Back when we were kids

He slowly muted the TV, and was contemplating whether to curl up here or carry Chen to bed when Yu Chen snuggled closer to his chest and smiled.

Si Xia chuckled as he pulled the blanket draped on the back of the couch and shifted into a more comfortable position.

The next morning . . .

Yu Chen blinked and opened her eyes as a smile appeared on her lips. She had slept very well. Her smile widened as the reason came into her line of sight.

She was absolutely and hopelessly in love with morning Xi Xi. His hair all tousled, mouth slightly open, and guard completely down. He looked very much like an innocent baby when he slept. Thinking about innocence, Chen was reminded of a time when all of them really were quite innocent, especially Si Xia.

Chen remembered how he looked seven years before, hair all messy, just the way she liked it, and an innocent shine in those black eyes. She let out a laugh remembering how much Xia used to love ripped jeans and thinking about what would his employees do if he showed up to work in ripped jeans.

But of course, he had never been as carefree as a kid should be. Si Xia had been an orphan for as long as he could remember. And he had always been more mature, more responsible than any other kid his age, even Yu Chen. Also to top it off, he was never one to talk too much. Chen herself wasn't one to engage in mindless chattering, but Si Xia spoke only when absolutely necessary. Thinking about her past made Chen sad as she thought about what had happened then. Xi Hua's fall, that was meant for her. And Mo Kio's accident.

If there was one thing she wished she could do differently in this life, it would be to never let Mo Kio go alone on that day. "Just how many second chances do you want from life? Huh?" she muttered self-depreciatingly as her mind wandered to the second chance she had gotten at life, and what her life had been like before. She shook her head and pulled herself out of these thoughts, resolving not to dwell on her past life, it was a thing of the past anyway.

As if on cue, Chen's phone buzzed, pulling her to the present. But as soon as she picked it to see who was messaging her, Chen was thrown right back into her thoughts. Her eyes widened and mind turned blank as she stared at the screen. Yu Chen realized that her breathing was getting irregular, and that she should probably calm herself down before Si Xia woke up and got worried about her.

So she forced herself to take a few deep breaths and closed her eyes as she felt Xia stirring beside her. Yu Chen was almost calm by the time Xia opened his eyes. She smiled and pulled Oreo in her lap to distract herself as he asked, "Was that my phone that went off?"

Chen shook her head and replied, "It was mine."

Si Xia stretched and yawned. "Weird. I could swear I heard my notification sound go off. Anyway, good morning. Did you sleep well?" Yu Chen nodded and buried her face deeper into Oreo's fur.