Try Again chapter 52
Filling in the Memories
This time, Ji Minglun took a week off to accompany Jiang Lin.
He had wanted two weeks, but after talking with his school, it would have made him miss the start of the semester, so he settled for one week.
Jiang Lin again chose to transfer flights in Shanghai. After landing at Gaoqi Airport, they had afternoon tea at Pudong Airport and rested briefly. By 6 p.m., they were ready to board the plane.
Ji Minglun had applied for his visa last spring. When Jiang Lin brought it up recently, Ji Minglun confirmed it was still valid. Jiang Lin saw the date on the visa and asked if Ji Minglun had planned to go to Los Angeles. He didn’t deny it and smiled, saying he’d planned to chase after him last summer but gave up in the end.
When discussing this topic, Jiang Lin felt a little guilty, but Ji Minglun didn’t think much of it. After all, it was in the past. Moreover, from a positive perspective, without their year-long separation, Jiang Lin wouldn’t have fully realized his feelings for him.
The moment the plane left the ground, Jiang Lin looked through the window at Pudong Airport, which was gradually receding behind them, feeling a bittersweet emotion that was hard to describe.
More than a year ago, he had left from this very place, but back then, he had just broken ties with Ji Minglun. Although, it wasn’t exactly a “break”; he had simply avoided Ji Minglun without telling anyone about his departure. No one knew when he left, and naturally, no one came to see him off. At that time, he had been in a daze, uncertain about his life for the next two years, unlike now, with Ji Minglun sitting next to him, holding his hand as the plane took off.
Feeling the warmth from Ji Minglun’s fingertips, Jiang Lin smiled and turned to glance at the person beside him.
Ji Minglun was also looking at him through the window, his eyes reflecting the blue sky outside, along with a faint image of Jiang Lin, small but clear.
“What are you smiling at?” Ji Minglun asked curiously.
Jiang Lin shook his head, lowering his gaze to their hands, still intertwined.
They had bought business class tickets, with two seats per row on either side, providing enough privacy that Jiang Lin didn’t worry about the people nearby seeing Ji Minglun holding his hand. He tightened his grip on Ji Minglun’s fingers before saying, “This trip to Los Angeles is really different from the last one.”
Ji Minglun understood and agreed, “Yeah, back then, I didn’t even know you had left until you were already in Los Angeles.”
“I really wanted to chase after you and get an explanation, but I hadn’t gotten my visa yet. By the time I calmed down, I was so angry that I didn’t want to go.”
“You were angry because I left without saying goodbye?” Jiang Lin asked.
Looking at the eczema on Jiang Lin’s fingers, which had almost healed, Ji Minglun said, “I was angry because you were too heartless. It’s one thing if you didn’t like me, but after more than a decade of friendship, you just left without a word. You didn’t even answer my calls or open the door.”
“At that time, I thought I’d never see you again.”
By the end of his sentence, Ji Minglun’s mind had wandered. Perhaps he was reliving the emotions of that time, as the smile on his face faded, and his gaze dimmed.
“I’m sorry,” Jiang Lin squeezed his hand. When Ji Minglun looked at him, he continued, “Back then, I truly didn’t know what to do.”
“Actually…”
Jiang Lin hesitated, and Ji Minglun asked, “Actually, what?”
Staring at the phone on his lap, Jiang Lin finally murmured, “Actually, I left not just because I didn’t know how to face you, but also because I didn’t know how to face myself after that night.”
“What do you mean?”
Jiang Lin remained silent for a while.
Seeing that he couldn’t find the words, Ji Minglun suddenly recalled something and leaned closer to him, cautiously asking, “Are you trying to say that you felt something that night, too?”
Jiang Lin’s ears turned bright red at having his unspoken thoughts exposed. He turned to look out the window, his fingers nervously twisting the armrest.
Noticing his reaction, Ji Minglun said, “So, I wasn’t imagining things when I kissed you.”
Jiang Lin couldn’t even remember the details of that night anymore. Now, on the plane, just one sentence from Ji Minglun was enough to make him react.
He pulled his right hand away, trying to calm down by gazing at the clouds outside, hoping to still his thoughts and cool his body. But Ji Minglun wouldn’t let him off the hook.
Ji Minglun’s warm breath lingered near his ear, refusing to pull away. Seeing that Jiang Lin didn’t respond, Ji Minglun continued, “At first, when you didn’t push me away, I thought you were just shocked. But thinking back now, you let me kiss you for quite a while.”
“You didn’t pull away when we tongue kissed, and even when I held your waist, you didn’t stop me,” Ji Minglun continued, becoming more absorbed in the memory. “It wasn’t until I bumped into you that you reacted.”
Ji Minglun kissed the tip of Jiang Lin’s burning ear, noticing his shoulders tremble slightly. Smiling, he rested his forehead against Jiang Lin’s shoulder and arm. “If only I had kissed you earlier. If you hadn’t gone abroad back then, maybe we could have been together sooner.”
Jiang Lin was speechless.
He stared at the rolling clouds outside, his eyes stinging until he had to close them.
Every word Ji Minglun said struck a chord in his heart. Even though this conversation had begun with his sudden confession, he couldn’t understand why he had brought it up. It was so out of character for him.
But hearing Ji Minglun say such intimate things in public, Jiang Lin found himself strangely exhilarated, wanting to hear more.
He couldn’t make sense of his own feelings and blamed it all on the impending separation.
Because of this secret exchange, the next dozen hours of the flight carried a subtle, indescribable tension between them. Whether eating, sleeping, or watching a movie together with one shared earbud, even when Ji Minglun stole a kiss under a blanket late at night while everyone else was asleep, Jiang Lin found it all thrilling and irresistible.
This feeling lingered until they landed. Without even grabbing their luggage, Ji Minglun pulled Jiang Lin into the nearest restroom, where they kissed passionately in a stall.
Jiang Lin had never craved Ji Minglun so intensely in public. The more untouchable Ji Minglun was, the more he wanted him. Ji Minglun, too, couldn’t wait to get closer. But the kiss couldn’t dispel the tension built up over those long hours. Eventually, Jiang Lin felt weak in the knees, and, knowing that if they continued, he wouldn’t be able to face anyone, he had to push Ji Minglun away to catch his breath.
By the time they left the airport, the sky was already bright. Jiang Lin hailed a taxi and they headed to a residential area near the school.
He and Lu Zhe rented a unit in a row of townhouses. The exterior walls were red brick with gray tiles, in an American style, and it had a small lawn. On either side of the road, ginkgo trees lined the way, their leaves fluttering in the breeze. Young people on bicycles and residents walking their dogs passed by, while yellow and white school buses crossed the morning streets.
Although there were no language barriers, everything here was unfamiliar to Ji Minglun. However, when he thought about how Jiang Lin had lived through all four seasons in this environment, he felt a strange sense of familiarity. He admired the scenery along the way until they reached their destination.
As they got out of the car, Jiang Lin took a key out of his bag. Just as he was about to open the small iron gate downstairs, he heard someone shout, “Berial!”
Jiang Lin turned his head and saw a face bathed in the morning sun, full of surprise. He smiled at the person, and then watched as they ran towards him, leaped into his arms, and hung onto him with their arms around his neck.
Ji Minglun was stunned, but Jiang Lin reacted naturally, reaching out to hug the person’s waist and laughing as he said in English, “You’ve gained weight again.”
The girl in Jiang Lin’s arms was about five or six years old, with curly blonde hair and snow-white skin. She had thrown herself at him with such force that Jiang Lin took a step back before regaining his balance.
Ji Minglun reached out to steady Jiang Lin’s waist. The girl noticed him and, without even refuting Jiang Lin’s words, immediately asked Ji Minglun, “Who are you?”
Ji Minglun was about to introduce himself when he heard Jiang Lin explain for him. After listening, the girl smiled at Ji Minglun, introduced herself, and then stopped paying attention to him. She turned to Jiang Lin and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, speaking in Chinese as she whined, “I missed you so much.”
Her Chinese pronunciation was very standard. Jiang Lin smiled again after hearing her and asked if she had continued learning Chinese during the past two months. She said yes, but just as she was about to say more, there was a noise from behind the small iron gate. The gate opened, and a young man with black hair, wearing a loose white shirt, walked out.
“Kloey, look who’s back!” the girl excitedly shouted to the young man. The young man, having heard the noise, had already opened the window to see what was happening outside.
Jiang Lin put the girl down and walked towards the man leaning against the door with open arms, giving him a tight hug.
This young man with a gentle and charming smile had a similar build to Jiang Lin and seemed about the same age. His gaze carried a faint hint of laziness. Ji Minglun was still processing how Jiang Lin seemed to embrace everyone he met, when he heard the young man ask, “So, he’s Ji Minglun?”
Jiang Lin turned back to glance at the still-confused Ji Minglun, a hint of subtle shyness flashing across his face.
“Yes, let me introduce you,” Jiang Lin said as he walked back to Ji Minglun’s side, pointing to the handsome young man leaning against the door. “Minglun, this is Lu Zhe, my roommate from Hong Kong.”
Ji Minglun had heard Jiang Lin mention Lu Zhe before and knew that Lu Zhe had helped with their relationship issues. So, he stepped forward and shook Lu Zhe’s hand. “Nice to meet you.”
Lu Zhe gave him a light handshake before letting go, smiling as he turned and said, “Come on in, I’m making breakfast. Have you guys eaten yet?”
“I’ll take him out to eat later,” Jiang Lin said, declining Lu Zhe’s offer to carry his luggage. After entering, Jiang Lin glanced at the living room and asked, “When did you get back? Why didn’t you tell me?”
As they chatted, Ji Minglun also carried his luggage inside and briefly scanned the layout of the first-floor living room.
Although Jiang Lin and Lu Zhe were renting a townhouse, it was only about 100 square meters, spread over three floors. The first floor was a common area, and Lu Zhe and Jiang Lin had their rooms on the second and third floors, respectively.
A large TV in the living room was playing a TVB drama, and the sudden Cantonese gave Ji Minglun a strange feeling. Jiang Lin turned around to explain, “Lu Zhe is a TVB fan.”
Ji Minglun nodded. Lu Zhe, who had just gotten up not long ago, was in the kitchen making breakfast. The faint smell of something burning reached them, and Jiang Lin told him not to bother with their meal, carrying the luggage upstairs with Ji Minglun.
As they turned the corner of the stairs, sunlight streamed through the nearby window, spreading over the redwood steps. Jiang Lin was bathed in the bright light, and perhaps sensing Ji Minglun’s gaze, he turned around and smiled, saying, “One more floor to go, my room’s on the third floor.”
Ji Minglun’s attention lingered on the curve of Jiang Lin’s lips. It took him a moment to respond. Jiang Lin didn’t seem to notice his distraction. When they reached the third floor, Jiang Lin opened the door to his room, and after setting his bag on the desk, he suddenly felt a force hit his back. Two arms wrapped around his waist, and warm lips landed on the back of his neck.
Even though the air conditioning was on in both the taxi and the house, Jiang Lin had still broken a bit of a sweat. He laughed and dodged Ji Minglun’s kiss, turning his head to look at the wide-open door. “I’m all sweaty; don’t kiss me yet. The door’s still open!”
Ji Minglun kicked the door shut and pushed Jiang Lin towards the bed. They tumbled onto it, half-laughing, half-stumbling.
Just before kissing Jiang Lin on the lips, Ji Minglun whispered teasingly, “Have I ever kissed you less when you’re sweaty?”
Jiang Lin remembered the reasons for his previous sweat-drenched moments and suddenly felt embarrassed. Before he could protest, Ji Minglun’s lips sealed his words.
Desire and affection intertwined, flooding over him. It was the same feeling of unquenched passion from the airport restroom. Although he was mindful that Lu Zhe was just downstairs, Jiang Lin knew Lu Zhe would definitely knock before entering any room. But that wasn’t the most important thing—more than anything, Jiang Lin didn’t want to push Ji Minglun away.
They rolled over each other several times on the bed, which hadn’t had its sheets changed yet. Jiang Lin couldn’t handle Ji Minglun’s teasing for long, half-heartedly resisting as Ji Minglun unzipped his pants. In his panic, he grabbed Ji Minglun’s wrist and, with the last bit of his rationality, told him to go lock the door.
Ji Minglun didn’t want to let go, but he also didn’t want anyone else to see Jiang Lin like this. So, he quickly went to lock the door. Jiang Lin relaxed, but soon tensed up again, trembling uncontrollably in Ji Minglun’s arms. Several times, he tried to bite his lip to keep from making noise, but each time, Ji Minglun’s lips silenced him.
He clung tightly to Ji Minglun’s neck with his left hand, feeling the ceiling light spin more and more in his blurred vision. Ji Minglun kissed him again and again, his tongue filling Jiang Lin’s mouth until he was gasping for breath, his body convulsing. Finally, when his vision cleared again, Ji Minglun released his lips.
The two of them pressed their chests tightly together, both breathing rapidly, and their sweat soaked through their clothes. Unfortunately, this level of contact wasn’t enough to satisfy them. Ji Minglun held him and kissed him for a while longer, then when he got up to find a tissue, Jiang Lin said it wasn’t necessary and went into the en suite bathroom to shower.
Lu Zhe had returned two days earlier, so the water and electricity had already been set up. Jiang Lin took a hot shower, which washed away the fatigue of the journey, and he felt refreshed when he came out. Ji Minglun went in to shower too, and by the time they went downstairs, it was nearly noon. Lu Zhe, lying on the couch with a cushion, was watching a drama. When he turned to look at them, the meaning in his eyes was obvious.
Jiang Lin felt a little awkward, thinking that they had stayed upstairs for too long. Fortunately, Lu Zhe knew his personality well and didn’t tease him. He simply paused the drama and said, “There are plenty of ingredients in the fridge. Why don’t we eat at home for lunch? I can show off some of the dishes I learned during the summer break.”