Luo Xiaolei felt like her heart was about to explode. Her big white panda was here, looking at her, talking to her. This big panda bun, her adorable fluffy panda, whom she had missed so much was now here, just inches away from her. Was this another dream? If it was, then, she wanted to stay in this dream forever and never wake up again.
She thought she had no more tears left to cry but it appeared that she still had a bucket of tears to shed. At that moment, the fear in her heart was the only thing holding her back from not jumping on him. But he was waiting. His arms were wide open for her.
\"Y-y-yu Chen?\" she finally uttered through her trembling lips.
\"Mm. I'm here now.\" He replied. His voice was husky, filled with longing and gentleness. When Xiaolei still didn't move and just stared at him as her tears continued falling down her cheeks, Yu Chen couldn't take it anymore.
He could see the overflowing emotions in her eyes. He could see she was still in doubt and he could see the fear of being disappointed in her eyes. This wasn't the reaction he expected.
Unable to stand seeing her in tears anymore, the flowers in his hand fell and then, suddenly, the white panda moved. Xiaolei was about to subconsciously take a step back but the fluffy panda was unexpectedly quick. His hand was already on her waist and he immediately yanked her towards him.
The next moment, his lips crushed on hers.
Luo Xiaolei's eyes widened. She felt his warm lips, his gentle touch, and his body pressing against her. He was real! This wasn't an illusion, this wasn't a dream.
She lifted her hands and crawled them on his back, as if she was trying to feel him and making sure he was really her big panda bun in flesh.
Sparks began to fly as seconds ticked by but before Xiaolei could start responding to his soft tongue-less kiss, the man pulled away.
He panted as he landed his forehead against hers. His hands were cupping her face, making her look at him.
\"Do you believe it, now? I'm not a dream. I'm really here now. I'm finally awake.\" He said and Xiaolei's tears fell again. Her hands on his back clenched his outfit so damn tight as she gritted her teeth.
\"I'm here now, so don't cry anymore, okay?\" he added as he anxiously wiped her tears with his palms. The adorable white panda looked so troubled but Xiaolei's tears just burst forth like water from a dam again. The walls that held her up, the walls that were keeping her strong all this time had collapsed. She couldn't stop crying.
She gripped him hard, as close as possible to her as she sobbed into his chest like a distressed child.
Yu Chen's emotions swirled like the strong currents in the deepest of the ocean as her noisy sobs echoed through the empty room. His chest felt even heavier and he felt his throat tightening. He never thought that Xiaolei would cry this hard. This was the first time this person showed him all her vulnerabilities without holding back.
\"I'm sorry…\" was all he uttered as he hugged her back, even tighter. He kissed her head, and he didn't stop caressing her back, doing his very best to soothe her.
They stayed like that for a long time until Xiaolei finally calmed down. She was still sniffling when she pulled away a little to look at his face.
Yu Chen gently gazed at her swollen eyes.
\"Are you alright?\" he asked and Xiaolei nodded.
They gazed into each other's eyes, and then, without a word, Xiaolei lifted her hands. She cupped his face, slowly tiptoed and kissed his lips when suddenly, Yu Chen wobbled and almost lost his balance because she pushed him a little as she leaned her body to his. Gladly, he managed to clutched onto a chair.
\"A-are you okay?\" Xiaolei panicked as she held him to steady him.
\"I'm fine.\" he blushed. \"But my body is still a little weak.\"
Upon hearing him, Luo Xiaolei immediately realized that this man just woke up. She knew that people who had just woken up from a coma couldn't even stand nor walk, some even failed to speak upon waking up.
The thought of it made Luo Xiaolei the one panicking this time. She pushed Yu Chen on her chair before she anxiously bent down and spoke to him like a worried mom.
\"Are you alright? Uhm… you should be still in the hospital right now.\" She said when the panda smiled at her. he held her wrist and pulled her.
\"Sit on my lap.\" He requested, looking up at her so damn adorably.
\"But… you're still weak –\"
\"I came here with my own two feet. As long as I am not standing, I'll be fine.\" he answered and pulled her again.
Upon sitting on his lap, Luo Xiaolei felt her heart tremble the moment their faces were close to each other. She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him again.
\"Are you sure you're alright? I'm worried.\" She said when Yu Chen's grip on her tightened.
\"Don't worry, I'm perfectly fine. All I need to do is to regain my strength.\" He paused and gazed at her. \"I'm sorry for making you wait.\"
Luo Xiaolei bit her lip. She lifted her hand and gently pinched his cheeks. She didn't say a word. And then she quietly buried her face at the nook of his neck. She hugged him tight again.
\"It's not your fault,\" she finally replied with a soft voice after a long while. \"Can we stay like this for a while?\" she asked, her voice getting even weaker.
\"Mm.\" Yu Chen just agreed. At that moment, both of them felt like they didn't want to talk yet. They just wanted to be with each other and hold each other, hearing each other's breaths and heartbeats.
Luo Xiaolei felt as though her entire being was finally being loosened up, as if she finally awakened from a long bad dream. She had a lot to tell him. She could even say that a day might not be enough. She had always thought that once yu Chen woke up, the first thing she would do was hug him, kiss him and then confess to him and tell him everything. But now that he was here, she didn't want to talk. She just wanted to hold him at this moment and never let go.
She couldn't explain it but just being with him like this made her feel like she was alive again. Her defenses all crumbled down and all she wanted now was to let everything go and think about him alone as she held him.