A/N: Thanks for the reviews, you guys! I'm glad you like how the story's developing. Wine and Roses, your review cracked me up! Do her in Jin's bed? Hmm, don't tempt me. ;)

Chapter 4: Irritated

"No way!"

"Yes way." Xiaoyu said into the phone, seated on the chrome kitchen countertop.

"And they were right there?"

"They were right there." She repeated. "Well, a good couple of feet away, but still, they were close by."

"What a player." Miharu commented. "Was he cute?"

"...That's irrelevant."

"Irrelevant." She mimicked. "You're using Jin-speak again, Xiao. He was cute, wasn't he"

"Does it matter?"

"Only someone who knew they were cute enough to get away with it would do something like that."

"What, like that's an excuse?"

"Oh, c'mon Xiao. You've been hit on before and we've laughed about it. Where's your sense of humour this time?"

"I left it in my other jeans." Xiaoyu grumbled.

"Did he swipe that from your pocket as well as your money?" Miharu shot back.

Xiaoyu frowned at the receiver, feeling a tingle in her stomach again as she went over that moment in her mind. She'd relived it about five times since she'd got up, she was ashamed to admit. Not because of him, but because of how her body had reacted, and because it was reacting to someone else's touch instead of her own for once.

"Ha ha." she said. "Sorry, but I'm really not seeing the funny in this situation." No answer. "Miharu?"

There was a muffed exchange from the other end, and then her friend's voice came back on the line.

"Sorry Xiao, I have to go. I'll ring you later on, okay? Don't take it so seriously, okay? Forget about it, and if you can't, then do something to take your mind off it, like... oh, I dunno, have sex with your gorgeous husband?" Miharu laughed. "Bye, chick"

She hadn't told Miharu about the dry spell she and Jin were going through. If fact, she hadn't told anyone. Everyone thought her marriage was perfect, and she'd rather they thought that and teased her good-naturedly about the luxury of having orgasms available on tap than tell them the truth. Xiaoyu looked up at the kitchen clock. Ten past eleven.

A whole day of nothing to look forward to.

She sighed, irritated with herself for feeling like this. A lot of women would kill to be in her situation. A devoted husband who earned so much money that it meant she'd never have to work, time to herself, days filled with shopping or meeting her friends for brunch, or watching DVDs or talkshows or reruns of her favourite programmes...? She herself had dreamed of it when she was a child. But along with all that, she also had nights filled with boredom and rejection and a bed that hadn't seen a good long sex marathon in months. That wasn't something she'd wish on anyone.

What was wrong with him? She jumped off the counter, annoyed. Or what was wrong with her?

That was a question she couldn't quite bring herself to ask him, because she was afraid of the answer. Afraid that he'd tell her he just wasn't that into her any more, or that he'd taken a vow of celibacy and if she loved him, she'd understand. Or that he was now getting his weekly quota of orgasms from his PA.

The phone rang shrilly, and she reached over to pick it up, recognising the number on the display as her mother's. Great.

"Xiaoyu? It's me. How are you? We haven't spoken in ages."

"What's wrong?"

Her mother clicked her tongue, and Xiaoyu could almost see the disapproving look on her face. "Why would anything be wrong? I just wanted to talk to you."

"Sorry. But you usually call when something's wrong."

She ignored her. "How's that husband of yours?"

"He's great, mum."

"And any plans to start a family yet?"

Wow, Xiaoyu thought. It took her less than thirty seconds to start babbling about having kids this time.

Last time she'd actually built up to it by making small talk about one of her old schoolfriends for a while.

"Not yet."

"Is there a problem?"

"Mum..."

"You're not having trouble getting pregnant are you?"

"Mother..."

"You know, I read this article about premature ejaculation in one of my health magazines, and -"

"Mother!" Xiaoyu cringed. "It has nothing to do with... that"

She was already exasperated, and right now she really, really wanted to carry on and reply: "It has everything to do with the fact that Jin has no interest in ejaculating anywhere near me, and I think that's a pretty important contribution to the whole baby making process, don't you?"

"I'm just trying to help." her mother was saying. "Besides, you've been married two years. Don't you think it's time for a baby?"

"No." Xiaoyu snapped. "I'm not good with kids. Kids cry when I hold them."

"It's different when it's your own." her mother told her soothingly, and she snorted. "Doesn't Jin want children?"

"Jin is too busy, mum." She spoke as though she was talking to a toddler, slowly and sweetly, sounding out all her words clearly. But her mother ignored her.

"He'd make a wonderful father"

"Says who?" Xiaoyu asked, narrowing her eyes. Her mother was probably right, though. About five or six months ago, she'd reluctantly agreed to babysit for one of her friends, and the kid had screamed the place down - until Jin picked her up. If they ever did have kids, he'd be a natural.

"Oh, Xiaoyu, did you get up on the wrong side of the bed this morning?"

No, she thought. I slept on the couch, because I couldn't face sleeping in our bed and nothing happening again, so I pretended I'd fallen asleep in front of Sally Jessy when he came in.

"Mum, I'm just not in the mood to talk babies with you today."

"Tell you what." her mother said knowingly. "I'll fax over that article I told you about."

Xiaoyu hung up.