Chapter Text
Hao leaned over his bag and grabbed his water bottle, taking a long, energizing sip. Nervously, he glanced at the dance instructor, Hanbin, in the corner. He was talking to some other people who attended tonight's dance class. Hao quickly returned his vision to his bag, carefully scanning the room as he did, noticing that almost everyone had left.
Hao exhaled as he saw a tangled set of earbuds in the corner of his bag. Without thinking, he shoved them under the lockers that held their stuff while they danced. He then zipped up his bag, slung it over his shoulder, and awkwardly said goodbye. He tried to ignore the butterflies forming in his stomach as Hanbin looked at him smiling and walked out of the studio.
His heart raced as he descended the stairs, wondering why he thought leaving his headphones behind was a good idea. Now, it meant he actually had to go back and talk to the hot dance instructor. That or his flight home in the morning would be very boring.
He walked to a bench across the street and sat down as he waited for the last two people to exit the studio, trying to devise a plan for what he actually wanted to say when he went up to look for his headphones. After about ten minutes of incredibly detailed fake scenarios, he watched the studio door open and the last two people leave.
Hao's current thought was that if this dance studio was anything like the ones he went to back home, then the person who hosted the class was responsible for cleaning the studio when the class was over. So Hao's plan was to offer to help clean as an excuse to look for his headphones. In his head, he felt like this was a good plan; at least, that was what he told himself as he walked up the stairs to the studio.
When he walked in, the studio was empty. But since he hadn't seen Hanbin leave, he figured he was off grabbing a mop or some other cleaning supplies. Hao slowly moved around the studio, pretending to look around for his headphones. He flinched slightly when he suddenly heard the door to the studio open, followed by the sound of the wheels scraping against the floor.
“Oooh, I thought everyone had left,” Hanbin said as he struggled slightly to lift the mop bucket over the ledge. Hao turned around and looked at Hanbin, who wore a surprised look on his face
“Uuh, I did, but umm,” Hao lifted his right hand to his head, awkwardly scratching the back of his head. “But I think I lost my headphones,” Hao said as he watched a bit of water splash on the floor when Hanbin finally got the mop bucket into the studio
“I need to go grab a broom, but feel free to look around while I’m gone," Hanbin said with a smile as he exited the room, leaving the door cracked behind him. Hao brought his hands to his face as he turned around to look in the mirror through his fingers, annoyed at how awkward he was acting. He closed his eyes as he spoke aloud to himself.
“Just stop being so awkward. You're young and hot, and you can do this,” Hao said to himself as he heard the studio door shut behind them. He panickingly opened his eyes and saw Hanbin's reflection in the mirror, looking at him with a slight smirk across his face.
“Is that the pep talk you always give yourself when you're looking for something?” Hanbin asked as he walked toward Hao, holding the broom and dustpan. Hesitantly, Hao turned around to look at Hanbin, who had a bright smile on his face, a huge difference from the look of suppressed abject horror on his.
“Yes, in fact, it is,” Hao said, trying not to cringe at himself as he spoke visibly. “I just think it important to remind myself that even when I do something dumb, I'm still hot,” Hao said painfully as he watched Hanbin let out a slight chuckle as he looked him up and down, “you know self-love and all,” Hao said as he bit his bottom lip.
“I agree, not just with the self-love thing, but I also think you are very hot,” Hanbin said flirtatiously as he walked past Hao, handed him the dustpan, and started sweeping along the edge of the dance studio.
Hao felt a huge wave of relief fall over him after hearing Hanbin's comment, as a not-so-subtle red glow appeared on his cheeks. He smiled to himself before turning around and walking toward Hanbin, placing his hand on Hanbin's as he held the broom.
“Well, then maybe you'll let me take you out after you finish,” Hao said confidently. Hanbin chuckled to himself as he looked up from the floor at Hao.
“Sure, I’d love for you to take me out after we finish cleaning,” Hanbin said with a smirk as he slipped his hand out from under Haos, leaving him stunned as he held the broom in his hand.
“Wow, so a date with you is conditional?” Hao smiled as he looked at Hanbin and readjusted his grip on the broom.
“No, I just figured we could start our date sooner if we both cleaned. Maybe you'll even find your headphones,” Hanbin said cheekily as he walked past Hao toward the mop bucket, grabbing the spray bottle and towel hanging from the side and walking toward the mirror.
Hao shook his head as he began sweeping the floor, sneaking glances at Hanbin as the two of them cleaned. When he made his way to the lockers, he swept the broom under the lockers, revealing his headphones.
“I found them," Hao announced as he crouched down and put the headphones in his pocket. Hanbin turned away from the mirror to look at Hao.
“Hmmm, just where you left them,” Hanbin said as he turned around and continued to clean, looking at Hao's reflection in the mirror.
“You knew?” Hao asked in an embarrassed tone.
“I hardly took my eyes off you the entire class,” Hanbin said as he continued cleaning the mirrors, making broad swiping motions to get every inch of the smudged glass.
“Hmmm, and I thought you were looking at me so much because I was doing the moves wrong,” Hao said as he began sweeping the floors again. Hanbin stopped cleaning the mirror and briefly checked out Hao as he continued to sweep.
“You did mess up a couple of times, but that wasn’t why I was looking at you.” Hao chuckled upon hearing this as he glanced over at Hanbin, who was still staring at him, unmoving through the mirror.
“Hey, I thought we were both supposed to be cleaning?“ Hao asked as he turned his body to face Hanbin and rested his chin on the broom's handle. Hanbin shook his head as he began wiping the mirror again. Hao smiled to himself as he finished sweeping the pile of dust into the dustpan.
“So should I mop or you?” Hao said as he watched Hanbin finish the last section of the mirror, placing the rag and spray bottle on the floor. Hao felt his heart begin to race as he watched Hanbin approach until he was standing about a foot away from him.
“Do you want me to do it?” Hanbin said as he moved a strand of hair off Hao's face and tucked it behind his ear. “I'll happily do whatever you ask me to,” Hanbin said as he let his fingers linger against Hao's ear.
“Yes,” Hao said as he grabbed the mop handle and shoved it toward Hanbins chest. Hanbin rolled his eyes as he looked at Hao, biting his lip slightly as he gripped the mop handle.
“Fine.” Hanbin pouted as he lifted the mop from the water and placed it in the squeegee to get some of the excess water out before he placed it on the floor. Hao smiled as he walked over to the exit. He was standing by the door, smiling to himself, as Hanbin glared at him from across the room.
Hao tapped his foot as he watched Hanbin mop, excited that his plan had worked but also annoyed that he was leaving in the morning to return to China. He sighed as he watched Hanbin finish mopping the final section of the practice room.
“What?” Hanbin smiled as he placed the mop in the bucket, looking at Hao and studying his expression.
“Nothing,” Hao said unconvincingly as he looked at their reflections on the wet floor.
“You sighed?” Hanbin said as he motioned for Hao to move out of the doorway so he could push the mop bucket into the hall.
“No, I didn’t. I was just breathing.” Hao said, letting his eyes trace after Hanbin as he left the studio. Hanbin looked at him, narrowing his eyes slightly.
“Uuh huh, go ahead and grab your stuff and turn off the lights, and then we can head out,” Hanbin said, the curious look on his face yet to subside.
“Will do,” Hao nodded as he walked over to the lockers, picked up his bag, slung it over his shoulder, and turned off the studio lights. He stood in the hallway, waiting patiently for Hanbin to return, biting his bottom lip in an attempt to suppress the smile forcing its way onto his face.
He closed his eyes, letting his hands sway gently at his side as he listened to the gentle hum of the AC unit above him. His eyes remained closed until he felt a warm hand press against his, intertwining their fingers; when he opened his eyes, Hanbin stood beside him.
“Are you ready to go?” Hanbin smiled as he readjusted the strap on his crossbody bag. Hao nodded and let Hanbin guide them outside the building until they stood outside on the sidewalk. A gentle breeze caused Hao to shiver slightly.
“I just realized something?” Hanbin said with a laugh as he turned to look at Hao, who gawked his head to the side and looked at him curiously.” I don’t think I actually know your name.” Hanbin said with a smile. Hao laughed slightly as he moved to stand in front of Hanbin.
“Hao, Zhang Hao.” Hao smiled as he slightly swung their hands back and forth. Hanbin mouthed the name to himself as he looked past Hao's shoulder at some of the restaurants in the distance.
“Well, Hao, should we get something to eat?” Hanbin said sweetly as he returned his gaze to Hao, his eyes looking at each of his features, lingering slightly at his lips, and then back to his eyes.
“What did you have in mind? You probably know this area better than I do.” Hao said, his heart rate increasing slightly as Hanbin continued to look at him.
“Umm, there's a place that sells good Kati rolls down the street; they opened a month ago, and I’m slightly addicted,” Hanbin said as he turned his body to face the row of restaurants down the street.
“That sounds good,” Hao said, watching Hanbin nod excitedly as he walked down the street, pulling at his hand only to find that Hao hadn’t moved.
“Actually, umm, there's something you should know,” Hao said as he watched Hanbin turn around, looking at him slightly confused.
“Please don’t tell me you hate Indian food?” Hanbin said, half joking as he pouted slightly. Hao rolled his eyes and then looked back at Hanbin.
“No, I just, I’m actually going back to China in the morning,” Hao said awkwardly, slightly regretting the words as they left his mouth. Hanbin nodded, walking even closer to Hao, removing his hand from Hao's and placing it on his waist, then placing the other hand on the side of his neck.
“So should we just head back to my place or?” Hanbin said teasingly as Hao glared at him, removing Hanbin's hand from his neck and causing Hanbin to laugh slightly.
“I know it seems illogical to ask someone out when I’m leaving the country in the morning, but I don’t know. I just have this feeling like I’m supposed to know you.” Hao said as he looked at the smile growing on Hanbin's face, and he once again intertwined their fingers.
“What time is your flight?” Hanbin asked, letting his hand drop from Hao's waist as he grabbed his other hand.
“I should be at the airport around 7:30 am,” Hao said as he looked at Hanbin, who was scanning the area until his eyes fell upon a clock inside a store.
“Well, it's midnight now, so I guess I have a few hours to make getting on the flight really, really hard for you,” Hanbin said flirtatiously. Hao shook his head as he looked at Hanbin.
“Ooh, I'd love to see you try,” Hao said, dropping one of Hanbin's hands and beginning to walk down the street toward the restaurants glowing in the distance.
Hao couldn't help but moan as he took another bite of his food and sat at the picnic table in the park.
“I can’t believe I've lived this long without having one of these,” Hao said, turning to look at Hanbin, who was sitting next to him, as he took another larger bite, sauce dripping down the corner of his mouth.
Hanbin shook his head and wiped the sauce from Hao's face with his thumb. Hao looked annoyed at him before grabbing his hand and bringing Hanbin's thumb to his lips to get the sauce off.
“Don’t steal my sauce,” Hao said as he let go of Hanbin's wrist and took another bite of his Kati roll. His eyes practically rolled into the back of his head as he chewed. Hanbin stared at his thumb, amused as he grabbed a few napkins and placed them beside Hao.
“That good, huh,” Hanbin said with a smile as he took the final bite of his.
“I think this was why I was supposed to meet you,” Hao said excitedly as he gestured toward his food. Hanbin shook his head as he turned his body, lifting his leg so he had one on either side of the bench as he scooted closer to Hao.
“You're sure that's the only reason?” Hanbin said, lifting his hand to Hao's chin and turning his head to face him. Hao quickly swallowed the food in his mouth and looked at Hanbin's lips. Hanbin smiled when he noticed this and began to lean in, only to find Hao's lips just under the corner of his mouth. When he opened his eyes, Hao licked his lips and then took another bite of his food.
“There was sauce on my chin, wasn’t there?” Hanbin questioned as he watched Hao excitedly chew his food.
“Mmmm hmmm,” Hao said as he continued to chew gleefully, surprised at how comfortable he already felt around Hanbin.
Hanbin shook his head, placing his hands on Hao's bicep as he leaned his forehead onto his shoulder. He let out a breath as he tried to suppress his smile. Hao hummed slightly as he took his final bite, ensuring he got all the juice that had pooled at the bottom of the paper wrap.
Hao let his head fall to the side, resting gently against Hanbins as he grabbed a napkin to wipe his face and hands.
“So why dancing?” Hao asked, feeling Hanbin lift his head from his shoulder and remove his hands from his biceps. Hanbin bit his bottom lip as he considered the question. He leaned over the table on his elbow, positioning himself so he was right in front of Hao.
“Umm, I guess I just always really liked dancing; it was a good way to exercise and to get more in touch with queer culture and the queer community here,” Hanbin said with a smile as he looked at Hao. “What about you?” He said, resting his free hand on the table and tapping his fingers softly against the concrete.
Hao leaned back slightly as he looked at the star through the trees above them.
“Back home, I was always studying really hard for school or playing violin. I think I just needed something to help relieve the tension, and I found dancing did that for me.” Hao smiled, “ I wanted to get a class with you earlier in my trip, but all the sessions were full.” Hao said in a pouty tone as he played with the drawstring of Hanbins Jacket.
“What can I say? I'm a hot commodity,” Hanbin joked as he stood up from the table, took a few steps, and looked back at Hao, who had turned his head to look at him. “Wanna walk?” Hanbin asked, reaching out his hand.
Hao smiled, collecting their trash and putting it in a bag. He stood up, placing his hand in Hanbin's, as he pulled him toward the sidewalk. As they excited eating area, Hao dropped the trash bag in the bin and continued to walk next to Hanbin.
“So where are we going?” Hao asked as he saw the park exit approaching in the distance.
“I tutor for a rich family not far from here, and there's a cool rooftop area on their building with a really good view of the city we can hang out on,” Hanbin said excitedly. Hao nodded cautiously as they walked.
“And this is allowed?” Hao questioned as they left the park.
“I’m chill with the doorman, so there should be no issues,” Hanbin said calmly as he turned to face Hao, who didnt seem quite convinced. “We’ll be fine, I promise,” Hanbin said as he nudged Hao slightly.
It was about a thirty-minute walk to the building, and when they stepped inside, Hao was relieved to feel the warm air against their skin. Hanbin nodded at the doorman, then dragged Hao into the elevator, clicking RT the button just above the one that read 77th floor. The elevator ride was pretty quick, and Hao felt his ears pop twice before finally reaching the rooftop floor.
When the elevator doors opened, they were greeted with a gust of cold air. Hanbin grabbed Haos's hand and pulled him up the narrow spiral staircase, opening up to the highest section of the roof. The rooftop itself was pretty empty, with only a couple of pieces of porch furniture and a large heating lamp.
“Woah,” Hao said as Hanbin pulled him toward the roof's edge to look at the city below them. The lights of the buildings looked especially beautiful at this time of night. Hanbin turned to look at Hao, admiring the calm look on his face.
“So what do you think?” Hanbin asked excitedly as he watched Hao take in the view of the city around them.
“It's incredible; I think I'm starting to understand why some of these places cost millions,” Hao said, bewildered, as he let go of Hanbin's hand and started walking around the perimeter of the roof. Hanbin stood next to him as he walked.
“Yeah, the family I tutor for lives in a penthouse. The windows wrap all the way around the apartment,” Hao nodded as he listened to Hanbin speak.” Anyways, one time, I looked up the cost of their apartment, and it was twelve million dollars,” Hanbin said casually, while Hao stopped dead, and his jaw dropped.
“Twelve million?” Hao said, his eyes widening as he looked at Hanbin, who lifted his hand to scratch the back of his head.
“Yeah, if you ever want to be humbled, just tutor for rich families,” Hanbin said jokingly as he stepped toward Hao, who was now leaning his back against the edge.
“Ooh, I give violin lessons. Believe me, I have been thoroughly humbled.” Hao joked as he brought his arms across his chest, shivering slightly as he watched Hanbins's expression become one of concern.
“Are you cold? Do you want my jacket?” Hanbin said as he began unzipping his hoodie. Hao reached out his hands and placed them on Hanbins just before he had unzipped them completely.
“No, no, I don't want you to be cold; plus, we can just sit by the heating lamp,” Hao said, looking at the seating area over Hanbin's shoulder.
“Okay, you can sit down while I figure out how to turn on the heat lamp, but that shouldn't really be an issue cause I've never had a problem turning things on,” Hanbin said teasingly. Hao could not help but laugh loudly at the joke.
“What is that bad?” Hanbin asked, amused by Hao's reaction as he doubled over laughing.
“It was something,” Hao said with a bright smile as he finally managed to catch his breath. "Go work your magic,” Hao said with a wink as he patted Hanbin's shoulder. Then, he turned around and went to sit on the round chair bed next to the heating lamp.
Hao sat down on the chair, waiting as Hanbin struggled with the lamp for a few seconds before finally getting it on.
“See,” Hanbin said, looking at Hao as he motioned to the lamp's head, slowly turning red as heat began to fill the cold air around them.
“Yeah, that was really impressive,” Hao said sarcastically as he patted the space next to him, signaling Hanbin to sit next to him.
Hanbin rolled his eyes as he sat beside Hao, placing his arm over Hao's shoulder. He leaned back into the cushion, looking at the sky above them. He smiled as he felt Hao rest his head against his shoulder.
“So, do you know any of the constellations? Hanbin asked as he leaned his head against Haos.
“Umm, I took an astronomy class back in high school. I think I remember most of them.” Hao said, readjusting his position slightly as he scanned the night sky. “Wait,” Haos said as he leaned forward off the cushion, grabbed the cushions, dropped them on the floor next to the chair, and then moved forward until he could lie flat against the chair bed. Hanbin followed, moving to lay next to him, letting their shoulders touch as they did.
“You see those three, “ Hao said, raising his arm and pointing at the sky. That's Orion's belt. And those stars there, there and there make Cassiopeia,” Hao said with a smile.
“Which stars where?” Hanbin asked as he struggled to see what stars Hao was looking at. Hao huffed and then placed his arm under Hanbin's neck, scooting closer until their heads were right next to each other. He picked up Hanbin's hand, making him point his fingers as he whispered. “There, there and there,” as he aligned Hanbin's fingers, dragging his finger across the five stars that made up the double-shaped constellation.
“Hmmm, and where is the big little dipper?” Hanbin asked, turning his face slightly to look at Hao. Hao started moving Hanbin's hand in a circle. “The big dipper is here, and the little dipper is here,” Hao spoke softly. When he turned to look at Hanbin, he wasn’t looking at the sky but at his lips.
Hao felt Hanbin's arm begin to bend, and Hanbin brought his hand down to Hao's cheek, stroking it softly. Hao turned onto his side to look at Hanbin better and lifted his hand to Hanbin's neck.
“I really want to kiss you,” Hanbin whispered as he continued to look at Hao's lips, his eyes almost entranced by them. Hao nodded his head softly as he leaned forward. The tips of their noses touched as he felt Hanbin's breath against his.
“I have a feeling it might be hard to get on my flight after all. “ Hao whispered, his lips quivering slightly as Hanbin pulled his face even closer until there were only millimeters between their lips.
“Yeah?” Hanbin whispered briefly, gazing into Hao's eyes.
“Yeah,” Hao said breathily as he pressed his lips into Hanbins. He felt Hanbin part his lips as he smiled into the kiss, moving his hand from his cheek to the back of his head and pulling him deeper into the kiss. Maybe it was the fact that they were on the 78th floor of a skyscraper or the knowing that this date would end with Hao boarding a flight, but the kiss felt different.
It was as if time had stopped, and past, present, and future faded, and all that was left was this singular moment. Hao felt his mind slowly drift away the more Hanbin kissed him, the closer he pulled their bodies together.
There was a familairty to the kiss like they had done this a million times before, maybe in a past life, they had known each other, had spent a whole life together. Hao smiled as he continued to kiss Hanbin, wondering if he felt the same. If he also felt the same surge of electricity traveling across his nerves, reaching every point of his body. After a while, the feeling of nostalgia ended as Hanbin finally pulled away.
“Are you sure you have to leave in a few hours,” Hanbin said with a pouty tone as he looked at Hao, studying his features. Hao leaned forward, pecking him on the lips, then turned onto his back, his eyes looking at the stars above them.
“Yes.” Hao sighed as he felt Hanbin turn onto his back as well.
“When will you come back?” Hanbin asked as he watched Hao look at the sky, a somber expression having fallen on his face.
“I don’t know. I don’t have any trips planned at the moment,” Hao said apologetically as he glanced at Hanbin. “I’m sorry I asked you to do this. I know it was selfish.” Hao spoke as he crossed his arms over his chest, letting out a long sigh.
“You know what you said earlier about how you felt like we were supposed to know each other?” Hanbin said as he leaned his head against Hao's shoulder, “I felt it too; it kind of feels like I already know you or that I've always known you.” Hanbin said softly as he stared at the sky above them.
“Yeah, I feel the same,” Hao said with a soft smile as he turned his head until his nose lightly grazed Hanbins' cheek. Hanbin smiled as he turned his head, kissing Hao softly.
"I used to come up here after work a lot," Hanbin said as he turned his head to look back up at the stars. "I'd stare at the sky for hours, hoping I'd see a shooting star; I think the closest I got was a satellite," Hanbin said with a slight chuckle as he looked at the night sky. Hao turned back onto his side, placing his hand on Hanbin's chest as he lay on his elbow and looked at him, the stars reflecting in his dark brown eyes.
"What did you want to wish for?" Hao asked as he gently tabbed his fingers against Hanbins chest. Hanbin moved his vision from the stars back to Hao.
"I guess it just feels like something was missing, but I don't know what it is; I have everything, I'm happy, I'm practically on top of the world," He said, gesturing to the view of the city around them, "but it just feels like there's something missing that's supposed to be there," Hanbin said as he reached his hand up to cup Hao's cheeks,
"Yeah, I've been feeling that lately, too," Hao sighed as he looked at Hanbin. "I think that's why I came here. I've been feeling my luck has been running out back home, and I just need to be somewhere different," Hao said, leaning his face into Hanbin's. "It just feels like I've overstayed my welcome, like I'm just this ghost lingering in a space I'm not supposed to be anymore." Hanbin nodded.
"I really like talking to you," Hanbin said sweetly as he rubbed his thumb across Hao's face. "It just feels easy," Hanbin said with a somber smile. Hao felt himself blushing as he looked at Hanbin.
"Yeah, I don't really tell people this kind of stuff," Hao said with a smile. "So, what would you wish for if you saw a shooting star right now?" Hao asked curiously.
"Probably for your flight to be canceled," Hanbin smirked as Hao narrowed his eyes, glaring at him and laughing slightly.
"What would be your actual wish?" Hao said, still observing Hanbins's soft expression as he stared at his lips.
"This," Hanbin said as he leaned in to kiss Hao again. "Then I don't know, probably to find that missing piece," Hanbin whispered, his lips still only a centimeter or so away from Hao's. "What about you?" Hanbin asked.
"Hmmm, the recipe for that Kati roll," Hao said seriously. Hanbin laughed as he looked at Hao's serious expression. "No, like literally, I haven't been able to stop thinking about it," Hao said with a smile as he watched Hanbin continue to laugh.
"So you were still thinking about it when I kissed you?" Hanbin asked as he turned back to look at Hao.
"Not so much then," Hao said as he leaned forward, kissing Hanbin again, letting his mind drift to that faraway place like it did last time. As they kissed, he slipped his arm under Hanbin's neck, cuddling into him. Hao closed his eyes as he felt Hanbin's fingers running through his hair, kissing him further, finding solace in each other's embrace.
Eventually, Hao opened his eyes again and lifted his hand in front of his face to read the time on his watch. Upon seeing the time, he quickly disconnected their lips.
“I think I should go; I need to get back to my hotel and pack before I head to the airport,” Hao said sadly as he sat up in the chair and looked back at Hanbin, who followed suit.
“Yeah?” Hanbin said, resting his chin on his shoulder.
“Yeah,” Hao said as he stood up from the chair and smoothed out his clothes. He held out his hand for Hanbin to grab. Hanbin placed his hand in Hao's and sighed as he felt Hao pull him up to a standing position.
“We can call you a cab when we get back downstairs,” Hanbin said as they made their way down the stairs and walked toward the elevator.
They stood on opposite sides of the elevator, just looking at each other as they slowly made their way back to the streets below; against their wishes, time had seemingly started again, and their date would soon end and become nothing but a memory.
When the elevator door opened, the familiar warmth surrounded Hao's skin as he entered the lobby. Slowly, they exited the building; Hao felt Hanbin's hands intertwine with his as he stared off into the distance for a taxi. When he finally saw one with the lights on, he held up his hands, hailing the taxi in their direction.
Hao pulled at Hanbin's hands slightly to get his attention.
“Why does this feel like an ending?” Hao asked somberly, holding both of Hanbin's hands in his as the taxi approached, stopping in front of them. Hanbin looked at him, biting his lip. Unsure what to say, he reached for his hand, opened the door, and motioned for Hao to sit in the car's seat.
Hanbin watched as Hao put on his seatbelt and then looked back up at Hanbin, who had begun to shut the door but suddenly stopped.
“Maybe this is just the prologue,” Hanbin said, looking at Hao. "It's like the chance encounter before our story actually begins." Hao gave him a weak smile as he reached out, grabbing Hanbin's hand.
“So, guess I’ll see you in chapter one then?” Hao said, staring at their intertwined hands and then moving his vision back up to Hanbin.
“And every chapter after that,” Hanbin said with a smile as he squeezed Hao's hand. Hao looked at him in silence for a while before finally speaking again.
“I have this really strong feeling that I’m supposed to love you,” Hao said as he continued to look at Hanbin, trying his best to take note of every feature on his face.
“I think I’m supposed to love you, too,” Hanbin said with a soft smile as he let go of Hao's hand and closed the taxi door. He watched in mournful optimism as the taxi slowly faded in the distance. When he could no longer see it, he stepped back onto the sidewalk, waved goodbye to the doorman, and headed home.
Not The End