I have to admit it—I did have a crush on him at the time.I turned my head to face him. His eyelashes were long, casting soft shadows on his cheeks. His breath, warm and steady, brushed against my face like a spring breeze. He looked peaceful in his sleep, and the way the corners of his lips curled slightly made him seem like a gentle child.
All my earlier annoyance with him had quietly faded.
As I stared at him, he slowly opened his eyes and locked his gaze on mine. I froze, caught off guard. Our noses were only about five centimeters apart.
Then, without a word, he leaned in. His nose touched mine.
I was speechless.
Panic surged through me. I closed my eyes like a startled deer, my heartbeat roaring in my chest like a V8 engine. Then, in the darkness, I felt the softest brush of lips against mine. Just a brief, delicate touch—but it left my mind completely blank.
In that moment, I wanted to quit the game.
When I opened my eyes again, he was still staring at me with an unreadable expression—part hunger, part restraint. He looked like a beast barely holding back, all instinct and impulse with only a thin veil of softness in his eyes.
But he didn't push further. Instead, he gently pulled my head into his arms.
Now I could hear his heart, beating even faster than mine. His scent wrapped around me—soap and iron, clean and raw. It gave me an unexpected sense of security. I found myself breathing him in, over and over, without meaning to.
And somewhere between heartbeats, I fell asleep.
When I finally woke up, I was alone in his bed, the blanket still neatly covering me.The warmth lingered. I could still feel the safety his presence had given me.
But then the bell rang—pulling me back into reality.It was time for our first class.
I shot up, threw on my shoes, and rushed to the classroom.
By the time I arrived, the teacher had already started a speech about our "Millitary training", which was clearly laid out on the blackboard.
"Sorry I'm late," I said, and with the head teacher's nod, I walked to my seat—everyone's eyes on me.Everyone's… except his.
Lihua was completely focused on covering his textbooks, his expression blank, like nothing had ever happened between us.
I started to wonder—had I imagined it all?
Then a voice came from behind me.
"In case you missed what the teacher said earlier, I took some notes on my military training guide," said a classmate as he passed me a folded paper.
I turned and saw him—a boy with porcelain skin and delicate features. He smiled kindly as I took the paper.
"Thanks... really." I found myself smiling back.
"By the way, I'm Lin. But you can also call me Fo," he said, offering his left hand for a shake. "It's short for my nickname."
Just as I reached out to shake his hand, Lihua snatched the paper from between us like an unruly animal.
"Mind if I borrow your notes for a sec? Just a moment. Hope you don't mind," he said, clearly not actually waiting for permission.
"Fo, don't mind him," I said with a forced smile. "My deskmate's... a bit too comfortable with himself."
"Sure, sure..." Fo replied, his smile still polite, but his eyes slightly uncertain.