The Stars In Your Eyes

May in B city was a transition between short spring and long summer. It was very nice to be outside, bathed in the warm sunlights and gentle breeze. Bai Yutang loved it so much. Perfect weather to spend outdoors.

He sat on the terrace on their new chair. That was this month's anniversary gift from his lover. His lover still took 15th as their anniversary day. On that day, his lover sent him a nice terrace chair with the sunshade on top. He didn't know that his lover noticed that he liked to stay here on the terrace while studying or typing his proposal. 

Next semester is his final semester. Starting from this month he has already consulted his professor about his final project. He planned to choose hospital as his final project's theme.

Hospital is the place where his lover spends the most of his time. Hospitals are also the place where people put their hope. A place where people gather with various reasons but one goal. A place to heal. A place to take care of people. 

He hasn't started his research much, drowned in his other projects too. But he was glad he took many subjects in these last three semesters. That way, in his final semester he won't have many things that burden him. He could see it was very stressful to his friends, especially nearing their time to present their project and defend their thesis. Their turn is next week.

Yu Dong once asked him whether he will go back to the dorm again when he starts to work on his final project in the studio. 

"It will be hard, you know. Even us living in the dorm already find it hard to spare time to sleep in the dorm. Maybe you should rent the dorm or apartment near the university later on. I'm sure Jian Ge will understand."

Bai Yutang didn't want to think about that. He could decide later on once he got through it. For now, he just wants to spend his time as much as he can with his lover. Bai Yutang heard his mobile phone ringing. He took it and smiled to see the caller.

"Gege."

It was a video call, and he can see Jian Kang Lu sit in the bed.

"TangTang, what are you doing?"

"Type my proposal, gege. Is the conference already over?"

"Mmm, have you eaten baby?"

Bai Yutang nodded, and showed Jian Kang Lu he also had snacks with him. He knows his lover is very concerned about him losing weight when they separated, so he also struggles to gain his weight back. 

They continued the video chat for the next ten minutes then switched to phone call, letting Bai Yutang typed his proposal again. Jian Kang Lu went to the conference in G city for four days. He will come back tomorrow night. 

Bai Yutang didn't know how much Jian Kang Lu regretted accepting so many offers to speak in the conferences this year. Until the end of this year, Jian Kang Lu needs to speak in the other four more conferences as speaker. He could not cancel it. And one of them will be held in Spain in September. Even thinking about it gives him a headache, since it means he will spend one full week without his kitten.

He listened his kitten quietly when he told him about his final project. A hospital with futuristic touch. Bai Yutang was inspired how the ICU and the surgery room was designed to have minimal contact with skin. To prevent bacterial spreading from human's skin to the instruments, a lot of parts of the hospital are installed with no touch sensor nowadays.

Jian Kang Lu gave his opinion when Bai Yutang asked him what kind of hospital Jian Kang Lu wished to work for. The environment, the atmosphere, the interaction between people who work there and their patients.

"So, you say that you wish to see a hospital that have outdoor's part? Like a recreational park inside? And the artificial pond or lake?"

"Yes. I think modern hospitals nowadays are lifeless. Sometimes I think my patients don't get any fresh air and it will be great if they could walk in the park or something like that inside the hospital. By the way TangTang, you don't have anything to do today? Not going out?"

"Nope, i'm going to visit those lifeless creatures in the studio tomorrow. They are already pestering me asking for food. Oh, what time your flight landed tomorrow, gege?"

"I'll show you my ticket later on WeChat."

They chat the whole day. Sometimes it was just silence enveloped them, listening to the sounds produced by the typing and mouse scrolling. Jian Kang Lu himself is studying his presentation for tomorrow. 

The phone call ended only when Jian Kang Lu needed to have the meeting at night. Just like any other meeting he had with these nephrologists, it was going for hours. The seniors kept giving their opinion and the juniors were too excited to sound out their ideas. Jian Kang Lu felt bored, and typed on his phone.

[They keep talking roundabout, make me sleepy to hear them. Wish they could just talk to the point and we all could wrap this meeting quickly. I want to go back to my room quickly. Missed to hear your voice.]

Jian Kang Lu almost dropped his phone when he saw what Bai Yutang replied to him. It's a picture of Bai Yutang and his dinner. His kitten took the selfie when he blew the hot noodle. His cute pouting mouth made it look like his kitten wanted to kiss him.

[I'll give you my picture so you won't get sleepy, gege.]

Jian Kang Lu honestly didn't know what his kitten ate lately for him to become cuter and adorable like this. 

After their separation, they already talked about what happened that night. Jian Kang Lu told his kitten what happened at the party, and how he had to go home on that condition. But he was really surprised to hear his kitten's explanation.

Jian Kang Lu wanted to ask Zhang Min again what happened that night, but he didn't. He decided just to bury it. The important thing is his kitten was back to him. He didn't know what truly happened that night until his kitten thought that he would deliberately take a man home. 

He wanted to say that it was impossible for him to do that just because he wanted to show his kitten that he could take another man, hug him, and kissed him inside their bedroom. But before he could say that he would never look for another person except his kitten, his kitten already hugged him.

"I know now, gege. I know that I was wrong to think like that. And I really regret my own foolishness. It's not that I didn't trust you, gege. I guess i didn't trust myself back then. I could never believe that someone like me really deserves you. My lack of confidence makes me shut myself and run away from you."

And his kitten repeated his apology again and again. Jian Kang Lu kissed his kitten every time he started to say "I'm sorry" for the millionth time. One time he teased his kitten.

"I think my baby keeps saying i'm sorry because you want to get a kiss from me?"

His kitten turned his head and threw himself at him, kissed him back. His kitten paid his teasing words with a long deep kiss.

"I won't need to say I'm sorry to get a kiss from you, gege. If I want to kiss you, I'll just kiss you directly like this. "

The result of his teasing words was backfire at him, since he was the one left speechless and hanging dry. If only he teased his kitten in the house, he could do many things to punish his kitten. Unfortunately that time they were in the car. To be precise, in the car parked in the parking lot, and prepared to go out from it. They went to attend Sun Hongjia's dinner invitation. 

For the whole dinner Jian Kang Lu felt like he was sitting on fire, wrecking his brain looking for a reason to get home earlier. But why on time like this, his friends didn't help him at all and kept Bai Yutang as their hostage.

He can't even calm his not so little brother for the whole evening until finally the beast inside him got what he wanted later that night once they reached home. It was a very satisfying evening.

Jian Kang Lu secretly noted in his heart, maybe he needed to print a big picture of Bai Yutang and framed it, put it everywhere in the apartment. Just to clearly show who was the most important person living there. But he didn't know whether his kitten liked the idea or despised it.

Jian Kang Lu secretly texting his kitten throughout the meeting, and couldn't help to breathe a sigh of relief when the chairman officially announced that the meeting was over. He hurriedly ran to his room, avoiding his colleague's invitation to go to the lounge for small talk.

It was already 11 o'clock. Jian Kang Lu knows his kitten usually sleeps before 11 because his kitten's habit is to wake up early in the morning. And he knows his kitten purposely stays awake just to wait for him. Jian Kang Lu can't even wait to call his kitten and just presses his kitten's number once he walks out from the elevator.

"Baby, are you sleeping?"

"Mmmh.. I'm still awake, waiting for you. Your meeting is over, gege?"

Jian Kang Lu could hear his kitten's voice drowsy. It seems he will fall asleep any moment. "Yes. Can we do video call for a moment? I missed you."

"Okay, gege."

Jian Kang Lu reached for his hotel key card and opened the door. "Wait for me to change my clothes first, will you? Just 5 minutes."

When Jian Kang Lu washed his face and brushed his teeth, his logic tried to bury his desire to install CCTV inside their apartment just for the sake of looking his kitten anytime and anywhere he wanted while he was away. Even he knows that his desire is creepy and violates his kitten's privacy. But sometimes, he really can't help to feel insecure if he could not see his kitten every time.

Jian Kang Lu pressed the video call button, and it was delightful to see his kitten laying in the bed in his pajama. They talked for a little bit and his kitten's eyes closed several times.

"You can sleep, TangTang. I'll just call you."

"No. Wait.. I'll put my phone like this, gege. So we can still see each other."

His kitten put the phone propped up beside his pillow. His kitten's eyes showed he was really sleepy. The screen in his hands shows his kitten's eyelid slowly closed. His breath turned steady and soft. Jian Kang Lu smiled, and just stared at that phone. Looking at the peaceful face who warmed his heart. And he slowly closed his eyes too.

Dreaming of his kitten laid beside him, forever in his arms.