Chapter 10 - Housewarming party

Two days have passed since they bought their new appartment. Two days in which they worked a lot, cleaned the old appartment and already sold the first furniture. That Saturday morning, many people came to the old appartment and by noon, all the furniture and the kitchen were sold. In the end, Zhan and Yibo only needed to sweep and mop everything once more. And at the end they cleared out the basement room. Now the old appartment is ready to be handed over.

In the late afternoon, Zhan and Yibo came home. They had shopped on the way and prepare some delicious snacks together for the evening. In addition to their parents, a few friends would be coming to the housewarming party at their new appartment. However, they did not reveal to any of the invited guests why they should come to a different address. They would not reveal this to them until they were all there.

When the first guests arrived, in this case Yibo's parents, their excitement rose. Yibo's parents entered the appartment and looked around in amazement. Having never seen Zhan's old apartment, but knowing that he only had a 2 room apartment, they were naturally curious to know who owned this nice big apartment. But they still had to be patient.

Zhan's parents arrived at the appartment next. They greeted Zhan and Yibo with a heartfelt hug. Zhan's mom literally cuddled Yibo. "Oh my dear pretty son-in-law, I'm so happy to see you again." She said and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

Yibo's parents noticed this, of course. Curious, Yibo's mom asked, "It looks like you like our son?"

"Like him? No, we love him. He's such a wonderful young man. Smart, humble, hardworking and absolutely sweet." Said Zhan's mom.

"So it doesn't bother you guys that they are married and have to live as a married couple? And you wouldn't mind if they stayed married either?" Yibo's dad wanted to know. Yibo immediately began to feel uncomfortable again.

Zhan's dad put an arm around Yibo's shoulder and smiled at Yibo. "Yibo is welcome to stay. Whether as our son's friend, or as our son-in-law. We accept what they want. But I think we should stay out of it completely. And I don't want them to feel pressured either. They shouldn't have to do anything they don't want to do. Because the most important thing is that they're happy."

"That's true. Our sons are grown smart men who can make their own decisions about their lives." Added Zhan's mom.

"I think I know what you're getting at, and I think it's time we explain something about that. It's true, we've always pressured Yibo about getting married. But we never meant any harm. You see, our Yibo is a latecomer. He is 17 years younger than his brother. After my husband and I tried for a long time to have one more baby and it didn't work out, we gave up on it. And suddenly, 10 years later, I was pregnant with Yibo. I was already 42 years old and it was a risky pregnancy. The pregnancy was very hard for me. The doctors said that there was an 80% possibility that he would be born handicapped. But we really wanted to have this baby. And when Yibo was born, we couldn't believe our luck because he was healthy through and through. He was our little miracle. The years went by quickly and he grew into a fine, smart young man. And my husband and I had just one wish for him. All we wished was that one day he would have a marriage as happy as ours. We wanted at least one of our sons to get married. Because our oldest son outed himself at the age of 16. At that time, marriages of same-sex couples were not possible. And when it was possible, he was making a career in the company and didn't have a partner. I don't know either. We were afraid we would not live long enough to see our sons get married. I am already 68 years old and my husband is 70 years old. No one knows how long we will live." Said Yibo's mom with an apologetic look to Yibo.

"I now understand the reason why you guys pushed Yibo into marriage like that. But marriage also involves love. And you can't and shouldn't force either. Everyone has his own pace. So give Yibo the time he needs. Besides, you are still very fit for your age and you are healthy. Just remember what is really important. And that is that your son is happy." Said Zhan's dad.

"Look at our sons. Just a week ago, they both looked unhappy. But now they are beaming with joy. And that's the most beautiful thing for parents. To see your own child, no matter how old he is, happy." Added Zhan's mom.

"You guys are right. To be honest, we haven't seen Yibo smile so much in many years. As his parents, we are very happy to see him like this." Replied Yibo's mom.

"I think our parents are just making friends with each other." Whispered Zhan in Yibo's ear. Yibo grinned and nodded in agreement.

As more guests arrived like, Seungyoun, Yu Bin, Xue Yang and Wooseok, the housewarming party could really start. But before it started, Yibo and Zhan enlightened their guests about why they were meeting in this appartment. "Welcome to our new appartment. This appartment belongs to Zhan and me. We bought it last week." Said Yibo proudly.

"Yes you heard right, we bought an apartment. As excited as you were when you came in here and looked around, so were we. We couldn't resist and had to buy this appartment. And we bought it at a very good price. It's first occupancy after a complete renovation." Explained Zhan.

All the guests were excited and congratulated them. Yibo then declared the housewarming party open and the snacks and alcoholic drinks were served.

After two hours of sitting in the kitchen, talking, laughing, drinking and eating, Yibo showed his best friend to his room. Youn immediately noticed the picture of Zhan on Yibo's nightstand when he came in. "You seem to have taken your husband into your heart a lot already." Said Youn, pointing at the picture.

Yibo took the picture from the nightstand and pressed it to his chest. "Is that so strange that I have his picture?"

"No, if you like him that much, then it's normal and kind of cute too."

"You know, I just wanted to have something of Zhan in my room. I like to look at him. And when I'm in my room and I can't look at Zhan, I look at his picture. I'm weird, aren't I?"

"Why? It's cute, isn't it? You really like Zhan and show it through that." Youn knew exactly what was going on with Yibo. He knows that Yibo is about to fall in love with Zhan. But he will not tell Yibo that. Because Yibo has to find that out on his own. At the same time, Youn is happy for Yibo. Because he is sure that Zhan is also starting to fall in love with Yibo. He has been watching the two of them for the past 2 hours. And he saw how Zhan looked at Yibo and that Zhan rarely let Yibo out of his sight.

"Yeah? You really think so?"

"Well, of course I really mean it. Don't let anything stop you or confuse you."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, if you want his picture here and you like looking at it, then do that and don't tell yourself it's weird."

"Do you want me to tell you something?"

"Yes right away!"

"When we decided to buy the appartment, I was so happy that I hugged Zhan and accidentally gave him a kiss on the mouth."

"Oh really? And how did he react?"

"He said my lips tasted sweet like pineapple and were really soft."

"So it didn't bother him?"

"No, not at all."

"And how about you?"

"At first I was embarrassed. It wasn't intentional, after all. But when Zhan said that, I was kind of happy. Then later, when I was lying in my bed, I thought about that kiss. And I wondered if I really just did that by accident?"

"So you're telling me maybe you kissed him because you wanted to?"

"Yes. I think that's what happened."

"Okay, that's interesting."

"And why is that?"

"Well, because you've never felt the need to kiss anyone. When you married Lara and were told you could kiss, you gave her a high five. You weren't even willing for a little kiss. And with Zhan, it was after just two days."

"At that moment, it just felt right. Like I said, at first I thought it just happened out of sheer joy. But I'm not sure of that anymore. And the thing is, I can't stop thinking about that kiss."

"Maybe because you wish it would happen again?"

"You think?"

"That's just a guess."

"Mhhh, who knows. Maybe you're right. I've suspected it too. And for a moment I thought maybe I should put some distance between myself and Zhan. But..."

"But?"

"But I didn't like that thought at all. I don't want to keep my distance from Zhan. I want to be close to him!"

"Then be close to him."

"I will. Now, before we go back to the others, tell me what you think of Wooseok. I saw the way you looked at him. And also how he looked at you. Sparks were definitely flying between you two."

"You're right Yibo. I like him a lot. Earlier when I went to the bathroom, I ran into him in the corridor and I spontaneously asked him if he would like to go on a date next Saturday. He immediately said yes and gave me his phone number."

"Awww, that's great. Zhan said you guys could be a good match and he was right."

"He had already told me about him when I was at his restaurant. But I didn't immediately assume that I could really like Wooseok. And then I saw him earlier and my heart immediately took an excited leap. If this really works out with him and me, I'll owe Zhan a big favor."

"He was happy to do it, believe me. He was all excited and hoped you guys would get along."

"We do. We should go back now, though. I'm sure your Zhan is already worrying about where you're staying."

"My Zhan? Mhhh, sounds good." Yibo replied with a laugh and went back to the kitchen with Youn. When Yibo sat down next to Zhan, the latter pulled him closer. Zhan explained that everyone at the table needed to be seated. Yibo grinned and Youn winked at him.

Two more hours and lots of alcohol later, everyone was drunk. They still helped Zhan and Yibo clean up and then said their goodbyes. Then, when Yibo and Zhan were alone again in their appartment, Zhan showed him a wine bottle with some wine left in it. "Shall we split the wine? You a little and me?" He asked Yibo.

"I'd love to. But could we drink it in the living room? I'd like to sit on the sofa and stretch my legs on it."

"Sure, no problem." Said Zhan and they went into the living room.

Zhan sat down on the sofa and so did Yibo. But instead of putting his legs up like he first said he would, he sat down next to Zhan. "That was a nice evening. I'm totally drunk. How about you?"

"I'm drunk, too. I haven't consumed this much alcohol in a long time."

"I've never drunk as much as I did tonight. But the evening was so nice and so relaxed, it was fun to drink."

"True." Replied Zhan, putting an arm around Yibo.

"Ahhh yes it's even more comfortable sitting like this. You're so lovely warm."

"That's from alcohol hahaha."

"Yeah?"

"Mhm."

"You Zhan? Can I confess something to you?"

"Of course."

"That kiss the other day, I um... I don't think that was an accident on my part."

"It wasn't?"

"No. Are you mad at me now?"

"No I'm not."

"You're really not? You don't find me disgusting either?"

"No and no."

"Did you maybe like that kiss, too?"

"Yes, I did. It was only a short kiss, after all. But it was nice."

"Good. I don't know if we'll remember this conversation tomorrow. But for now, I'm really reassured." Said Yibo, lifting his gaze to look at Zhan. "I really like looking at you. You are so gorgeous Zhan. And even though our marriage isn't real, I'm proud to have such a handsome husband. And honestly, I'm afraid that after six months, you don't want me as your husband anymore. That's silly, I know. It's not like we're a real couple. But that's how I feel right now. And it's driving me crazy. Because I'm so confused."

Zhan looked deep into Yibo's eyes and stroked his cheek. "I don't know if I'll remember this tomorrow either. But I want you to know that you've become so close to my heart in these few days that I don't even want to let you go."

"I don't want to leave either. I want to be with you forever Zhan."

"Then stay with me, of course. Because I'm not going to push you away."

"Not even if I kiss you again?"

"Not even then."

"Be honest with me!"

"I am Yibo. How can I prove it to you?"

"Can you prove it, then?"

"Yes, I think so."

"And how?"

Zhan leaned forward and Yibo's heart began to race violently. His stomach was tingling so hard because of all the butterflies in it that he was afraid to fly off at any moment. And just when Yibo was still wondering what Zhan was up to, Zhan's lips landed with pinpoint accuracy on his lips. At that moment, Yibo's body was so flooded with emotions that he even shed a tear of happiness.

The kiss lasted longer than a minute. But because both of them were really very drunk, they just fell asleep. And the next day, both had forgotten what had happened between them. But does that also mean that what they felt at this moment of the kiss disappeared? Or did the kiss break free hidden longings that now can't be locked up?

Please tell me in the comments what you think of the story so far. I look forward to your feedback. Thanks