"Aren't you going to take a shower?" Guo Min asked, still rubbing her damp hair with a towel in front of the mirror. She eyed him through the reflection, her lips tugging into a small pout when she saw him glued to his phone again.
"…I will." Zihan's tone was casual, but his gaze didn't leave the screen.
She narrowed her eyes. Something about the way his brows knit together, the faint shadow that passed over his expression, it wasn't directed at her, but at whatever he was reading. She felt the change immediately, subtle yet sharp.
"Something wrong?" she asked, tilting her head slightly.
"…No." The answer came too quickly, too clipped. He rose from the couch in one smooth motion and disappeared into the bathroom.
Guo Min exhaled, dropping the towel onto the dresser. She didn't believe him, not entirely. Zihan rarely betrayed his emotions, and when he did, even a flicker, it meant something serious was brewing behind that mask of calm.
Half an hour later, the bathroom door opened. He emerged in his dark silk pajamas, his damp hair a little messy, droplets still clinging to the ends. For a fleeting moment, he looked relaxed, almost domestic. But the illusion shattered the second his eyes found his phone again.
Without hesitation, he plucked it from the table, the glow of the screen reflecting in his sharp gaze. His jaw tightened as he scrolled, the muscles in his forearm flexing with restrained tension.
Guo Min watched silently from the bed, biting her lip. Whatever it was, it was eating at him. He sank into the sofa with the kind of composure that only made his unease more obvious. Typing with one hand, he absentmindedly reached for the glass of iced tea with the other, sipping slowly as though nothing was wrong.
But his eyes were hard.
The air in the room thickened with unspoken questions. Guo Min felt her chest stir with unease, but at the same time, a spark of stubbornness lit in her. If he thought she was just going to ignore it, he didn't know her well enough yet.
She rose from the bed and walked over to him, her steps slow but deliberate. Without asking, she sat across his lap, forcing his attention away from the glowing screen. His fingers stilled mid-scroll, a faint pause giving away his surprise, before her head nestled against his shoulder.
"What are you looking at?" she asked softly, her tone calm but carrying an edge of curiosity.
His thumb locked the screen. "…Just Yufan."
"…Yufan?" Her brows knit together as she pulled back slightly to search his face. The name alone was enough to stir a rush of thoughts. Yufan wasn't just anyone, he was in the military. Clouds of suspicion formed in her mind before she could stop them. "…Is something wrong?" she blurted, her voice a shade more urgent. It was the only possibility that made sense.
Zihan's eyes flickered, but his expression smoothed out so quickly it almost looked natural. "No." He set the phone down beside him, his voice even, unbothered. "He mentioned Xiang getting into a small accident, that's all."
He lied through his teeth. And she knew it.
Her lips parted as if to press him further, but after a long breath, she closed them again. She could tell, he wasn't going to say more tonight. Pushing would only harden his silence. "…Okay then."
Instead, she leaned in, pressed a lingering kiss to his forehead, then another to his lips, her warmth a quiet reminder that she trusted him even if she didn't believe him. Standing, she retreated to the bed and slid under the sheets. "Good night."
She had barely pulled the blanket over herself when his voice cut through the dark.
"Not yet."
Her pulse jumped as Zihan's shadow loomed over her, his body pressing close until she felt his breath against her cheek. His lips found her skin, feather-light at first, then bolder as they moved across her face, her jaw, her neck. His hands framed her, firm but possessive. "The night is still long," he murmured between kisses, his tone low, certain.
Guo Min's heart raced, her earlier suspicions melting into heat. She sighed softly, her protests dissolving before they could form. The room is filled with the sound of kisses, whispers, and the rhythm of bodies learning each other all over again. And the night went on, longer than she expected.
Next Morning.
Sunlight filtered lazily through the curtains, golden streaks painting the room in a soft glow.
Zihan was already awake, seated in a crisp shirt, hair still damp from his shower. His usual calm demeanor was intact, but his skin held the refreshed glow of someone who hadn't slept much at all, but didn't need to. A cup of tea rested in his hand, steam curling gently above it as he spoke on call with Yufan.
On the other hand, Guo Min was still tangled in the sheets, her hair a beautiful mess on the pillow, her limbs heavy, her body drained from the night before. She stirred, burying her face deeper into the covers with a groan when the sunlight found her eyes.
Zihan's gaze lingered on her, his lips curving ever so slightly as she stirred beneath the sheets.
When Guo Min finally dragged herself out of bed, she padded toward the bathroom, still half-asleep. A warm shower later, she emerged with damp skin, bare legs peeking beneath one of Zihan's shirts she had slipped into. The collar slid low on one shoulder, the fabric hanging loosely against her frame. Her hair was twisted into a messy bun, a few rebellious strands framing her face.
They weren't planning to go out today anyway.
Zihan's eyes never left her as she crossed the room and sat opposite him. Something about her in his clothes stirred a deep, quiet satisfaction in him...like she was finally claiming the place that was already hers.
Breakfast arrived shortly after, the two of them sitting across from each other in comfortable silence. It wasn't awkward; it was the kind of silence that felt strangely intimate, filled with the soft clinks of cutlery and the faint hum of waves outside.
Finally, Zihan set his phone down, his attention narrowing entirely on her. "Is there anything you want to do today?"
Guo Min glanced up mid-bite, blinking at him as though she hadn't expected him to ask. She chewed slowly, then shrugged lightly. "Nothing really… we can go surfing tomorrow though. But today…" she leaned back in her chair, stretching lazily with a soft sigh, "let's just rest."
Zihan studied her for a long second, expression unreadable before he gave a simple nod. "Okay." Already deciding that if she wanted to rest, then rest they would.
Guo Min smiled faintly and went back to her food. When they finished, she dabbed her lips with the serviette, neatly folding it before setting it aside. She stood, stretching lightly as she turned toward the bed.
But before she could take more than a step, a firm hand caught her wrist. With a quick tug, Zihan pulled her back down into the chair.
Her brows knitted, eyes blinking in surprise. "What is it?"
He didn't bother with an answer. Instead, his tall frame stood and walked closer, his presence suddenly looming over her as he caged her in with both hands braced against the arms of the chair. His face dipped slowly toward hers.
"Zihan!" Her protest broke into a soft, startled moan when his other hand slid up her thigh, fingers tracing with maddening leisure. Her breath hitched, the sensation pulling her body taut against the chair.
She glared at him through half-lidded eyes, though the redness creeping over her cheeks betrayed her. "Hey… what do you think you're doing?" Her voice was breathless, the question sounding weaker than she intended.
Zihan's lips curved, his dark gaze locked firmly on her. "What does it look like?" he murmured, voice low and husky, his fingers pressing lightly into her skin as if claiming it all over again. "I want you."
Her breath caught, eyes widening. "…Bu...but yesterday you…" She stammered, staring at him in disbelief.
"That was yesterday," he cut in smoothly, the corner of his mouth lifting as though the excuse was meaningless. "Yesterday, meaning the past."
Her jaw dropped at his shamelessness, cheeks heating in outrage and something else she didn't want to name. "The pain isn't a past tense on my body, Zhu Zihan," she shot back, glaring, her voice sharp even as her body betrayed her by leaning into his warmth.
He chuckled, the sound dark and unrepentant. "Pain?" His thumb grazed the edge of her thigh, dangerously close to the hem of the shirt she was wearing. "You call it pain, but you were clinging to me, begging me not to stop."
Her face flamed instantly, her mouth opening only to close again. "Y-you...!"
"Yes me." he confirmed shamelessly, leaning in until his lips brushed her ear. "And tonight, it will be me again."