Wasn’t distance supposed to make the heart grow fond? Li Tianchen glared subtly at Lu Guang when he saw the way you talked with a smile. He looked away quickly before the boy could catch his eye, staring ahead and pretending he wasn’t watching, though he was gritting his teeth all the same.

Back when there was no Cheng Xiaoshi or Lu Guang—just you and him and Tianxi—things were so much better. Most of his spare time was spent taking care of Tianxi and making sure the other kids wouldn’t pick on her. Then you came around. You’d walk with her, fix her hair, and make matching flower crowns together. In the safety of their home, Tianxi would clumsily attempt to sign to him that you were really nice and she liked you a lot, only for him to correct her so she could tell you herself later. He was secretly proud that you encouraged her.

They moved away soon after their parents passed. As young as he was, Tianchen didn’t have the means to let you know. He would’ve tried harder if he’d known you’d move on so quickly and replace the twins with Cheng Xiaoshi and Lu Guang. Several years wasn’t exactly ‘quick’, but the bitterness still settled in when he saw you again. He’d only gone into the store because he spotted a plushie through the window—something soft and cute he thought Tianxi might like. He hadn’t expected to find you there, let alone with new friends.

Cheng Xiaoshi seemed more or less harmless, but Tianchen knew better than to underestimate Lu Guang. He looked like the handsome, quiet type—an effortless charmer. Tianchen had warned Tianxi to be wary of people like that. He pretended to browse the shelves as he eavesdropped on your conversation. Xiaoshi was rambling about some games that were on sale, trying to convince you and Lu Guang to play them with him. Tianchen fiddled with the fluffy ear of the stuffed animal he was clutching tightly to his chest. You were supposed to play those games with him and Tianxi, not with those losers.

Tianchen overlooked how much his pink hair stood out in the sea of people scrambling in and out of the store, buying games and merchandise. But you noticed. You followed Lu Guang’s gaze to the back of his head and told the others to wait. Tianchen jolted when you tapped his shoulder, taking a breath to calm the urge to snap before turning around to face you. “Uh...” he trailed off. He hadn’t expected you to recognize him or approach him first. He wasn’t sure what to say until you said his name, in that same familiar voice from when you were just kids. You looked different now, but you were still you.

“Who was that?” Tianchen muttered, sneaking a glance at your phone as you put it down to keep braiding Tianxi’s hair. He grimaced when he saw ‘Lu Guang’ on the screen before it went black. “You just hung out with them last week,” he grumbled, placing a hand on your shoulder, his grip firm to keep you from getting up. You were the one who decided to reconnect, and now he wasn’t going to let you drift away again. “Stay. You’ll make Xixi sad if you leave before Qian Jin comes back with the mooncakes.”