Waiting for You in a City

Song Yan and Xu Qin returned home again, but they remained silent the whole way. It was because Xu Qin said those words downstairs to keep him: “It’s so cold, let’s go up and have a cup of tea.”

The heating in the house was strong, the snowflakes melted, wetting their clothes little by little.

Xu Qin took off her coat, and somehow felt that this undressing action had an unusual meaning. She tugged on her skirt unconsciously.

“I’m going to make tea.” She walked into the kitchen.

Song Yan changed into slippers and came in, throwing the coat on the sofa.

Xu Qin plugged in the kettle and put tea leaves into the glass.

Looking back, she saw Song Yan sitting on the sofa, playing with the three long strips of candy. The gummy candy dangled back and forth in his hand, it was rare for him to have such a leisurely frame of mind.

Xu Qin walked over: “Try one.”

She took one tube out of his hand, and squatted beside the coffee table to tear open the packaging.

Song Yan’s hands loosened a little, he raised his eyelids, glanced at Xu Qin, and continued to play with the remaining candies. Xu Qin tore open the package, and held out the candy to his mouth across the coffee table: “Try it.”

This time, he bowed his head and took a bite.

“You wouldn’t eat it before.” Xu Qin said.

“It was different before.” Song Yan said.

“Why was it different?”

“Before you weren’t my girlfriend.” Song Yan looked into her eyes.

Now she was.

Xu Qin felt a hint of sweetness in her heart, but she didn’t show it on her face, and asked: “Is it good?”

The corner of Song Yan’s mouth twitched: “Sour.”

“Huh?” Xu Qin also took a bite, but her eyebrows scrunched together, “This one tastes more sour than the one before.” Turning it over to look at the packaging, “Grape flavor. The one before was strawberry.”

While the two of them were eating sweets, the water in the kettle began to make noise at the other end of the kitchen, and the sound of boiling water reached the living room, which was very loud.

Xu Qin glanced at the kettle, then looked away, and happened to meet Song Yan’s gaze. She smiled unconsciously.

“What are you laughing at?”

Xu Qin shook her head: “I don’t know. There is no reason.”

Song Yan asked: “Happy to be together with me?”

Xu Qin nodded: “Happy.”

“I can see that.” He also smiled, there was a bit of masculine complacency in his smile, but it also had more hidden meanings.

“What are you laughing at?”

Song Yan shook his head.

When the water finished boiling, Xu Qin got up and went over, picked up the kettle, and poured the water into the glass.

The boiling water wrapped the tea leaves, the leaves stretched out and rolled up and down in the water.

Song Yan approached from behind, hugged her, and rubbed his chin against the side of her temple, rubbing back and forth lightly.

Xu Qin’s heart trembled slightly.

He lowered his head and placed a kiss on her neck.

She closed her eyes, as if receiving an electric shock, and clasped her hands tightly on the marble counter.

He returned next to her ear and asked in a low voice:

“Did you miss me?”

Xu Qin’s eyes ached, and she nodded: “Missed you.”

“How much did you miss me?” Song Yan said.

She trembled suddenly, stood on her tiptoes, and leaned her head on his shoulder.

He took both her hands in one of his, and backed them away from the two cups of boiling water on the table: “Be careful of scalding.”

In the cup, soaked in boiling water, the tea leaves slowly unfold, like blooming petals.

“Speak.” He pressed playfully.

“Really missed you.” This was the truth.

“Do you know what I’m going to do next?”

“I know.”

“Want to?”

She whispered softly: “If I didn’t want to, I wouldn’t have invited you upstairs for tea.”

He suddenly lowered his head and laughed, buried his head in her neck and laughed a few times. The laughter vibrated in her ears, and then he returned next to her ear, saying: “Xu Qin, you are very well-behaved.”

“I’ve always been well-behaved,” she said, “as well-behaved as ever.”

Back then, she was the one who instigated him on purpose: “What are they doing?”

Thinking of the past, Xu Qin’s thoughts became cloudy. Yes, she was never a well-behaved little piece of wood, when she was with him, she was a real living person with both good and bad.

How could she have forgotten such an important matter.

The hot water in the cup was overturned on the counter, the tea leaves covered the table, and the hot water flowed over.

Her long hair swept over her back, he brushed her hair to the side and kissed her one at a time:

“Xu Qin, do you still remember?”

“I remember—” Xu Qin murmured, “I want to hug you—”

Song Yan kissed and held her hand tightly. She realized something and suddenly wanted to withdraw her hand, but he had her pressed down firmly, still struggling,

“Xu Qin.”

“En?”

“Be good, I have injuries.” His voice was hoarse, with a half-smile.

“……”

Xu Qin felt that he had tricked her, but she didn’t dare move around.

Song Yan’s black eyes stared at her face, her cheeks were as flushed as a blooming peach blossom, and her eyes were as wet as melting snow.

Looking at each other, Xu Qin saw that his eyes were extremely dark and dangerous like a wolf, but she felt that even if she was addicted to it, she would not willingly escape.

Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, snowflakes were flying.

In the secluded room, spring flowers bloomed.

The storm had passed, he lowered his head against her damp forehead. Her gaze was slack, she was still lost in thought.

He held her face in his hands and kissed her, like he was making a promise.