Li Jun breathes in, he hurried down the hallway and went into the lounge, hitting the button that showed him the front entrance of the apartment building on the intercom screen. And sure enough, there she was, standing with her huge bag in her hand. Polished and elegant and sophisticated.
He was expecting her. Li Na. His breathing became shallow. She'd come. She is here.
He pressed the button that unlocked the door for her. There was no time to have a shower or make himself more presentable for her somehow. She'd have to take him as is.
His heart beats like a set of percussion as he waits by the front door of his apartment for her to come in.
He felt like a schoolboy whose crush was visiting for the first time yet this was not the first time she was in her. Calm down, man!
The knock, when it came, was soft, and when he pulled it open she gave a little start as if she wasn't expecting him to answer so quickly. Her eyes widened slightly as she took him in, standing there shirtless and sweaty.
"Oh, I… Sorry, am I interrupting?" Her pale fingers shifted on the handle of her briefcase, her attention dropping to his taped knuckles. She frowned as she saw the way he was breathing repidly. "Shit, Li Jun. Are you okay?"
"It's nothing," he emphasized curtly. "Just running. Come in." And he held the door open for her, standing aside so she could enter.
She didn't say anything, but her gaze flickered down his body as she went past him and into the apartment, as if she couldn't help herself. And naturally enough his body was engulfed with the flame of lust as her eyes lingered on him.
Shit, he hadn't really planned on what was going to happen when she got here, mainly because he hadn't known if she would come or not. He very much wanted to kiss right there, but he knew his action would be refuted.
There was a nervous look to her as if she wasn't sure about being here, and he suspected that if he started coming on to her in his state of sweaty mess, she'd bolt. Perhaps it was better to wait and see.
He shut the door behind her then followed her down the hall and into the lounge, hitching a shoulder against the doorframe as she came to a stop in the middle of the room, looking around.
"I need to get cleaned up, take a shower," he said. "Can I get you a drink while you wait?"
"Yes, that would be good." She put down her bag near the couch. "What have you got?"
"I don't have any sort of Juice. Beer or water."
"Water is fine." She glanced around again. "What about your sister?"
"She's with our grandparents at Tianmu district."
"Oh!"She fiddled with her bag straps as she tried and turned away from his upper naked body.
Li Jun turned. "I'll get you a beer."
Coming back he found Li Na standing by the windows, looking out at the view laid before her eyes, her arms crossed. She took the bottle of cold water he handed to her and sipped at it, his gaze on her. "I will be in the shower for a while?"
"Sure. I will be waiting."
As she sat there, waiting for him to finish with his bath, certain thoughts passed through her mind diverting her attention from the music that Li Jun played to set the mood. All the arguing and passion in her office had lit their bodies on fire.
She shivered in remembrance of their shared night, solely from pleasure. It was a new feeling, but a very welcome one.
Jolted back from her thought by the incessant chime of the intercom. Li Na saw Li Jun coming out of his room with his hair ruffled and wet from the shower he just took. He went to the door and received the food package from the agent of the food delivery service, Then Li Jun sat next to her at the head of the table, he picked up his water glass and toasted their evening. As they clinked their glasses together, Li Na realized he wasn't drinking from the beer.
"You are not drinking?" she asked, sipping away incredulously.
He smiled at her and shook his head. "No, I'm not drinking tonight. It's just for you ."
"You will probably find this difficult to believe, but I don't drink all the time. Nevertheless, I don't expect you to finish this bottle by yourself. We'll save it for breakfast."
Li Na's eyebrows shot up. Breakfast? He is absolutely sure she is going to stay over tonight. What a braggart.
Li Jun reached over to stroke the skin at her wrist from time to time, just to reassure her. Whenever their eyes met he would stop whatever he was doing and smile at her encouragingly, hoping that she'd engage him in conversation. But she would only duck her head and look down at her plate—until the strains of a certain song filled their ears.
Her heart twists in her chest and suddenly she was aware of the fact that while she was much more put together than she was when he answered the door half-naked earlier, She realized that in his presence she loses focus.
She looked down, and it takes more effort than she thought to move her eyes away from his sincere gaze, but she managed.
Making a conscious effort to keep the sudden emotions at bay, She slipped out of his grasp and took the dirty dishes from the lunch they just had to the sink.
She was standing, scrubbing the bowl and spoon she used with much more force than necessary when Li Na felt him come up behind her.
"Don't touch the plate, I will wash it." Li Jun said.
Li Na didn't know how to respond, she can feel the heat of his body at her back, and she stiffens, unsure of what he's doing. His fingers gently brush her hair away from her face, and back over her shoulder, causing her to shudder involuntarily.
"What just happened?" The concern in Li Jun's voice is evident.
She squeezed her eyes shut, her grip on the bowl in her hand tightening, and she said nothing at first. When she continued to stand there with her eyes closed, she felt his hands wrap around her soap-stained own, gently removing the bowl and laying it in the sink. Then, he turns her around to face him, putting a finger under her chin and tipping her head up so that she has no choice but to look at him when she finally glances up.
His warm brown eyes made him feel vulnerable as she looked at him like this. Something happens when Li Jun studies her intently, his eyes moving back and forth between her eyes. It's like he can see through her and she feels kind of exposed.
"Did I do something?" he asks softly, looking genuinely perplexed.
"No."
"Then what happened?"
"I don't know." She stands there, her heart pounding hard, as the truth spills over my lips. She really has no idea, but his words cut through her. She's nervous; she's quivering, and her face is flushed. She made up her mind to tell him about her past.