AU! You're in university and Guanlin lives in the apartment above you

Remember, I tell myself. The scent of coffee tickles my nose. The rich aroma. The flavor that I used to hate. These days I can't seem to get out of bed without brewing myself a cup or two. Maybe, three when fatigues is still lingering in my bones so unyieldingly, when the ghosts of the nights still envelop my body, trapping me in a cocoon of yawns.

I feel the coffee ghosting over my lips. It's so warm, almost hot, almost burning me, but then not at all. It flows down my throat and I let out a quiet sigh and put down the mug.

My fingers, I notice, are still painted with black ink. Especially my fingertips. I look at the imprint of letters and numbers on my skin, but I can't make out any words.

I wonder what I was writing tonight.

Thoughts of an insomniac.

I stumble out of my apartment and into Guanlin. He is already waiting in front of my door with his arms crossed, pressed against his chest. There is no sign of impatience on his face.

I once talked him into waiting for me, cajoled him into giving me a ride for nothing but a mumbled 'thank you' in exchange. He said he would rather be paid with smiles, one for each time he let me into his car and dropped me off at my university.

I would like to say that he succumbed to my womanly charms, but whenever he stands here, my hair is a mess and there a still signs of the pillow on my face. Thin lines imprinted into my skin. Maybe it's pity that makes him wait.

We walk to his car in silence, the kind of silence that makes you question whether you even exist, so I quickly busy myself with staring at Gualin instead.

Pity, conscientiousness, some weird sense of responsibility for the weird girl that lives beneath him, whatever it is...

I'm glad.

“Are you busy with exams?”

We get into his car and I breathe in the distinct scent. It's hard to describe what it smells lack. Upholstery. Sunlight. A distilled version of him.

I realize that I've been waiting too long with my answer and open my mouth. Exams. I have no idea when my exams are coming up. Have I been writing exams all along?

To quell my thoughts, I shut my eyes. Haphazardly and aimlessly, words stumble out out. “Exams are hard...”

I nod dumbly, as if to assure him that my meaningless words are worth something. He chuckles lightly and then turns to me. Now that we're out of the underground parking, the sunlight caresses his skin with soft , gentle and warm. It seems almost iridescent on his skin, every imaginable color illuminating his pallid skin.

“Have they even started yet?”

My gaze drifts behind him to the green leaves, to the lush shrubs that sit on the side of the road calmly.

“They might have”, I answer, shrugging against the seatbelt that is holding me in place.

Guanlin is quiet.

“Just take a year off”, he suddenly proposes, like he's extemporizing, but his eyebrows knit together into a frown. The furrow on his forehead as old as my sorrows themselves.

I remember when I told him of my habits, spilled my secrets to him in a desperate attempt to get closer to him. Have I always been like that? Or is it just because of him?

As I ponder over this, the car comes to a stop at a red light.

“You can take a year off and focus on your health and your drawings..” Gualin trails off.

For a second, the thought excites me. Twelve months to heal. Twelve months to nurse my psyche.

But then, I remember my reality.

Unpaid bills. Gas, electricity. Rent. The money that my father left me is almost depleted. A river run dry.

Undeterred by my lack of reply, Gualin continues. “You can get a therapist and maybe...”

“I don't have enough money for that”, I mumble.

I feel his eyes on me. “Live with me”, he offers all of a sudden. “As a friend. As a lover. Whatever you want.”

The light turns green.

A/N: Produce 101 has come to an end. I will still try to finish these one shots. I originally wanted to write eleven one shots about all the eleven trainees that I personally wanted to be in the group and I will go on as planned. :) This story is mainly written for me to experiment with my writing style and give in to my 'feels' for these boys, but I hope that you find yourself enjoying some of these stories.