Chapter 6: Unexpected

"..."

By the time Su Yu came to her senses, she was already on Shen Yan's bed.

Outside, rain had begun to fall at some unknown hour—a downpour, hammering the windowpanes, each drop striking a reverberation against her chest.

She started kissing him back.

And because she kissed him back, he kissed her deeper.

That night, Su Yu felt herself sinking into a fathomless deep sea.

No bottom in sight.

By the time they finished, it was past one in the morning.

Shen Yan rolled off, turned, and headed for the shower.

Su Yu lay there, boneless, unwilling to move a single muscle.

Shen Yan emerged from the bathroom with a towel slung low around his waist. He sat calmly on the edge of the bed, back to her, and pulled on his clothes.

Every movement was unhurried. Graceful.

Su Yu turned her head, watching the broad line of his back. Something unfamiliar stirred in her chest.

She spoke, her voice even. "So—are we even now?"

She'd tried to pay. He'd refused. This time, he'd collected his own payment.

Shen Yan didn't answer.

He finished dressing and turned to face her—still naked on the bed. He walked to the closet, pulled out a clean T-shirt of his own, and tossed it onto her. "Put this on."

He wasn't about to start a fire he'd just put out.

Su Yu didn't fuss. She pulled the shirt over her head and got out of bed.

Being a man's shirt on her frame, it hung like a loose mini dress—leaving those long legs fully exposed.

Su Yu had beautiful legs. Even. Perfectly proportioned. Flawless lines.

Shen Yan glanced at her, then looked away. He picked up the cigarettes from the table and stepped onto the balcony.

Outside, the rain was still falling—steady, relentless.

The balcony was glass-enclosed. The rain couldn't get in.

Su Yu came out of the bathroom freshly washed and immediately spotted Shen Yan on the balcony, smoking.

His silhouette—tall, straight, solitary against the dark sky—carried something she couldn't name.

Su Yu stared at him. He stared right back.

Their gazes met across the room.

Shen Yan drew on the cigarette. The ember at its tip flared and dimmed, flared and dimmed.

He looked at that little flame, exhaled a slow ring of smoke, and spoke. "First time?"

He wanted to hear her say it.

He already knew the answer. But he wanted to hear it from her lips.

Su Yu's eyes flickered. She padded toward him, barefoot.

Step by step, she closed the distance. Her slender fingers lifted the cigarette from his lips.

She took a slow drag, exhaled a thin stream of smoke that blurred half her face, and parted her lips. "And if it was? And if it wasn't? Does it matter to you?"

Her tone was cool. Threaded with mockery.

We've already slept together. Why ask this now?

Shen Yan's brow arched. He watched the shifting expressions on her face, then reached over and took the cigarette back from her fingers. One last drag. He crushed it out in the ashtray on the balcony railing.

"You don't look like a first-timer."

Su Yu's cold, bewitching exterior made it easy to assume she was the kind of woman who'd been through countless men.

Su Yu's eyes narrowed. The corner of her mouth curved. "You've already tested that out, haven't you?"

Shen Yan raised a brow. He looked down at her, eyes pitch-black. "Mm. Unexpected."

Su Yu scoffed.

Men.

She met his gaze, a glint of amusement in her eyes. "Aren't you worried I'm the type who sleeps around? Better be careful. Safety first."

She'd said it to get under his skin. Instead, Shen Yan laughed outright and turned the question back on her. "Have you considered that I might be that kind of man? Aren't you scared? Hmm?"

His voice was low. Slow.

Su Yu: "..."

She looked at him. His smile was reckless, wild, edged with teasing and mockery. He watched her as if he could see straight through to her soul.

For a split second, that look made her falter.

Just a split second. She recovered instantly.

But Shen Yan caught it. A flicker of interest crossed his eyes.

Su Yu asked her unanswered question again.

"So—are we even now?"

Three seconds of silence before Shen Yan answered, his tone level. "Do you want to be?"

He hoped she'd say no.

Su Yu was silent for a beat too. A faint smile surfaced in those fox eyes. "Why are you asking me?"

She threw it right back.

Shen Yan laughed softly. "Weren't you the one who asked first?"

Su Yu kept her smile. She had no intention of continuing this thread.

In the rain-soaked night, on the balcony, a man and a woman stood watching each other—each holding their own cards close.

After a long moment, Shen Yan broke the silence. "Truth is, I don't want to be even with you."

Those words sent wave after wave crashing through her chest.

He doesn't want to be even.

Su Yu's face stayed perfectly still. "Why?"

"I want to keep sleeping with you."

Su Yu faltered for just a heartbeat. Then she was herself again.

She let out a weightless "Oh."

Nothing more.

Shen Yan couldn't tell if that was a yes or a no.

Su Yu didn't give him another word. She turned, walked back into the room, pulled back the covers, and got into bed.

Shen Yan frowned at her bare feet poking out from under the blanket. "You didn't wash your feet."

She'd walked to the balcony barefoot—he was sure of it.

Su Yu pulled the blanket over her head. No response.

"Hey." Shen Yan reached for the blanket to yank it off.

"Shut up!" Her impatient voice came muffled from under the covers. Then, as an afterthought: "If you think it's dirty, don't get in the bed."

Shen Yan: "..."

Some temper on this one.

Shen Yan gave up. He grabbed a pillow, stretched out on the sofa, and closed his eyes.

The room fell quiet. Nothing but rain on glass.

Shen Yan's breathing evened out quickly. He was asleep within minutes.

Su Yu wasn't asleep at all.

She lay there, eyes open, staring at the dark ceiling. Against her will, the scenes of her and Shen Yan tangled together kept replaying behind her eyes.

Su Yu's legs shifted under the covers, tangling in the sheets.