“It’s a hanfu for men. A modernized version.”
“You bought it?”
Aiden shook his head. “Made.”
“What’s the traditional version?”
“A lot more layers and more embroidery. The dragon is part of the actual cloth, but traditionally, it would be threaded in. The Chinese symbol is the only thing embroidered.”
“Is it your last name?”
“Yeah—Hui.”
“Do your last names have meaning?”
“All Chinese names are made up of a collection of words, so short answer, yes.”
“What does it mean?”
“Cinder.”
Brendan looked down at Aiden’s clothes once more. “Is that why it’s a silvery blue?”
“I think so. I never asked.” They swayed closer to the crowd, and Aiden didn’t even know how far they moved from the back until he looked around at the collection of different clothes swirling around them. A grin reached his face. “You like it?”
Brendan nodded. His blue eyes traveled over him. Gazing at his dark hair. Passing every inch of his skin. Admiring his nose, mouth, and his eyebrows. Despite the bodies enveloping them in a room that shrunk with every second, Aiden found that he was alone with Brendan in a piece of their private world. His heart swelled, and he waited for Brendan to speak.
“I…” Brendan lowered his eyes. Aiden strained to hear the mumble, but suddenly, Brendan’s shoulders straightened. Aiden clutched him tighter, slightly jumping when Brendan looked straight into his eyes. “I think you’re the most beautiful person in the world right now.”
The song around them changed, and dreamy love shifted to drunken chaos. Students clapped, danced, and jumped into the air, waving their arms wildly.
They continued to sway. Brendan’s breaths fell against his ear. Brendan’s fingers pressed more against his body.
I like him so much,Aiden realized.
“Can I kiss you?” Brendan asked.
Aiden’s eyes widened. A blush crept across his face, and he looked away with burning red ears. He nodded.
Brendan’s thumb brushed against his cheek. Turning, Aiden leaned forward, shocked at his own actions.
Their lips met while the music pounded against the walls. People sang louder in incoherent lyrics, and the alcohol flowed faster. The dancing lights of the disco balls blinded anyone with their eyes open, but Aiden’s eyes were closed. They kissed and kissed some more. His heart soared, his hands tightened, and in that moment, he felt a happiness he never expected to feel.
Despite the utter chaos of the room, in those moments with Brendan, he discovered a world of true peace.
The two awoke to reality after getting jostled by a group of friends. They laughed along with the friendly yet clearly drunk students, but the strangers had shattered their pocket of time. Their eardrums vibrated in pain at the music, and Brendan took one exasperated look at Aiden before clasping Aiden’s hand and pulling him outside of the room and the building. They ran to the campus courtyard, and Brendan flopped onto the grass with a flourish of joy.
Aiden carefully sat down beside him, and the two shared the silence of a beautiful night hovering in stillness. He couldn’t tell if the stars actually burned clearer or if he imagined everything brighter.
A pinky hooked with his. Surprised, he turned and watched Brendan slyly take his ring finger, then his middle finger. One at a time, until their hands clasped together. “How was it?”
Aiden tipped his head. “How was what?”
“This not-high-school prom. This ball. Dance. Party. Whichever you want to call it.”
“It was fun.” The truth resonated in every fiber of his being. He smiled. “It was fun.”
Brendan’s hand tightened around his. Aiden spread the edges of his clothes out in a circle around him and leaned forward to admire the silver moon hanging in the night sky. He closed his eyes to drink in the scent of every leaf, every blade of grass, and every flower blooming.
