Love O2O- Beyond a Beautiful Smile

Chapter 29- Living Alone

A/N: The next chapter is private. Just letting you know. 😊

For the second night in a row, Hao Mei made himself comfortable in a hotel room. This time, he'd booked the room for a week- planning to take the time to find a more permanent solution to his accommodation dilemma. At least I have internet. Booting up his laptop, Hao Mei settled in to distract himself for the remainder of the night.

A chime sounded as a notification popped up showing a new email. He smiled as it opened, and a photo of a beaming couple filled his screen. It was late winter for Tom and Will, however the pair had differing opinions on "cold"... Tom was rugged up with a fleecy hoodie and Dr Who inspired scarf, while Will was wearing a short sleeved, white tee that showed off his tan. Mei checked the send time, juggled the math in his head and worked out the email had been sent just as he logged in. Figuring his luck was due for a change, he tried video calling them- maybe they'd still be at the computer.

"Hey!" Will answered the call almost before the first ring sounded. "Just wait!" He turned from the screen to shout at Tom. "Don't just wander in... video call."

"Who?"

"What do you mean, 'who?' Just put some bloody clothes on. Bloody hell." Will shook his head at Mei. "Sorry mate... we've just got home and Elsa over there jumped straight in the shower to 'warm up'."

Mei laughed at the eye roll that accompanied the comment. "You guys were out? It's only 9pm over there... that's a bit early to be home from a night out."

"Not when it's a family night out." Tom settled himself on Will's lap, cocooned in a thick doona. "It's mum's birthday the same day as Father's Day this year, so we went out to celebrate a few weeks early- make sure neither day gets jumbled with the other."

"Father's Day? Ah... you have Father's Day near our Chinese Valentine's Day." Which raised a new question for Mei; was he going to do something with KO? Were they in that sort of a relationship? Something of his thoughts must have shown on his face as the two Australians both leaned closer to their computer screen.

"Where did your mind just go?" Tom covered his mouth, hiding his smirk as a pale pink blush spread over Mei's cheeks.

Will barked a laugh. "Straight to the gutter by the look of it."

"Gutter my arse. I'm not as perverted as you two."

    "Still? What's taking you so long?" Tom grimaced as Will smacked his shoulder. "What? It's a legitimate question. They've even talked about it... so....?"

    "Does it not occur to you and your thick head, that maybe it's different for them?"

    "Different how? Thing A still goes in Thing B.... mmmph..."

    Will sighed as he covered his partner's mouth with his hand. "I apologise for dunderhead. I assure you, his mother is a lovely woman who raised him right. I have no idea what happened to him."

    Biting the hand to remove his gag, Tom glared at the man behind him. "You only think she's lovely because she claims you're her favourite son."

    "That's because I am her favourite son. I look after her biological son so well that she can't help but love me."