The bell above the store door chimed softly as they stepped out, the noise of the street folding back around them like it had been waiting.
Xu Chen adjusted the shopping bags in his hand, glancing sideways.
"You handled that… suspiciously well," he said.
Aum walked beside him, calm as ever.
"The interaction?"
"The part where we were promoted to a couple without consent."
Aum considered it.
"They appeared certain."
Xu Chen let out a short breath that almost turned into a laugh.
"…You didn't help."
Aum turned his head slightly.
"You also did not correct them."
Xu Chen stopped mid-step.
"…That's not the same thing."
Aum looked at him, unbothered.
"Then what is the difference?"
Xu Chen opened his mouth.
Paused.
Closed it again.
"…You're very good at making simple things complicated."
Aum's reply came softer this time.
"I am trying to keep them simple."
For a moment, Xu Chen just looked at him.
Then shook his head, a faint smile slipping through.
"…Come on."
They walked again, slower now.
The crowd thinned as they moved away from the busy stretch, the noise easing into something distant and manageable.
"We're not heading back yet," Xu Chen said after a while.
Aum glanced at him.
"Where are we going?"
"There's a place," Xu Chen replied. "You'll like it."
Aum nodded once.
"…Alright."
The drive was quiet.
The city loosened around them—fewer buildings, wider roads, older trees lining the sides as if they had been standing there long before everything else arrived.
Aum rested his arm lightly against the window, watching the passing scenery.
Not studying.
Just… taking it in.
Xu Chen noticed the difference.
Didn't comment on it.
When the pagodas came into view—
Aum leaned forward slightly.
"…That's beautiful."
Xu Chen glanced at him, then ahead.
"Yeah," he said. "It is."
They parked and stepped out, the air shifting around them—cooler, quieter, carrying a kind of stillness that felt almost deliberate.
The Three Pagodas stood tall in the distance, steady against the sky, their reflection faintly visible in the calm water nearby.
They walked side by side along the stone path.
No rush.
No urgency.
A few visitors passed by, soft conversations blending into the background. Somewhere, a camera clicked. Somewhere else, laughter drifted and disappeared.
Aum slowed his steps.
Xu Chen noticed.
"You like it?" he asked.
Aum nodded.
"It feels… peaceful."
Xu Chen looked ahead.
"…That's why I come here sometimes."
They found a quieter spot near the edge of the garden, where the crowd didn't reach as much. A patch of grass stretched beside the stone path, facing the open sky with the pagodas standing quietly behind.
Xu Chen sat down first, leaning back on his hands.
Aum hesitated for a second—
then sat beside him.
Close.
Not touching.
But close enough to feel the warmth.
For a while, neither of them spoke.
The sky stretched wide above them, soft clouds moving slowly as if time had decided to take a break.
Xu Chen exhaled.
"I'll have to come here more often now," he said.
Aum turned slightly.
"For work?"
Xu Chen nodded.
"Field visits," he said. "It'll take a few days. Maybe more."
Aum was quiet for a moment.
"…You'll be busy."
"Yeah."
A small pause.
"…You'll be alone at the villa," Xu Chen added.
Aum looked ahead again.
"That is not a problem."
Xu Chen glanced at him.
"It is, a little," he said. "You don't know the area properly yet."
Aum thought about it.
Then—
"I can come with you."
Xu Chen blinked.
"…To work?"
Aum nodded.
"If it is allowed."
Xu Chen let out a quiet laugh.
"It's not exactly a sightseeing trip."
"I will not interfere," Aum said simply.
Xu Chen looked at him for a second longer than necessary.
"…You really mean that."
Aum met his gaze.
"Yes."
Xu Chen looked away, back at the sky.
"…I'll see," he said.
The answer wasn't a no.
Silence settled again, softer this time.
Xu Chen shifted slightly, resting his arms over his knees now.
"…Can I ask you something?"
Aum turned toward him.
"You usually do."
Xu Chen smiled faintly.
"…Fair."
A brief pause.
Then—
"How long are you planning to stay like this?"
Aum didn't respond immediately.
Xu Chen continued, his tone more serious now.
"With me, I mean."
The air shifted.
Subtle.
But noticeable.
Aum's gaze dropped for a second before returning.
"I do not have a fixed answer."
Xu Chen frowned slightly.
"…That's not very reassuring."
Aum didn't try to soften it.
"I know."
Xu Chen studied him.
"…And going back?" he asked. "To wherever you came from."
Aum held his gaze.
"I will have to."
"Have to," Xu Chen repeated quietly. "Not want to?"
Aum didn't answer that directly.
Xu Chen let out a slow breath, running a hand through his hair.
"…You know, there are easier ways to deal with things," he said.
Aum looked at him.
"Like what?"
Xu Chen shrugged slightly.
"Talking properly, for one," he said. "Or getting help."
Aum's expression didn't change, but his attention sharpened.
"You mean a doctor."
Xu Chen nodded.
"Yeah," he said. "If there's something you're not remembering… or something you're avoiding… it might help."
Aum looked away briefly.
The wind moved lightly through the grass.
Xu Chen's voice softened.
"I'm not forcing it," he added. "Just saying… you don't have to figure everything out alone."
Aum looked back at him.
"I am not alone."
The answer came quietly.
But it landed.
Xu Chen's gaze held his.
"…You're not," he agreed.
A pause.
Then, a little more carefully—
"But if there's something you're not telling me…"
He stopped.
Choosing his words.
"…and it's the reason you can't go back…"
Aum didn't move.
"…then maybe I can help," Xu Chen finished.
The offer wasn't dramatic.
Wasn't loud.
But it was real.
Aum looked at him for a long moment.
There was something in his expression now—
not hesitation,
not exactly—
but something close to it.
"…I will tell you," he said finally.
Xu Chen didn't push further.
"…When?"
Aum's gaze softened slightly.
"When I am ready."
Xu Chen let out a quiet breath.
"…Alright."
No argument.
No pressure.
Just acceptance.
The sky above them had shifted into softer tones now, the light beginning to change as afternoon leaned toward evening.
Aum leaned back slightly, resting his hands behind him.
Xu Chen followed after a moment.
Their shoulders brushed this time.
Neither moved away.
"…You're getting used to this," Xu Chen said lightly.
Aum glanced at him.
"So are you."
Xu Chen smiled.
"…Maybe."
A quiet moment passed.
Then—
"…You didn't deny it earlier," Aum added.
Xu Chen turned his head.
"…We're back to that?"
Aum's lips curved slightly.
"You avoided answering."
Xu Chen huffed softly.
"…You notice everything."
Aum looked ahead again.
"Not everything."
"…Just the inconvenient parts?"
"…Mostly the honest ones."
Xu Chen went quiet.
Then, after a second—
he laughed.
"…You're dangerous."
Aum glanced at him.
"You have said that before."
Xu Chen shook his head.
"…Yeah," he said.
"…but I'm starting to understand why."
They stayed there a little longer.
Watching the sky.
Saying nothing.
And somehow—
it didn't feel incomplete.
When they finally stood up, the world felt the same.
But something between them—
had moved forward.
Not rushed.
Not forced.
Just quietly—
and undeniably—
closer than it should be.