I didn’t know what to say. None of my words felt enough. “This is the most beautiful and personal present I’ve ever received. I’m going to cherish this.” I wanted to hug sheep Cháng’é to my chest, but obviously I couldn’t without crumpling her.

“Drew,” I said, then paused, because I needed him to know that I truly and completely meant these next words. “I believe that one day the world will thank you for the sacrifice you made to paint these.”

He looked away, then back at me, blinking quickly. I reached a hand up and caught the tear that had escaped.

“I’m—I’m speechless,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. He closed the distance between us, stopping when our faces were inches apart.

My stomach was somersaulting—or was it filling with butterflies? Or just struggling to digest all that hot pot? No, definitely a romantic thing. I felt a… hunger for him.

“Thank you for sharing your work with me,” I said, hoping he knew I was trying to acknowledge the huge step he’d taken without making it too big of a deal. “And thank you for my very own original Drew Chan. You’re quite the charmer, you know that? I’m glad there isn’t a Rent for You company, or else you’d be out there using this charm to woo girls, not their parents.”

He leaned down and touched his forehead to mine. “My charm is very specifically catered to you, I think.”

“That it is,” I murmured.

We kissed—soft, slow, and sweet as pure honey. The inner hunger grew. He tasted a little like the gum he’d chewed after dinner, but more like him—this indescribable sweetness enhanced by his pheromones. His mouth gently pressed against mine, and then his tongue parted my lips and caressed me with just enough pressure to ignite all my nerve endings. His movements were soft and slow, tender, but I needed more and dove in, throwing self-consciousness to the wind and following my heart for once. I couldn’t kiss him hard enough, inhale him enough, or taste him enough.

I stopped thinking about what I looked like or whether I was doing anything that could be considered weird and just sank into the moment. And when I say sank, I mean the opposite, because as I kissed him, my left leg wrapped around his side, and then he grasped my thighs, and before I knew it, I was in the air, straddling him, pushing my body against his with so much fervor I had no idea how he didn’t fall over.

Then he did stumble, and we chuckled as we tumbled forward, but he caught me in his arms.