Yao pinched the bridge of his nose.

'Well, standing here won't do much for me. I might as well just go to bed. I knew Kiku would eventually confront me about this…'

I almost wish…

This never happened

Changing into his night clothes, Yao made his way over to your sleeping form and placed an almost longing kiss on your cheek.

However, instead of embracing you, his body was turned away from you.

Shutting his tired eyes, he slowly drifted to sleep.

You two began to dream.

…

(What's that? You can't remember exactly how you ended up with Wang Yao? How silly of you. Well, in that case, please allow me to refresh your memory.)

"Oh wow…I still can't believe I'm in China," a younger version of yourself said in awe as you wandered the streets of Beijing.

A country of rich resources, beautiful scenery, and rapid development, you along with your senior classmates where visiting the large country as one of the few yearend 'vacation' destinations.

You couldn't be any happier at the moment.

Well, maybe you would be, if you hadn't managed to detach yourself from your group.

"Ah geez…This isn't too good," you thought out aloud, starting to feel a bit nervous.

You pondered the thought of asking for directions, only to remember that you probably wouldn't find anyone who understood English. Not to mention, you didn't want to embarrass yourself already.

You decided that walking around somewhere would be in your best interest, you'd find your way eventually.

'I hope.'

So, as you planned, you walked aimlessly for about an hour, still completely lost and already tired.

You were walking and suddenly came across a…garden?

Oh. Well, this was exciting.

Your spirits instantly lifted as you made your way over to this garden, neatly trimmed and healthy green bamboo shoots coming into sight.

Walking through the seemingly empty garden, you were amazed by an average sized building (palace) painted in red with gold decorations and a stagnant lake surrounding the perimeter.

You were so captivated by the craftsmanship of the palace that you failed to notice a man sitting at a garden table.

"Oh? I was not expecting any tourists…The sign did say the garden was closed for the day."

You were frightened by the sudden voice speaking in…Mandarin? Sure, let's go with that. And you were now aware of the man staring at you with questioning eyes.

'Ok, well. I think I just embarrassed myself finally. Way to go, _.' You thought, mentally smacking yourself.

"Ah, excuse me. You probably did not understand a word I just said," the man sighed, now speaking in English, but there was a slight accent.

"I-I'm sorry. I did not see the sign," you replied, stuttering.

The nameless man rubbed the back of his head.

"Well, I can tell you are obviously not from here, so I'm going to assume you are touring the country," the man questioned.

Stranger danger, much?

And despite that obvious warning your mind was signaling, you nodded your head slowly, taking an interest in the man in front of you.

You could clearly tell that he was Chinese, and quite the attractive man.

He had gentle but firm golden brown eyes. His dark brown hair was surprisingly long for a boy and it was neatly pulled off to the side in a ponytail. He was wearing traditional clothing, the color being a dark red.

Though he wasn't exactly smiling, you could hear a few hints of playfulness and amusement when he spoke.

And he could understand you! Maybe he could help you out.

"Well, won't you have a seat? You must be tired from standing around," he suddenly chuckled, a smile appearing on his features.

Awestricken by such a charming smile, you silently took a seat in the former vacant chair across from the man.

"I do believe I should introduce myself. My name is Wang Yao. And yours would be?"

"U-um, pleased to meet you. I am _," you replied, not giving out your last name.

He didn't seem to notice as he asked you more questions such as: "where are you from?" "What are you doing all by yourself?" and "Can you speak any Mandarin, or Cantonese?"

So, you two talked for what seemed like ages, you explained your situation to Yao and he never interrupted once. He took in everything you said and kept his attention focused on you.

You exchanged a few laughs here and there and got to know each other for the rest of the afternoon, enjoying the silence and peaceful nature around the two of you.

"So, do you know the name of this garden by any chance, _?"

You laughed and answered with "Oh no. Honestly, I just kinda ended up her by chance."

"Well, this garden is known as the Gong Wang Fu, and it's rather lovely wouldn't you agree?" He asked as if he were proud of it or something.

"I bet you only say that because it has a part of your name in it," you playfully retorted.

He just laughed and shook his head, staring up at the sky.

You took notice of the setting sun and tensed up. Yao saw this right away.

"What's wrong? Is something the matter?"

"Oh, well, it's just getting late and I don't know how to get back to the hotel," you sheepishly replied, standing up.

"I'll show you the way then!" Yao jumped up from his seat as well and took your hand in his, leading the way.

"Ah-ah! That's all right, I've already troubled you enough today," you mumbled, being dragged along.

"Nonsense! The streets of Beijing can be dangerous at night, and I can't let someone like you wander by yourself," he said, not letting you have your way.

You sighed, actually quite grateful for him doing this.

And what do you; it's as if he knows the city like the back of his hand. You two had safely made your way back to your hotel.

You smiled, no longer feeling lost as you stared up at the tall building lined with lights.

You turned to Yao who was smiling brightly at you.

"Thank you so much! I appreciate everything you did for me today," you cheerily told him.

He scratched his cheek, a very tiny blush spreading across his face.

"Aiyaaa…I didn't do much," he replied.

"But you did too! You didn't kick me out of the garden, you listened to my problems, and you helped me back here, silly. Is there anything I can do to repay you?"

Well, Yao touched his chin to his hand, pondering for a moment.

"Um, _?

"Yes?"

"If I'm not asking for too much, and if you're free, could we meet up at the park again? I want…To get to know you better," he finished, looking away.

"Of course, I'd love to visit you again!" You smiled.

Yao returned your smile, and clapped his hands together.

"Then it's decided! We shall meet again tomorrow."

You nodded and started to head for the door, only to have him grab you by the shoulder.

"And, we can work on your Chinese, while we're at it. You'll need to learn at least some of the basic phrases if you wish to continue visiting the country," he playfully smirked.

In response, you stuck out your tongue, but nodded afterwards.

'I'll see you tomorrow, Wang Yao.'

And the days that follow.

Until this class trip comes to an end.

Until we part ways.

And meet once more.

…

You sighed and rolled over, as you continued your pleasant dream, the absence of your boyfriend not registering in your deep slumber.

Yao had risen early this particular morning, and left a note for you on your nightstand.

After a kiss to your forehead, he was out the door, travel suitcase in hand.

_,

I am going to visit Kiku for a few days. Please don't be concerned as my stay will not be long. I'm sorry to leave on such short notice like this, but my flight leaves early this morning. Don't worry too much as it is not healthy. I'm practically going 'next door', so I won't be that far away from you, even if it may seem like that. I left you some meals in the refrigerator, so you should be all set.

Stay safe and know that Mei Mei and Lee are close by if you are in trouble.

I miss you already.

我爱你

Wang Yao.