Chapter 3 - Part 2: Button-Down Confessions

Saturday, 6:15 PM

Lin Yue's POV

The tea had gone cold in her hands, unnoticed, forgotten in the quiet gravity of his presence.

She sat across from Chen Rui in silence. Her gaze was fixed on the faint swirl of steam still rising from the soup bowls. His presence was quiet and steady. But the usual warm smile lingered on his face.

Subtle.

Effortless.

It should've felt like any other evening.

But it didn't.

Something about tonight settled differently in her chest.

Lin Yue shifted slightly, the fabric of her sweater brushing softly against her side, and exhaled a slow breath.

After they finished the soup, neither of them moved to stand right away.

Chen Rui leaned back slightly in his chair, fingers idly tapping the rim of his glass.

"You know," he started, casual on the surface, but there was a glint in his eyes she couldn't quite read, "for someone who insists she's not dramatic... you were very... expressive last night~"

Lin Yue narrowed her eyes as she says, "That sounds suspiciously slanderous."

"Expressive," he repeated, trying not to laugh.

The look in Chen Rui's eyes were too bright and amused. He looks just a little too pleased with himself which made it worse and continues, "You were doing interpretive hand gestures. In the car. To a love song."

Lin Yue groaned, burying her face briefly in her hands as she took in a big breath. "Why are you like this?"

"I'm just stating facts~" he said with mock innocence. "Very heartfelt gestures, by the way. The driver looked deeply moved~"

Lin Yue: "Chen Rui."

Chen Rui: "I think you even tried to convince me the moon was judging your outfit choices~"

She paused, half-horrified. "Did I?"

Chen Rui: "You said, and I quote: 'Even the moon thinks my shoes are a mistake. She's up there, judging me like some celestial fashion editor.'"

 Lin Yue sank lower in her seat. "I retract everything. I am erasing myself from public record."

"You're safe," he said, eyes glinting. "I didn't record any of it. Though I was tempted~"

"That's it," she muttered, reaching for her glass. "I'm revoking your soup privileges."

Chen Rui chuckled, low and warm, the sound of his clothes shifting softly as he finally rose from his seat.

"A harsh sentence. But fair" he replies and shrugs.

Lin Yue stood too, slower this time, brushing imaginary wrinkles from her sweater.

Chen Rui walks to the entryway and steps into his shoes with practiced ease. The motion smooth and unhurried. But just before reaching for the handle, he turned back to look at her.

"Next time..." he said gently, with a sigh, "just let someone take care of you without overthinking it."

Lin Yue stood there, fingers lightly brushing the hem of her sleeve, unsure why her heart gave a faint thud at those words. Her lips parted, hesitated, then pressed together again.

But then Lin Yue spoke—a little too quiet and unsure.

"Chen Rui?"

He paused, tilting his head slightly toward her, brows lifting. "Yeah?"

Her hand curled around the edge of the doorway, gripping it unconsciously. Her voice lowered a fraction, hesitant as she asks.

"Who... brought me home last night?"

There was a pause.

Chen Rui stood quietly by the doorway, hand resting lightly on the frame. He didn't answer immediately and his posture didn't shift. There was a faint hitch in his breath, then a flicker in his eyes that betrayed a thought he almost didn't say aloud.

"You don't remember?" he asked gently, tone unreadable.

Lin Yue shook her head slowly, eyes flicking up to meet his.

"I did," he said. "You could barely stand. You started singing in the car halfway home."

Her eyes widened. "No..."

He raised an eyebrow, clearly enjoying her horror.

"Yes...~"

A smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth, and he gave a quiet pffft. He tried to but fails not to laugh then continues smilingly, "You have a surprisingly soulful rendition of Love Me, Love Me Not."

"Oh my god," Lin Yue muttered, half covering her face. "I'm never drinking again."

"...The shirt I was wearing this morning," she said next, half-suspicious and eyeing him, "wasn't mine."

Chen Rui didn't answer immediately and continued to look at her.

"It's in the laundry now," Lin Yue added quickly while straightening up. As she tries to sound casual she continues, "But I'm pretty sure it was yours."

Chen Rui's eyes softened after hearing her words. He then responds softly when he finally answered. "Yeah. You didn't look comfortable in what you were wearing last night anymore." His head bends down, somehow looking in askance, putting one hand in his pocket.

She paused, narrowing her eyes, appreciating his look. But continues to say, "Honestly, last night's clothes were the worst decision of my life!"

"I could barely breathe in them. The top kept riding up, the waistband was digging into my ribs, and by the end of the night, I was two seconds from throwing the whole outfit out the window."

Chen Rui bit back a grin. "You didn't seem particularly comfortable."

"I was suffering in silence," Lin Yue declared.

"Sadly, I was a fashion victim on the brink of collapse. One wrong move and that waistband would've filed for workers' compensation." she continues dramatically. "Honestly, if I'd sat down any faster, that waistband would've declared a state of emergency."

Chen Rui's laugh slipped out before he could stop it. "So that's what the dramatic sighing was about."

Lin Yue: "That was not sighing. That was the sound of my ribs negotiating for air."

Chen Rui chuckled under his breath and says "You looked fine."

"Fine is a generous lie," Lin Yue replied and continues "You looked comfortable. I looked like a malfunctioning fashion mannequin."

That made Chen Rui laugh properly. Low and genuine, eyes crinkling at the corners.

 "Well..." he said, still smiling, but his eyes glinted with something softer, something that clung to the air like the scent of her tea. "You definitely looked more at ease in my shirt."

Lin Yue rolled her eyes, though her smile tugged at the corners and responds, "You're insufferable."

"Only on Fridays," Chen Rui teased, stepping back toward the door again.

Lin Yue shook her head, following him with soft footsteps. "I'll make you soup next time. With extra spice."

Chen Rui: "I look forward to it."

Lin Yue said goodnight and thanked him for the soup, then gently closed the door behind him.

She didn't mean to linger by the door. But she did. Just a second longer than necessary, like her body already missed him before her mind could admit it.

Great. That's the takeaway now? 'Yue looked best in borrowed clothes.'

Fantastic.

Her laughter faded, but something tender remained as she slowly stepped onto the balcony.

The cool air brushed against her skin. It felt soft as she breathed in the cool air.

Lin Yue sees the city shimmer beneath her.

Distant but dreamlike.

Then her phone buzzed again.

Chen Rui: Let me know if the headache comes back.

She didn't reply.

But she smiled.

And somewhere between the sound of the breeze and Chopin's fading notes, Lin Yue realized something is different. 

Not in a loud, life-altering way—but like silk brushing skin.

Gentle. Subtle. Irreversible.

Like a thread pulling slightly tighter.

Like the hush between two notes in a song you didn't know you'd memorized.

⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡

Note:

 Hello again!

I tried building this chapter with a blend of light humor, warmth, and growing emotional intimacy. The shirt becomes more than just borrowed clothing... 💙

You'll see in the next chapter!

(˵ •̀ ᴗ - ˵ ) ✧