Yin Shou and Xue Teegan stayed in the same position; he wasn"t sure for how long. After a long moment, Xue Teegan pulled away from him. She cupped his slightly bruised face, and she wore a sad smile before leaning in to give him a light kiss, a kiss that felt like the soft brush of a feather.

It was gentle and careful. Yin Shou never had this before, one that conveyed feelings of complexity. It surprised him. When she pulled away, Xue Teegan still wore that sad smile on her lips. "Let"s go back," she said.

Yin Shou turned on the engine of the car and drove off.

When they arrived at her home, she invited him inside. Yin Shou followed her up the stairs, down the hall, and into her bedroom. It was dark, but Xue Teegan quickly flicked on the lights.

Yin Shou gazed around the room. He found pictures on pinboards. A television screen hung on the wall. There was a bed in the middle of the room. Everything coated in pink, from the bedsheets to the colour of the walls, and some of her clothes scattered on the floor.

Yin Shou smiled as he got to learn more about her. She liked the colour pink, and she was messy.

Xue Teegan approached one of her dressers, and began to rummage, looking for something. She then pulled out a kit and walked towards him. She grabbed Yin Shou by the hand and gestured him to sit on the bed.

He sat down on the edge of the bed as she pulled out a bottle of ointment from the kit.

"I don"t need it," he said.

Xue Teegan clicked her tongue. "He was wearing a ring, and it cut your skin. I"m going to put it on anyway," she said. Yin Shou smiled, allowing her to administer the medicine.

After she finished, she cleaned up and put her things away. She then went into her closet, grabbing extra blankets and pillows, and she scattered it on the floor, in front of the bed frame.

Yin Shou watched, puzzled. When she finished, she said, "Let"s watch a movie. You"re too tall for the bed."

Yin Shou gazed at the bedframe, and she was right. His feet would have to go over the bedframe due to its tiny stature. So he sat on the floor, cus.h.i.+oned by a comforter, blankets, and pillows. He felt comfortable surprisingly. Xue Teegan played a film and joined him by seating next to him a close but respectable distance.

As the movie played, he noticed that she kept leaning closer. Eventually, she leaned against him with her entire weight. He wrapped his arm around her, and she snuggled in tightly.

Yin Shou woke up in the middle of the night entangled with Xue Teegan. The movie was over, but the screen continued to play commercials.

Xue Teegan was fast asleep, still hugging him. Some of her red-brown hair sprawled on him, so he picked up a few strands and felt the soft-smooth feel of her hair. Her palm rested on his chest. Softly, he picked up her hand to kiss her knuckles. He then placed it down gently, to avoid waking her. However, she still stirred, raising her head, realizing what happened.

Groggily, she looked at Yin Shou and flushed. "What time it is?" she asked quickly. He patted the blanket sheets to find his phone. "2 A.M.," he said. "Sorry for overstaying."

Xue Teegan shook her head. "It"s late to leave now. Just stay," she said. A hint of blush bloomed on her cheeks. She never allowed a man to stay overnight in her room; this was the first, and she hadn"t even done anything with him.

Yin Shou nodded, removing his jacket, unb.u.t.toning his s.h.i.+rt half-way, rolling up the sleeves. Xue Teegan"s mouth dried; she wasn"t tired.

Yin Shou ran a hand through his trimmed locks. His hair was still long, but it didn"t stop at his shoulders, it stopped at the bottom of his ears. He was handsome, and perhaps she had always noticed, but it was the fear of gaining attachment, of letting herself feel vulnerable. But she didn"t feel scared anymore.

As he settled himself once more, Xue Teegan said, "Let"s get on the bed."

Yin Shou froze. He half-turned to face her, "I won"t fit."

"We can if you tangle your legs with mine."

Yin Shou"s eyes widened. He hesitated for a moment, but he would never deny any of her requests. Yin Shou stood up.

He folded the blankets and neatly put them away before he joined Xue Teegan under the covers.

"If you don"t feel comfortable. You can take off your s.h.i.+rt and pants," Xue Teegan said boldly. She then slipped her cardigan off from her shoulders, revealing her bare skin. The nightgown she wore hugged her curves.

Yin Shou sat up, unb.u.t.toning the rest of his s.h.i.+rt, discarding it. He did the same with his pants, revealing his boxer shorts. He was glad she let him remove some of his layers, it would have been dreadful to sleep in it. He then entangled his legs with her, so they both had enough s.p.a.ce.

Xue Teegan stared at his body appreciatively. It made Yin Shou"s face burn. She ran a hand from his torso up towards his chest, feeling the hard muscle of it. "You work out?" she asked.

Yin Shou nodded; his gaze darkened.

Xue Teegan smiled. "You were so thin before. But I thought it was adorable," she said.

Yin Shou rolled his eyes playfully. "I know," he began. "I got no girls back then, no game."

Xue Teegan smiled, chuckling. She propped herself on an elbow. "What do you mean?" she asked. "If you asked me out back then I would have said yes."

Yin Shou"s eyes widened for a moment before it went away. "Don"t mess with me Teegs."

Xue Teegan"s mouth gaped, laughing. "I"m seriously not messing with you. If you had any interest in me, I would have gone out with you."

Yin Shou sat up, facing her. "But you rejected me."

Xue Teegan knitted her brows. "What are you talking about?"

Yin Shou furrowed his brows, perplexed. "I wrote you a letter to you in your final year."

Xue Teegan appeared as if she was taken aback. She sat up too, stunned. "Wait. I thought that Hong boy from my year wrote it for me."

"Huh?" Yin Shou said. "That kid was stupid."

"You"re the stupid one! It had no name on it idiot. He kept giving me eyes, so I a.s.sumed it was him. When I asked him about it, he took the full credit. And I kissed him! But he was horrible at it."

Yin Shou ran a palm down his face. He then began to chuckle, and Xue Teegan, too, began to laugh.

After they finished their laughing fit, Yin Shou said. "It wouldn"t have worked anyway back then. We were both trying to figure things out. We were still growing. Sometimes, relations.h.i.+ps were about timing. There"s the saying of, "Meeting the right person at the wrong time." Back then, it was the wrong time."

Xue Teegan smiled. She snuggled into him again. "I agree," she said.

Yin Shou caressed her hair as she rested her head on his chest. "Shou?" she called him.

"Yes?" he answered, still ma.s.saging her head with one hand.

"Can we try dating?" she asked. "I"ve never had a boyfriend," she said.

Yin Shou"s eyes widened.

"Look at me," he said.

Xue Teegan was hiding her face, trying to bite down her flush. When she faced him, her cheeks flushed like the colour of her hair. "Is that what you want?" he asked low and deep.

Xue Teegan bit her lip. She slowly nodded and said, "Yes."

Yin Shou tugged her into his arms. "I promise, I will treat you well," he said.

Xue Teegan smiled against the crook of his neck. "I believe you," she responded.

Xue Teegan did believe him. Yin Shou had been there for her more than any other man she"s met before. He never asked for her body, and respected her choices. He was truly astonis.h.i.+ng in her eyes.