Bai Luo Yin was woken up from his slumber that day around 2.00AM by the feel of his phone vibrating. He had developed a new habit of keeping the phone with him on the bed every night, which he came to regret at this particular moment. Of course he would never admit that his feelings for Gu Hai was the very reason he developed this habit. With his eyes barely open, his hand reached out to locate the source of the vibration. He glanced at the screen. Gu Hai?

"Hello?" Bai Luo Yin's voice was laced with a mixture of irritation and curiosity.

"Hey..Yin Zi. Were you sleeping?"

"No I was watering the plants outside!" Bai Luo Yin snapped.

Gu Hai giggled guiltily. "Sorry baobei. I just realized I didn't let you tell me whatever you were going to tell me this afternoon. I interrupted you and then you got that stupid call!"

"If it took you this long to remember that, why couldn't you wait a bit more till tomorrow to ask me this?! Did you suddenly remember it while dreaming?"

"No. I wasn't sleeping." Gu Hai answered genuinely.

"Then what were you doing at this hour?"

"Just thinking. Now tell me. Don't make me wait."

"Gu Hai. It has to be said in person, not like this."

"You should know by now that patience is an alien concept to me."

"I don't care! This is not the ideal time or way to be having a serious conversation!" Bai Luo Yin responded sternly. 'Why do I feel like I'm trying to get my four year old son to go to bed!'

"Is it about us?" Gu Hai was persistent.

"Ughhhh no!" Bai Luo Yin yapped. "...Well it may concern us a little bit." He added after a moment.

"How do you expect me to stay calm till tomorrow if it concerns us ha??!" Gu Hai complained.

"It's already tomorrow. Just wait a bit more."

"Let me come there." Gu Hai suggested as if it was the brightest idea he had gotten in ages.

"What? Now?"

"Yes now. It's not like I can go to sleep now anyways. I'll sneak in to your room. Then you can tell it to me in person as you insisted."

"You really are insane. Remind me again why I decided to get together with you." Bai Luo Yin said wearily as he fought to keep his eyes open.

"Oh that I can do., if you let me. I can think of plenty of ways." Gu Hai smirked wickedly, which was evident in his voice.

However Bai Luo Yin's drowsiness got the better of him and before he knew it, he was drifting off.

"Yin Zi?.." Gu Hai listened for a moment and smiled fondly after hearing the sound of Bai Luo Yin's steady inhales and exhales. He remained on the line for a few more minutes, listening to its soothing rhythm, which eventually lulled him into a peaceful slumber.

                                *******

The two boys skipped the first period to have the long awaited conversation. They were inside Gu Hai's car : Gu Hai in the driver's seat and Bai Luo Yin in the passenger's seat.

"You can't be serious!" Gu Hai fumed after hearing what Bai Luo Yin had to say. "You're actually gonna go through with it? Is it because of her?"

"I thought about it a lot Gu Hai. She's not the only reason." Bai Luo Yin explained calmly. Gu Hai anxiously waited for him to continue.

"Me being in this school allows my mother to keep tabs on me easily. It bugs me to no end. I don't want her monitoring how I perform at exams or anything regarding my studies. I know she hopes to send me abroad for higher studies, which is ridiculous. When I was in my previous school I felt so independent but now... I don't feel like myself here."

Gu Hai simply listened, staring ahead with a melancholy expression. He came to realize that Bai Luo Yin had already made up his mind.

Bai Luo Yin studied him carefully. "...and I think this decision is good for us as well." He added.

Gu Hai finally turned to look at him with a steely glare. "How so huh?"

"Well you know, you're not exactly subtle. People are starting to notice." Bai Luo Yin stated.

"So what? Let them notice. In fact let's give them a good show next time!"

"Gu Hai. Stop being a child! All of this is still new to us, do you think it's clever to take such risks. If I remain here, your dad would find out everything in no time."

"I'll learn to control myself and treat you like a bro around those people." Gu Hai said with a trace of hope in his eyes. "I'll even hit you if push comes to shove!"

Bai Luo Yin didn't react. "This is my final decision."

'Spoken like the stubborn mule that you are!' Gu Hai cursed in his head.

"So there's absolutely nothing I can do to change your mind?" Gu Hai asked having already accepted defeat.

Bai Luo Yin nodded avoiding his eyes. Gu Hai took a deep breath. "I'm not letting you go unless you agree to a set of conditions." He said after a moment.

Bai Luo Yin's lips curved into a knowing smile. "What conditions?"

Gu Hai used his fingers to count as he started his list. "One: You have to respond to all my texts and calls despite the place and time, two: meet me after school at least 3 times per week unless you've got to study or something, I will come and pick you up myself., three: your free weekends are mine-"

"Aren't these too extreme?" Bai Luo Yin cut in.

"I'm not done! Four: call me 'Husband' at least once per day-"

"Do you want me to kick you out!!" Bai Luo Yin pushed him playfully.

"You're gonna kick me out of my own car?" Gu Hai said grabbing his hand and held it in place without letting Bai Luo Yin pull away. "Okay okay, no more joking. Four: next time you take such an unfair decision, take my emotions into account too." He said looking down at the hand he now held.

Bai Luo Yin's eyes softened as a wave of guilt swept through him as Gu Hai continued.

"Five: Don't keep anything from me again.., such as your ex's call." He finally shifted his gaze towards Bai Luo Yin who was already watching him.

"That's all?" Bai Luo Yin asked softly.

"For now.." Gu Hai mumbled, followed by a punch from Bai Luo Yin.

"Okay okay. That's all." He smiled.

"Okay. I agree to your conditions. Should we shake hands or something?" Bai Luo Yin teased.

Gu Hai roughly pinched his cheek. "Is this a business deal to you?!"

Bai Luo Yin started rubbing his reddened cheek. "So..this Friday is my last day here." He said.

Gu Hai despondently sat still, with his glare focused on a spot outside. Bai Luo Yin shook him by the shoulder. "Why are you being so gloomy again? Didn't I agree to your conditions ha?"

At first Gu Hai didn't budge. When he finally did, Bai Luo Yin noticed that his eyes were glossy.

"You're leaving. I could lose you." Gu Hai finally said quietly.

"Can't you at least try to have a little faith?" Bai Luo Yin said as he fought to not get emotional.

"I don't have any other choice do I ?"

Bai Luo Yin remained silent.

"Let's go before we miss the next period." Gu Hai said getting out.

Bai Luo Yin knew he deserved the cold shoulder. So he followed suit.

                         ******

Jiang Yuan was engrossed in a book when her phone rang at around 8.00PM. After taking a glance at the screen, she hesitated. She took a few seconds to prepare herself.

"Hello, Shi Hui."

"Hi auntie! Is this a good time?"

"Um yes. I was just reading."

"Sorry for disturbing auntie. I'm just dying to know how it went with Bai Luo Yin."

"Shi Hui.., actually before I could call him, he came over here to talk to me."

"Ohh.. I guess that's better then."

"He wasn't pleased that we've been in contact-"

"Why?!" Shi Hui cut in.

"Tell me this Shi Hui, what exactly are your intentions with him? Do you really just want to get close as friends again like you told me that day?"

There was a long pause giving Jiang Yuan the answer she already knew. So she continued.

"You are setting yourself up for disappointment Shi Hui. My son seems to have no interest in this matter."

"....That's cause we've been apart for so long. Once we meet again, everything will fall into place."

"You know Bai Luo Yin.., how stubborn he can be. Once he makes up his mind about something, it's impossible to change. He was adamant about not wanting to have any part in this."

"I know he's stubborn auntie. That's one of the reasons why I fell for him." She smiled reminiscing. "God how I miss him... I know I can fix everything.."

Jiang Yuan sighed heavily. "Shi Hui. As his mother I should take his side in this matter and tell you this.., he's in a relationship now.., so it would be clever to just leave the past in the past."

"..He...what?" her voice was shaky. "With whom..?"

"That I don't know. He didn't disclose that."

"Then ...why didn't he tell me that? If he truly wanted me to stay away, he could have just told me that when I called." Her fast breathing was evident in her voice.

"Oh...well I don't know the reason for that. But what I can tell you is his only concern is his relationship. If it didn't mean a lot to him, he wouldn't have come all the way here to tell me to stop communicating with you."

"He told you that?" Shi Hui fumed. "Ugh whoever he's with now must have brainwashed him! This doesn't sound like him!"

"Shi Hui calm down. You're a beautiful and smart girl. You can easily find someone new-"

"I don't want anyone else! There's no one like him. Don't worry auntie I won't trouble you again. Thanks for talking to me.. Goodnight!"

Before Jiang Yuan could respond Shi Hui had hung up. She wondered whether she should warn her son. 'He's a big boy., this isn't something he wouldn't be able to handle'

                   *******

On Wednesday night, Gu Hai was invited to have dinner at Bai Luo Yin's place. Instead of hanging out with Bai Luo Yin, he spent a great amount of time chatting with his father, which resulted in the preparation of dinner being delayed. Given how hungry he was Bai Luo Yin had to assist his dad in order to make dinner fast. He left Gu Hai in his room while he helped out Bai Han Qi in the kitchen, but not before giving him a good scolding for keeping his father from making dinner.

Bai Luo Yin was cutting vegetables when he felt a pair of strong hands wrap around his waist from the back. He almost jumped. "What are you doing?! My dad-" he said anxiously.

"He's outside, talking to that uncle next door. He came a moment ago looking for your dad."

Bai Luo Yin kept trying to escape the tight embrace. "Mmm...my good wifey is cooking for me." Gu Hai teased before biting his earlobe. "I can get used to this."

Bai Luo Yin gritted his teeth. "In your dreams! I'm just helping my dad make dinner fast for the whole family." . Gu Hai smiled, moving his lips towards Bai Luo Yin's jaw. "Let go! Dad'll be here any minute-" Bai Luo Yin struggled, not wanting to lose control under Gu Hai's tender touches.

"It's all your fault. You've kept me deprived for so long, I can't contain my feelings anymore." Gu Hai said huskily and slowly pushed his hips against Bai Luo Yin's butt. Realizing how hard his boyfriend was Bai Luo Yin panicked! His panic multiplied when he heard approaching footsteps. Before he could push, Gu Hai instinctively pulled himself away and pretended to be getting some water.

"Ah Da Hai, you must be hungry. Go sit down son, dinner will be ready soon!"

Gu Hai cleverly held the large mug over his front. "Sure uncle!" He smiled and quickly walked out.

In the meantime, Bai Luo Yin had brought his task to a halt to ponder over the little situation they had a moment ago. Gu Hai was right, he was deprived for quite a while and in all honesty, Bai Luo Yin himself had been struggling to suppress his need. Luckily he was better at hiding it than Gu Hai. On top of that, this was his last week getting to be at the same school as Gu Hai. He decided what to be done but it wasn't going to be tonight and not at his house like the last time.

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Note:  Thanks for all the votes and comments peeps. ILY all <33333