Temporary boyfriend

The warm yellow light of the desk lamp cast their intertwined shadows on the mottled wall, like ink soaked in water, slowly spreading its soft edges. Xie Mo's arms, still clasped together, held Li Huaizhou's. His palms could clearly feel the warm skin on his back, and the faint rise and fall of his shoulder blades beneath the fabric. The embrace, tinged with trembling and dependence, had completely faded the lingering smell of cigarettes and alcohol in the air, leaving only the crisp scent of laundry detergent and the faint scent of Li Huaizhou's sweat. The mixture was surprisingly more reassuring than the paper and ink in a used bookstore.

Li Huaizhou's face was still buried in Xie Mo's chest, and his breathing gradually became steady, no longer trembling like before, but occasionally rubbing unconsciously, like a cat that had just come out of the rain and hid under the eaves. Xie Mo's chin rested on the top of his head, and his fingertips gently stroked the soft hair on the back of his neck, his movements so slow that it seemed as if he was counting the lines of each hair. Until the skylight outside the window completely flooded the window frame, dyeing the corners of the room light golden, he spoke softly, his voice wrapped in the morning light, so soft that he had no strength.

"Li Huaizhou, what is our relationship now?"

These words were like a pebble dropped into calm water, and Li Huaizhou's body stiffened instantly. He raised his face slightly from the crook of Xie Mo's neck, and rubbed his nose against the other's clean collar, bringing out a slight tickle. The panic that had been soothed just now did not come out, but instead an inexplicable awkwardness surged up - I had clearly asked him if he wanted to give it a try first, but now being asked so bluntly about their relationship, his ears started burning first, and even the skin on the back of his neck started to heat up.

He stared at the fine texture of the fabric on Xie Mo's shirt, his Adam's apple moved, and the little abacus in his mind was crackling. He wanted to say "I'm your boyfriend" directly, but the words were stuck on his lips - how embarrassing, it was obviously the other party who confessed first, and now it seemed like he was rushing to get close to him; but if he said "it's okay", he felt that the tearful hug and those gentle kisses just now had become rootless duckweed, lost in the vast ocean. The proud thoughts wrapped around him like vines, and he frowned and shrank into Xie Mo's arms, pretending to be impatient, but his voice was a little weak, "What's the matter...it's okay."

Xie Mo lowered his head to look at the tips of his red ears, a smile spreading through his eyes, but he didn't point it out. He just patted his back gently, like he was coaxing a sullen child: "Huh? It can't be because you're here to return the book, right?"

"You—" Li Huaizhou was choked by the blockage and suddenly looked up, his eyelashes still stained with moisture, his eyes wide open. But when he met the gentle smile in Xie Mo's eyes, his fierce aura was lost again, his ears turned redder, and he had no choice but to turn his face away, staring at the cigarette butts piled on the bedside, his voice as low as a mosquito's buzz: "Just barely... a temporary boyfriend."

The word "temporary" was spoken quickly and lightly, as if he was afraid of being caught. Li Huaizhou quickly turned his head back and buried it in Xie Mo's collar, even breathing softly, for fear of hearing the other party's mockery. But after waiting for a long time, there was no teasing. He only felt Xie Mo's chest vibrate slightly, followed by a helpless yet indulgent laugh, and a warm breath fell on the top of his head: "Okay, then I'll try to last as long as possible."

These few words were like candies, quietly falling into Li Huaizhou's heart. They were so sweet that the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up, but he quickly held it back, pretending not to hear. He just leaned a little tighter into Xie Mo's arms. After hugging for a while, Xie Mo gently poked his cheek, reached out and tucked the messy hair on his forehead behind his ear, and rubbed his fingertips across the red corners of his eyes: "Are you hungry? I see there's a kitchen downstairs. I'll make you breakfast."

Li Huaizhou was stunned for a moment before he remembered that the bar's kitchen was in a corner on the first floor. Usually, only Lao Chen would occasionally cook instant noodles, and most of the time it was empty. He looked at Xie Mo's clean white shirt, then looked down at his own black T-shirt stained with cigarette ash. Suddenly, he felt a little embarrassed and reached out to tug at the corner of his shirt: "No need, downstairs..."

Xie Mo raised his eyebrows, reached out and pulled him up, and gently wiped the cigarette ash on his jeans with his fingertips. "He was not here this morning. I asked Lao Chen."

Li Huaizhou was pulled to his feet, his steps were still a little weak, but he did not refuse. The two walked side by side to the stairs, the iron handrail was still cold, but Xie Mo took the initiative to hold his hand, passing his body temperature to him. When they reached the corner of the second floor, they ran into Lin Zhu coming out of another room. He was wearing a washed-out pink T-shirt, with a little bruise at the corner of his eye. When he saw the two of them, he was stunned for a moment, then showed a knowing smile, winked at Li Huaizhou, didn't say anything, just patted his shoulder lightly, and walked downstairs

Li Huaizhou's face flushed instantly. He tried to pull his hand out of Xie Mo's, but Xie Mo held it tighter. He had no choice but to lower his head and follow Xie Mo downstairs. The roller shutter on the first floor was already drawn up, and the morning light streamed in through the glass windows facing the street, casting long shadows on the floor. Old Chen, who was sitting behind the bar playing games, saw them coming down, raised his eyelids, pointed in the direction of the kitchen, and curled his lips: "The rice is in the cupboard, and the eggs are on the second shelf of the refrigerator. Don't burn the pot."

Xie Mo responded indifferently and pulled Li Huaizhou to the kitchen. The kitchen was not big, and the tile floor was a little damp. There were a few empty seasoning bottles piled in the corner, but it was still relatively clean. Xie Mo let go of his hand, rolled up his shirt sleeves, opened the cabinet, took out the rice bag, bent down and opened the refrigerator, and sure enough, he saw half a box of eggs lying inside, and a few wilted vegetables. Li Huaizhou stood at the door, not going in, just leaning against the door frame and watching him. Xie Mo's cooking movements were very skillful. He washed the rice, added water, and put the pot on the gas stove. His movements were orderly. Unlike the way he usually flipped through books quietly in the second-hand bookstore, there was a bit more of a homely atmosphere. He looked at Xie Mo's profile, the sunlight fell on the ends of his hair, coating it with a layer of light gold, and his heart suddenly felt a little warm. Those disgusting memories just now seemed to be quietly suppressed by the morning light and the person in front of him. It was really strange that the young master could cook for himself...

"What are you standing there for?" Xie Mo turned around and waved at him, "Come and help me peel some garlic."

Li Huaizhou quickly walked over and took the garlic he handed over. His fingertips were a little trembling, but he still peeled it carefully. Just when he had peeled half of it, he heard a noisy sound from the bar - it was Ye Jin and Shen Siqi. Ye Jin was a boy of seventeen or eighteen years old with dyed yellow hair, who always liked to play with Li Huaizhou; Shen Siqi was two years younger than him, spoke softly, and came to this bar voluntarily. He heard that there was an orphan here.

"Hey, Brother Zhou?" Ye Jin's voice came through the kitchen door, with a hint of teasing, "Don't you never eat breakfast?" Li Huaizhuo's face turned red again in an instant, and the garlic in his hand almost fell to the ground. Xie Mo glanced at him with a smile in his eyes. He didn't say anything, but just turned down the heat. Then they heard footsteps coming towards the kitchen. Ye Jin and Shen Siyu gathered at the door, and their eyes lit up when they saw the scene inside. She covered her mouth in an exaggerated manner and winked at Li Huaizhuo: "Oh my God, Master Xie? Cooking for our Brother Zhou." "What Master Xie?" Xiaoyu pulled Akai's arm, but couldn't help laughing, "That's sister-in-law, right, Brother Zhou?" The two usually have a good relationship with Li Huaizhuo. Xie Mo often comes to see Li Huaizhuo, and almost everyone in the bar knows each other, especially the two of them with this ambiguous relationship on the surface.

"What does this have to do with you?" Li Huaizhou glared at them, his ears red as if they were about to bleed, and the garlic peels in his hands were all crumpled. "Hurry up and leave. Don't make trouble here."

"Hey, we didn't cause any trouble." Ye Jin moved closer and stared at the rice in the pot. "Xie Shao, what delicious food did you make? Can you give us more? Brother Zhou is usually very stingy."

"Ye Jin" Li Huaizhou was anxious and reached out to push him, but was stopped by Xie Mo. Xie Mo looked at them with a smile and pointed to the refrigerator: "There are still eggs in it. I'll make some porridge and fry a few eggs. It's enough for you to eat."

"Really?" Ye Jin's eyes lit up, and she pulled Shen Siqi to run to the refrigerator, "I knew that Mr. Xie was a good person."

Li Huaizhou stood there, watching the two of them making such a fuss, then looking at Xie Mo's busy back. He felt a little awkward, but also a little bit of unspeakable pride. Just now, when Ye Jin said, "Thank you, Young Master, for cooking for you," he blushed, but couldn't help but feel happy. Lin Zhu also came over, leaning against the kitchen door frame, watching the scene inside with a gentle smile in her eyes. She didn't make a fuss like Ye Jin and the others, but just said softly, "Xie Mo, the spatula is in the drawer on the right. Old Chen didn't put it back after using it last time."

Xie Mo responded and opened the drawer to find the spatula. Li Huaizhou finished peeling the garlic and stood by with nothing to do. He wanted to help wash the vegetables, but Xie Mo held his hand and said, "Just sit and wait. It will be ready soon."

He had no choice but to sit obediently on the small stool in the kitchen, watching Xie Mo frying eggs - the egg liquid was poured into the pan, making a light "sizzling" sound, and the golden egg liquid slowly solidified, with a burnt aroma on the edge. The aroma filled the entire kitchen, and even the air was a little warm. Ye Jin and Shen Siqi sat at the bar, muttering something in a low voice, occasionally looking over, winking at Li Huaizhou, causing him to glare back, but not really angry. Not long after, the porridge was cooked, and the fried eggs were placed on the plate. Xie Mo poured the porridge into bowls, handed a bowl to Li Huaizhou, and served a bowl to Ye Jin, Shen Siqi and Lin Zhu. Several people sat down around the bar. Li Huaizhou piled three fried eggs in his bowl, and his partiality was obvious at a glance.

But he still couldn't help but glance at Xie Mo. Xie Mo was drinking porridge, and when he heard this, he looked up and smiled at him, the tenderness in his eyes seemed to overflow. Li Huaizhou paused when he saw that he was also looking at him, and said nothing, but just lowered his head to drink the porridge, but quietly moved towards Xie Mo, and his knees lightly touched the other's knees. Feeling that warm touch, he felt a lot more at ease.

After breakfast, Xie Mo cleaned up the dishes and wiped the kitchen clean before walking to Li Huaizhou and squatting down to look at him: "I have to go back, my mother will be worried." Li Huaizhou's heart suddenly felt empty, his fingers clenched the corner of his jeans, but he still nodded: "Yeah."

"Remember to eat on time and don't smoke all the time." Xie Mo reached out and touched his head, his fingertips rubbing across the top of his head, "Let's video chat."

"No, tonight..." Li Huaizhou wanted to say that he was busy at the bar that night, but was interrupted by Xie Mo. Xie Mo looked into his eyes and said seriously: "I'll teach you how to write the test paper." Li Huaizhou's heart skipped a beat. He looked up at him and met the determination in his eyes. He had to swallow his words and murmured "hmm". Ye Jin cheered beside him: "Wow, Brother Zhou has such a good boyfriend. We are so envious."

Li Huaizhou glared at him with a red face, but did not refute. Xie Mo smiled, rubbed Li Huaizhou's head, and then turned to walk to the door. When he reached the shutter door, he looked back and saw Li Huaizhou standing by the bar, looking in his direction with a little reluctance in his eyes, like a kitten left at home. Xie Mo waved at him, with a smile on his face, pushed the door open and walked out.

Li Huaizhou stood there, looking towards the door, until Xie Mo's figure completely disappeared at the alley entrance, then he slowly withdrew his gaze. Ye Jin came over and said, "Okay, Brother Zhou, Mr. Xie is so considerate. When will you become a regular employee?"

"What do you care?" Li Huaizhou glared at him, but couldn't help but curl up the corners of his mouth. He reached out and touched the hair that Xie Mo had touched just now, and the warmth of his fingers still remained. The sunlight fell on him through the glass window, warm and cozy, and all the grievances and uneasiness hidden in the shadows of the neon lights were quietly heated up into a soft expectation in his heart - he thought, this "temporary" time might really be like Xie Mo said, a little longer, a little longer.