At 5:40 the next evening, Ten was at the coffee shop waiting for Kunhang to show up. 

He felt self-concious. He had never been at the shop for anything other than work. It felt strange to be sitting at a table here, dressed in jeans, a white T-shirt and a coat, waiting for someone. He looked up hopefully every time someone entered, but Kunhang hadn't shown yet. 

The bell above the door rang again, but Ten was so lost in thought that he didn't even notice. A moment later someone slid into the chair across from him and Kunhang's voice said "Hey." 

Ten looked up. "Hi!" 

He swallowed. Kunhang looked really nice. He was wearing a leather jacket and tight black jeans, and his hair was perfectly combed out of his face. Ten tried to brush his own hair back without Kunhang noticing. 

"Don't do that," Kunhang said. "I like your hair the way it is." 

Ten let his hair fall back over his forehead. "Really?" 

"Yeah. It looks good that way. Okay, let's go!" 

The movie theater wasn't that far from the shop. It took them about twelve minutes to walk there. They got their tickets and their seats, and Kunhang bought popcorn. 

When the movie was over, they left the theater and stood for a moment in the cold outside. 

"I don't work again until next Tuesday," Ten said to break the silence. 

"Really?" Kunhang looked delighted. "Then..... want to come to a party Monday night? One of the guys at my college is hosting it. It'll be starting at eight, if you want to come." 

"I..... okay." Ten smiled at him. "I'll see you there." 

"Great!" Kunhang said brightly. They walked away through the snow, laughing and talking. 

 

Monday night arrived at last. 

Kunhang was beyond excited. He hadn't told anybody he was bringing a plus one; most of them were bringing their current girlfriends or boyfriends. One guy had invited his older brother. Kunhang hadn't met him, but the guys who had all claimed he was super cool. 

Kunhang had styled his hair carefully and put on his coolest clothes. He had put in a pair of earrings as well, just for fun. He was lounging around on the couch with Weston- the guy with the older brother, who had not yet turned up- when the door opened and Ten stepped through.  

All the air left Kunhang's lungs. Ten looked absolutely stunning, and for a moment Kunhang could think of nothing to say. At last he managed "Wow." 

Ten was wearing a long-sleeved black T-shirt and ripped black jeans. He had fingerless gloves on his hands and no less than nine earrings total in his ears. He had smudged dark makeup around his eyes, and his hair had been styled so that half of his bangs were out of his face while the other half still fell over almost into his eyes. 

He sat down next to Kunhang and said cautiously 'Is it too much? I probably look ridiculous, I mean-" 

"It is not too much," Kunhang said instantly. "You look amazing." 

Ten smiled slightly. "Thank you." 

The first half of the night was a blur to Kunhang. He remember playing a card game that ended in everyone attacking Weston with their cards. He remembered dancing, alone at first until Ten joined him. He remember a wild game of truth or dare that Ten had insisted on sitting out, which was probably a good idea as the game had the adults drinking a lot and Ten had a ways to go to get home.

At a little after midnight Kunhang rejoined Ten. "You look tired," he said. 

Ten laid his head on Kunhang's shoulder. "I am." 

At that moment the door swung open. Weston whooped "Bro!" and a tall, handsome man stepped into the room. 

Ten's head jerked up. His whole body tensed. 

"Everyone," Weston shouted. "This is my awesome bro!" 

The brother waved, then laughed in a deep voice. 

Ten turned to Kunhang and hissed, "Get me out of here." 

"Why?" Kunhang asked, even as he grabbed his coat and boots. 

Ten pulled on his own coat and jerked up the hood so that his face was nearly hidden. "Remember that toxic ex I told you about?" At the look of shock on Kunhang's face, he grimaced. "Yeah. I can't let him see me." 

"Let's go," Kunhang said, and they snuck away. 

Outside, back out in the cold air with only the streetlamps for light, Kunhang grabbed Ten's hands and wrapped his own around them to warm them. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know." 

"It's okay," Ten said. 

Kunhang blinked. "No, it's not. I almost put you in potential danger. That's definitely not okay." 

"It wasn't your fault." Ten looked down at their hands. "You know, I really enjoy spending time with you, but..... I'd prefer for it to be somewhere we can actually talk. Parties.... especially college parties... they really aren't my thing." 

"That's absolutely fine," Kunhang said. He met Ten's eyes and added, "I'll make sure to remember that next time." 

Ten smiled at him. "Actually, do you have time to come in to the coffee shop tomorrow?" 

Kunhang thought it over. "Yeah. I do." 

"Great." They stared at each other for a moment. Then Ten said quietly, "I guess I should go." 

He tilted his head up to kiss Kunhang's cheek, then flashed his beautiful smile and walked away. 

Kunhang didn't go back to the party. He went to bed and squealed into his pillow, his cheek still warm from Ten's kiss.