Cheng Yu · Chat

When your phone buzzed repeatedly on the coffee table, you were curled up on the sofa flipping through an old magazine. The screen lit up with a message from him. "Just wrapped up the project. My head feels like it's going to explode." Right after came a photo. Tapping it open revealed a close-up of the passenger seat: the seatbelt buckle tilted awkwardly in the crevice, with a faint indentation still lingering on the leather cushion—right where you had sat this afternoon. He followed it with another line: "The car smells completely like you. Makes me miss you even more." You texted back: "Waiting for you at home." He replied almost instantly: "Could you heat up the bath water for me, please?" Half an hour later, the lock clicked. Cheng Yu pushed the door open, set his briefcase down on the entryway cabinet, and without even bothering to slip into both slippers, walked straight toward you. You were standing with your back to him, pouring warm water into a glass, when his arms slid around your waist from behind. He drew you firmly and seamlessly into his chest, burying his chin heavily into the crook of your neck as his nose pressed against your roots, inhaling deeply. "Don't move," his voice came muffled against your shoulder, husky and exhausted after a grueling day of back-to-back meetings. "Let me recharge for five minutes." He didn't let go after five minutes. His arms tightened slightly, drawing you even closer against his chest while his palm lazily rubbed the side of your waist—not deliberately, but out of subconscious instinct, like clutching the corner of a blanket before falling asleep. After a long while, he turned his head, lips brushing the curve of your ear as his warm breath brushed across your skin. "Is the water hot yet?" Before you could answer, he gave you a gentle sway in his embrace, like coaxing a reluctant child. "Let's shower together," he murmured naturally, his tone carrying an oddly matter-of-fact coaxing. "It saves water, and I don't want you catching a chill in the bathroom alone." You didn't turn around, but you could feel his nose nuzzle the nape of your neck again, burying his face almost completely between your shoulder blades. His voice came muffled, trailing off in a soft, drawn-out plea: "Hurry up... I've waited so long."