Requital hope

Six

Yibo's Pov.

I sat in bed once again, reading. That's pretty much all I came here to do. I'm not interested in partying or hanging out with friends. I'm here to escape my life for a week, and hopefully clear my head. Zhan entered the room a few minutes later and plopped himself on his bed. He looked as if he was trying to fall asleep.

Three hours passed and here I was still reading. Zhan had just woken up from his nap. I occasionally glanced at him while he was asleep. I know it's a little weird, but I find something about him so... charming, you know, besides his face. He propped his head up and looked over at me. I looked back at him, curious. He just smiled.

"You sure love your books..." He said in a mocking tone.

"Reading, it's an escape." I reply, quietly. He sat there, silent for a while.

"How many did you bring?" He asks, sitting up on the edge of his bed.

I waited a moment before speaking. Making sure my count was correct. "Seven."

"Mind if I read one?" He asks, with his voice growing husky.

I smiled, then pulled a book from my bag that sat on the floor next to my bed. "Here." I hand him a book, something that he might be interested in still with a smile on my face.

We spent the afternoon doing nothing in the cabin. Mostly sleeping and reading. I was pleased though. This was all I could have hoped for. Finally being able to converse with someone genuine after all this time lifted my soul a bit.

Zhan took a shower. I decided to do the same, only to realize I forgot my towel.

"Is something wrong?" Zhan asked, noticing me digging through my bag.

"I, uh... I think I forgot my towel." I reply, not removing my eyes from the bag.

"Don't worry, I'm sure they have extra here. Just ask one of the teachers." He assured me. He's right, there's no need to worry about it. I turned to thank him but instead froze as I caught sight of Zhan shirtless. I could feel myself practically turning red. I wanted to hide it without being obvious but couldn't think of any way to do so. I sat there, clearly blushing, not knowing what to do. Zhan looked at me curiously.

"What, does my being shirtless make you uncomfortable?" He asked, drying himself off.

"N-no..... I'm just not used to it at all." I barely manage to speak.

He walked over to his bed and searched his bag for a shirt. "Wanna head out for dinner? We can ask a teacher there." He asks, still rummaging through his belongings.

"Yeah, sure." I reply with a little more enthusiasm than usual. The fact that he asked if I wanted to come with him made me happy. He could just ignore me like everyone else does and do his own thing, but instead he's been including me. That could be the reason I find him charming.
He's like the only ray of light shining in my dark world right now.

After he put on a shirt he headed for the door. I walked closely behind him. When we got outside the atmosphere hit. The night sky, the breeze ruffling the leaves on the trees, and the crickets chirp echo across the park.

"It's so peaceful out here." I state, in awe.

"Yeah. When I came on the trip I didn't expect things to be this relaxing." He turned to me with a cute smile. My heart almost beat through my chest.  As we walked to the park's kitchen or dining hall, I calmed myself. I knew nothing could happen between us. Still. I'd still like to be friends at least. Though that might be expecting too much. Things never work out the way I want them to, or need them to.