Liam wasn’t much for big social gatherings, but he knew everyone at the gathering. Two of the guys, Han Zigao his cousin and Zhao Li his cousin’s best friend , were his own friends that became Ying Sheng and vice-versa with Dong Yishan.

”Oh! Let’s play a drinking game!” Dong Yishan gasped out, her grey eyes starting to grow glossy as she added to her pile of empty glass bottles near her folding chair. She tossed her blonde hair back over her shoulder before stumbling to her feet, nudging the others to put them in the spirit.

”You just want an excuse to do something stupid,” Ying Sheng smirked before taking a sip of her drink, the red liquid rushing past her lips as she tipped the bottle back. Her cheeks had a light red blush to them, but she was far more lucid than Dong Yishan and the others, who nearly cheered at the prospect of acting up.

Liam smiled to himself as he gazed at Ying Sheng from across the porch in his own folding chair. She had her hair pulled up into a ponytail, a few strands framing her glowing face. He was glad to see her so lively. He could tell that the week had worn her down, even if she tried to not let that on.

”She doesn’t need alcohol to do that,” Han Zigao chuckled as he shifted his dark green beanie over his black hair, a few strands falling against his forehead.

Dong Yishan scoffed as she reached out to lightly kick at his ankle.

”Jerk. Zhao Li will play with me, won’t you?” She asked in a sickly sweet voice.

Zhao Li was too busy downing the rest of his peach wine cooler to reply, prompting him to merely hum beneath his breath as he tilted the bottle back.

Ying Sheng then turned to Liam, a devilish smile crossing her lips, which were lined in red lipstick.

”Liam?” She asked him.

”He’s not interested in your stripping games,” Han Zigao mused as he patted his friend on the shoulder.

”Or your kissing games,” Ying Sheng commented as she leaned back in her chair, her eyes seeming to sharpen slightly as she looked over at Dong Yishan.

”You guys are no fun… but fine,” Dong Yishan huffed as she crossed her arms over her chest, covering the black, sequined tank top that she wore with white jeans.

When things started getting rowdy enough that bad decisions could be made, Liam tended to tap out. He didn’t feel like waking up with a massive hangover on a Sunday anyway, so he finished his second bottle and stood up. He snuck away from the group to stretch his legs as they laughed amongst themselves and voted on what game to play.

Liam didn’t want to kill their buzz, and he didn’t mind venturing around the backyard for a little while to get some fresh air. Even during big family gatherings, he often snuck away to take a breather. When he was in front of a lot of people, he often felt frozen and nervous of making a fool of himself. He wished that he wouldn’t discourage himself so often.

”You don’t want to play spin the bottle?”

Liam spun around at the sound of Ying Sheng’s voice, a small flush crossing his cheeks as he watched her walk toward him. He didn’t think that she would notice that he was missing, but it warmed him that she cared enough to look for him.

”With my luck, I’d end up kissing Han Zigao or Zhao Li” he smirked with a shake of his head. Honestly, he was more nervous about the prospect of kissing Ying Sheng , which had been something that had crossed his mind more than once. Though, doing it in front of their giggly and tipsy friends seemed closer to a nightmare.

”Their loss,” Ying Sheng giggled as she sauntered up to his side. She took his arm and leaned against his side, her cheek pressing to his shoulder as they watched their friends dance around on the porch.

Liam was used to her sidling up to him like this, but his heart raced each and every time she touched him. How he felt for her reminded him of a hopeless schoolyard crush. She was the prettiest girl in school, and he was a shadow on the wall. However, in this case, she actually knew he existed.

”Oh, I don’t know. I’ve only kissed like one girl before,and that is you.”

Liam admitted as he dragged his hand through the short strands of his light brown hair. That sounded more pathetic when he heard the words out loud.

Ying Sheng tilted her head at him curiously, a surprised look coming onto her face.

”Really?” She asked him

Liam shrugged a little as he started to slowly walk, taking her along with him as she continued to hold onto his arm.

”It’s not that I haven’t been with girls… I just like to wait and make sure it’s right before getting more serious,”

Liam told her, hoping his words weren’t too laugh-worthy. He wasn’t one to rush into or through a relationship. He wasn’t interested in casual dating or hooking up. If he was going to be with someone, to bare his soul and entrust his heart to someone else, he wanted it to feel right.

A small smile steadily crossed Ying Sheng’s face as she nodded her understanding.

”Yeah, that makes sense. You’d be a heartbreaker otherwise,” Ying Sheng lightly teased him as she gave his arm a playful squeeze.

Laughter burst from Liam as he shook his head at her, doubting that he was anything close to a heartbreaker. It took all of the courage that he could muster to confess to her last time.

”How much did you drink?” Liam asked her as he raised an eyebrow at her.

Ying Sheng smirked as she turned her head to gaze at him, their faces coming close as she leaned against him.