Once in the privacy of shadows and trees, Graham pulled off his face mask and Han Li almost asked him to put it back on. He crossed his arms over his chest, making sure to stand at least five feet away from his stalker. “Is there any way I could get you to leave me alone?”

There was a flash of emotion on Graham’s face. “No,” he admitted with a soft voice. “I will not be leaving you alone no matter the circumstance. Though…I do wish there was a way to rid your bad impressions of me.”

Han Li felt himself get irritated but he needed to stay calm. “Not a chance, big guy. You’ve already proven yourself to be an insensitive, lying jerk.”

Graham’s throat tensed, his lips pulled taut, “That… That was my mistake.”

“Mistake my ass,” Han Li hissed before running his hand through his hair and taking a deep breath.

He needed to think of a way to get this guy to leave him alone. Maybe with brute force? But fighting wasn’t something he wanted to do. Then something else…

A light bulb suddenly flashed in his mind.

“You know…” he said slowly, “I’m starting to think you had ulterior motives this entire time.” He took a step closer, then another, closing the distance between them until there was only a hair’s breadth separating them. All Han Li had to do was inhale deeply and their chests would touch.

“I’m starting to think you did all this because you want to sleep with me.”

Of course, Graham didn’t want to sleep with Han Li.

Han Li wasn’t an idiot. From the beginning, Graham always kept a respectable distance and didn’t even make any physical contact. He never looked at Han Li funny and exhibited negative levels of simping, as Simone would put it.

This was precisely why Han Li was using this approach.

An approach that would be approved by the great and mighty Simone Donella herself.

Scare the macho manly man with LE GAYS(™). One hundred percent fool-proof plan. Not flawed at all. Ahem.

With a feathered touch, he traced a soft line down Graham’s arm, feeling the curve of his muscles. Graham was unmoving, as still as a statue. His dark, piercing eyes shot through Han Li’s soul, shaking his resolve.

But it was too late to back down now. All or nothing, Han Li thought. He was trying to ignore all of the signals that told him to back down from a man who wasn’t even interested in him but he had to remind himself that was the point.

You gotta fight fire with fire after all. Harassment against harassment! It made total sense.

He licked his lips, putting his bet smoldering look without wanting to cringe at Graham’s blank face. His other hand found its place at Graham’s ribs, gently brushing downward to rest at the jut of his hip. Graham did not react, but his expression was starting to look a bit constipated.

It was now or never, he thought! Go in for the kill!

And just like that, he surged forth, capturing Graham’s lips with his own. Graham was still, unresponsive, letting Han Li lick and nibble on his lips. Dammit, why did Han Li feel like he was losing? Feeling annoyed, he pressed in further with more aggression, slipping his tongue between two rows of pearly whites that offered no resistance to his intrusion. Though Graham did not resist, he did not respond either. And it was no different than kissing a dead fish, Han Li wanted to die on the inside.

But he was faithful to his act, cupping Graham’s cheeks and sliding his palm down against the sharp edge of his jaw and his neck. He closed in the last bit of space between them, their chest pressing flush against each other.

Badump. Badump. Badump. Shit, Han Li hopped that wasn’t his heart racing because his face was feeling damned hot. From internal embarrassment no doubt.

When he finally parted there was a string of saliva connecting them and…Graham still looked as unbothered as always. Did…it not work at all?

Han Li’s heart was roaring in his ear as he took a step back. No, this had been a terrible idea after all, what was he even thinking?

Graham huffed, making no comment as he reached into his pocket, pulling out a handkerchief to wipe his lips. Maybe…it did work. Maybe Graham was disgusted with him. Even so, Han Li could only look on in mortification.

Their eyes met. “I do not wish to sleep with you, Han Li,” Graham said pointedly. There was no hint of emotion whatsoever. Only the endless drum of Han Li’s helpless heart and the grave that he dug for himself.

Graham let out a small puff of air through his nose, his lips just barely upturned, “But, it seems that your technique needs some work, Han Li. Do you require my aid with that?”

Nope. Nope. Nope.

Han Li was a fucking idiot and deserved to jump off a twenty-story building. His entire face lit up like a tomato and he was frozen from the sheer force of humiliation alone. “I want to die,” he admitted, “Just end me now, please.”

Graham reached over and patted his head, “That is the very last that would come to pass. And I will make it my purpose that it will not be so.”

Whatever Graham was saying, it was all gibberish to Han Li’s ears. He ducked out of Graham’s touch and ran away like a fox with its tail between its legs.

He was so mortified that he refused to meet Graham's eyes for a full week after. He was so mortified that he couldn’t even tell Graham to fuck off. There was nothing left to do but stew in his own mishaps and run away from the topic whenever Kevin or Simone tried to question him about his handsome stalker.

Why wouldn’t they let Han Li rest in peace? Just why oh why…

The only solace he had was the comforts of his own home and the familiar TV and Anime Network that greeted him after a long, hard day.

Han Li sighed, flopping down in his beanbag and wanted to melt into it. Graham was slowly becoming a fixture in his life. Today he caught the bastard chatting it up with Kevin like they were good acquaintances and it was terrible.

What’s even worse was that Han Li was so desperate to run away that he left the studio in a hurry, and didn’t even bring his half-finished drawing project back home with him. How was he supposed to finish before the deadline now?

It was all that assassin pizza guy’s fault. Well, it was partly Han Li’s fault too but he didn’t want to think about it. He was so depressed that he didn’t even want to click on the TV and instead just rolled around on the beanbag until he fell to the floor dramatically.

There was a knock on his door. Han Li slowly picked himself up, wondering what unwanted solicitors have shown up at his door this time. Maybe it was some weird cultists, something that was at least that would be halfway interesting.

But when he looked through the peephole, all he saw was the source of all his grievances, Graham Astley himself. The Saint of Eternity. How was this person a saint? Han Li complained internally. Just as he was about to walk away and settle back into his beanbag to purposely ignore the man, he noticed there was something under Graham’s arm through the peephole. Hey, wasn’t that his drawing project?

“Han Li,” Graham’s voice gave him a start. “I know that you are there. I truly do not wish to bother you. I only wanted to deliver your drawing project. Ms. Donella made me aware that it is important.”

Han Li cracked the door open and pushed his arm outside wordlessly stretching his palm to demand for his drawing. He heard a small sigh. A large folded parchment was being handed over and Han Li quickly slipped it inside before closing the door once more.

He looked down and huh, it really was his drawing project. Han Li thought that maybe the jerk had the galls to trick him again.

“…” He turned back around to look at the door, curiously peeking into the peephole to see that Graham was still silently standing there. But it seemed like the man wasn’t doing or saying anything, with a visible frown on his face. He was doing good by his words and not bothering Han Li, but it seemed that he was reluctant to give up completely either.

Han Li’s body was moving before his brain. His mind was telling him this was a bad idea. He cracked the door open again and said, “…You can come in, but only if you promise me to only tell the truth. And you can order us dinner because I’m starving and I’m broke.”