Tao joined Kris in watching the students sit in the field of flowers, their drawing pads balanced on their knees and concentrating on the scenary in front of them. Kris was sitting on a rock below the students, also drawing. He wouldn’t let Tao see his drawing, claiming he was drawing his favorite animal and that he would have to wait and be surprised.

            Tao looked at the scenary behind them, and sighed at the flowers touching the ocean touching the cloudy sky. He wished he was a good artist and could draw this scene out, but instead he settled for taking a picture of it.

            When Kris was done drawing, he proudly showed Tao, claiming he must have been Picasso in a past life.

            “What is it?”

            “A duck! You’re favorite animal!”

            “My favorite animal is a dolphin. And ducks don’t have four feet.”

            Kris pouted and went to draw something else, letting Tao believe he was really hurt. Tao knew that Kris could get pretty sulky (he laughed at his dance skills once, and it took a few hours of kissing and head for Kris to feel better), but Tao knew he couldn’t do that in front of his students, so he said that he’ll do anything if Kris stopped pouting.

            Kris raised his brow, “Anything?”

            Tao nodded, “Just stop sulking.”

            Kris smiled and told him to stay on the large rock, and to close his eyes. Tao did so without question, probably to push him off or something.

            Tao closed his eyes, but heard rustling the grass and grew both scared and curious. When Kris told him to open his eyes, the students were up further, in four straight lines.

            Kris was sitting on the rock with him and said, “Okay, so you said anything. So don’t say anything until I’m done. Okay?”

            Tao was about to retort, but the look Kris gave off said otherwise. Tao nodded and waited,  watching as the students would occasionally look up at the scene, but then back down to their drawing pads.

            “I’m gonna tell you a story of how ‘Yifan Met Zitao’. When I first met you, I thought you were slightly annoying and would get cavaties,” Kris said in Chinese, which surprised the younger man a lot since they rarely spoke Chinese to each other, “I stated that we couldn’t be friends because you would want me” – a mocking look came from Tao – “and then we didn’t see each other after that. Years later, we meet again after your niece gets into a fight, and I tell you that I was dating a special someone and that you weren’t married.

            “Years passed after that and we ended up in a bookstore during my stage of depression. Luckily, we bonded and became friends that same day, and staying friends. I liked how we could joke about things and that I was the first person in the morning to order from your bakery for breakfast. I liked how we relied on each other’s friendship, especially when we had hard times.

            “And then Baekyeol meet and marry in no less than two weeks. You saw a side of me I didn’t want to show and hugged me all night. We got to know each other more, and I knew from the time that I discovered that I was your number one on speed dial that we would be friends forever. Then months later, Christmas passed, we got drunk on New Years and  our lives continued. You met SeHun again, and kissed me. While I was waiting for you, I was reading a magazine that decoded kinds of kisses. When you called saying you went home and needed me, I got scared. I couldn’t help but think that this poor guy got his heart broken again and I would have to be there to comfort him. At one point, you wanted me to hit you and I wouldn’t. You somehow ended up sitting on my lap and we stared at each other really well for the first time in ages. That is when things got interesting.

            “I met this pretty lady by the name of Jessica. She liked me, I liked her, and we ended up being friends with benefits. You got jealous, drank yourself drunk at BaekYeol’s Valentine’s Day party and I had to drag you back down to your apartment. You wanted to have with me, but I ended up wrapping a cacoon around you, and you woke up with a  pretty bad hangover.

            “Fast forward months later and you come to my class, and tell me that BaekYeol is having a party. We leave and shop for baby clothes for Baekyeol, and argue over parenting styles, punishmenst and foods. We both see my former love, and out of reaction and wanting to make him jealous, I kissed you. But you surprised me and kissed back. Lu Han and I talk, he says something that makes me think about that time you fell on my lap. We get back home and I start to kiss you. We somehow ended up with clothes partially off and sleeping in my bed. I freaked out, demanded to know why you kissed me back. You were messing up my mind, and I couldn’t stop thinking of us during our moment of heat. After you slapped me, we somehow ended up having real love making, not . Love making. And after a week of constant love making, I started to think about you more.

“I felt excited to go out on dates with you, to hold your hand, to kiss your cheek. I antincipated the days we were too tired to do anything but lay in each others arms and talk about our days. I looked forward to days we would fight and get mad, only to have amazing make up after.

“Now… I think I’m ready. It’s been eleven years since we first met. I look forward to actually wake up to see you next to me every day, to see you welcome me home, to see you walk through the door. I’m ready to handle how guys will look at you, and how I should handle my jealousy. I look forward to watching you hold our children in your arms, comforting them, huggng them, and seeing them grow. I can’t wait to see grandchild walk around our apartment, demanding home made cookies.

“But mostly, I can’t wait to see us grow old together,” Kris smiled, Tao’s eyes in tears as he pointed to his students. When Tao looked up, he nearly started to sob.

I LOVE YOU

Kris took out a box and placed it in Tao’s hand but not letting go, “We agreed to say those three magic words when we felt ready. Well, I’m pretty sure this moment sums it up.”

Tao took the box, sniffling and opened to see two silver bands resting side by side, gleaming up at them.

Tao looked at the rings before looking at Kris, unsure of what the was happening.

“I love you Huang Zitao,” Kris said, before taking out his ring and placing it on his finger, “But I would prefer calling you Wu Zitao.”

“Kris… are you… proposing?” Tao finally got out, his breaths becoming short and choppy.

Kris laughed, “Don’t faint just yet. I haven’t even asked the question.”

Tao nodded, and tried his best to calm down, nodding that he felt calm.

“I asked you before if you promised that you say yes if  I proposed. So, will you marry me? Promise to marry me?”

Tao started to let the tears drop, smiling, “Yes, I promise.”