I Wanted to Stay Inside This Hour Forever

A dream I wished to never wake from.

Long after that evening had become just a tender memory, I once casually asked Jason,

“Was that night a date?”

Without skipping a beat, he confirmed it was.

But back then, through my eyes, it existed purely as a flawless dream.

Whether it was truly a date—I’ll leave that for you to decide.

—

It started unintentionally.

I didn’t mean to verbalize anything profound.

I simply sent a whimsical little sticker saying: I miss you.

Playful, harmless, uncomplicated.

Then my phone lit up,

his response crystal clear:

“I miss you too.”

My breath caught,

my fingers moved impulsively before rational thought could interfere:

“Can I pick you up after work on Monday?”

He replied immediately: “Yes.”

—

Monday unfolded chaotically.

I’d driven from another city, only to realize my car couldn’t enter Shanghai’s inner ring.

Flustered, I parked hastily near an unfamiliar metro station,

sprinted onto a crowded train,

feeling utterly absurd and undeniably nervous.

Yet at the station’s exit,

he stood, effortlessly composed,

a quiet smile illuminating his face—as though this was the most ordinary thing in the world.

In that instant, all anxiety evaporated,

and my own smile mirrored his, forgetting the days I’d secretly counted.

—

On the train, we lingered close,

our shoulders brushing softly,

a subtle tension vibrating in the air between us,

though our hands remained respectfully distant.

Dinner was predictable yet comforting at Wagas—my familiar sanctuary.

He stirred the beef gently, meticulously feeding me each morsel,

as naturally intimate as a practiced ritual,

quietly redefining tenderness in unspoken gestures.

—

We wandered aimlessly through a mall we once visited in 2017.

At an ice cream kiosk,

intending to offer him a taste, I inadvertently devoured the entire sample myself.

Holding the empty spoon awkwardly,

he gently took it from my fingers,

tasting what remained with understated grace,

offering a smile both elusive and deeply reassuring.

—

At the arcade, we raced.

He effortlessly defeated all challengers until it was just us.

Determined, I drove fiercely,

narrowly clinching victory.

He laughed genuinely, the sound warm and contagious.

Then came basketball,

and together, we shattered the high score.

Amidst the elation, without warning, he drew me into a spontaneous kiss—open, genuine, and fearless.

My voice quivered quietly beside his ear:

“What made you kiss me here?”

His reply was gentle, candid, undeniable:

“I just couldn’t help it.”

—

Later, without a word, he reserved a nearby hotel.

He led; I followed, unquestioning.

The rest I won’t detail explicitly.

Only this:

it was tender,

it was effortless,

and I refused to disrupt the delicate perfection by overanalyzing its meaning.

Because within that brief, ephemeral hour,

I felt profoundly,

beautifully,

unconditionally loved.