Jia had only planned to do a change of clothes, but she ended up taking a full shower instead. She didn’t know why, but being in her uniform had felt stuffy.

Or was it Mingshen who was the cause of her oddly rattled emotions?

She covered her face in her palms as lukewarm water from the shower faucet dribbled down her toned body. She had lost count of how many times she had sighed in this very bathroom.

What is wrong with me today?

No, wait. I should ask what’s wrong with Mingshen. He is not being his usual self.

She thought closing her eyes would make her feel at ease but that was far from the case when Mingshen’s gaze...his predatory gaze would keep flashing before her like loud sirens. Her hand flew to her chest.

Why do I feel my heart beating so particularly wildly today..? Did I drink too much?

She turned off the faucet and stepped out once slipped into her bathrobe while patting her hair dry - when the corner of her eyes caught a figure by the bed’s edge. The room was dark, except for the faint light that seeped through the window and fell upon Mingshen’s left profile.

"You...! I had almost grabbed my gun!"

A lack of response only unnerved her further and it finally dawned to her how coming to this was a means of her escape from him.

"...How did you come in?"

It happened after a long pause. Almost too long that the wait became too stifling to bear. But Mingshen eventually left the bedside, approaching her with slow steps, each carrying a weight of its own.

Her brow twitched in response and the closer he reached her side in complete silence, the harder her blood rushed across her chest, to the point of gripping her head with dizziness.

Oh wait! I am still in my bathrobe!

And so Jia tried to grab that excuse and rush back into the solace of the bathroom - only for her path to get blocked by a pair of arms. She swallowed a gulp. But she attempted to sound in control.

"Mingshen, I am still in my bathrobe so this is quite shameless of you to barge in a woman’s room without permission...Also, how did you get the key card?"

No answer.

Why is he being so silent today!!! Oh my God, the bomb looks like a piece of cake now before this quiet! Does he want to kill me out of stress?

Then a shiver raced across her spine. Closer. Another step closer and his chest grazed against her back. His fingers pressed upon the door fluctuated in their positions ever so lightly. Jia could feel it. His black eyes staring down at her. The fine hairs on the back of her neck stood upright in response to a racing sentiment she hadn’t felt before.

Nervousness?

No, no...why would I feel...nervous? It’s Mingshen. Yeah, it’s the same Mingshen I see everyday-

She inhaled sharply as he lifted his right palm off the door. Closer. It inched closer and closer to her face. His fingertips fluttered past her wet hair locks first, dangling it in the air and twisting around his index finger. Then they grazed her cheek - soft, slow and steady. At which point, he leaned over her shoulder, his own face now parallel to hers.

"Are you only worried about the keycard?" 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Jia wasn’t sure. Was it the alcohol kicking in the intoxication or the fact that his hoarse, preying voice was breathing into her ear, lighting up all kinds of bulbs within her as if she was shining like a Christmas tree.

"As a responsible officer, the lax in this hotel’s security concerns me."

"Huh."

"And w-well..." It became harder and harder to find her voice. "I am also in my bathrobe if you may notice..."

"That’s the least concern to worry about when it’s going to come off soon anyway."

"..."

"Turn to me, Jia."

She didn’t.

"Or I could also make you turn."

I just had a nice bath, so why am I sweaty all over again?

At that point, the time to turn herself was up, and before she knew it, the same fingers playing with her cheek traced their movements lower along her jawline until they grabbed her chin and tilted her head towards him where his lips met hers naturally as though they were always meant to.

Jia blinked several times in quick succession. This wasn’t her first kiss with Mingshen. Or even the second. The memories of her birthday came down to her like falling dominos. She remembered how his lips had felt at that time. How he had smelled at that time. How his fingers had dug into her waistline. Firm, resolute and refusing to let her go like how now her chin was being captive in the grip of his fingers and making her heart plunge into the depths of the uncharted territory.

That sudden plunge strangely enough, though, erased the jitter her heart was being chained with, all thanks to how harder and fiercer his kiss was growing with every passing moment. Her tense shoulders rose lightly, and she shuffled in her place - only for Mingshen to loop his arm around her belly, digging his fingers into her waist just like the last time. The harder he kissed, the farther her head shifted backward, but his fingers had held her chin in place quite firmly.

What was the time when he withdrew? Nobody knew. But he finally allowed her to breathe, her red cheeks a lost cause by this point.

"Yeah, you are here..." His eyes traced her eyes, the tip of her rose and her lips that were now gasping for air slightly.

"Yeah, you are really standing before me. All this time, I was thinking whether I was talking to a mirage. But you are really alive...So the bomb didn’t go off. Yeah...you are alive. But Jia."

The pressure of his fingertips on her chin deepened, not enough to hurt her but also enough to make his point get across.

"Don’t...don’t make me feel like this again, or the next time it’ll be the walls of my lab you will see for the rest of your life. Whatever happened today...I don’t like this feeling. I don’t like this at all. You have to be by my side. Always. ALWAYS."