Our Winter

me too

Mei woke up alone. Nothing she wasn't used to. Her eyes adjusted to the dark room. She felt around the bed for her phone, finding it at a random corner. The time was seven o'clock already. She'd fallen asleep for almost six hours. Her memory came rushing back. "Oh yeah." she said out loud, remembering the post, the meltdown and falling asleep in Minghao's arms. She rubbed her eyes to keep them open and slowly tried to walk out the room, feeling like a baby giraffe trying to walk with her numb legs. She squinted, the bright lights of the living room shining on her face.

"Junnie?" She called out. "Jia?" No response. She plopped herself onto the couch, going through texts and missed calls

Hao❤️ at 11:35: don't worry about it Mei, I talked to my dad, he says it's gonna be okay. Love you <3

Hao❤️ at 12:27: otw to your place, don't cry love. I'm sorry for messing things up.

Yuqi at 3:32: hi mei, saw the post earlier... don't stress girly, even if it's true just know i'm rooting for you guys. Call when you're feeling okay!

Jia✨ at 4:29: going to shanghai to see mum and dad like jun mentioned. we'll be back by Monday night. Take care of yourself girl!

Jun🤡 at 5:00: boarding the flight. Called hao just now, he said you were sleeping. Be safe and don't stress. DONT EAT MY STASH OF PRAWN CHIPS

Mei snorted reading that one. Very much like him to care about his prawn chips. In all the fuss of getting exposed, Mei had completely forgotten about Jun and Jia flying to Shanghai for their parents 30th anniversary. Most would think couples wanted to spend their anniversary without kids, but not theirs apparently. She carried on reading.

Renjun at 5:09: take care, don't worry too much. Situation's not as bad as you think. Get some rest over the weekend :)

Hao❤️ at 6:33: hey love, woke up a while ago. i went to buy some stuff for dinner, I'll be back soon!

As if on cue, Minghao came through the door, hands full of bags with a variety of things, mostly ice cream and snacks.

"Hi!"he called out, putting the bags onto the dining table. He walked over quickly, placing a small kiss on her lips before going back to arrange the things he'd bought. She noticed he had an overnight bag with him. "Are you staying the night?"

"Yeah, Jun and Jia left for Shanghai earlier, so I figured I'd stay here to keep you company." He said, plopping a giant bag of rice crackers next to Jun's prawn chips.
"Thanks hao." She called out.

"I will make dinner for us, and then we'll just relax for a while, okay?" He asked, facing her. He looked undeniably good.

"Okay." She said. He nodded, turning to leave to the kitchen.
"Oh babe?" Mei called out, feeling weird using the term for the first time.
"Yeah?" He turned around, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows.
"You look really hot right now." She bluntly stated, earning a wink from him as he disappeared into the kitchen.

***

"This is really good. You know, I think I'm gonna make you make me dinner every night from now." She said, her mouth full.
"Swallow first." He pat her head gently. "How will I make dinner when we live half an hour away." He asked, sipping his own chicken noodle soup.
"It was just a wish."
"It could be more."
"What do you mean?"

Minghao set down his spoon and gulped. "Mei, uh I was actually thinking of this for a few weeks now but um, how do you feel about moving in with me at my place?"
She froze. Slowly turning her head toward him, she also set her chopsticks down. "You mean like live in your house?" He nodded. Mei's mind went blank. She didn't know how to reply. It seemed like a great idea, but was it? Especially in the middle of this mess. If the author of that post found out, would there only be more backlash? Minghao looked anxious too. Piercing the thick silence, his phone rang. Mei caught a glimpse of the caller ID — it was his father.