<aside> 🔑 🦌: Alkaid 🖌️: MC
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Playing with the cats for a while, I just feel the heat on my face finally cool off. Alkaid also tidied up the mess next to the sink and returned to the living room.
🦌: Its still early, what do you want to do? 🖌️: Suddenly now I still don’t know… what do you have in mind? 🦌: I remembered you used to visit a movie concept art exhibition, after you came back didn’t you keep talking about it for a few days? 🦌: Do you want to cross it off your list today? 🖌️: Oh right, you surprisingly remembered it much clearly than I did. The movie… where did it go? I opened the album, right away I found an advertisement poster I took.
🖌️: Ah, I found it 🖌️: It’s already broadcasted online, it seems to be quite the niche romance film. I found the movie link, Alkaid also set up the projector. Looking at the fine composition of the storyboard slowly unfold, I can’t help but feel anticipation However soon, this anticipation turned to disappointment — The movie artistic expression is really good, but the plot was as boring as it could get.
The male and the female leads fell into deep love with each other at first sight, but they are always arguing intensely about nothing important. In the movie there was also a disagreement with the protagonists, both of them hysterically questioned each other, listing their sacrifices they made for the other, it seems as long as whoever is lacking a little, this relationship doesn’t make sense. 🖌️: Why are they arguing again … Talking about the meaning of love is such a big conversation topic. 🖌️: Luckily we won’t argue over this. 🦌: Of course we won’t be like them. Alkaid confidently said that, I can’t help but look at him in the eye. That’s right, we won’t quarrel about things like this, but also we had our fill of strange little dispute for things like “Alkaid be able to make a fierce expression.” 🦌: Taking a walk, eating, or just relaxing on the sofa like this, wasting the whole afternoon watching a bad movie. 🦌: Its these things coming together, just make me feel “So this is the beautiful thing of loving each other.”
Alkaid spoke candidly in front of me, never would he avoid the word “love”. He will say many works of literature overestimated love, it was always made to be a cure for everything. But at the same time, people underestimated love, if the same thing can save everything, it also have the power to destroy everything. — How can an unstoppable force look so one-dimensional and simple? This word in his eyes as if a water drop, a stream, also like roaring waves of the sea, and then I go back to leaning onto Alkaid once more, allowing the streams in my heart to converge, and flow towards an unknown place.
The character on the projection is still struggling in his fated destiny, but me and Alkaid are already not focused on the movie. I leaned closer to Alkaid, I sent a photo I took at noon to Auntie Jiang and Uncle Lu* who are too busy with work to come back.
I was talking about something interesting that happened a few days ago, when the doorbell suddenly rang.
🖌️: At this time… who is it? 🦌: I’ll go see. Alkaid appealingly patted my shoulder, and went to open the door. A few voices passed through the entrance way, then the sound of the door closing. Alkaid placed a huge transparent box on the coffee table, peeking through the thin cellophane, is the fondant cake I chose last night. 🦌: Looking at your expression… is this cake also a surprised that you had prepared? 🦌: Although we definitely have to eat cake on birthdays, but this big, both of us can’t finish it anyway right? 🖌️: This is… eh*,* for the sense of a birthday celebration!
Opening the transparent cake box, I gave the ceramic knife to Alkaid. The knife cut opened to the turned over sugar cuticles then its like the knife is blocked by something hard. Alkaid seems to sense what it is, carefully cutting open the cake outer layer — inside is a packaged pop-up book. 🦌: This is? 🖌️: This surprise can be counted as a success right? I took out the pop-up book, pushing Alkaid towards the sofa. 🖌️: This is what I learned making from a video tutorial long time ago, although is still somewhat simple and crude, but I hope you like it. Alkaid surrounded me and sat down, browsing this not so elaborate pop-up book. The first time going around Harp Island, the first time going on a long distance trip, the first time we celebrated a holiday together, the first time meeting the family… our past experience of all kinds are in the form of illustrations of the pop-up book made in the present. I sneaked a peek at Alkaid’s expression, although I already guessed that he would like this gift, but when Alkaid’s aqua pupils glimmered under the flash of sunlight, I still can’t help but to be moved. 🖌️: Alkaid…
The person’s name seems to always have spiritual powers, when these two syllables come out from my lips, the soft tone is just like I’ve been entangled in a spider’s web, carefully covering my heart. I haven’t decided on what I wanted to say, I’m already in his arms monopolised by that familiar faint scent of costus root. Alkaid buried his head in my nape, hair strands rubbed against my skin, light breath and fluttering pulse. 🦌: MC, thank you. This is the best birthday gift I’ve received. I lightly rubbed Alkaid’s crown, the sound of his breath along my chest slowly travelled up to my ears, its so peaceful and cozy, making people hearts grow soft. 🖌️: How can it be the best… 🖌️: You see— I looked at the final few pages of the picture book, those I left blank for Alkaid to see. 🖌️: These pages aren’t left blank because there is not enough time, but I want to fill them up together with you in the future. 🖌️: So Alkaid, next year, the year after, each year after that I’m with you, all will be a better gift from time — I guarantee you. Alkaid held my wrists my finger on his heart. 🦌: Wrong. 🖌️: What? 🦌: Right now its already the best gift. 🦌: No matter the future or the past, every moment we are together, is the best gift. At that moment, Alkaid kissed me, I suddenly was reminded of what he said. I don’t have to calculate how much time is left, I don’t have to estimate how many times we have left to hug, also we don’t need to think over what is the meaning of love. This is just our best moment, and our unlimited amount of minutes together, simply becomes every hour, every minute, Every hour, every minute, belongs to us.
Auntie Jiang and Uncle Lu
They are Alkaid’s parents.