"Nope. I'm okay. I had too much coffee at work, today," she admitted, wincing a little.

  Qian Meng couldn't help but laugh. Mo Yize had a sensitive stomach, and she knew too much coffee gave her wicked diarrhea.

  "You're going to spend half the night in the bathroom, aren't you?" she joked.

  "Hey, Yize," Mo Qingchen greeted her a little awkwardly.

  "Hi," she responded, giving him an awkward little smile.

  "Glad to see you coming over again. Back to your college days, huh?"

  "Just trying my level best to make things better."

  "You sure you don't want some tea or coffee? I am making some for Qian Meng already," he said.

  "I'll just have some water, thanks!"

  "One tea. One water, coming right up."

  Qian Meng shook her head and retrieved a bottle of water from the fridge and took it to the dining table. For a moment, Qian Meng and Yize just looked at each other.

  "What do you want to do tonight?" Qian Meng asked finally.

  "I don't know. I want something low-key," she shrugged. "Let's talk and shit. Like usual."

  "I agree." Qian Meng nodded. "Let's do a movie and pizza tonight. I have been craving some greasy food recently, but Qingchen doesn't like pizza from those chain stores." She sighed.

  And they used to do that all the time.

  "Sounds like my brother," she scoffed. "Let's have some unhealthy food."

  "I'll even get the forsaken pineapple."

  "Qian Meng, we are almost out of the matcha powder. Don't forget to get another can of it." She looked over at Mo Qingchen, who stood in front of the refrigerator. "Also, ask Xiong Hua to get you some other milk variables."

  "Okay! I'll get some almond milk."

  A small smile touched his lips. "I guessed as much."

  Qian Meng looked over at Yize again, but she wasn't looking at her. She was staring at her brother, watching him intently as he poured the right amount of soya milk and powder in and made Qian Meng's drink. Her expression was peculiar. She looked pensive and maybe a little bothered.

  As they spoke, Mo Qingchen came over and put her custom mug in front of her. Qian Meng smiled up at him.

  "Thank you."

  "You're welcome. I should probably leave now."

  Qian Meng scooted back in her chair to stand up. "I'll walk you out and say goodbye…"

  "Wait." They both looked over at Mo Yize, surprised.

  "Yes?" Mo Qingchen asked slowly when all she did was stare at him.

  Mo Yize stood up hesitantly and walked over to him. And then, she shocked the other two by hugging him. She wrapped her arms around him and laid her head against his shoulder.

  "Have a safe trip," she spoke softly.

  Mo Qingchen looked at Qian Meng, baffled, and looking like he had no idea what to do. She motioned for him to wrap his hands around her, and he thankfully did.

  "Thank you, Yize," he responded with shock.

  They parted and she turned away bashfully as she went to sit down again.

  "I'll be right back," Qian Meng said to Yize. "I'll just walk him out."

  The other nodded.

  Qian Meng helped take his bag into the car, leaving Yize in the kitchen.

  "That was weird," Mo Qingchen said to her in a low voice as he closed the back door.

  "That was good."

  "Good but weird," he answered.

  "Well, I just hope we can spend the night together. Things are a little more awkward than I hoped it would be," she admitted.

  "Let me know how it goes, okay?"

  She nodded. "Let me know when you land."

  He opened his arms to her and she hugged him tightly, wrapping her arms around his neck.

  "I'll miss you," she promised.

  "And I, you. I'm sorry I couldn't stay for the weekend."

  "You're going on an important trip. It's just two nights. I can manage."

  He pulled back just enough to look at her. He took her chin between two fingers. "Be good."

  She laughed. "Aren't I always?"

  He shook his head and chuckled. He tipped forward until their foreheads touched. "No, you are always mischievous."

  "I will be good," she promised. "Until you come back."

  She took his face between her hands as he kissed her, his lips soft and tender as they caressed hers.

  He released her then and she watched him walk around the front of the car and get into the driver's seat. She stood and watched as he turned around and departed down the long driveway, heading back inside when she could no longer see him.

  When she walked back into the kitchen, Mo Yize was standing. She walked in and Yize gazed at her with the same look that she had given Mo Qingchen when he prepared her tea. She looked troubled, and that troubled Qian Meng.

  "Is everything okay?" she asked.

  "I was watching you through the window."

  Qian Meng raised her brow. "You were? Creepy."

  "Yes." She paused. "You really love him, don't you?"

  Her question caught her off guard. At first, Qian Meng didn't know how to react. Then, after having a moment to absorb it, she realized that it was a good thing.

  She realized why Mo Yize had looked at her the same way she had look had Qingchen when he made her tea. She saw how real their relationship was, for the first time.

  She believed it.

  "I do," Qian Meng answered, a wave of nervousness rolling through her stomach. "I do love him."

  The honesty of her own answer shook her. She knew she loved him, but it was the first time she had said it out loud and meant it.

  "Wow." Yize shook her head as she went to sit back down.

  "I thought you were attracted to one another when I first saw you two together… but when you said you were getting married for love, I didn't believe it. You didn't look like you were in love," she admitted.