Daiyu hated the end of the college year. Not because her classes ended then, which was something she looked forward to, it was because…

“Do you have any ideas for the Graduation Party?” Haneul asked her at breakfast as Daiyu shook her head with a mouthful of food “seriously? You’re super close to the seniors, especially Yixing! You have zero ideas?”

Daiyu swallowed, narrowing her eyes at Haneul “I really don’t want to think about this alright?” she grumbled, taking another bite of her food and looking down at her plate. She’d become Yixing’s acquaintance in the middle of her first year and a close friend of his by the end of it. Now, she was in her third year and he, being her senior, was in his final and fourth year. And after all this time, she realized that she may be in love with the dimpled man and the way he’s always been with her, she had a feeling that the attraction might be mutual.

She remembered the first time they met, the two of them shared a table at the dining hall simply because there was no space on any other table and Yixing, being the man he is, began talking to her. He told her about how he had seen her perform on the freshers talent night and how he really liked what she had sung and she looked down and blushed, feeling very shy. But over time, Yixing wore down the shyness bit by bit with patience and effort and she couldn’t help but reciprocate his friendship. They became close friends by the end of her first year and had been for the longest time.

Which made things complicated according to her. She’d been in love with the man since her second year and had held on, not knowing what to say to him till the third year. All this while, he’d been nice, immensely nice in fact. People on campus wondered if they were dating, but the two were just close friends. All of the sudden Yixing seemed nicer, whenever he hugged her she felt like there was a kiss pressed on top of her head, he’d take any opportunity to meet her and hang out with her, maybe it was all her imagination or maybe it was because he was graduating.

“I understand,” Haneul mumbled, patting her back and grabbing at her spoon as Daiyu scraped at the plate uselessly “you’ll miss him, but you can help with the party because doing this with the group I’m stuck with is driving me insane.”

“Alright, alright,” Daiyu grumbled, picking her plate up before turning back to Haneul “what do you need me to do?”

Haneul smiled, rubbing her hands together “you need to help come up with titles.”

Daiyu felt a weight on her shoulders and a chin on the top of her head as an all too familiar voice asked “what titles?” Daiyu grinned as Yixing’s arms on her shoulder held on tightly as Haneul rolled her eyes.

“Stop trying to find out what we’re doing for your graduation party and go away.”

“Oh,” Daiyu liked how he hadn’t moved a bit “now you’re the one giving away the details of the grad party Haneul, I thought these titles were for some paper you were writing.” He chuckled as Haneul face palmed at her momentary lapse of sense.

“Yixing, you’re going to have to let go of me if you want me to get to class on time.” Daiyu shifted, only to have Yixing not budge. Haneul sighed, knowing this conversation would take forever as she picked both the plates on the table and walked over to the dish landing to place them there. She watched the two bicker as Yixing shot Daiyu his dangerous puppy dog eyes and Daiyu swatted at him before hurrying away from the laughing man.

Daiyu joined Haneul as the two hurried to class.

“Every damn time, he gives me the same excuse!” Daiyu groaned “‘I’m graduating, skip class and stay with me’” she drew air quotes as Haneul laughed.

“You're helping with the titles and any Yixing involvement will not keep you away from it.”

“Yes boss.” Daiyu saluted as she mentally prepared herself for the work that would be piled on her. Especially by Jongdae, who was in charge of the entire event. In all their meetings following her recruitment into the group, she saw the boy making moon eyes at Haneul and somehow that resulted in her sitting back and doing a boatload more of work.

And a very whiny Yixing.

“Are you seriously not going to spend any time with me because you’re working on an event for me?” he asked as she shook her head as she turned back to her laptop, finally getting down to doing her work, only to have him wrap his arms around her “you’re not working, you’re going to spend time with me.”

“And when do you expect me to work?” Daiyu rolled her eyes as his embrace tightened and she felt the gentle press of his lips on top of her head as she looked at her screen, trying to figure out whether it was her imagination or not, only to find the screen was too bright for that attempt.

“The graduation party is tomorrow and you won’t have classes anyway, so there is no immediate work.” He said as she turned around to look at him before

returning his embrace in her awkward position on the chair nuzzling against him as he her hair. She felt him take a deep breath, like he was going to say something.

That was when Haneul burst into the room “Daiyu, we have an emergency…oh, Yixing. Hello. I’m going to borrow Daiyu here.” She said, tugging at Daiyu’s wrist as the latter tumbled out of his arms and followed along helplessly. Yixing gaped, he had hoped to finally talk to Daiyu about whatever was going on between them, but the girl was so busy planning out the damn party that she barely had any time to just sit with him.

He’d probably just have to tell her tomorrow.

But with the crowd that had built up in the large grounds of their college and the damn three piece he had decided to wear that day, Yixing could not spot Daiyu anywhere.  There were far too many people including faculty and staff milling around the area festooned with colourful paper streamers and a ton load of balloons (Yixing was certain the balloons were Jongdae’s idea since Daiyu did not particularly think balloons and crowds mixed well together). Some of the people he had bumped into had nipped on some alcohol and were beaming at everyone and anyone regardless of whether they knew them or not.

But Yixing was sober, he needed to be sober to tell Daiyu what he hadn’t all this while. It was cruel, he admitted, telling her right before he left. But he knew it wouldn’t be right to not tell her and leave. Which was why, even with all the distraction around him, his eyes looked for her only to spot everyone else but her.

Until he saw the all-too-familiar mop of hair running around with a carton in her arms. Trying to get through the crowd, he bumped into Haneul who was closely followed by Jongdae (were they holding hands? Yixing wasn’t sure). He watched Daiyu run onto the stage in a plain white top and a long black skirt as she dropped the carton there and hurried back down and yelling something at Jongdae before walking right back into the crowd. Frustrated, Yixing made a rush for her, getting tangled in one of the colourful festoons that hung from the long strings that had been tied across the ground. Battling it, he looked around for Daiyu again, ignoring the loud voice that had now taken over the music that had been playing in the speakers.

Spotting her yet again in the crowd, he headed over to her only to hear his name being announced on stage by Jongdae as “Zhang Yixing wins the title of Mr

Handsome! Yixing, get on stage man!”  

Yixing found himself being pushed forward as he looked around to see Daiyu smiling at him. He struggled through the crowd towards the stage, walking past her as he grabbed hold of her hand, leaning closer to her and saying.

“Meet me right after I get off stage, this is important.”

He watched her look back him wide eyed as the entire campus cheered him as he got on stage along with a bunch of his batch mates. His eyes looked for her in the crowd as she looked back up at him with a gentle smile, waiting for the crowd to dissipate. He noticed the fact that she didn’t have her face done like she usually would have for such an event. He really didn’t mind, she was the same Daiyu whether she had her lipstick on or not. He felt Tao thump him on the back breaking him out of his reverie as he turned around to grin at Mr Martial Arts. Right now, he felt antsy about getting this off his chest and nervous at the same time. Except when he did get off stage, he got swept away by his friends on stage and Daiyu hurried over, only to find him missing.

“Jesus Christ.” She grumbled, taking a deep breath before trying to find her way through the crowds of people, bumping into faculty and other members of the staff as she looked for Yixing.

She knew he looked amazing in a suit, and she knew he looked amazing dancing, except she didn’t know that he’d look this amazing dancing in a suit. Daiyu was familiar with Yixing’s likes and dislikes – and Yixing liked to dance. So anytime he was asked to dance, he would.  Daiyu watched Yixing move fluidly with his dance crew which he had formed in the college as the “one last dance before I graduate” moment. She couldn’t help but laugh at the group monkeying around, pulling her phone out to click pictures. Now that they were done with most of the event, Daiyu noticed Jongdae and Haneul sneak away and felt herself let out another laugh.

Then everything halted when he turned towards the laughter that escaped her lips, the blazer was now off his shoulders and his waistcoat hugged his figure as he shifted out of position, picked up his blazer, and headed straight over to her.

“Yixing!” the laughter was still heavy in her voice as his fingers interlaced with hers.

“We need to talk.” He said, causing her face to drop. That was a statement no one wanted to hear coming from anyone.

“Now?” she asked, indicating to the crowds of people around them making him look around with a frown.

“We’ll go to the back of the building then.” He grumbled, knowing that was the one place no one really would go to at this point of the day. Daiyu looked at him, puzzled.

“What’s wrong Yixing?” she asked, still following him out of the crowd with their hands interlaced. The back of the college building wasn’t too far off and Yixing had draped his blazer over her shoulders to ward away the cold, but the lack of answers and Yixing shoving one of the storage rooms open genuinely puzzled

Daiyu no end.

“Yixing?” she asked yet again, she trusted him with all her heart even when he had his off moods. But she didn’t know what to do when he gently cupped her cheek as their eyes met.

“Daiyu,” he whispered, his thumb running over the soft skin as his brain attempted to form the right words “we’ve been close for nearly three years.” He felt her breath as she exhaled a “yes”. He loved how her eyes never left his, even for a moment as she looked for answers in them.

“You’re very precious to me, you know that right?” he asked, hoping to god she wouldn’t give him her usual sarcastic answer in response.

“Yixing,” he felt a shiver go down his spine at how serious her tone was “you’re extremely important to me too…” she broke his gaze, looking down “and I’ve been keeping something from you for the last three years…”

Yixing’s eyes widened for the briefest moment and the little nervousness in his heart simply faded “I have too…”

“I know,” She said, shocking him a little more “I figured out recently…it just felt a little too late.” She sighed, looking back up to meet his eyes. How much she loved those eyes, how they crinkled when he smiled, how those deep dimples appeared every time her did. She was sure someone had put stars in his eyes because they always sparkled and they never failed to draw her to him.

“You’ve liked me for three years?” she heard him choke out and she sighed, feeling tighten and her eyes prickle with tears.

“I have loved you for three years.”

She felt his hand drop from her face and panicked, maybe she’d been wrong about him liking her too. Daiyu felt relief when his arms wrapped around her and he pulled her up against his chest.

“God,” she heard his voice, heavy with emotion “I love you so much.”

Somehow, everything came tumbling out as emotion flooded from every pore of the two beings standing in the middle of a storage room in a college campus. Tilting Daiyu’s chin up, Yixing leaned in, only to be met halfway by her for a searing kiss that burned his veins. Her lips were soft and balmy against his slightly chapped ones creating a friction that had her gripping at his waistcoat as she pressed her lips against his with fervour. His lips moved against hers with an overwhelming urgency that broke the dam she had built for her tears as they flowed down her cheeks freely. His thumb swiped at the salty tears as his other arm curled around her waist and pulled her impossibly close. She whimpered when his teeth pressed at the flesh of her lower lip before gently tugging away, slowly releasing her from the breathless kiss, only to kiss her again; this time, he was slow, and thorough as her fingers wove into the locks of his hair and his wandering fingers slipped under the blazer and the thin fabric of her top to caress the warm skin of her lower back. This time, when he drew back and took a look at her tear stained face and puffy lips, she pulled him back into a heated lip lock as her tongue teased past his lips and tangled with his own, his hands trailed down her sides as he choked back his own tears and her hands moved from their position on the collar of his shirt down his chest before going right back around his neck. Yixing felt a fire burn on every bit of skin she touched and Daiyu was intoxicated to finally, finally kiss the man she loved after three years of wondering.

Yixing kissed her neck, hearing another whimper escape her lips which pleased him.  He pressed against her frame, showering her neck with gentle kisses and trailing up her jawline. He felt the shiver that passed through her body as his lips met hers again and for some reason, the tears which has stopped before returned as she kissed back with the same sense of urgency that he had had.

He was graduating and going away while she stayed here for another year. He had no idea where he was going after college – would he work, or go to one of the colleges he had applied to was a decision he hadn’t made yet. Daiyu’s lips against his, made him want to forget, even if it was for that moment.

So he did.

Based on a dream I had.

Hence the large number of gaps in between.

GDI Zhang Yixing!