Chapter 25 - Meeting His Family (3)

In the morning, Song Luli squinted her eyes, lidding them open as she adjusted to the light peering through the blinds from the window. Her vision cleared, trying to register the unfamiliar space. She hated forgetting where she was because she always felt surprised.

She turned her head, stunned to see Long Jie's face so close to hers.

They were barely touching but close all the same. Long Jie's red-brown strands tumbled over his eyelashes, fluttering. He slept peacefully, sound.

They've never gone as far as a hug in their physical boundaries and to be sleeping next to him so closely? The thought overwhelmed her with the absurdity.

Her mind recollected the thoughts from the night before, remembering Long Jie carrying her to the room last night. He had also placed her on the bed, and her mind skipped towards her stripping. She flushed, covering her chest instinctively. She then propped her elbows on her knees, pressing her hands on her forehead, regretting how much she drank.

"Do you have a headache?" asked Long Jie; there was husk tiredness beneath his tone. She froze.

Song Luli glanced beside her; his face appeared to be unbothered. But she was bothered. Why did he sleep in her room last night?

Long Jie sat up, reading her questionable expression. "Did you forget that we're married?"

Song Luli gritted her teeth, blushing. "Well..." she was at a loss for words. He was right. She then shook her head, "Nevermind. You're right."

She then slipped from underneath the covers.

Realizing they stayed the night, Song Luli also realized she forgot to bring extra day clothing. But not long after, they heard a knock on the door.

Song Luli glanced at Long Jie, deciding who would be answering the door. But all he did was curl his lips, folding his arms behind his head, leaning back on the bed frame.

Song Luli snarled. She answered the door to find Aunt Teegan. Song Luli watched as her eyes darted between her and Long Jie, a smile blooming on her face.

"Sorry to interrupt," she said. "I brought some extra clothing for the two of you."

Song Luli sighed in relief, taking the folded clothing from Aunt Teegan's hands. "Thank you," she said.

"Not a problem. Breakfast is ready for whenever you two want to come down," Aunt Teegan responded, glancing at them both, "Or not."

Song Luli blushed in embarrassment. She closed the door when Long Jie's aunt left. She passed him men's clothing before turning to leave.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

Song Luli paused to say, "I'm going to change."

"You had no issues with changing in here last night," he teased.

Song Luli clenched her teeth, holding her chin high. "That's because alcohol influenced me."

"To change?" he asked.

"To change in front of you," she spat.

"But I wasn't suggesting that I'll stay in here. Unless you begin stripping again."

Song Luli took a deep breath. "You're irritating," she said.

Long Jie smiled, "I could say the same thing about you."

"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?" She asked.

Long Jie rose from the bed, striding towards the door. He patted her head on the way, "It doesn't matter. I'll go change, and I will wait for you downstairs."

What Long Jie meant by irritation, was that Song Luli had gotten on his nerves last night.

She attempted to strip in front of him twice, revealing her bosom. She then said things to him like, 'You're warm,' and it stirred something inside him that he couldn't quite understand. She then slept awkwardly but also clung to him during the night. He let her sleep on him, and by morning, he pushed her away, pretending as if nothing happened at all. She was truly an irritating thing, but he couldn't help but feel as he was getting to see more sides of her.

Long Jie left the room, and Song Luli was left behind to wash up and change on her own. Afterward, she slipped on a red dress with small white polka-dots, and she looked like a strawberry. It was pretty and casual, and quite fitting to her size. She then took a deep breath, walking out to catch up with the others.

As she descended the stairs, she heard the chatting and the clicks of plates and cutlery. Everyone spoke to each other, and she felt like the odd one that stood out. Yin Hao waved his hand, urging her to sit between him and Long Jie.

She went to sit between them and joined them by placing food on her plate.

"How was your sleep last night?" asked Yin Hao over some pancakes.

Song Luli cleared her throat. "It was good," she said, deshelling her boiled eggs.

"Oh?" Yin Hao said. "Was it too warm last night? I find the weather to be hot lately."

Song Luli smiled awkwardly. "Yes. It was the weather," she responded.

Yin Hao smiled. "Today, we'll be riding boats."

"Oh?" Song Luli responded.

They all continued to eat, exchanging casual conversations before it was time to head for the docks.

The gentle waves crashed against the wooden docks, but not harsh enough to make them rock side to side. They all hopped into three boats, heading towards a tiny island. There were no houses on it, but there was a small park, with tables and benches and a grill.

Some of the members of the Long/Yin family went swimming, including Long Jie. She didn't bring any extra clothing, so she stayed to help Yin Hao grill some food.

Song Luli watched as they all swam, and she hated that she couldn't join because she loved to swim.

"Next time you come over, bring an over-night pack," Yin Hao said with a small smile.

Song Luli chuckled. "If Long Jie informed me of our stay, I would have brought more clothes, too."

Yin Hao grinned. "Perhaps he would have thought you wanted to go home. Meeting a lot of new people can be overwhelming."

Song Luli smiled. "Yes, but you guys are amazing hosts," she admitted.

Yin Hao smiled back.

Long Jie had come out of the water, his hair plastered against his forehead. His eyes brightened a bright ice-blue. Yin Hao passed her a towel and said, "Give this to him."

Song Luli fought her daze, taking it and approaching Long Jie. She passed him the towel, not daring a glance at the dragon tattoo that covered his right side of his body.

Long Jie took it, wiping his body, drying his damp hair, while looking at her.

Song Luli didn't wait for him to finish, she ran back to Yin Hao, forgetting her feet were bare, so she stepped on a shard of glass left from a broken bottle nearby.

"Crap!" she said.

Long Jie caught up to her, swift. He knelt to look at her feet. "It's not deep," he said. But he took her arm, hanging over his shoulders for support. He helped her limp to back to the bench. "Wait here," he said. He ran towards the boat, taking out a medical kit. He took out some disinfectant and a bandage. He knelt to mend the cut and placed her shoes on her feet.

"Be more careful," he said.

Song Luli didn't know how to respond, so she didn't. Long Jie then rose, heading towards the trees to change. Yin Hao crept behind her, "Long Jie doesn't just tend to anyone so quickly," he said.

It stunned her.

"What do you mean?" she asked him.