Chapter 8: then & now

A/N: Anything you recognize from Meteor Garden, I do not own.
Rated R for obvious reasons. =)

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Ximen stared at Xiao You's sleeping form. He knew he should be sleeping already. He stole a glance at the clock by the bedside table and saw that it was already 2AM. He sighed, careful not to do anything to disturb her slumber.

He held his breath as she shifted in her sleep, turning away from him to face the table. He felt a squeeze somewhere in the vicinity of his heart. It seemed that even in repose, she wanted to turn away from him. It would have been the perfect time to move away from her, after all, his upper arm had gone numb from carrying the weight of her head throughout the night. But he found himself following her instead.

He thought he'd gotten over whatever feelings she'd awakened in him when they spent the night together six years ago. He'd convinced himself that he'd been mistaken when he'd woken up feeling bereft when he realized she'd left him without even saying goodbye. He'd made himself believe that it had been his pride and not his heart that had gotten hurt by her leaving. So he didn't go after her. He pretended that nothing changed. And even when he found himself unable to want anyone else after her, he'd fooled himself into thinking that it wasn't her. It was work. And if he found himself waking up with tears in his eyes, he told himself it was just strain from too much paperwork.

He was wrong.

The past five days had told him that.

He knew he was running out of time.

And so he moved even closer to her so that his chest pressed against her back. He wrapped his arms around her tightly in an effort to tell her without words that he wanted her to stay. He knew it wouldn't be long before she complained. It was too hot after all and they were both starting to sweat a little. But he hoped…he wished….he prayed…that somehow, just for tonight, she does not push him away.

The heavens must have heard him…because she didn't resist.

And so he finally slept.

***

"Why didn't you tell me?" he wondered aloud. They were now lying side by side on the bed, staring at the ceiling in the dark.

"Would it have mattered?" she asked back.

Ximen didn't speak. It wouldn't have mattered. He'd wanted her so badly, he wouldn't have stopped. He couldn't have. "So what now?" he asked, though he

feared the answer.

"I don't know." she whispered, not looking at him and not moving.

"Are you sore?" he finally asked, feeling like a pig because he wanted her again. He turned on his side so he could look at her profile.

"A bit." She smiled as she made the admission.

"Wait here." He answered as he quickly got out of the bed and walked towards the bathroom, uncaring of his nudity. He was surprised to see she hadn't moved

at all when he came back to the bedroom bearing a towelette and a small basin that was half-filled with warm water. He would have liked to turn the lamps on but he didn't think she'd appreciate it so he just went straight towards her side of the bed, glad of the moonlight filtering from outside the bedroom window.

"What are you doing?" she asked in a curious voice as he sat down on the bed on her right side.

"Shh.." he whispered as he gently tugged at the bed sheet she'd been clutching to her chest. He saw her bite her lips as he bared her to his gaze. She was so

beautiful that it had almost caused him physical pain to set his lust aside to care for her. He was glad the darkness hid the flush that he knew must be staining his cheeks.

He then gently nudged her right knee away from her left one and gently used the cloth he'd wet with the warm water to both wipe all traces of their lovemaking from between her thighs and to soothe the soreness he knew she was feeling. His conscience had pricked at him. He'd convinced himself that she'd been experienced because he reasoned that she'd started it. He'd told himself, surely she couldn't have remained a virgin after years of living in Canada. He'd told himself it didn't matter…that in fact, he preferred it that way…it would just be two bodies seeking relief. No emotional burden as was usually the case with

virgins.

He was never more glad to be proven wrong.

The reality of being her first should have frightened him. Because it would have meant that she'd waited for him. That maybe…she still felt the same way about him even after all these years. But if he were honest with himself, he'd admit that he was ecstatic that he'd been her first. That she had waited for him. The fact that it had been her first time had made him feel like it had been his first too, even though they both knew he'd been with a number of women before her.

"I…I think it's all better now…" her embarrassed voice broke through his musings.

He looked up at her face and saw that she had her head turned towards the side, away from him. He smiled to himself as he finished his ministrations and dropped the towelette back into the basin. He then drew the covers back up to her breasts and couldn't help but shake his head when he saw her clutch it quickly with her two hands. He knew she needed a minute to get over her embarrassment so he stood up to take the basin back into the bathroom.

When he came back out, she had turned on her side, towards the wall facing away from his side of the bed. Quietly, he got into bed beside her and pulled her body back into the cradle of his arms. He thought she'd resist, but she didn't.

"Relax…" he whispered when he realized she was tense.

She didn't give any indication that she'd heard, other than a slight move to press her back against his chest.

It was the final straw for Ximen.

He couldn't help it.

He started nibbling his way from the back of her ear…

towards the side of her neck…

to her nape.

He felt her shiver and press closer to him. He moved his hands slowly to caress her body over the sheets. He heard her moan. He knew he should move slowly, after all, he was pretty sure she was still sore, but he couldn't help himself.

He turned her on her back and started dropping kisses all over her face.

Her throat.

Her chest.

Lower…

***

"What are you doing?"

"Huh?" Ximen slowly opened his eyes and realized he'd been kissing her in his sleep.

"Must have been some dream…" she teased him when he finally looked up at her face.

It was. He'd been dreaming about their first time…six years ago. He sighed and started to get off her but then froze. He met her surprised gaze as they both

realized at the same time that he was…uhm…'awake.' He was about to apologize but then she smiled before pushing him gently off her. "Hold that thought…" she laughed as she quickly got out of bed to run inside the bathroom.

He could only laugh in response as he lay on his back and stared at the ceiling. She never ceased to amaze him. Her shyness seemed to have disappeared altogether. Part of him regretted it but a larger part of him was glad. He only had two days left to convince her to stay with him forever and he was grateful that the new Xiao You was willing to give their 'relationship,' such as it was, a shot.

"Your turn." She grinned at him as she came out of the bathroom wearing the robe he'd left hanging behind the door.

"My turn?" he asked her stupidly.

"You honestly don't expect me to engage in sex…" she began to tease him.

"Lovemaking" he corrected her quickly.

She looked surprised for a while and quickly recovered, "…lovemaking…" she raised an eyebrow after saying the word, "…with someone who had yet to brush his teeth , do you?" she continued with a smile.

Ximen mentally shrugged philosophically. At least she'd agreed to call it lovemaking, instead of sex…that had to count for something right? "Give me five minutes." He decided to get into the spirit of things as he too got out of bed.

She gave a wolf whistle as he sauntered to the bathroom sans any covering.

He grinned at her as he walked even more slowly so as to give her a more thorough look at his physique. He then posed ala the Incredible Hulk to show off his abs and pecs.

"Talk about having a swelled head!" she rolled her eyes to show she wasn't impressed.

"And don't you forget it." He was quick to reply, wiggling his eyebrows in a mock leer.

She laughed at him before she lay back on the bed. "Hurry up and remind me then…" she called out to him throatily as she untied the robe's belt suggestively.

He didn't need to be asked twice.

***

Ximen was back to staring at her sleeping form. He knew he should be sleeping too. It was already 3AM after all. He was tired. They'd spent the whole morning in bed and the whole afternoon swimming and combing the beach. They then took another leisurely stroll until the sun set and lay on the sand, staring at the skies as they made a bet as to who could identify the most number of constellations. She won. So he ended up preparing their dinner. He didn't mind. He'd gladly prepare her dinner every night if she stayed.

He sighed as she again turned away from him in her sleep. There were a number of times during the day that he'd almost asked her to stay beyond the one week they'd agreed on. But it never seemed the right moment. So he just let things ride. He still had a day left after all.

And so, like he'd done the night before, he turned to wrap his arms around her, spoon-fashion. And like the night before, she didn't resist. "Good." he thought. She was getting used to the feel of him around her. Tomorrow…he promised himself…tomorrow…okay…make that in a couple of hours, he'd tell her how he felt.

And ask her to stay.

And with that promise, he was again able to fall asleep.

***

A/N2: Hope I've not offended anyone…I took care not to make it too explicit and hope I've succeeded in staying within the bounds of winglin's policy when it comes to such situations. Thanks to all of you for your continued support.

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