Getting Ready

Lu Yan lingered in the bathroom for almost half an hour.

Only after the fever had completely subsided and his heartbeat had barely returned to normal did he take a deep breath, feign composure, turn the doorknob, and walk out.

In the living room, Aemeath had put her headphones back on and was sitting cross-legged on the sofa watching the screen, seemingly engrossed in the plot. However, the barely suppressed smirk on her lips betrayed her true feelings.

Hearing the bathroom door open, Aemeath didn't turn around. Instead, she deliberately dragged out her words, uttering lightly:

"Oh, you've finally decided to come out? I thought you were going to hide inside until dark."

Lu Yan paused slightly, as the temperature that had just dropped seemed to be making a comeback.

He cleared his throat, forcibly concealing the embarrassment in his eyes, and walked to the sofa to ruffle her hair. "Stop fooling around. Take a break after you've finished playing the game. I'll go prepare dinner."

After experiencing emotional highs and lows, plus the near-accident, the two didn't prepare a fancy dinner that night, but simply cooked two bowls of steaming hot tomato and egg noodles.

The atmosphere during the meal was subtly sticky.

Lu Yan almost dared not look directly into Aemeath's eyes. As soon as his gaze fell upon her pink lips, the sensation of that moment on the sofa that afternoon, which had left him with a blank mind, would uncontrollably replay in his mind.

Aemeath clearly noticed his evasive maneuver.

Instead of restraining herself, she intensified her actions, occasionally rubbing her toes lightly against Lu Yan's inner thigh under the table. Seeing his body stiffen slightly, she would chuckle like a cat that had just stolen some fish.

Finally, it was time to wash up.

The spring rain outside the window gradually stopped as night fell, leaving only the occasional dripping water from the eaves onto the bluestone slabs, making a crisp, pattering sound.

When Lu Yan finished showering and opened the bedroom door, the warm yellow bedside lamp was already on.

Aemeath had already finished washing up and was wearing her pink cotton pajamas, nestled obediently in bed.

Looking at her serene appearance, Lu Yan secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

He lifted a corner of the blanket, lay down, and was just about to pull her into his arms like he had last night, so they could have a good night's sleep.

However, the moment Lu Yan lay down, Aemeath suddenly turned over.

Aemeath didn't bury herself in his chest as usual. Instead, she rested her chin on her hand, lay on her side on the pillow, and stared straight at him.

The blanket slipped down to her waist because of her movement, and the neckline opened slightly, revealing a patch of snow-white skin and that heart-shaped Tacit Mark.

In the dim, warm yellow light, her golden eyes lacked the clarity of daytime, instead radiating a natural allure.

She reached out her other hand, her fingertips slowly sliding down Lu Yan's jawline, finally stopping at his Adam's apple, where she gently twirled it.

"A-Yan ~" Aemeath's voice was low and sensual, like a seductive spell in the quiet night, "Don't you... intend to devour me?"

This straightforward statement was like a firework, exploding directly in Lu Yan's mind.

He could even feel all the blood in his body rushing to the top of his head in that instant.

Lu Yan's face flushed bright red instantly, and even his ears and neck turned crimson.

His Adam's apple bobbed violently, and he grabbed Aemeath's still-mischievous little hand.

"Aemeath... stop fooling around." Lu Yan's voice trembled slightly.

He dared not look her in the eye; his gaze wandered aimlessly across the ceiling.

As a man, he is certainly not a saint.

Holding the girl you deeply love in your arms, who has already made her feelings clear, it would be utter self-deception to say you feel no such impulse.

But... no. At least not now.

That awkward, out-of-control kiss that afternoon had already proven his complete lack of experience in this kind of thing; he couldn't just rush into being together on such an unprepared, even somewhat hasty, night.

This was the spoils of her sincere devotion; he wanted to give her the best, the gentlest, the most perfect experience, not act on impulse.

Moreover... we don't even have those kinds of supplies at home.

Lu Yan took a deep breath, suppressing the surging agitation within him, Aemeath's hand tightly in his palm. His gaze finally met hers with unwavering seriousness, no longer darting away.

"Give me some more time... to prepare." Lu Yan blushed and hesitated for a long time before solemnly uttering these words.

Aemeath was stunned by the answer.

She had originally thought that Lu Yan would take advantage of the situation and push her down directly, or push her away in a panic like he had in the afternoon, but she never expected that he would say something like "get ready" in a serious tone.

Looking at Lu Yan's face, which was flushed red yet incredibly sincere, Aemeath's mischievous urge to continue teasing him turned into helplessness and amusement.

"Fine, fine, fine." Aemeath rolled her eyes, speechless, but couldn't help but let her lips curl into a wild smile.

She rolled over and lay flat on her back, nestled into Lu Yan's arms, found the most comfortable position, and closed her eyes. "I'm really impressed with you. Well, I'll be waiting to see how you're going to prepare."

Lu Yan let out a long sigh of relief, put his arm around her shoulder, and placed a gentle goodnight kiss on her forehead.

After that blush-inducing, heart-pounding late-night conversation, life seemed to return to its most peaceful course.

During this time, the two spent a few ordinary but warm days together.

As the sun shone brighter at the end of April, the persimmon tree in the courtyard grew even more lush green leaves.

After retiring from writing, Lu Yan fully embraced retirement.

He no longer stayed up all night to finish his manuscript. He got up early every day, Aemeath was in the kitchen experimenting with the new recipes she had learned. Sometimes he would cook some ordinary home-style dishes for Aemeath himself.

During the day, Aemeath will continue watching the Wuthering Waves storyline.

Lu Yan would pull up a chair and sit next to him, holding a sketchbook.

His eyes were no longer fixed on the business outline, but instead were used to capture the way Aemeath frowned while playing games, looked satisfied while eating, and even drooled while dozing off carelessly on the sofa.

They didn't bring up that ambiguous topic again, nor did they embark on any thrilling adventures.

We simply cleaned the house together in the spring sunshine, watched mindless TV programs together, and went to the nearby supermarket hand in hand to buy groceries in the evening.

These past few days, seemingly uneventful, have been like a pot of broth simmering slowly, making the feelings between the two of them grow richer and more inseparable.