Friday

Wei Ying was rocking on his heels anxiously waiting outside his apartment block for Lan Zhan to come and pick him up.

They were part of the group that was awarded a four day holiday in Singapore for winning a global competition for their company, and they were going to celebrate in style.

The flight was only going to last a few hours, but Wei Ying had finally decided: he was going to make his move on Lan Zhan...finally going to confess.

Even now, he was getting jittery with anticipation, wondering what Lan Zhan would say...how surprised he was going to be!

Wei Ying had been in charge of booking the seats and it had only taken a few sighs for Lan Zhan to ask him what was the matter...and then he had mentioned not being sure if he could manage his luggage and getting to the airport on time...

Of course, Lan Zhan being the best perhaps possible boyfriend, had immediately agreed to pick him up via taxi and hence his current situation.

But...Lan Zhan was late.

Which was odd, since Lan Zhan was never late...

Wei Ying was looking up and down his road...no taxi yet...

Should he call Lan Zhan? Or message? Or would that be too...what? Too forward? Maybe Lan Zhan would be okay about it...maybe he was already on his way...

The honk of a car had him turning around to spot the familiar car logo; and he could barely hear his own thoughts over his internal screaming...Lan Zhan was here...

Lan Zhan was here!

Lan Zhan was HERE!!!

While Wei Ying was trying to cope with his mini freak out, the hottest guy on the planet stepped out of the taxi and came towards him. Lan Zhan was wearing his long hair up in a bun, a white linen shirt and khaki shorts but the long kind, the ones that said smart but casual...and dark sunglasses...there was a flash of silver at his throat but Wei Ying was far too busy drooling at his forearms...

He had first noticed them whenever Lan Zhan was by the photocopier. They had an old but reliable model, one that required the lid to be lifted before the cartridges could be changed, and ever since Wei Ying had seen Lan Zhan do it once, he had become shamelessly addicted.

The way those muscles flexed and bunched under his golden skin...Wei Ying was mesmerised. He seemed to lose any cognitive thoughts whenever Lan Zhan rolled up his sleeves and got to work. The way he was so effortlessly...hot...it was making Wei Ying a drooly puddle on the sidewalk just thinking about it.

So what if he had to put aside a little extra money in the stationary department because ink cartridges cost a lot...but it was worth it for the eye candy. Like an ice cream on a hot sunny day, his Lan Zhan was a walking talking popsicle...

"....don't mind, and she's in the back." Lan Zhan was saying.

Wei Ying was too busy admiring his back muscles as he lifted Wei Ying's suitcase to stow it in the boot of the taxi. The way his shirt rode up, revealing an inch of bare golden skin, just above the hemline of his shorts...Wei Ying wondered what it would taste like...just a small kiss...

"You didn't hear anything I said, did you?" Lan Zhan smirked at him.

Wei Ying blushed because it was true.

"It's too hot to pay attention!" He whined.

But as he bent to sit in the back, imagining all the ways he could sidle up to Lan Zhan on a pretense sans seat belt...he was shocked to see Mianmian there, grinning awkwardly back at him.

"Um...hi?" He felt terribly put out.

What was she doing here??

"If you had paid attention..." Lan Zhan, the true gentleman that he was, was saying. "Then you would have known. Her taxi let her down...and since we live in the same block, I saw her waiting and offered. I knew you wouldn't mind." He continued in that syrupy deep voice that made Wei Ying feel like he was swimming in molasses.

It was so rich and dreamy...

"I thought we could finish up a few last minute details on the project before we can forget about it." Mianmian was saying, an uncertain smile gracing her face.

She looked pointedly at Lan Zhan.

"So I'll have to sit in the back with her." Lan Zhan clarified, nudging him out of the way.

"Uh...sure, sure, I can sit up front." Wei Ying let his mind catch up to the outside of his brain where he and Lan Zhan were already making out...

He slipped his own sunglasses on masking his disappointment.

The taxi driver was some wannabe ex-track racer by the looks of it. Wei Ying had imagined a short relaxing ride to the airport, but it was shorter and way more nail-biting than he had anticipated.

Thank God he was wearing his seat belt.

Plus it was less time listening to the low chuckles and high pitched laughter in the seats behind him. They were whispering too, and Wei Ying didn’t want to think about what it could mean. He had certainly never seen Lan Zhan so animated before.

Come to think of it, they did share cubicles right next to each other...

But Wei Ying wasn't going to let anything spoil this long weekend for him. It was his birthday on Monday and while he hadn’t told anyone, he wanted to spend it with Lan Zhan...hopefully alone and in a really romantic setting.

The trick would be trying to get him away from the others, maybe "lose" them in a crowd...

Singapore was lovely like that. There were pockets of places that randomly stood out, certainly in the pictures people posted online. All he had to do was bide his time and plan it perfectly.

Suffice to say, Wei Ying was really looking forward to going.

A high pitch titter from the back had him leaning forward, and turning the volume up on the radio...

They screeched to a halt outside the terminal building. Mianmian offered to pay for the taxi and a petty part of Wei Ying was going to let her, since she had played the part of Jezebel.

But Lan Zhan swooped in and paid, and got their luggage out, and Wei Ying was lost in the dreamy lifting of heavy things out of difficult places...

"Do you want to put your tongue back in?"

A lazy drawl and a half-hearted push had him coming to his senses.

"Jiang Cheng!" Wei Ying squealed and threw himself at his adopted brother.

There was a miniscule pat on the back before he was peeled off. Jiang Cheng was waiting there with the rest of the team, also wearing his trademark scowl, hair impeccably styled, and dressed in a purple t-shirt that said "I'm with stupid." And an arrow.

Wei Ying lowered his sunglasses to look at it, and then him.

"You know we're sitting together on the plane?"

"That's why I wore it." Smug grin.

Wei Ying shoved him.

"Boys, boys..." Jiang YanLi admonished them lightly.

"Sorry Shijie." They both chorused and stood to attention, looking suitably chastised.

"Ready?" The Peacock, Jin oh-look-at-me-I'm-so-gorgeous ZiXuan came and stood next to her, hefting two suitcases.

They were already engaged, an office romance with a happy ending.

Both Jiang Cheng and Wei Ying were glad their sister was happy...but it didn’t mean they had to like him.

"So the seating plan....I couldn't get us all together." He apologized to their little group.

"That's fine." Nie Huaisang winked at him.

They had sat together discussing this very problem when it became known that they would be able to go.

Huaisang had been the one to suggest Wei Ying sit in between both Jiang Cheng and Lan Zhan, so that those two wouldn't end up killing each other, and Wei Ying could spend more time with Lan Zhan, sort of just the two of them.

Wei Ying had already found a film he wanted to watch with Lan Zhan and failing that, they both loved playing computer games and this airline was trying out a new one.

They were going to have such a great time!

They were a little bit late, so it was a mad dash to their gate, where Wen Qing and Wen Ning were pleading at the stewardess to wait for the rest of their group, and she scowled at Wei Ying when she saw them.

"About time!" She muffled swear words under her breath.

Wei Ying rolled his eyes and jerked his head to behind them.

"It's all good, we got here in time, see?" He casually threw his arm around her shoulders. "And you love me really..."

Lan Zhan accidentally bumped into him with his carry on.

"Oh...I'm so sorry."

"That's okay, thanks Lan Zhan. I can take it from here." Wei Ying grabbed it from him and slipped his rucksack on his back. "Let's board."

The Wen siblings were sitting in front with an empty seat next to them, Jiang Cheng, Wei Ying and Lan Zhan were behind them, and Nie Huaisang and Mianmian were to their right. Jiang YanLi and the Peacock were further down the plane.

But just as the seatbelt sign came on, Mianmian approached Jiang Cheng.

"Gosh, I'm so sorry to do this last minute, but can I swap with you?"

Wei Ying was giving her death glares behind his sunglasses...why was she doing this now? He sincerely hoped his brother would be the asshole he knew he could be, but no...Jiang Cheng was full on in gentleman mode.

What the hell was wrong with everyone, suddenly? All Mianmian had to do, was bat those unusually long eyelashes and everyone was falling at her feet!

Wei Ying was fuming and busy trying to ignore her, when she spoke directly to him.

"And if you don't mind, could you let Lan WangJi sit there?" She pointed to the seat he was sitting in. "It's just that we hadn't quite finished in the taxi."

Bitch...no...

But Lan Zhan was already standing up.

"Better hurry." He said. "We'll be taking off soon."

Damn...why was the Universe out to get him today?

Wei Ying dragged himself up and slid past him, trying not to scowl. At least, even if those two were cozying up to each other, he had Huaisang on this side to talk to. He smiled at Wei Ying sympathetically.

And so what if Wei Ying had rubbed up against someone on purpose? Lan Zhan deserved it for being so good.

Those three hours were starting to be torturous. Mianmian sometimes laughed out loud, and it looked like Lan Zhan was having a great time...

Wei Ying sighed to himself...this was his fault for having such a great, dedicated team. They were supposed to be on holiday too, and yet they couldn't stop working...

He slipped his headphones on and began to watch the movie he'd picked out to watch with Lan Zhan, by himself.

He must have fallen asleep because the next thing he knew, his headphones were being taken off and he was being nudged awake. He felt incredibly warm and cozy, and the feeling of not wanting to wake up was making his body feel heavier and heavier...until he opened his eyes.

Golden irises filled with something were staring back at him, so close that Wei Ying could see the individual amber flecks with honey tones. Lan Zhan was looking back at him in a sort of...hungry way?

What was going on? What had he missed?

But then Lan Zhan blinked and the moment was gone. Wei Ying realized that in his sleep, his head had rolled onto Lan Zhan’s shoulder and that was why he had felt so warm and comfortable...

"We're about to land." Lan Zhan said, his deep voice husky.

Wei Ying shivered...and then Mianmian giggled at something on her screen and Lan Zhan turned away from him.

It really was like looking into the sun, when Lan Zhan had pinned him into place just by staring into his eyes. It was both a relief and saddening to no longer be at his mercy again.

They managed to clear customs and meet up again at the taxi hub, but they all had to take separate ones to their hotel. And surprise, surprise, Lan Zhan and Mianmian got in the same one and drove off even before Wei Ying could catch up. He sat down despondently in the same cab as Huaisang and Jiang Cheng.

"Aww! Sad because your boyfriend has run off?" Jiang Cheng teased him, with his trademark scowl.

Wei Ying determinedly pasted a smile on his face.

"I don't know what you're talking about. We're in Singapore and we're going to have a great time!" He mustered enough enthusiasm to convince his brother that he was alright but Huaisang wasn't fooled.

He pulled out a bar of Whittaker's Golden Almond milk chocolate and snapped off two pieces, handing one each to his friends.

"It'll make you feel better." He insisted.

Wei Ying was surprised to find out that he was right.

They whizzed through the city to their hotel. Their's was the last cab and there was more bad news waiting for them when they reached the foyer of the hotel.

"They've double booked us." Wen Qing said. "We're all going to have to share."

Damn...Wei Ying was feeling as if the Universe really had it going in for them...

"As long as there are two beds, it's fine." Lan Zhan was telling the super hot and over-the-top friendly receptionist.

He smiled at her and she melted.

"Of course, sir, anything we can do, to make up for this error on our part." She said slimily.

Wei Ying imagined her like a slug...all gooey and green and sticky...

"Wei Ying!"

He was jolted out of his thoughts.

"We're sharing." Lan Zhan tossed him a key card and grabbed their suitcases.

Oh.

Well...

This wasn't so bad, right?

Wei Ying beamed at him and Lan Zhan stumbled.

"Are you alright?" Wei Ying steadied him, as they got inside the elevator.

"Just tired." Lan Zhan mumbled.

Wei Ying noticed his ears were red...and he couldn’t help smiling more.

"If you feel like it, we can always rest up a little while before meeting with the others. It's just lunch downstairs."

"Not necessary." Lan Zhan was unusually curt.

Wei Ying backed off wondering why he was fluctuating like a cuckoo in a clock at a midday.

Maybe he was missing Mianmian...

"Why would I be missing Mianmian?" Lan Zhan sounded annoyed.

Wei Ying hadn’t realised that he'd spoken aloud.

"Oh I dunno..." Maybe because you two have been joined by the hip since we left home, Wei Ying thought, snarkily.

But some persistent part of him cared that Lan Zhan was feeling out of sorts and when they entered their room, he went and poured a glass of water for him, and dug out a pair of painkillers too.

"You'll feel better." He insisted, making Lan Zhan drink them down.

Bizarrely, he found himself standing in between Lan Zhan’s legs, while the latter was sitting down, when Lan Zhan looked up suddenly.

Trapped in a golden gaze of intensity, Wei Ying was unable to move...or look away.

Tingles broke out all over his body, goosebumps on his bare arms and the sound of his heart thudding almost painfully in his chest...blood roaring in his ears...

Until Lan Zhan pushed him away.

It hurt.

More than Wei Ying was willing to admit.

He laughed awkwardly and went to open their balcony doors.

Stepping outside, he raised his face to the sun, feeling his face warming up nicely.

Just what had happened back there?

He turned around to see Lan Zhan lying down now.

Wei Ying felt so confused.

The times that he thought Lan Zhan might be interested in him...they were priceless...moments that he would forever hold inside his heart. To be taken out only when he allowed himself to believe that maybe...just maybe...Lan Zhan felt something for him other than mere friendship.

But then...the few times when he thought they might be getting somewhere...and then just like now, when Lan Zhan had pushed him away...

Wei Ying rubbed the spot where his heart lay, trying to ease away the pain. He felt like crying...

"Hey loser?"

That familiar voice drew out his reserves of patience and sense of humour. Maybe what he needed was a dose of regular Jiang Cheng...

He turned to his brother, who tossed him a can of beer.

Wei Ying caught it and tapped on the bottom to stop it from exploding all over him. He grinned at his brother and Huaisang who were apparently sharing the room next to them.

"Nice try!" He opened it and took a long draught from the can.

It made him feel better, at least enough that he could pretend.

"What are we doing this afternoon?" Jiang Cheng asked, mimicking Wei Ying by swigging from his can too.

"Sentosa...Extreme G-Force swing..." Wei Ying grinned at him.

"And Universal Studios. Gotta catch them fireworks." Huaisang added.

"And you think eating before we go on that thing is a good idea?" Jiang Cheng swore under his breath.

"What's the matter? Not man enough to keep your lunch down?" Wei Ying beamed at him.

"Why don't you worry about yourself and lover boy in there?" Jiang Cheng motioned with his can to the room behind Wei Ying.

"Hush!" Wei Ying replied, holding a finger to his lips.

"If you don't tell him this weekend, I will." Jiang Cheng looked angry for the first time.

Not annoyed.

Seriously pissed off.

"I will. It's none of your business anyway!" Wei Ying felt pressured again. The feelings of being rejected came back tenfold and he was blinking back tears.

He looked away, towards the swimming pool down below and hoped that Jiang Cheng wouldn't notice. His sharp ears heard Huaisang whispering something to his brother...and when he looked up, only Huaisang was standing on their balcony.

*********

Lunch was delayed because Lan Zhan had fallen asleep after all, and Wei Ying didn’t have the heart to wake him up. He had messaged the rest of the group to go on without them.

Towards late evening, there was a knock on their door.

When Wei Ying went to open it, he found a concerned Mianmian standing there, hesitating as if she was reconsidering staying there or not.

"Hi..." She said, shyly.

Wei Ying nodded at her.

He was feeling tired because he'd kept himself awake in case Lan Zhan woke up, and now annoyed because the last person he wanted to see was standing on his doorstep. But he didn't want to be rude because other than the past few days, Mianmian had been sort of a friend to him.

She was efficient, calm in moments of crisis and above all, dependable. If she said she was going to do something, she would always complete the task and have it ready and waiting in his emails...and he had to draw upon that Mianmian he knew rather than this one, who seemed to unconsciously want to come in between himself and Lan Zhan...

"Um...I heard Lan WangJi wasn't feeling too good?" She said.

"I'm fine." Another voice said, right next to Wei Ying.

Wei Ying was startled enough to step back.

"Oh, you're up."

There was an awkward silence as they all three looked at one another...until Wei Ying realised they probably wanted to be alone together...and right now, he was the problem...

He escaped to the bathroom quickly, kicking himself mentally.

This was turning out to be the worst holiday ever...

*********

Lan Zhan was feeling up to having dinner with everyone that evening. The others had found a really nice elegant restaurant overlooking the bay.

It was a seafood place and their menu was out of this world.

Wei Ying felt his good spirits return for a while, as he was able to joke and have fun with the others, teasing his brother now and again.

After dinner, they wandered over to a fountain and some of them stripped off their socks and shoes to dip their feet in the cool waters. Inevitably, Jiang Cheng started a water fight, and Wei Ying totally retaliated until all of them were laughing, drenched and no longer feeling too hot.

He was just getting out of the wide basin when his foot slipped and he would have gone down but for the super fast reflexes of Lan Zhan, who just managed to catch him by his upper arms.

Wei Ying again, was looking up into fiery golden eyes burning with...what?

It was an accident...

Wei Ying felt his eyes filling with moisture as the imminent fear of rejection reared its ugly head again.

So he tore himself away forcefully, telling himself to ignore the startled look of worry on Lan Zhan’s face.

"I'm going back to the hotel." He shouted backwards, not daring to turn around.

But he heard a shout, and when he looked back, Huaisang was holding Jiang Cheng back from hitting Lan Zhan...and suddenly, Wei Ying felt incredibly tired.

He wanted nothing to do with whatever was going on back there, so he hailed a taxi and returned to their room. He showered and fell asleep almost immediately, his eyes closing on the view of the empty bed opposite his...

**********

Saturday

When the first rays of the sun hit his face, he whined and hid his face in his pillow. But it was no use...sleep had run away much like he had the night before. He sat up, the evening before coming to the forefront of his mind and he rubbed his eyes so he was fully awake now.

The bed next to his remained empty and untouched.

Where was Lan Zhan?

Panic had him shooting out of bed and reaching for his phone.

"Huaisang?! Lan Zhan-"

"Relax...he's here." Huaisang interrupted him.

Wei Ying sat down in relief, running a hand through his hair.

"Why is he with you?" He asked, confused.

"Er....Well...alright, hear me out, okay?"

There was a pause before other noises filtered through the phone speaker, and Wei Ying heard the door being pushed open and understood that Huaisang had stepped out onto their balcony.

"He was in a bad way last night...and apparently his alcohol tolerance is like...zero." Huaisang was whispering. "Jiang Cheng was upset at him, on your behalf...and then I don't know why, but they both got drunk together. I had to sleep on the floor, man..."

Wei Ying was trying to process all this.

"Why?" He finally asked.

This was the best thing about Huaisang. The man knew when to keep quiet and let him think.

"I dunno...honestly...but take a guess...it's definitely something to do with you. They're still knocked out, and I'm stuck making sure neither chokes on their own vomit..."

"It's still early..." Wei Ying said, slowly.

"Yeah...look, if any of the others message you, take them out for breakfast. We'll catch something here, if they're in any shape to do that." He sighed, muttered something about people getting their shit together and hung up.

Wei Ying was still thinking about what Huaisang had said.

He knew Jiang Cheng had it in for Lan Zhan; his brother had been spoiling for a fight ever since Wei Ying had told him about his crush. Maybe Jiang Cheng was tired of waiting? It certainly looked like that.

But Lan Zhan getting drunk?

It was unheard of.

Lan WangJi did not drink.

End of discussion.

So what had happened? Why did he feel so bad that he had to resort to doing something so drastic? Or maybe Huaisang was wrong and it was to do with Mianmian instead?

After all, she and Lan Zhan had been spending an extraordinary amount of time together, "working".

But he felt bitchy about saying that, and it left a bad taste in his mouth. He didn't want to go around spreading rumours either, not when he didn't have any proof.

The best thing to do, was to ask Mianmian.

His phone pinged and when Wei Ying checked, it was the person in question.

Maybe it was time to get some answers after all.

***********

A/N

Hello lovely Readers,

This story came out as a partial request from a friend NieAn_Anda and because I promised another friend edith343redwood that as soon as her exams were over, we would celebrate like this.

So what do you guys think? As always I'm anxious to know. I try to make all the stories different but with a happy ending.

Have a great Saturday and I hope you can feel the sun on your face and chocolate in your mouth.

Charlie.