your pillow.

"You’d rather I say ‘I adore you’, instead of ‘I love you’?" he arched a brow, his lip twitching up in a smile. Your cheeks flushed as you breathed a laugh.

"Well it sounds like a completely different thing."

He hummed, nodding his head shortly, “I guess I can see that.”

"Can you?"

"Mhmm," he smiled, blinking tiredly, "I love you is more like saying, you’re the one for me. I feel strongly for you and think we’re meant to be."

You bit your lip, fighting back the grin that threatened to rip your cheeks apart.

"But saying ‘I adore you’," he paused, looking up thoughtfully, "It’s more like saying, I can’t imagine a day without you. I want you around all the time because you make me feel good and I like making you feel good and it doesn’t really matter whether we’re meant to be or not, because I’d like to be around you either way.”

A nervous chuckle escaped your lips as you looked down, avoiding his gaze, your face burning a vivid crimson. He leaned closer, a playful smile dancing upon his lips.

"Is that what you mean?"

"I- I guess." you stammered, feeling his breath blowing gently against your skin.

He hummed lowly, bringing his hand up to rest softly upon your cheek, his thumb running over the smooth plains of your skin as he tilted your head up to meet his gaze, his eyes glistening in the dim light of the room. He his lips, smiling shortly before placing a tender kiss upon your lips, a small chuckle vibrating against your mouth as he pulled you closer, bringing his hand down to rest upon your waist. Slowly, he pulled away, resting his forehead against yours as he mumbled,

"If that’s the case, then I adore you.”