Chapter 45: Chapter 45

Sun Fang couldn’t possibly be expected to sleep while Ivy picked up Mianmian. That was pure blasphemy, utterly inconceivable. No, instead of sleeping—despite the fact that it was nearing five am—Sun Fang was watching a horror movie in the living room, eating popcorn like a delinquent. He was being rebellious, ignoring Ivy’s recommendation that he’d get some sleep so he’d have plenty of energy to hang out with Mianmian. 

Really, Sun Fang was so cool.

He jumped as a monster appeared on the gigantic screen, filling his whole view. ”Shit!” Sun Fang picked up the popcorn he’d dropped on the couch, keeping one eye on the screen. The protagonist was running now, trying to get away from the monster chasing her. 

Sun Fang slurped some fizzy soda and munched on some more popcorn; he’d picked up every popcorn he could reach without moving. Another half-hour passed before the front door was opened with a quiet click and he heard the sound of murmured voices from the hallway. Pausing the movie, Sun Fang sat up straight and flicked his hair out of his face just in time for Mianmian to turn the corner into the living room.

”A’Fang!” Mianmian grinned at him, bouncing up to him and throwing himself down next to Sun Fang. He stole some popcorn (Mianmian, too, was a delinquent) and asked, ”How have you been while?” while smacking on them. 

Sun Fang knocked his shoulder against Mianmian’s and said, ”Better. Mo Cheng is speaking with me again, so that’s nice.”

”Good, good,” Mianmian nodded seriously and stole another piece of popcorn. Sun Fang narrowed his eyes and hugged the bowl to his chest, angling it away from the shameless thief. 

”How was the trip?” Sun Fang asked, turning on the movie again after giving Mianmian a questioning look and getting a nod in return. He lowered the sound though, so that he’d actually be able to hear what Mianmian said. 

”Long,” Mianmian answered. He frowned, fingering his left earring. ”I’d forgotten how long interplanetary travels are. The accommodations were nice though, so that was sweet. And the food was amazing.”

Sun Fang smiled, popping more popcorn in his mouth and biting down on them with a loud crunch. He yawned in the middle of eating them (not his best moment) and settled more comfortably against Mianmian, watching the movie with tired eyes persistently trying to close against his will. 

Mianmian was finally here! It was the first time Mianmian had ever visited him at this apartment, the first time he saw Mianmian since he’d had Casey, the first time he’d sighed this deeply since before he broke up with Mo Cheng and actually felt some of his worries actually leave him. Mianmian just had that effect on him; he’d basically been conditioned to relax when he was with him.

His eyelashes drooped lower still. His chewing slowed down and when he stretched out to grab a hold of his glass, he did so slowly. The sound in the background got lower and hazier, even though no-one touched the remote. He dropped his head on Mianmian’s shoulder, and that was that.

You are reading story Our Sweet Days at novel35.com

Sun Fang slept for nearly thirteen hours in a row.

When he woke up, the world was annoyingly bright. He had a hint of headache, a pressure searing into the base of his skull that made him groan into his pillow and curl up tighter beneath the cover. He turned his face into the fluffy pillow and waited for the light to go away; alas, it did not obey his royal wishes. 

Frustrated, he sat up and squinted into the sunlight relentlessly streaming in through the large windows. ”Ivy?” he croaked out, his voice raspy in a way he intrinsically didn’t like. He pushed his bangs behind his ears and curled his feet up under him. 

After another minute of nothing happening, he exhaled dramatically and reluctantly climbed off the bed. He swayed a little on his feet, frowning and pressing a hand to his forehead. It didn’t feel any different, so he probably didn’t have a fever? Probably. Yeah, he’d go with not, he didn’t feel like being sick when Mianmian was visiting.

Padding out into the hallway, he made his way to the kitchen looking for anyone else. The apartment was silent, aside from the gentle buzzing of the air-conditioner working at full capacity to fight off the heat from the merciless sun. Sun Fang yawned as he walked, his stomach growling at the same time as he winced; the cracking of his jaw setting off a spike of pain from his head. He narrowed his eyes and scowled.

”Ivy?” He stepped into the large kitchen and looked around. Ivy wasn’t here, but there was a note on the fridge that simply read, cleaning the pool. Sun Fang’s scowl eased and he propped the fridge open, grabbing a bottle of cold water and guzzling straight from it. The cold spread from his throat into his chest cavity and he sighed in relief, his shoulders relaxing slightly.

Putting the bottle back in the fridge, he wandered over to the bathroom and took care of his business with the toilet. Then he searched through the cabinets until he found the painkiller for headaches and popped a pill in his mouth, swallowing it with some water from the sink. He grimaced as he felt it go down his throat, but needs must.

Exhaling, he looked up at the mirror. He looked tired; not a surprise. His hair was a wild mess—he neglected to braid it before he fell asleep. Sweeping his fingers through the strands accomplished nothing and he narrowed his eyes slightly. 

Turning off the lights, he left the bathroom.

He settled down on the couch in the living room, closing his eyes as he breathed steadily. From here and with the door open, he could hear Ivy moving about on the balcony. The gentle swishing of the water and the high breeze flowing. 

Sun Fang sank deeper into the couch, letting his eyes drift shut.