The Cafe (7)
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Jun Yang looked up from the mug and the young man’s handsome face smiled back at him. Jun Yang felt his heart skip a beat and he shrunk further behind the book. Even though he technically did nothing wrong, Jun Yang felt weirdly exposed and his first instinct was to hide.

He peeked out from behind the book like a little bunny poking its head out of its burrow. Feng Qi found that to be insufferably cute. Feng Qi was sure Jun Yang was purposely doing this to tease him. That was fine because he was going to counter with a tease of his own.  

He pushed the mug of hot chocolate towards Jun Yang and said, “That’s for you. Wouldn’t want my love to go thirsty.”

“What, what are you talking about… Stop it…” Jun Yang said weakly. The protest sounded more perfunctory than valid at this point. He put the book away and curled his hands around the warm mug. He took a sip of the drink and the sweetness of the hot chocolate travelled through every veins of his body.

However, it was unclear whether the sweetness that he felt in his heart came from the drink or Feng Qi’s gesture.

As he put the mug down, Feng Qi followed it up with a question, “So why are you here today? Is it because you miss me?” He grinned and coupled it with a wink.

“No, no. Of course not. Pei Ling and a few of our classmates asked me to join them for a study group at the school library. I thought the place was too noisy so I came here instead.” Once the words left Jun Yang’s lips, he realized how preposterous he sounded. The café was a quieter place compared to the library?! He felt like kicking himself.

Furthermore, the real reason he was there was to be Feng Qi’s study partner. How did he end up going on the defensive? He had no idea.

Feng Qi hummed instead of tearing through Jun Yang’s bold-faced lie. He sounded like he was in contemplation.

Jun Yang had a few choice words for Feng Qi. He noticed the young man liked to let him stew in his own embarrassment and panic instead of ending his suffering once and for all. Then again, this time it was his own fault for walking into this trap so there was nothing he could say to defend himself.

Eventually, Feng Qi opened his lips and he uttered in an intrigued drawl, “Are you sure that’s the reason why you’re here?”

Of course, it was not! But since Jun Yang had already tossed out the story, no matter how horrible it was, he was going to stick with it to the end of the world. If he admitted he lied, then Jun Yang was sure Feng Qi was going to grill him about why he lied and that would lead to another can of worms that Jun Yang did not feel like facing at the moment.

“Why, do you suspect me?” Jun Yang turned his face defiantly up against Feng Qi. He pushed the spread of stationeries he had on the table towards the man for they helped prove the validity of his statement. See all these books and papers? If I’m not here to study, why else would I be here?

“Oh.” Feng Qi raised his brow with interest. After a beat, he shrugged and told Jun Yang, “I just assumed you had another reason for coming here.”

Jun Yang looked at Feng Qi with befuddlement. ‘Now, what is he talking about?’

Feng Qi leaned in closer and he said, “I thought you came here because you’ve already figured it out and have decided to agree to be my boyfriend.”

Jun Yang’s natural instinct was not deny it but after a split second change in his thought, he turned towards the young man and said, “Yes.”

Feng Qi was so caught off guard by the answer that he had to make a double-take. “Wait, did you just say yes?”

Jun Yang affirmed it with a firm nod of his head. “Yes, I will consider your proposition…”

Then before Feng Qi could start celebrating, Jun Yang continued it with, “But there is a condition that you’ll need to fulfill first.”

The joy on Feng Qi’s face sunk immediately. He turned to Jun Yang with a pout. The expression on his face seemed to say, ‘I knew it would not be so easy!’

Jun Yang resisted the urge to smile and said in a serious tone, “The condition is very simple. You only need to pass the upcoming exam and make sure that you’ll not get expelled from school.”

Jun Yang thought Feng Qi would take some time to consider it but the latter accepted the term without much hesitation. “Even without this term, I would not have gotten myself expelled from school because if I did, where am I supposed to find you?”

Jun Yang blushed and quickly moved the topic away. “Let’s not waste time and get to studying then.” He moved the books around and started to focus.

“I’m sorry but I’m afraid that I’m unable to join you for now because I’m still at work.” Feng Qi said with genuine regret on his face. Jun Yang had not considered that. Of course, Feng Qi would not be able to study with him at work. He was still on the clock.

Eventually, they figured something out. Feng Qi would study at night after he got off work and Jun Yang would call to check up on him. This was an arrangement that was agreed by both parties. However, Feng Qi mentioned that he would need to leave several nights of the week open.

Jun Yang assumed that was because Feng Qi needed some nights to take a break from the boredom of studying. Considering how little Jun Yang saw Feng Qi in the company of books, Jun Yang could see the value of taking it slowly. The aim was to pass, not to score so it was good enough.

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