"Are you interested in that girl?"Xiao Hui asked as they climbed the flights of stairs on their way to their apartment to get ready for work.
"If I was I would have invited her to the club,"Li Yunxi replied annoyed by their topic of conversation.
"She's cute though. Or is it because you don't do dating?"Xiao Hui stopped to look back at his friend,"I curse you to find someone that will make you want to break that rule."
Li Yunxi glared at his friend but when they stepped on the next flight of stairs, something caught their attention. A lean figured guy dressed in slim fit grey trousers,a camel overcoat and a pair of black combat boots stood on the top most stair on the flight - his body was bent forward with his hands clutching his knees ,his round butt was sticking out sexily with sounds of him panting filling the place.
"It's hectic to climb these stairs every day,"Gu Shan whined still holding on to his knees.
Li Yunxi almost froze on the spot.
Had Xiao Hui's curse started working already?
He thought all this as his eyes absorbed the sight of the sexiest butt he had ever seen. He found it strange about how he was unable to forget that mere fling.Was it because the fling was unique for being a guy?But he couldn't resist the fact that Gu Shan stirred something in him.
"Do you want me to carry you on my back?"Liu Daxun who was already standing on the landing tread asked watching his stuck friend catching his breath. The lift elevator was broken so they had to climb the stairs to reach their apartment. Liu Daxun was already used to it - to him it was a piece of cake,a norm he had blended in to but a delicate guy like Gu Shan who spent most of his life pressing elevator buttons it was a daunting and torturous task. With the slight oxygen debt and produced lactic acid fatiguing his muscles,his limbs felt weak.
"If you exercise more the stairs won't be a problem to you,"Xiao Hui commented joining the conversation.
Gu Shan almost jumped at the almost familiar voice but he was quick enough to grab the handrail before he could roll down the flight of stairs.
"But these stairs are so steep,"Gu Shan continued whining like a baby and it got Xiao Hui to bite his lower lip to suppress his smile
"Why don't you join us for the morning run on Saturday and I'll help you gain some stamina to fight these complicated stairs?"Xiao Hui suggested.
"Really? Can it help?"Gu Shan beamed with delight, flashing a sweet Duchenne smile exposing his white perfectly aligned teeth.
Xiao Hui nodded smiling due to the contagious effect of Gu Shan's beautiful smile.
Li Yunxi had been watching Gu Shan dreamily as his facial muscles moved and his heart almost skipped a bit seeing him smile. For some second he felt envious of Xiao Hui for being the reason behind Gu Shan's smile.
*****
For the rest of the week they didn't meet because of their tight schedules. Gu Shan and Liu Daxun played games till late in the night and would sleep only waking up to attend classes. On Saturday as agreed,Gu Shan had to wake up to join their morning run . No matter how much he hated waking up on weekends,he had to because he didn't want to disappoint Xiao Hui. He was a decent guy and disliked ditching on others.
He stood outside the door to their apartment while Liu Daxun was still preparing himself. Gu Shan's lean figure was dressed in grey drawstring pants,a warm Tshirt ,a snow proof jacket on top and a beanie hat covering his head. Xiao Hui's apartment was just a few doors away from theirs on the opposite side. He looked in that direction when he saw the door open and someone walked out shutting the door behind him.
"Morning,"Li Yunxi greeted him in his hoarse morning voice but to his disappointment Gu Shan ignored him . Gu Shan pulled out his phone and busied himself ignoring the other's presence. Li Yunxi was hurt knowing Gu Shan had heard him crystal clear yet he still treated him like he didn't exist.
Their moment of silence didn't last long as the other two guys finally showed up and they left together.
*****
"Ouch!"Gu Shan moaned in pain falling for the ninth time in a row. The icy tracks were slippery and he could barely keep his balance. At first the others laughed at him but now they were getting worried about him.
Li Yunxi who was the nearest to him stretched out his arm offering to help him get up . Placing his hands backwards and firmly on the ground,Gu Shan pushed himself off the ground and got back on his feet. Li Yunxi felt embarrassed as he slowly retracted his arm that had been left hanging midair.
Earlier when Gu Shan fell ,he would willingly take Xiao Hui and Liu Daxun's hands for support but now when Li Yunxi offered he refused.
"Are you alright?"Li Yunxi asked with concern hiding how hurt he was. Li Yunxi noticed Gu Shan's disarrayed clothes and walked closer intending to help him regain his composure.
"Don't touch me! Scram!"Gu Shan yelled angrily and Xiao Hui together with Liu Daxun rushed back when they noticed Gu Shan's hostile behaviour towards Li Yunxi.
They were about to solve the conflict when Gu Shan's phone rang interrupting them. He walked away, receiving his call and his mood was suddenly lifted leaving his friends surprised.