Requital hope

Four

Yibo's Pov.

Before I knew it, two hours had already passed. I spent so much time wrapped up in reading that historical fiction novel.

Reading  is a pleasant distraction from the rest of the world. It's an escape  that I need. I could feel the loneliness kick in, though. That guy  mentioned dinner was around six, and I'm quite hungry.

I  decided to check if Zhan was still in the backyard. If I'm lucky, we  could go to dinner together. If he hasn't already gone. I hopped up from  my bed and tugged on my shoes before heading for the door. The moment I  swung it open, the enticing ocean smell and the evening breeze came  rushing through the house. The fresh air put a smile on my face.

That  smell of the cool evening always made me feel nostalgic. Directly out  the back, there was a small deck with stairs leading down to a  grassy floor. If I had known how peaceful it was out here, I would have  chosen this as my reading area. I plodded through the backyard, taking  in the scenery. Everything out here was truly breathtaking. After gazing  around for a while, I caught a glimpse of a picturesque hill and  someone on it, that someone being Zhan. He was lying there with his  earbuds in. I stopped to stare for a moment, folding my arms, trying to  shield myself from the oncoming breeze. He noticed my presence and  patted the ground next to him. I looked around for a moment, searching  for any other soul around. He couldn't mean me, could he? He patted  again, looking straight at me. I could feel my heart ready to burst. Did  he really mean for me to come over? I slowly and hesitantly made my way  to his side. I pointed to myself and looked around once again, making  sure he meant me. He replied and confirmed it with a smile. So I lay  beside him on the grassy hill.

"You're a quiet one, aren't you?" Zhan chuckled to himself.

"Sorry,  I'm just not used to conversing with people." I replied moments later. I  felt terrible about it, but it wasn't my fault, to be honest.

"No,  it's alright. I like quiet. " He laughed a bit while readjusting  himself on the hill. Hearing that made me feel at ease. I didn't have to  force myself to keep up a conversation if I didn't want to, or start one either. It's been forever since I've relaxed around someone like this. He seems like a jock, but he's still pretty polite.

I merged myself with  the grass and lay still for a while. I felt something being placed up  against my ear, so I jerked my head in Zhan's direction. He had placed  one of his earbuds in my ears and the other in his. He let out a breathy  laugh at my reaction, then returned his eyes to the sky. It really  surprised me at how friendly he was. When I saw how he acted at school, I  assumed he was like that all the time; grumpy, bossy, and annoyed.

I just basked in the  moment. The music playing on Zhan's phone was very good. I've never  really listened to this type of music much, but now that I've heard  this, I can say I like it. I looked to the sky and watched as the  purple, pink, and yellow clouds drifted across the horizon. I felt  myself getting sleepy and my eyelids growing heavy. Even after that long  nap I took earlier. I couldn't stay awake. I gave in and dozed off,  forgetting about dinner.

Zhan's Pov.

I finally got off of that dreadful bus. So many annoying students, pestering me and everyone else. I came here for a break from all of the craziness going on in my life. My mom and dad constantly invite their loud, annoying friends over. Ninety-five percent of my friends are annoying, but at least I don't invite them to the house. The only time I ever really get a break is if I sneak off to the park. I get to relax a little, lie back and unwind. My friends found out that I'm usually at the park when they can't get a hold of me, so nowadays my peace and quiet only lasts for so long. Their clinginess gets me riled up. They can be so annoying that I start yelling. They've gotten used to it and tend to ignore it these days.