Yera sighed as she changed into a pair of pajamas. This time she did not dare wear a sleep shirt or a nightgown because Xander said he would be sleeping together with her on their bed starting tonight. She did not want him to think that she was deliberately wearing less clothes to expose some of her skin. Because knowing Xander, he would surely blame it on her bare skin if he was compelled to do indecent things.
She paused… 'Knowing Xander?' She mused helplessly. She felt like she got to know Xander more with each passing day. She was getting even more used to his presence.
Xander was inside the bathroom, showering. Yera sighed as she lay on her side on the bed. She closed her eyes, thinking it would be better if she were already asleep by the time Xander got out of the bathroom.
Not long after, Yera felt their bed sink. Xander was now on the bed. "Are you asleep?" She heard Xander asking, but chose not to respond for fear of all the inappropriate things that might happen if they were both awake on the bed.
Yera could feel Xander's movement, and she froze when she felt his hands on her waist, hugging her, pressing his body against her back. She bit her lower lip, trying her best to ignore him and to sleep
'Why can't I sleep?' She complained inwardly. Her body was obviously tired, but her heart was beating erratically.
She got goosebumps when she felt Xander's warm breath on her nape. He whispered, "Relax and sleep. I will behave, so trust me… Let's go jogging and watch the sunrise tomorrow morning. I'll wake you up early. So sleep now."
Yera did not respond even when Xander planted a kiss on her neck and buried his face in her hair. He then murmured sluggishly, "Goodnight, Darling."
Yera somehow felt relaxed, and her body finally gave in to slumber.
....
Next morning, Yera woke up with Xander's smiling face right in front of her.
"Hmmm, as expected, you woke up early. Let's get up and go for jogging. It's good for our health. And the sunrise would be beautiful…" Xander said with a wink before he pinched her nose and got up from bed.
Yera sighed as soon as Xander left to their dressing room to change. She noticed she was often sighing…
She would only sigh instead of wasting her energy to nag and confront Xander about his brazen behavior. She had gotten used to letting him have his way with her as long as he would not do something that crossed the line.
She did a little stretching before she stood up to get her jogging outfit. She almost forgot that this was her usual routine before as Yera Han. She loved to go for jogging early in the morning whenever she could, or on a day-off, like today.
They jogged around the perimeter of Yang's ancestral mansion, and Yera finally got to see how big their land was. They were both panting as Yera dropped her body onto the fresh grass and looked at the sky. The sun was about to rise soon. Xander did the same beside her.
"Bernard and I would often see the sunrise together when we were kids… He often stayed in our mansion because he was not allowed to go out because of his sickness. We grew up like brothers. Although he went abroad and stayed there for so long, I would visit him every month. Funny... Both of us have disorders, but mine was nothing compared to his..." Xander narrated.
Yera remained quiet as she listened to him. She thought the disorder Xander was telling her about was his sleeping disorder.
Yera then spoke, "I noticed Bernard was weak as soon as I met him for the first time on Ryu Ken's island. That day, he had even passed out there." It was pleasant to reminisce about Bernard together. Xander even shared all the funny moments he and Bernard had had with her, to which Yera responded with a hearty laughter.
The sun finally rose, and Yera gasped as she whispered, "It's beautiful."
"Yeah, very beautiful, indeed," Xander murmured a response. But unlike Yera, he was not looking at the sun, but he at her beautiful face as it was basking under the sun rays.
"What do you want to do today?" Xander quickly asked when Yera turned to face him. "If you have no plans, then come with me…" added Xander, smiling.
Yera was mesmerized by Xander's charming smile, so she could not help but remark, "Hmmm, I wonder how you manage to always smile like that. 'The Clown' actually really suits you, you know...? Anyway, where are we going?"
Xander laughed and firmly said, "I prefer that you call me 'Darling'… We are going on a date. Dad asked, how come we rarely go out together. He even scolded me last night for not taking you out on a date. So don't be surprised if you hear about it at breakfast. He will definitely remind me of that again in front of you."
Yera nodded in understanding, but she suddenly suggested, "We can go out together then go on separate ways afterward…"
'Geez… so cold…' Xander mused. But he quickly objected, "No! I already made some reservations, so we better use it. Why? Do you have some other place you want to go to?"
Yera shrugged her shoulders and answered, "Yeah, I wanted to visit the Kens…"
"Alright, we can visit them together." Xander suggested. Yera's eyes widened as she reminded him, "But they don't know I'm married, and besides…"
Xander's face suddenly look saddened. He then murmured, "But I also want to meet your friends. Are you perhaps ashamed of me being your husband? I heard they are Bernard's close friends, so if possible, I want to get to know them too."
Yera suddenly felt guilty seeing the downcasted look on Xander's face.
"Alright. They are all my trusted friends, so introducing you to them is not a bad idea at all. Perhaps if they know I'm married, they will stop worrying about me," Yera said.
Arya Ken would check on her every now and then, and lately, she kept calling her to ask if she was alright that she wanted to meet her again. But Yera had been busy making a name as one of the best surgeons at Yang Hospital, so she had always declined.
Because she was drowned in her own thoughts, Yera failed to notice the change in Xander's expression. He no longer had the downcasted look on his face. It had instead changed into an amused grin as soon as she agreed with him.