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The apple slice hairpin sat in her hair, securely holding her pesky bangs in place. Fu Zi Xuan looked back at herself in the mirror, debating whether or not she liked how she looked. “Zi Xuan!” her dad called from downstairs. “You’re going to be late to school!” “Hao!” She yelled back. She took one last look in the mirror before deciding that it looked fine and picked up her bag to leave. When she stepped out the door, she let out a groan. Gray clouds concealed yesterday’s blue skies. Zi Xuan loved the rain, but didn’t have her umbrella. Neither did she have enough time to go back inside and get one, or she would be late. And she couldn’t afford to be late again. So she began to make her way to school in hopes that it wouldn’t rain on the way. It wasn’t long before the clouds refused her prayers, unleashing a torrent of rain water upon her. What a lovely Monday morning this was turning out to be. Dispirited, and no longer in a hurry to get to school, she took shelter under a nearby bus stop. As she was trying to figure out what to do next, an umbrella appeared in front of her. She looked up slowly. Standing in front of her was a handsome boy wearing her school’s uniform. Her heart skipped a beat. He didn’t say anything, just gestured with the umbrella toward her, looking at her expectantly. “Ah, Xie Xie. . .” She took the umbrella and thanked him with a dip of her head. Still, he said nothing, and she watched him run out into the pouring rain, hands over his head, as if that would do anything. “What was that?” Zi Xuan whispered to herself. Why would he give her his umbrella? He’ll get soaked! Her mind raced as she continued her walk to school. “He was wearing our uniform, but I don’t recognize him. If he walked this way to school, I definitely would have remembered that face!” When she arrived at school, there he was again, sitting right next to her empty seat. What happened to her old deskmate? “Ah, Fu Zi Xuan. late again I see,” the teacher interrupted her thoughts. “Say hello to your new deskmate, Jun Huang. He switched seats with Ai Chi so that he could see the board better.” Jun looked at her, eyes widening slightly in recognition, then raising his hand in greeting. “You may take your seat now,” the teacher said impatiently. Zi Xuan realized she was frozen in place. Embarrassed, she swiftly took her seat and tried to compose herself. “Now that everyone is here and accounted for, let’s begin.” all the students stood, except for Zi Xuan who was fiddling with her backpack. She quickly realized what they were doing and lagged behind as the students all bowed. “Lao Shi Hao!” The students all recited in unison, before taking their seats. As Zi Xuan sat back down, she noticed that Jun was soaked. His dark hair was dripping wet, and his uniform was plastered to his skin. Making a mental note of how he probably worked out, Zi Xuan turned away, feeling a pink tinge spread across her cheeks. She felt kind of sorry for him. He got drenched because of her. Right! The umbrella! She pulled out the Umbrella and handed it to him. “Um, thanks for lending me your umbrella. I’m sorry you had to get soaked because of me.” She looked up at him through her eyelashes, and saw a small smile spread across his lips. He leaned closer, and a faint scent flooded her senses. “You can keep it.” His breath lingered in her ear. He smells like vanilla. . . It wasn’t long before Fu Zi Xuan’s thoughts were filled only with him, often being scolded for having her head in the clouds. Jun and Zi Xuan got closer as the days passed by, and the girls in her class got increasingly jealous. * * * Today was the QiXi festival. Zi Xuan clutched her box of chocolates to her chest, yawning. Despite her exhaustion, the countless hours she spent meticulously making chocolates last night would be well worth it when she saw the look on Jun’s face once she gifted him the chocolates. “What’s that you got there?” Zi Xuan squealed at his sudden appearance, quickly hiding the box behind her back. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She retorted, feigning ignorance. Jun Chuckled at her fright, his melodic laughs sending tingles down her spine. “Those are chocolates aren’t they?” he said, moving to look behind her. “C’mon, show me! I wanna know who the lucky guy is.” Lucky guy? Zi Xuan could feel heat creeping up her neck. Did that mean what she thought it meant? The bell dinged, signaling that class was soon to begin. “I’ll show you later, now go, or we’ll be late!” She said as she pushed him along with the top of her head, as her hands were occupied. Throughout the whole day, Zi Xuan couldn’t focus one bit. She broke out into a nervous sweat every 5 minutes. It’s just chocolates between friends! It’s not like it means anything! I’m giving chocolates to Ai chi too. . . Her attempts to calm her nerves were in vain. Soon the time to act rolled around. “Zi Xuan! Let's go get snacks from the vending machine!” Zi Xuan’s best friend, Ai Chi skipped over, face beaming from the three chocolates she had already gotten that day. “You go ahead Ai Chi, I have. . . pressing matters to attend to.” Zi Xuan said, holding up Jun’s chocolates with a nervous smirk on her her face. “Ohhh hohoho,” Ai Chi chuckled knowingly. “Okie! I’ll go get our snacks then!” “But first. . . Where are my chocolates?” Ai Chi cupped her face and leaned on the desk, looking at her bestie expectantly. “Of Course! Here ya go!” Zhi Xuan said as she handed Ai Chi the homemade delicacies. “Yay!” she exclaimed, holding the glorious treat in the air. “I’ve been waiting all year for this!” she cried. Zi Xuan rolled her eyes, “They can’t be THAT good.” Ai Chi popped one in her mouth, face melting in pleasure before speaking. “Look at this face Zi Xuan!” she said, pointing at her face insistently. “That’s all you need to know.” She said as she packed the chocolates into her bag. “I’m off to get us lunchtime snacks!” She saluted, turned on her heel and walked off. “Get me some rice crackers!” Zi Xuan called after her. “Okie!” Ai Chi called back. Zi Xuan watched her until she disappeared. Then her thoughts turned to impending doom. Despite the warning signs blaring in her mind, She pressed on. She made her way to the lockers. Looking both ways to make sure no one was watching, she slipped the chocolates into Jun’s Locker. Later that day, She found herself hiding behind a large potted plant, watching for Jun among the departing students. “Wha ‘cha doing?” A low voice whispered in her ear. She squealed again, shoulders jumping. “Stop doing that!” She whispered, lightly jabbing him in the arm. “Where’s the chocolates? Did you give them away?” He whispered. Why are we still whispering? Zi Xuan also noticed how close they were. If she wanted, she could reach up and. . . “Zi Xuan?” Jun’s voice pulled her out of her trance. She answered, blinking and wide-eyed. “Yeah! I’ve already given them away.” She said, Clearing her throat and turning away to hide her blush. “Oh. I see.” He sounded almost. . . Dispirited? But before she could glimpse his expression, he had put a smile on his face. It seemed slightly forced. Was she imagining things? Was he Jealous? “It seems you’re going to watch and make sure he gets it right?” She couldn’t speak, and Just nodded. “And I’m guessing that means we can’t walk home together?” A pout formed on his lips. Zi Xuan felt a tinge of guilt, but it would all be worth it once he saw the chocolates. “You go ahead okay? We can walk together tomorrow,” She said, shooing him away. “I’ll leave you to it then,” She watched Jun get up and move toward his locker. Any second now. . . She braced for impact, fingers crossed. But nothing happened. Jun opened the locker, grabbed his things, and left. Zi Xuan was confused. The chocolates were nowhere to be seen. * * * Zi Xuan arrived at class that morning still distraught from yesterday’s events. Jun entered the room, Expression lighting up at the sight of Zi Xuan and making his way over to her desk. But Zi Xuan’s view was suddenly obscured. “Hi Zi Xuan!” Da Wei, who everyone collectively agreed was the most unattractive boy in class, walked up to her desk holding a small box of chocolates tied off with a pink bow. Her heart sank to her chest. Why does he have my chocolates? She looked past Da Wei to see Jun’s face fall as he caught sight of the box, and watched him turn around and leave. Quiet giggles sounded from behind, and Zi Xuan immediately knew what was going on. “Thank you for the chocolates! They were delicious,” Da Wei said, a grin spreading across his face. Followed by a smirk. “I must say, I had no idea that you-” “Let me stop you there Da Wei,” Zi Xuan interrupted. “There’s been some sort of misunderstanding.” She pointed to the chocolates. “Those are for Jun, someone must have taken it out of his locker and put it in yours.” “Oh. I see,” Da Wei’s disappointment must have been visible from space. “I’m sorry Da Wei, I have to go,” Zi Xuan apologized for the misunderstanding, and Ran after Jun. She finally found him on the roof, staring off into the horizon, his dark hair floating around his face in the gentle breeze. He heard her footsteps and turned to face her. “Hi Zi Xuan, getting some fresh air?” He smiled at her, but it was only a shadow of his normal charming beam. Zi Xuan joined him in watching the students trudge along down below. It was silent for a few moments before she spoke. “I have to tell you something.” “You like Da Wei.” Jun said curtly. “Jun-” “It’s okay,” He interrupted. “It’s the inside that counts anyway right?” he shrugged and began to walk away, hands in his pockets. I can’t let him get away. Zi Xuan summoned up courage she didn’t know she had, and grabbed Jun by the arm before he could leave. “I don’t like Da Wei, I like You!” She blurted out. Her lips pressed into a thin line, waiting for an answer. Jun Remained silent, only staring at her in shock. “Please say something. . .” She ducked her head, not knowing what to expect. Suddenly, and without warning, the faint scent of vanilla enveloped her once again. Jun pulled her into his warm embrace. “Thank goodness,” his deep breath danced around her ear. “I was so scared that you didn’t feel the same”. Zi Xuan was stunned. She had thought in the back of her head that maybe he did like her, but she never actually thought that he did. The wave of shock passed over, and she buried her head into his chest. ”Really?” Her voice came out muffled. “Zi Xuan,” Her name sounded like honey on his lips. “I’ve liked you since the moment I laid eyes on you.” Zi Xuan remembered the day they first met. Her head snapped up to meet his gaze. “What!?” She exclaimed, eyes wide in awe. “You silly girl,” he chuckled, his eyes crinkled from smiling. “Why do you think I gave you my umbrella that day?” He looked up, letting out a deep breath and smiling to the sky before continuing. “Just being able to hold you like this makes me so happy,” His cheeks probably hurt from how wide his smile was. Zi Xuan explained to Jun how Da Wei ended up with the chocolates, how some girls had taken it and put it in his locker. She jabbed him in the arm when he teasingly threatened retaliation. “Make some more for me then,” He said, beaming down at her. “I will,” Zi Xuan couldn’t hold back her giggles, and soon, they were both laughing, their Joyus chorus reaching to the sky.