"--- ---"

"--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---"

...

Drip drip drip...

❀

SHEN QUANRUI, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS RICKY,  had a paintbrush in his mouth, his eyebrows furrowed, and his eyes gleaming with concentration.

That concentration was purely fake.

Ricky of course, has always been good at appearing nonchalant and carefree.

But in reality, his mind was, if not always, wandering.

He had a dream last night.

Of them.

When he had promised himself of forgetting about them all those years ago.

They drifted back to his mind and Quanrui hated it. He had completely cut ties with them and had no problem with moving on in his life.

He doesn't believe in true friendship anyway.

A deep sigh was the only source of noise a moment later in the room.

❀

This art project of his was due in a week, and Ricky was proud to say that he had more than enough time to complete it, the painting more than half completed.

The studio was filled with windows, making the sun shine directly in the room. On top of that, it was practically shining directly on his canvas, making the paint dry rather quickly.

It was now nearing sunset, and the black-haired man decided to call it a day.

He reached for his long black trench coat and headed for the door and quickly locked it.

The drive was silent, except for the whispers of the raindrops that had started to fall from the sky.

Soon enough, the whispers turned into roars, and Quanrui had to turn on the windshield wiper.

The windshield wiper was little help. By the time he arrived at his luxurious apartment, the rain was at its strongest.

He quickly ran to the door and pressed the numerical code for the door to unlock.

Ricky immediately headed to the bathroom to wash up and collapsed on his bed. He put his phone on the nightstand, where an open letter also was.

Oh...right.

He warily picked the paper up and read it over.

"Well, why not?" He mumbled, shrugging.

And so, Shen Quanrui laid back down on his bed, falling immediately to sleep.

But to his dismay, he dreamed of them. Again.