Chapter 25 - End Of Regrets

Now that Yul was gone and they both were alone in the empty space, a peculiar atmosphere was created mingling with silence. William spoke first,

"Your boyfriend?" He asked, looking at the direction Yul had disappeared.

Zeng blushed. "Not yet but he's getting there," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. William huffed, "He was glaring at me as if I was going to kidnap you and take you away from him."

Zeng just shrugged. It was so typical of Yul to show his clear dislike even without any words. He looked at where Yul had left, "He's really nice though," he said, smiling lightly. It didn't escape William's eyes.

Zeng's gaze unlocked from the distance to his ex-boyfriend, who looked at him with a word. Words were not enough to convey what either of them wanted to say.

Silence, once again.

"I am sorry," William said all of a sudden, "I should have handled us better... both the relationship and its end. It was selfish of me to blame it all on you when I was the culprit there." His words were weighing with guilt bottled up over the years.

"It's okay," Zeng waved it off with a smile, "It just didn't work out between us and moreover, it's all in the past." William nodded, pursing his lips.

It was all in the past. They were both different people from all those years back. Each of them had grown in their own ways.

"Oh my god," Zeng whined after a while of silence, putting down his calm facade and throwing his arms around William who did the same. Strong, comforting arms engulfed Zeng that once had hidden him from this entire mean world. All the formalities and awkward dissolving within a blink of an eye.

"It's been so many years, Will!" Zeng breathed, "You are a father now!" He was almost laughing, feeling euphoric in his entire being.

"I know right!" William squeezed him, "It happened so fast yet so slow. It all feels surreal. Like God, Zeng, it was one second ago that you were in your first year and I, in my final year and now look at us!" He pulled back, chuckling. There was hardly anything that had changed in him. Zeng noticed that he had the same smile with charming dimples, he was still soft-spoken, still his lovable self. If anything he had gotten a bit taller and had become more mature and handsome in appearance. He was the same yet a different person.

A comfortable pause was clicked as they took in everything that happened over the years without an exchange of words.

"Are you happy?" William had asked him after their first date. The guy had planned everything according to Zeng's liking and Zeng had never felt so special in his entire life.

"I am the happiest right now," he had replied, pressing his forehead to his boyfriend's. How he had secretly hoped that would continue for the rest of his life. Forever.

But their forever didn't last long.

However, it would always remain the way it was. That Zeng and that William were happy with each other. They would stay in that time, frozen forever.

Those past memories, good and bad, would be with them. They would live with it. Some they would forget, some they would remember. But they would always be grateful for the time spent with each other.

"Are you happy?" Zeng asked with a tremble in his voice as they stood before each other in the present time, years away from their time together.

"I am." William replied, holding Zeng's hands in his own, "and trust me, you will be too. That kid looks like a good guy. I saw the way he looks at you like you are the most precious thing in the world." He assured with a nod, "Go for it, Zeng. And please don't make him wait for three months like you did to me."

"Oh come on," Zeng whined, "That was my first time ever getting in a relationship. I am much more mature, you know."

"Oh yeah," William raised a brow teasing, just like in the past. Soon, his wide smile slowly faded, shrinking back to only a gentle expression.

"I don't ever regret meeting you," he said with utmost honesty.

"Me too," Zeng replied, equally honest as his eyes glazed.

William's hands retracted, leaving the warmth of Zeng's hands. Their fingers lingered for a second before disconnecting. Zeng was smiling with tears in his eyes, same as William whose feet were stepping back. Giving one last dimpled smile to Zeng, he turned around and walked his own way.

It was a closure.

A well-deserved end to their shattered relationship, which both of them couldn't keep intact in the past. Now things were different, they both were grown-ups with deep understandings. Both independent, both distant.

Zeng kept looking at William till he disappeared behind the turn. He closed his eyes once the man he once loved disappeared. Silent tears trickled down his face falling on the mud below.

A strong pair of arms encased him again. However, this time it was only warmer and more caring.

"Was he being mean to you?" Yul asked as he patted Zeng's hair, voice full of concern.

He didn't even spare a glance to the family, who was giving them a weird look from afar. He simply didn't care about what the world thought.

"No," Zeng gave a muffled reply as he pressed himself in Yul's shoulder. "He was nice as always." He looked at Yul and smiled, "I am just overwhelmed. I think we finally got our closure."

Yul gave a relieved sigh, securing his hold on Zeng again. "Good then. Or else I would have resorted to violence and punched him on the nose." He said rather seriously.

Zeng faux-glared, "Nobody touches my ex-boyfriend. I will punch them in the face without a second thought."

Yul frowned seeing the love of his life defending his ex-boyfriend. "I hate you," he mumbled, making Zeng pull away and pinch his cheeks.

"Oh really, piggy?" He teased and bonked their foreheads.

Yul shook his head, frown changing to a smile, "Kidding. I love you." He said, wiping Zeng's remnant tears, earning a warm smile from him. A smile free from the heaviness accumulated over the years, free from restraints, burdens and guilt. He was smiling because he was happy... because Yul was here with him, even after everything.

Yul didn't care if people passed around them and whispered. He didn't care about the weird looks or anything beyond their sphere of comfort.. To him, as long as Zeng was happy, nothing else mattered.