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After turning and tossing for a while, lingering between the states of sleeping and waking without actually being able to open her eyes, Xie Lian manages to blink blearily a few times, slowly registering what’s around her. She’s in bed, the sheets rumpled on her body; her mouth is dry, and she feels both cold and hot at the same time.
San Niang isn’t here.
Xie Lian sits up, squinting at the sight of a few rays of sunlight filtering through the curtains.
She’s been sleeping for really long these past few days, sometimes nine hours uninterrupted. One would think she’d feel rested, but her muddled dreams just make her feel confused and disoriented in the mornings.
She stretches her arms and only now registers an ache in her breasts. For some reason, they’re especially swollen and tight — she brings a hand to touch them through her white t-shirt and flinches at her own touch. The soft flesh is sensitive and prickly: she must be getting her period soon.
She’s still rubbing absentmindedly at her chest when a voice peeps from the door.
“Jiejie, you’re awake?”
Xie Lian abruptly lets go of her breasts and straightens up, turning to the source of the voice.
“San Niang,” she rasps. “G’ morning.”
An endeared smile stretches on Hua Cheng’s lips as she pushes the door open with her shoulder, revealing a tray full of food in her hands.
“Oh my god,” Xie Lian gasps, “Again?”
“Come on, it’s not often that I get to wake up before you.” Hua Cheng sits cross-legged on the mattress and balances the tray on her legs. “Let me spoil you like a princess.”
Not quite awake enough to argue with her, Xie Lian rubs her nose with a smile and shrugs. Hua Cheng hands her a cup of tea, warm but not boiling, which Xie Lian slowly sips as her mind clears a little.
Hua Cheng is right, Xie Lian is usually the early bird of them two. Looking at her, Xie Lian can tell she’s been up for a while already: she’s dressed for the day and has her long black hair elegantly tucked in the butterfly clasp Xie Lian gifted her at the beginning of their relationship.
“So, what time is it?”
“Around 10 o’clock,” Hua Cheng answers casually, rearranging the different plates on the tray.
Xie Lian’s eyes widen. “Ten?! But we went to sleep at barely midnight?”
“I told you you looked tired,” Hua Cheng chuckles. “It’s good that you get to rest for once. Enjoy it, alright?”
“Hm, I think I’m just getting my period soon. My chest hurts,” Xie Lian mutters behind her tea.
“Oh, is that why jiejie was holding her breasts in her sleep earlier?”
Embarrassment courses through Xie Lian. “Was I really…?”
“Mhm, I thought jiejie was dreaming of me,” Hua Cheng sighs, shooting a dramatic look at Xie Lian before turning more serious. “But more seriously, does it hurt a lot? Does holding them help? Maybe I can…”
“San Niang!”
“What?” she laughs.
“You didn’t see anything.”
“Oh, I did. Jiejie’s shirt was all riled up, too, she was holding herself and—”
But Xie Lian has already fled the conversation, bringing the cover up between them to hide from her merciless girlfriend. “You didn’t see anything!” she squeaks.
“It’s not like I haven’t s—”
Before she can finish, Xie Lian places her cup of tea on the bed, lets the cover down, finds her ankle, and, grabbing it forcefully, starts tickling the sole of her foot.
Ensues Hua Cheng shrieking and kicking her leg, almost knocking the tray over in her lap in the process. Xie Lian quickly stops, but it’s enough for Hua Cheng to stay silent.
“You didn’t see anything,” Xie Lian repeats, a hand behind her to reach for the discarded tea.
“I didn’t,” Hua Cheng nods very seriously.
Xie Lian relaxes and straightens up before rubbing her face sleepily. She exchanges the cup in her hand for a tangerine on the tray and starts peeling it while talking.
“I knew my period was coming anyway, it’s been a while. And I’ve been feeling kind of strange lately, sleeping too much and all that. I’m so emotional too, just yesterday, I almost cried when you didn’t…” She cuts herself off immediately when Hua Cheng’s face drains comically.
“Jiejie?” she asks in a breath. “Jiejie, what did I do?”
Xie Lian doesn’t know whether to laugh or to cry. “No, it’s… Forget it…”
But Hua Cheng can’t believe what she just heard, leaning forward in shock. “No, jiejie, tell me, how did I make you cry? I’ll apologize and do better, please tell me.”
Xie Lian looks at her with a mix of endearment and exasperation, and hands her a half of the tangerine. “It’s silly. You left in a hurry yesterday and didn’t kiss me before going out. Usually I wouldn’t have minded, but I was overly emotional — because of my period coming, you know. And I didn’t cry,” she adds as if it was going to matter to Hua Cheng, “I only felt like it.”
“I knew it,” Hua Cheng moans around a piece of tangerine. “I knew I didn’t kiss you and you would notice, but I was so late, I thought…” she trails off and places the tray on the side to shuffle over to Xie Lian and embrace her tightly. “I’ll kiss you a hundred times to make it better.”
“There’s… there’s no need…” Xie Lian tries to assure her, but it’s no use.
Hua Cheng pulls back and holds Xie Lian’s face between her hands, kisses her once on both of her cheeks, the tip of her nose, its bridge, between her brows, her forehead, temples, chin, jaw, and every single patch of skin available while Xie Lian laughs in her arms.
After approximately many dozens of kisses, Hua Cheng pulls back to think for a second.
“Sorry jiejie, I lost count. Is this enough?”
“San Niang, it was only one kiss, I think now I have enough to last me a year. If you wanted to make it up to me for yesterday, just bringing me breakfast in bed was more than enough…” Xie Lian pops a piece of tangerine into her mouth and glances at the tray behind Hua Cheng. “I should be the one paying you back.”
Of course, Hua Cheng would hear none of it. She pulls Xie Lian back into her embrace and says, “This is only how you deserve to be treated.” She hooks her chin on her shoulder and hums. “Though, if jiejie insists on paying me back…”
Xie Lian hums inquisitively as she wiggles to press closer against Hua Cheng.
“Jiejie, does it help to be like this?”
“Huh? To be like what?”
Hua Cheng lightly touches the underside of her ribs. “To be pressed against each other like this. Your chest, does it help?”
“Oh,” Xie Lian realizes. “… Kind of, yeah. Actually…” she starts, but stops herself once she realizes what she was going to say.
“What? Actually what, jiejie?” Hua Cheng presses when Xie Lian doesn’t reply.
“Um… It’s just… Nothing. Let’s just eat…”
Hua Cheng huffs next to her ear. “Don’t be shy,” she whines, before loudly blowing air in Xie Lian’s neck.
Xie Lian crunches up her shoulder in a loud shriek and tries to pull away from her. “San Niang!”
But Hua Cheng is merciless and topples her on the bed, lying on top of her playfully and looking very pleased with herself.
She settles down on her elbows and lays her head on Xie Lian’s chest (carefully, Xie Lian can’t help but notice) before looking up at her innocently. “Does jiejie want a massage?” she asks, bringing a hand to Xie Lian’s other breast.
A flash of heat warms Xie Lian’s face at the familiar image, but Hua Cheng has already started working her hand on her and she can’t deny it, it feels good, so she lies her head back on the covers. “Mhm.”
She doesn’t see but feels the grin on Hua Cheng’s lips when she places a kiss on her sternum.
Xie Lian closes her eyes and focuses on Hua Cheng’s hands. The prickling sensation in her chest comes and goes as they move on her, lightly massaging the skin in small circles. A few times, Hua Cheng takes her breasts in hand and squeezes a bit.
“Is it okay like this?”
Xie Lian nods.
“They’re really… hard. They look bigger than usual…”
“They feel like it, too,” Xie Lian huffs, sliding her arms around Hua Cheng to hug her.
Hua Cheng gives another squeeze. “Looks like they’re full of milk.”
Blood rushes to Xie Lian’s face as she widens her eyes. “D-don’t say stuff like that.”
“What? You don’t like it?” Hua Cheng smiles.
“It’s…” Too much to think about, truly. “Um, anyway. Can you pass me another tangerine?”
Hua Cheng stops to reach behind them and grabs one. “Pregnant women often crave strawberries, you know, not tangerines,” she comments as she hands it to her.
“I’m not pregnant…” Xie Lian mutters, taking the fruit. She quickly peels it and pops a piece into Hua Cheng’s mouth. “I’m just getting my period. By the way, what time do you have to leave today?”
“Noon. Damn gallery director wants to have a meal with me. Don’t these people know how to do business quickly? Why does everything have to be over a meal or coffee or tea? It’s a waste of time for everyone.”
While talking, she massaged and squeezed Xie Lian’s chest harder, as if letting out her frustration. It doesn’t hurt, but Xie Lian finds it fairly amusing.
“They’re doing it because you’re important in their eyes,” she soothes while gently swiping a few flyaway hair out of Hua Cheng’s face. “Trust me, not everyone is getting the same treatment. They want to be on your good side.”
“They’re stealing my time with you, jiejie,” Hua Cheng whines, abandoning her massage to lay on Xie Lian like a koala latched onto its tree. “We could’ve eaten lunch together.”
“We’ll eat dinner tonight. We can even cook together.”
Hua Cheng sparks up at the words, raising her head to look at Xie Lian with hope in her eyes. “Promise?”
“Promise,” Xie Lian smiles before popping another wedge of tangerine into her girlfriend's mouth.
Hua Cheng kisses her happily, lips sticky with juice and mischief. “We still have some time before I leave, though. Jiejie, I have to eat breakfast.”
Xie Lian hums. “Isn’t that what we’re doing?” she asks, showing the half-eaten tangerine in her hand.
“Yeah, but I’d like some milk with it.”
“Milk…? But you… San Niang!”
She’s cut off by another kiss, Hua Cheng having already slipped her hands under her t-shirt.
“You’re impossible,” Xie Lian mutters, unable to hold back her smile.
“I love you too.”