76 THE FIRST TIME HIS INSTINCT TOLD HIM SOMETHING, IT WAS WRONG

Cheng Jian woke up with a bleary recollection of where and who he was. As he collected his thoughts, he realized that something was amiss. He had slept on the right corner of the bed, facing the wall. But now, he had woken up on his stomach. His head resting on... bare chests, his leg...

Cheng Jian jumped up so suddenly when he realized it that he could have woken up Xuan Chaya. How had he slept on one corner of the bed and woken up hugging Xuan Chaya's bare body? With Xuan Chaya's hardness pressing his legs.

He wanted to start screaming and cursing at Xuan Chaya, but realized something. Xuan Chaya was sleeping on his side of the bed. It was he who had left his side of the bed and woken up on Xuan Chaya's. Biting his lower lip in an attempt to calm his racing heart beat, he glanced at Xuan Chaya and instantly regretted it.

Xuan Chaya's upper body was as naked as the day he was born. Tiny pink nipples rested on solid pecs which pointed downwards to an army of solid abs. Those solid abs were tamed by an equally solid waistline that in turn, pointed downwards to...

Unable to bear the sight any longer, Cheng Jian ran into the bathroom. Looking himself in the mirror, he saw his face was a burning red. This. He couldn't be embarrassed by staring at another man's body, he thought. He had seen so many male bodies in his lifetime after all. But none had made him this uneasy. He looked down at his erection. None of those other male bodies had made him hard just from staring. Just what did this mean?

After a long bath,—during which Xuan Chaya still didn't wake up—Cheng Jian made his way to the kitchen with the intention of fixing himself breakfast. Instead, he perched on a counter thinking about what all of it could mean. He was so deep in thought he didn't notice Xuan Chaya walk into the kitchen.

"Hey," Xuan Chaya called, carrying a cellphone.

When he got no reply, he moved closer to Cheng Jian and observed him.

Cheng Jian still didn't notice him.

For one moment, Xuan Chaya considered kissing him to bring him back to earth. He quickly dismissed the thought as it soon creeper him out. Kissing someone without their permission.

Still, Xuan Chaya moved his face closer to Cheng Jian wondering how close he would get before Cheng Jian noticed his presence. Only an inch away, Xuan Chaya almost slapped himself. He could feel Cheng Jian's hot, steady breath on his face. It made his heart beat accelerate so fast he almost couldn't fight the temptation to steal a kiss. How was it that Cheng Jian still hadn't noticed his presence?

In one last attempt at self-control, he called in a husky voice, "Hey."

Cheng Jian, shocked out of his thoughts swung a punch at Xuan Chaya. Xuan Chaya stumbled backwards holding his face and swearing.

Cheng Jian rushed to him and pulled his hand away from his face. Inspecting the spot, he apologized. "I'm sorry. Are you okay?"

Xuan Chaya calmed down at Cheng Jian's reaction. He nodded, "I'm fine."

"Why did you do that?"

"I was calling out to you, but you wouldn't answer," Xuan Chaya said.

"Then..." Cheng Jian trailed off when he noticed Xuan Chaya wasn't wearing any shirt. His face grew hot and he spat at Xuan Chaya. "Don't you know how to wear clothes anymore?"

Xuan Chaya smiled, then backed Cheng Jian till his back hit the refrigerator. Inches away, he ran a finger on Cheng Jian's cheek. "Why are you blushing so furiously? Does my bare chest affect you so badly?"

Cheng Jian couldn't find the right words to say, so he stayed quiet. As Xuan Chaya moved closer to him, he shut his eyes, waiting for what his heart told him was coming. A kiss.

Xuan Chaya glanced at his lips, desperate to cover them with his. Still, this counted as kissing someone without their permission. Reluctantly, but surely, he pulled away from Cheng Jian. "I'll go wear a shirt." Picking up the cellophane he was carrying before, he said, "I just wanted to throw these out."

Cheng Jian opened his eyes slowly. The one time his instinct told him something, it was wrong. Xuan Chaya wasn't just teasing him. He didn't want to kiss him. Good thing he still had time to try figure out why he was so disappointed. "What's in the bag?" He asked, to take his mind off the kiss.

Xuan Chaya stared at him, then at the bag. "Your soap and body cream. Since you insist on using them when I clearly want you using mine, I'm throwing these out."

Cheng Jian opened his mouth in protest, but closed them again. For his inability to find the right words. Xuan Chaya's ability to make him speechless was another mystery he could not quite place his finger on.

Xuan Chaya gave him a concerned look, then a sigh. "My mum's call woke me up."

"Oh!" Cheng Jian muttered. Still very bothered about Xuan Chaya's bare chest. Still very hot from the kiss that didn't happen. "Did she want something?"

"She wants me to bring my boyfriend over for dinner over the weekend."

Cheng Jian pointed to his chest. "I am the boyfriend."

Xuan Chaya nodded. "Yes."

Cheng Jian nodded distractedly.

Xuan Chaya stared at him. A little frustrated at his lack of any concrete reaction. "I told her I'll check with you."

"Okay." Cheng Jian said with another small nod.

"Okay what?" Xuan Chaya asked patiently. "Are you up for it or not."

Gathering himself up a little, Cheng Jian nodded again. "Of course, I am. I'll have to meet her eventually, won't I?"

Xuan Chaya gave him a small smile. "I'll call her and tell her we can make it then. Thanks a lot."

Cheng Jian glanced at his chest, then his face and nodded. "No need to thank me. It's my job."

"On our way, we can meet up with your friend so I can discuss the project with him."

Cheng Jian nodded and his eyes wandered back to Xuan Chaya's abs. His instinct was telling him another thing. Those abs would be the end of him.