I Was Going to Let You Touch My Leg

Shen Nian pinched off a small piece of chicken drumstick. His fingertips inevitably caught some of the grease, leaving them looking slick and shiny.

Xia Yanchun shot his fingers a look of mild disgust. Baring her teeth carefully, she nipped the very edge of the meat with her front teeth and sucked it into her mouth, deliberately refusing to give Shen Nian the satisfaction of feeding her properly.

Still, the cafeteria's drumsticks were actually pretty good. They had a rich five-spice flavor, and the skin and meat were perfectly stewed...

As a member of the late-lunch crowd, Xia Yanchun rarely managed to snag a drumstick. The supply was always limited. Unless you bolted out the door the second the bell rang like Shen Nian did, merely walking over to line up meant you probably wouldn't get one.

She had only ever gotten one once, back when a P.E. class had ended early. Since the start of their senior year, she hadn't had a single one.

"Aren't you clever." Defeated, Shen Nian tore off another piece and held it up to her lips.

Xia Yanchun took a tiny bite. "How else am I supposed to keep you in check if I'm not clever?"

"Damn it, just hold it and eat it yourself."

"I told you I wanted to eat it myself earlier, but you insisted on feeding me. Well, now I don't want to hold it. It'll get my hands all greasy."

"Nothing I can do about that, then. Guess I'll just have to throw it away."

Shen Nian tied the plastic bag back up and made a show of walking toward the trash can.

He made it halfway across the room, but Xia Yanchun still hadn't made a peep. Shen Nian sneakily glanced back over his shoulder, only to meet her teasing gaze.

"Why did you stop? Aren't you going to throw it away?"

"Ugh, I surrender."

Shen Nian gave a forced, tight-lipped smile. He was being completely played by his adorable little Yanchun.

Such was his bitter fate.

He jogged over to the door and kicked the back door shut. It was only a little past twelve-ten, meaning students would still be walking by. If anyone saw them, Xia Yanchun would die of embarrassment, and then she'd use it as an excuse to beat him up for not closing the door.

Leaving it open was a massive gamble. If someone happened to pop into the classroom to grab something and saw him feeding her like that, there would be absolutely no way to explain themselves out of it.

Shen Nian didn't want anyone finding out either. In fact, just closing the back door wasn't enough; all the curtains had to be drawn tight, too.

During the lunch break, this massive classroom would become his and Xia Yanchun's private sanctuary.

Shen Nian stood next to Xia Yanchun and tore off another piece of meat for her. "You aren't even afraid of someone walking in. You're bolder than I am."

"I don't think anyone will come..." Xia Yanchun glanced at the tightly shut back door. In truth, she was actually a little worried herself.

If anyone caught them, her and Shen Nian's little secret would be dragged out into the open. They would become just another couple in the class, and who knew how long they'd be teased about it?

It was best to avoid that kind of situation entirely!

"Just hurry up and eat it. You just had to make me feed you."

"Ah—"

Shen Nian quickly made short work of the drumstick, tearing the meat off and feeding it to a very satisfied Xia Yanchun. Her lips were stained with grease, requiring a tissue to wipe clean.

Cold water wasn't great at washing away grease. Even after washing his hands, Shen Nian's fingertips still felt oily, so he had to ask Xia Yanchun for a wet wipe to finally get them clean.

With his fingertips still damp, Shen Nian lightly scraped a finger against Xia Yanchun's cheek. The young girl's skin was entirely free of acne scars or blemishes, impossibly soft and delicate. Only by leaning in close could one see the fine, downy peach fuzz on her face.

A simple poke wasn't enough; he had to go in for a pinch. After pinching her cheek, he pinched her earlobe. Shen Nian sat down in an empty seat, casually resting his arms on a couple of books. No matter how much he poked, prodded, or annoyed her, Xia Yanchun merely furrowed her brows, flipping through an extracurricular book with one hand while nibbling on a small bread roll with the other.

"Has my presence really dropped to zero? I can do whatever I want and still go unnoticed? Interesting," Shen Nian muttered to himself.

Xia Yanchun rolled her eyes but remained silent.

"Hey, why are you ignoring me? If you keep ignoring me, I'm going to stick my hands down your shirt."

"What are you trying to do? Are you hyperactive or something, fidgeting around like that?"

"That last comment was actually just a test. I really thought my presence had hit absolute zero. Sigh..."

Xia Yanchun stood her book up and lightly swatted Shen Nian on the head with it. "Whack, whack."

"If I turn stupid, I'm blaming you."

"That's fine. Once you're committed to the mental asylum, I'll make sure to visit you every week."

"Damn."

Shen Nian poked Xia Yanchun hard on the forehead, pushing her head back. She shot him a resentful glare, and in the very next second, slapped him right on the arm.

Now they were even.

Shen Nian bared his teeth in a grin. "That actually felt kinda good."

"...I thought you were going to hit me back."

"If this were the old days, I definitely would have."

It used to start as a simple joke, trading light slaps. But then Xia Yanchun would use a little too much force, so he'd feel shortchanged and slap her back a bit harder. Then she'd feel shortchanged and hit him again. Back and forth they'd go, escalating until the playful banter turned into genuine anger.

That was how things usually went with Xia Yanchun in the past. Neither of them was willing to lose. Whenever he managed to smack her until her eyes went red with frustration, he'd feel incredibly pleased with himself.

But they couldn't play like that anymore. The physical difference between them was too obvious now; her slap just now hadn't hurt him in the slightest.

"So why aren't you hitting me back now?"

"Because I'm finally breaking the rule about not dating the girl next door. Miss Girl-Next-Door needs to be treated well, so I wouldn't dare hit her."

"...!"

What was all this nonsense about the girl next door? Just hearing it made her blush furiously. Xia Yanchun blinked her almond-shaped eyes, completely at a loss for how to reply.

"I'm not the girl next door," she finally muttered softly after a long pause.

"You're the one who called yourself that in the first place! Are your left and right brain fighting each other or something? You little pointy-head."

"It was just a metaphor! Do you not understand anything?"

"Well, what I said was a metaphor too."

"..."

She was utterly speechless.

Fine, girl next door it was. Being the magnanimous person she was, Xia Yanchun decided not to bicker with him over it. In the process, her lingering annoyance at him for flicking water at her earlier that morning completely vanished.

The lunch break bell rang, and the school fell into total silence. With the doors and windows shut tight, the noise from the other classrooms was completely muffled.

In the quiet, sounds that usually went unnoticed suddenly bubbled to the surface, the friction of a car's tires rolling across the pavement outside, the school janitor taking the opportunity to crush plastic bottles in the trash cans, and the steady ticking of the clock's second hand.

Xia Yanchun didn't respond to Shen Nian's last comment. Instead, she let out a delicate little yawn.

"Whatever you say. As long as you're happy."

"Miss Girl-Next-Door, hehe."

"I'm going to sleep now. Could Student Shen Nian please keep quiet?"

"Mmph!"

Shen Nian mimed zipping his lips shut, signaling that he wouldn't make another peep.

And then, he placed his hand right on Xia Yanchun's thigh.

Not making a sound didn't mean he couldn't make a move. Was there a problem with that logic?

Xia Yanchun pressed her legs together. Pouting her lips, she pulled his hand away, tucked it under the hem of her jacket, and began playing with his warm fingers.

"Are you currently in a state where if I hit you, you won't hit back, and if I scold you, you won't talk back?"

"Mmph!"

"I'll take that as a yes."

"Bullshit, keep dreaming," Shen Nian said, breaking his vow of silence to playfully poke her. He laughed. "Daydreaming in broad daylight. You're hopeless."

"You pig! I was actually going to reward you by letting you touch my leg, but now the offer is off the table!"

"Oh, please. And I was going to call you Big Sister a hundred times. If you were actually thinking of doing that, I'll eat shit."

"Suit yourself if you don't believe me!"

Xia Yanchun huffed. If Shen Nian didn't believe her, there was nothing she could do about it. After all, she didn't even believe it herself.