Sun He looked at the encircled date on his calendar and groaned. Gu Liwei's birthday was in exactly two weeks. Sun He had thought countless times about what he should give Gu Liwei for his birthday, but every time he came up empty. Gu Liwei was not missing anything and Sun He thought that giving him a watch or a tie would be too cliché. He thought about getting personalized cufflinks; however, the number of times he had seen Gu Liwei in a suit was zilch. Sun He was frustrated. He wanted to make Gu Liwei's day special. Over the past two months, Gu Liwei had made him feel special. He was always considerate and Sun He could feel himself liking him more and more. Sun He felt that he had not given as much to their relationship as Gu Liwei had.
Sun He sighed and decided to take his questions online. While waiting for people to answer, Sun He hesitated before calling Tang Jing. He already knew what Tang Jing's answer was going to be.
"Present yourself naked with a bow. That's the best gift you could give him." Sun He rolled his eyes at Tang Jing's answer. Sun He had a feeling that was what Tang Jing was going to say, which is why he did not want to ask him in the first place. However, Tang Jing was his only friend. There was no one else he could turn to besides him and the internet. Sun He considered asking his mother or his sister, but the moments these two came to his mind, he knew that he was going insane. Sun Ya would probably say the same thing as Tang Jing and his mother… Sun He did not dare think about what horrible advice she would give him. For every single one of Sun He's birthday, his mother had given him custom made socks and underwear with his initials written on them. When Sun He was little, he thought that it was thoughtful, especially when he went to college and his clothes would sometimes be mixed up with his roommates'. However, to receive the same gifts every year… Sun He shuddered.
He looked at his post and most of the answers he received were of the same thought as Tang Jing. Sun He considered that option for a brief second. He and Gu Liwei had not really done anything sexual. The most sexual thing they had done was at Gu Liwei's apartment. That night was Sun He's first visit to Gu Liwei's apartment. They had cooked and eaten dinner together before watching a horror movie. They had watched the movie while cuddling and after the movie was over, things had naturally developed to them kissing. Gu Liwei had carried Sun He to his room and things had gotten out of control. Sun He had felt Gu Liwei's hardness against his own. He had blushed and kept telling himself that he wanted things to get further. When Gu Liwei's hand had started unbuttoning Sun He's shirt, Sun He had frozen. Gu Liwei had stopped in his actions and had held him to sleep that night. Since that night, Gu Liwei had stayed over at his apartment several times but he usually stopped at kissing Sun He and to Sun He's disbelief, he would sleep in the guestroom.
Sun He scrolled down these useless answers, and finally found a useful one. One person had posted about a camera that a company in Country S just released. Sun He thanked the poster and looked up the camera in question. Sun He was attracted by the aesthetics of the Meira Collection. He had a feeling that Gu Liwei would really like this gift. Sun He looked at the price and wanted to cry. Is it too late for him to wrap himself up as a gift?
The days went by fast and before Sun He knew it, it was December 17. Gu Liwei had told him that he would only be able to come over after dinner. He would be spending the morning of his birthday with his parents before meeting his friends for dinner. He had invited Sun He to both the breakfast and the dinner but Sun He had refused. Not only would he have to rush to work after the breakfast, Sun He was also not mentally ready to meet Gu Liwei's parents. The only reason why Sun He had been okay with Gu Liwei meeting with his family was because Gu Liwei had already met his mother. He also could not attend dinner because he had many things to do after work.
Gu Liwei called Sun He on his way out of the restaurant. Sun He told him that he could just come in when he get to his apartment as he had left the door unlocked. Gu Liwei shook his head at his carelessness and told him that he would be there soon. On the way to Sun He's apartment, Gu Liwei wondered what Sun He had planned for him. Over the last few days, Sun He had been acting weird. He would fall in deep thoughts and his eyes would wander to his bedroom and the front closet. Gu Liwei was sure that he had gotten him a gift even if he had told him several times that it did not matter if he did not. However, Gu Liwei had realized that Sun He was sometimes cautious when it came to him. Gu Liwei knew he was not confident of himself, especially when it came to their relationship. Sun He would rarely disagree with Gu Liwei's suggestions, even if Gu Liwei could see that he was not fully comfortable with some of the things that he had suggested. Gu Liwei did not think that Sun He even realized how much relief would show on his face when Gu Liwei would suggest something else after seeing the telltale signs of Sun He's uneasiness.
Gu Liwei entered Sun He's apartment and closed the door behind him. He changed into the slippers that Sun He always put aside for him and a whiff of alcohol tickled his nose. Gu Liwei called out to Sun He and headed towards the kitchen where he could hear noises. Sun He was standing in front of a small cake decorating it with candles. Gu Liwei leaned against the doorway and smiled at the sight in front of him. Sun He had gotten a haircut. Sun He's hair had grown longer over the last few months and had almost reached his shoulders. However, now blunt bangs fell on his forehead while the sides and the back were cut shorter, giving him a more youthful look. Sun He looked up and smiled when he saw Gu Liwei.
"I baked a cake. Do you want to eat it now or later?'
"A little later. I'll take a shower first before joining you." Gu Liwei said his eyes falling on Sun He's fidgeting fingers. He turned around to head towards the guest bedroom before stopping in his steps. He turned towards Sun He and uttered the words he had wanted to say since he first came in the kitchen. "You look great, by the way."
When Gu Liwei came out of the bathroom, Sun He was still in the kitchen, the only differences being three boxes were set on the table next to him. Sun He lit the candles and turned off the kitchen lights. The man sitting across from him mesmerized Gu Liwei. The warm glow of the candles highlighted Sun He's smiling face. Faint singing came out of that beautiful mouth. Gu Liwei finally felt alive. The whole day he had felt that something was missing. Only now did he know why he felt so off. He wanted to spend his day with this man. His man. A quiet contentment spread through Gu Liwei and his lips spread into a soft smile.
Gu Liwei opened his first gift and his smile widened when he saw the camera in front of him. He was actually planning to buy himself a Meira as a birthday gift to himself. The Meira was THE camera. The Meira was a mirrorless camera that was built to be long-lasting. The image quality was superb and the design was so exquisite that it was worthy of being a collectible. Gu Liwei thanked Sun He and expressed his happiness at receiving the camera. Sun He was pleased that Gu Liwei liked his gift but thinking of his two next gifts, he blushed and fidgeted in his seat. Gu Liwei opened the small box in front of him and lying in the box was a key. He looked up at Sun He with a raised brow. "It's the key to this apartment." Sun He blushed.
Gu Liwei chuckled. This key meant a lot to him. This key meant that Sun He was starting to trust him more. "You are one step ahead of me." Gu Liwei said thinking of the spare key that he had kept in the guest room. "I have one for you too. I'll give it to you later." Sun He smiled and nodded. He looked at the last gift on the table and wondered if Gu Liwei would know what he meant by giving this to him. Gu Liwei's eyes followed Sun He and seeing Sun He reddening the more he looked at the last package, Gu Liwei became more eager to open it.
Gu Liwei was surprised when the wrapping paper revealed a manila envelope. He opened the envelope and took out the stack of paper inside. His hands froze and he looked up sharply at Sun He. What exactly did Sun He mean by this?
Sun He had thought hard about what he could give Gu Liwei so that Gu Liwei knew he was really happy being with him. He had thought of various ways to express his feelings to Gu Liwei and had thought of giving him a spare key to his apartment. Still, he wanted to give Gu Liwei something more. His mind had kept going back to Tang Jing's suggestion but he felt too shy to really offer himself to Gu Liwei naked with a bow, so he did the next best thing. Gu Liwei had mentioned before that he got tested at the beginning of any relationship to ensure that he was always safe. He had provided Sun He with a copy of his test results within a week of their relationship. Sun He had been surprised at that time and he had thought about doing the same but never had a chance to.
Gu Liwei looked at the test results in front of him and his hands shook. Only he knew how much he had been restraining himself. Only he knew how many times he had to content himself with his hands, knowing that right next door was the person he wanted the most in the world. So many times Gu Liwei wanted to take things further with Sun He but did not dare to. Every time he thought about it, he would remember Sun He's expression that first time at his apartment. Sun He had started shaking when he had wanted to unbutton his shirt. Sun He had almost bitten his lips bloody. The sheer look of fear on his face had made Gu Liwei freeze. The worst part, Sun He was not even aware that he reacted like that. Gu Liwei had held him all night that day, feeling distressed. He had wanted to scream, to force Sun He to tell him what exactly happened to him. He, however, did not dare to. He did not want Sun He to shut him out. He did not want to hurt him, unintentionally, so he had kept quiet.
"Sun He, what do you mean by this?" Gu Liwei asked, his voice strained. He looked up at the man across from him, his eyes lingering on his tapping fingers. Sun He stammered trying to explain himself, but words seemed to escape him. The prolonged silence made him feel uncomfortable. Sun He looked up at Gu Liwei and his eyes fell on the clenched hands. Sun He took a deep breath and walked around the table. He stopped before Gu Liwei and looked down at him. Sun He gulped and a small whisper, barely audible if not for the quiet surroundings, engulfed Gu Liwei with joy. "I want… I want you to stay with me tonight."