296 Following the tradition *
Jun heard some shuffling noises coming from the kitchen and was alarmed. “Are you in the kitchen?” He called from inside the room.
“Yes.”
“…Why? If you are hungry, I will cook for you.”
There was a long pause.
“I have trouble with baking, not cooking,” she replied with grievance.
“*Ahem..*”
“Just wait for me.”
Ten minutes later, Jun noticed her coming inside the room, carrying a tray in her hand and with a candle lit at the left side of the tray. Ai placed the tray between them and sat on the bed. The plate had freshly steamed and delicious dumplings perched upon it.
Jun tilted his head. “What is this?”
“It’s a tradition.”
“What tradition?”
“It’s called ‘Late-night candlelight meal to shoo away the fear and anxiety left by a bad dream.'”
“It’s a long name.”
“Courtesy – my Dad.”
“It’s a really long name.”
“Courtesy – my Dad.”
His brow twitched.
Uncle Zhou?
Ai said, “When I was a child and used to have bad dreams, Dad used to cook me such meals at late night. He says it’s a sureshot way of driving away all the negative emotions. Food is the best distraction.”
“With a candle?”
“I added that for a romantic atmosphere.”
Well, it does feel like a candlelight dinner, Jun smilingly thought.
Ai took the first dumpling and brought it near his lips. He opened his mouth and gobbled the dumpling. He nodded in appreciation. “It’s good.”
Thankfully, she can cook safely…
Jun took a second dumpling from the plate and fed it to her. “I think Uncle is a bit wrong. For me, it’s my girlfriend who is feeding me is the distraction, not the food.”
“Is that so?” The yellow light from the candle did a good job in showing the red tint of her cheeks. “I think you are right. Even for me, Dad’s presence felt more reassuring than eating the food.”
I guess I have to thank Uncle for this.
This candlelight dumpings meal in the middle of the night felt more special to him compared to a candlelight dinner at a fancy restaurant.
After finishing the dumplings, Ai kept the tray aside with the candle still burning with its soft warm flame atop it.
“Now, we will do the second part of the tradition.”
Jun choked. “The tradition has steps?”
“Yes. Next step is to dance,” Clearly, she was eager to fully follow the tradition.
Ai held his hand and pulled him in front of the bed. She placed his hand on her waist and intertwined her fingers with his other hand.
Jun smiled. “Last time I checked, I taught you how to dance.”
“And your student has improved a lot,” she looked proud.
There was no music playing in the background, yet they softly danced in silence in the candle glow. Ai was very cautious so that she wouldn’t step on his foot. Her sincere and serious expression to show her dancing skills gave him an urge to pinch her cheeks.
He raised her hand, twirled her around herself and grabbed hold of her waist. He pressed her fingers on her back and pushed her against his chest until she felt his breath on her forehead.
“Is there another step in your tradition?” He hushed near her ear.
“Yes,” she lifted her eyes to meet his gaze. “As the final step, Dad used to sing a song and sleep beside me. But instead of singing a song, I can do this…”
She tiptoed and gently pressed her lips on his. She closed her eyes and gingerly deepened the kiss, wanting to ease the doubts in his heart.
She moved away after a few seconds, not daring to meet his eyes after her bold kiss. “Time to sleep now.”
Ai hastily turned but Jun pulled her back equally hastily. He returned her kiss with his own that made her breathless within just a few seconds. When he closed his eyes, the sight of Ai falling from the terrace invaded his mind again, which only rattled his heart and urged him to kiss her fiercer.
“I won’t lose you, Ai,” he whispered between the kiss, “I won’t lose you…at any cost.”
He clutched her hair in his fist and narrowed his eyes. “I won’t let anybody take you away from me. Not even death.”
Their kisses turned wetter and messier as their naked bodies soon embraced each other. Tonight felt different to Ai. She felt the change as Jun made love to her. She sensed the lingering traces of his fear of the nightmare through the way he fiercely pounded inside her. She felt his need to feel every inch of her to assure himself that she was alive.
Her neck burned with the pleasure of his bites, and her breasts shuddered with the intensity of his caresses. Her knees were tightly held by his hands and his thrusts in the deepest part of her core was an ecstasy that was beyond her ability to put it into words. Her fingers could barely hold onto his shoulders for support.
Jun lifted her chin and the watching the gasps and moans escaping her lips urged him to hit her walls harder. He gently kissed her lips. His tongue licked her chin, cheek and jaw. He soaked in her warmth which was way better than feeling the chilly wind on the terrace in his nightmare.
He pressed her body against his until there wasn’t even a centimeter of space left and his length claimed every part of her walls until he filled her completely. It was a night where they made love in silence, yet every breath that escaped from his lips told Ai how much he treasured her and how much he feared of losing her.
His climax hit her harder than ever, and she gasped with the warm pleasure driving her insane. She felt him burying his head in the nape of her neck. She smiled and combed her fingers through his hair. “Jun,” she uttered his name, breathless. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
“I will never leave your side.”
He hid his smile as he whispered, “I won’t let you.”