Chapter 298 - His warmth

With a grunt, Ying Sheng twisted the key in the lock, unlocking the door to her and Liam's shared apartment. She pushed the door open and kicked off her black boots in the foyer next to his dark grey sneakers, a huff leaving her.

"That lock is getting harder and harder to unlock," she muttered as she switched on the light to the living room.

"I'll put in a maintenance request for them to look at it," Liam told her as he ventured into the connected kitchen to grab a glass of water.

Ying Sheng watched him go with a small smile, feeling grateful for his help and kindness. For so long, she had lived in a household where she felt useless and neglected. It was a place that she didn't belong, but at least she had Liam now, who was the person that she was closest to. 

He was shy and sweet, always going out of his way to check in on her and make sure that she was doing fine. She could never find the right words to thank him for all that he had done for her. She had known that good things would come out of that ball her auntie hosted. 

She had never clicked with someone so instantly and deeply, like she could immediately trust him with her deepest, darkest secrets.

However, despite that fact, she hadn't told him everything He knew she was trying to get well and avoid killing her self . But what he doesn't know was that at times these dark thoughts hover around her. And she wanted to keep to herself for now, ones too dark to share. They brought her down just thinking about them. She wasn't sure if she was in the right mindset to actually speak about them out loud to someone just yet.

"I had a great time tonight, like usual," Liam voiced as he walked out of the kitchen with two glasses of water. He handed one to her with a small smile, a light dash of pink tinting the upper area of his cheeks. He tended to have a cute flush to his face. 

"What can I say? I plan the best surprises," Ying Sheng smirked as she took the glass of water with a thankful look. She knew that she should've gone to her operations management class and paid attention to the lecture, but she hadn't been able to drag herself to it. 

Things were starting to slip away from her. She was in her last semester of her first year at college, and her motivation was nearly abysmal. No matter how much she tried to get it back, she struggled to charge herself up enough to get things done. It seems her parents disappearance in her life was starting to get to her.

It was easier to abandon her responsibilities and go off the grid at times, and having Liam at her side helped a lot.

"Well, I'll see you bright and early before you go to your capstone class. You are going to that one, right?" Liam chuckled as he peered at her over the rim of his glass of water.

The thought of dragging herself out of bed in the morning, packing her backpack, and then driving all the way to campus to attend a two-hour long class drained her right there on the spot. However, she didn't want to worry him. She didn't want him to know how hard the little things were for her. She worried that would scare him away from her, that he wouldn't want to be caught in the darkness that had already captured her.

"If my alarm screams at me loud enough," Ying Sheng quipped, finding some comfort in his bright smile. She wished that he could realize how much of a beacon of comfort he was for her. He not only saved her by agreeing to room with her, but he was a great friend to her as well. There were some things that she would talk about to him, and he would always make her feel better. 

She hoped that she made him happy too. He deserved it. He worked hard, cared for other people, and seemed to be on top of everything. She had never seen him let anyone down or cross people. He was as pure as he could be, and it made her feel like she had struck treasure when she found him.

She had been around plenty of bad people, whether they were rude, neglectful, or sneaky. She had found herself at the hands of them all and had suffered for it. Now, she was surrounded by positivity and pureness. Yet, she was still haunted by the sadness and pain that she had experienced from before. It wouldn't go away no matter what.

"I'll come get you if you're not up by the time I leave," Liam offered before lightly patting her arm.

Sometimes, Ying Sheng just wanted to take him by the face and tell him how much he meant to her and to everyone in his life. She didn't think that he realized that.

"I'll owe you a mango pineapple smoothie then," Ying Sheng replied, knowing that was his favorite. She knew a lot about him, like how he knew a lot about her. There was a level of trust between them that she didn't share with anyone else.

"Much better than your strawberry banana," Liam lightly teased at her with a laugh. During their time together they have found each other preferences.

Ying Sheng playfully scoffed at him, aware of his indifference to bananas. They had plenty of differences, but none of them ever got in the way of their friendship.

"Weirdo," she smirked before her expression turned softer and warmer. "Night, Cutie."

Liam flashed her a smile, one that made her heart skip a little.

"Sleep well, Baddie" he told her with a little wave. 

Admittedly, he was cute. She tried not to think of him like that because they were roommates, and she didn't want things to get complicated between them. She didn't know if she could handle losing him since they had grown so close. Though, she couldn't deny the warmth that graced her whenever he smiled at her or they met eyes for a few seconds too long.