"It's late. Come to bed."
Stella jolted slightly, then slowly got up, put down her book, and walked to the bed.
Since Leo had gotten into bed, she hadn't turned a single page. This was her first time sharing a bed with a man in her twenty-one years, and she was a bit at a loss.
But since they were married now, this was perfectly normal. Stella gave herself a mental pep talk, lifted the covers, and lay down.
Leo turned off the light, and the room plunged into darkness.
Stella felt the mattress dip significantly beside her as he lay down, and she quickly closed her eyes.
After a moment of silence, Leo suddenly spoke, "Move closer. You're about to fall off."
"…Oh."
She shuffled from the edge of the bed towards the center, reducing the gap between them from enough to fit another person to just half a person.
The room fell silent again.
After an indeterminate amount of time, Stella felt her bra constricting her chest uncomfortably. At the dorm, they all dressed casually, prioritizing comfort. Forget sleeping, they wouldn't even wear a bra during the day if they weren't going out or seeing anyone.
But in front of Leo, she felt embarrassed to be so casual, so she was fully dressed under her pajamas.
She listened intently, hearing only the steady sound of Leo's breathing. He must be asleep. She gently raised her hand to adjust her clothing, but as soon as she moved, Leo did too.
"Not asleep?" Leo asked.
"No, not yet," Stella replied stiffly. "You… aren't asleep either?"
Leo said, "No, I'm not used to having someone beside me."
"…" Me neither!
Stella turned away from him, using the movement to quickly pull her bra down.
"Goodnight," she finally said.
"Goodnight," Leo replied.
Stella had spent the morning at the registry office, the afternoon at the notary's office, and the evening moving books and cooking. She was already exhausted and soon drifted off.
But she wasn't a particularly restful sleeper. The plush toy she held close before falling asleep would often be found kicked to the foot of the bed in the morning. Moreover, she slept deeply and was hard to wake.
She had a cold constitution, with icy hands and feet in autumn and winter. Half asleep, she sought out the warmth beside her and rolled over towards it.
Leo was awakened by the cold, feeling the icy touch against his thigh. He reached down and found a slender ankle.
Stella had curled up into a ball, snuggling close to him. Her forehead rested against his shoulder, clutching his shirt, and her cold feet pressed against his thigh.
Leo was rarely at such a loss.
He had noticed her nervousness before bed but hadn't planned on doing anything, staying strictly on his side.
But now, every time he tried to move back, she followed. He moved an inch, she moved an inch, until he was at the edge of the bed with nowhere to retreat, and Stella was still inching towards him.
This was tricky.
He wasn't an unfeeling stone.
As Stella kept moving, Leo couldn't take it anymore. He wrapped his long arm around her, holding her tightly in his arms.
Stella mumbled a bit, seemingly dissatisfied or uncomfortable.
Leo loosened his hold slightly to see what she was trying to do. He watched as she skillfully moved her hands behind her back and swiftly pulled out an item, tossing it aside.
The room was dark, with only a sliver of moonlight filtering through the curtains, but Leo was close enough to see everything clearly.
He was instantly wide awake, tension evident in his temples.
The culprit, however, was blissfully unaware. She seemed to relax completely, like a bird finally free of its cage, and found a comfortable position in Leo's arms, falling into a deep sleep.
Leo took a moment to calm himself, then wrapped his arms around Stella again.
"You'll pay for this," he muttered through gritted teeth.
When Stella woke up, daylight was already streaming into the room. She sat up in bed, staring at the unfamiliar surroundings in a daze.
Her memories gradually came back, and she realized where she was. There was no one beside her, and the bedding was cool, indicating that Leo Starr had gotten up a while ago.
She burrowed back into the warm covers. She had thought she'd have trouble sleeping but ended up sleeping quite well. She distinctly remembered falling asleep on the right side, yet here she was on the left, using Leo's pillow.
But it was quite comfortable.
Rolling over a couple of times, she heard faint voices from the living room. Thinking Leo was calling her, she slipped on her slippers and walked out.
Leo was already dressed, talking with Assistant Lin.
Hearing a noise from the bedroom direction, Leo turned and saw his newlywed wife walking towards him in cat pajamas, her long hair down, looking somewhat disoriented.
She was probably just awake, still groggy and not as composed as usual, exuding a softness and lack of defense.
Leo's first instinct was to step forward, blocking Assistant Lin's view, and he shot him a glance.
Assistant Lin immediately turned around, lowering his head, wishing he could disappear. His boss's intense possessiveness was terrifying. He swore he hadn't seen anything!
Seeing Assistant Lin, Stella initially wanted to retreat to the bedroom, but seeing him head to the foyer, she walked up to Leo. "You're leaving for work so early?"
Her loose collar revealed a pendant she always wore, a high-quality white jade piece on a handmade black cord, simple and elegant.
Leo's gaze lingered on the pendant for a few seconds before he looked up and replied, "It's already 8:30."
"Oh," Stella scratched her head, embarrassed. "Have you had breakfast?"
"Yes, I have. Yours is in the dining room; remember to heat it up," Leo replied.
Stella nodded. "Okay."
Then they had nothing more to say.
The silence between the newlyweds felt awkward.
Stella was trying to think of something to say when Leo spoke up, "I'm going on a business trip to River City this afternoon. I'll be back on Friday."
Well, no need to be awkward anymore.
Her husband was leaving on the second day of their marriage, and he'd be gone for three days.
Stella nodded. "Okay, got it."
The silence fell again.
Leo didn't seem to be leaving just yet; he just stood there looking at her, as if he wanted to say something but didn't.
So what was happening now? Stella was confused. Was he waiting for a goodbye hug?
Well, it made sense since they were newlyweds.
Convincing herself, Stella stepped forward and hugged Leo around the waist. "Honey, have a safe trip."
After a moment, she added, "Come back soon."
Leo was caught off guard by her action, stumbling a bit. He paused for a moment before raising his arms to hug her back. "Okay."
Stella watched him leave. When the door opened, a gust of wind blew in through her pajama hem, sending a chill through her.
She tightened her robe and suddenly felt something was off.
Reaching down, she realized—hey? Where was her bra? When did she take it off? Who took it off?
Tsk, Stella covered her face, knowing it must have been her doing. She must have felt uncomfortable while asleep and… well, at least the buttons on her pajamas were done up.
She looked down and adjusted herself. Hmm, her… chest was decent enough that it wasn't too noticeable without a bra. Leo probably didn't notice… right?
Wait, hold on.
When she hugged Leo earlier, they were quite close. She could feel his firm chest muscles, so Leo must have…
Her phone suddenly rang, startling her as she swiped the screen open.
[Leo: I put your bra on the nightstand.]
Stella's mind went blank.
Her face flushed completely red.