sleepless cinderella ☆ q.k | ✔

05

This morning, you were out having a rather early breakfast with Chengxiao and Xuanyi before they went to work, and you went to a meeting with your professor. Despite living with them, you'd found yourself around the VIP lounge members more often than not, and you'd been missing them.

Chengxiao was just complaining about the new hire at her work who couldn't do anything when your phone buzzed. You gestured for her to wait for a moment as you checked who it was. It could be your professor, after all. That wasn't actually who you hoped it to be, but that was always your excuse to yourself.

[kun: attached image]

You giggled at the picture he had taken of himself, mouth open in a wide smile as he was stood in front of some kind of crumbling stone landmark that you couldn't quite identify considering his arm was mostly covering it, and it was fairly dark out.

[you: where are you now?]

[kun: rome!]

[you: oh is that the colosseum behind you?]

[kun: yeah!]

"How's Kun?" Chengxiao questioned, an amused smirk playing across her lips.

"What?"

Xuanyi rolled her eyes, reaching across the table to tap your nose, "You only get that little smile on your face when Kun's texted you."

You tried to be angry, but instead you just got flustered, "I get happy when you guys text me too."

"Mm, sure," your friend definitely didn't believe you. "Anyway, Chengxiao, I'd love to hear about the absolute buffoon of a coworker you have."

"So would I!"

☆

"Hello?" Kun's familiar voice coming through the speakers of your phone made your heart lurch in your chest.

You hadn't spoken to him in any way other than text for the past two weeks, but you just had to call him as soon as your professor had told you. Which was exactly two minutes ago, as you'd just come out of your meeting with her.

"Kun! You're not going to believe this!" You tried to keep your voice level, and completely failed.

"What? What's happening, Y/N?"

"Our article was chosen to be published!" You squealed into the phone, knowing very well that you were probably blowing out his speakers.

"Y/N, that's awesome! Congratulations, I'm so proud of you."

You could practically imagine the fond smile that accompanied his words, but you weren't done yet.

"That's not all! Professor Zhang wants it to be the cover story too!"

"Really?"

"Yep, you're just that interesting!"

"Or, you're that good of a writer."

Despite his compliment going straight to your heart, you still had more to tell him, "That's still not all, Kun!"

"What else is there? You ended world hunger?"

"No," you scoffed, but couldn't maintain your annoyance for long. "Since it'll be the cover story, that means we need a cover."

"Well, yeah, Y/N, that's generally how it works."

"God, you're thick! You're going to be on the cover, dummy!"

He immediately blurted out a stunned, "What?"

"A photoshoot! Professor Zhang wants you to do a photoshoot so we can have pictures for the journal. Both the cover and to put in throughout the article."

"Really?"

"No, this is the worst prank ever. Yeah! You need to send me your schedule of whenever you're back home for more than a day, okay?"

"I get back to Hong Kong tomorrow, and then I actually have the next two weeks off after that," Kun said, and you froze in your tracks, your mind already going off into every possibility while your heart raced.

Two whole weeks, he'd be here?

"Two... weeks?"

"Yeah, I put in for a two-week vacation now, and then once I go back, I'm on a new schedule. Two weeks on, with a one-day break after the first week, then a week off. And I'll be doing more domestic and short-haul flights too, so even during my two weeks on I'll be around a lot more often."

It took you a second to really process that. Kun would get a lot more guaranteed time off and have a much higher likelihood of having impromptu time off here as well.

'I'll be around a lot more often.'

It sounded... too good to be true. Not to mention that this didn't mean anything, it wasn't an invitation for anything, nothing was being implied. Right?

"Wow, that's great, Kun," you finally managed a hollow reply, still wading through your own thoughts.

"I'm really excited about it," his giddy words were countered by a yawn. "So just, let me know when and where for the photoshoot."

"Kun, was that a yawn?" You weren't going to let him cover it up that easily.

"Uh, maybe."

"What time is it where you are?"

"Two-thirty in the morning."

"You should be asleep!"

"You called me."

"Alright, just go to sleep now, Kun."

"I will. Goodnight, Y/N."

"Goodnight, Kun," you echoed with some humor in your voice. It was nowhere near nighttime for you.