Inextricable

‘Is being married something worth showing off? Didn’t I suffer in my last marriage?’ Xu Xingxing sighed softly.

After taking a bath, she started to practise the electric piano, with Mimi accompanying her by nestling around her neck. She practised for a while and then accidentally fell asleep on the sofa, only to be suddenly woken up by a knock on the door. She thought she was hallucinating, so she got up to go to bed, when the sound of another knock dispelled Xu Xingxing’s drowsiness.

After realising that someone was at her door, Xu Xingxing opened her eyes and stood up from the couch, suddenly alert, and looked at the clock to find out that it was almost eleven o’clock at night. As Mimi had also heard the knock on the door, it stood near the sofa, looking up at its master while tilting its head. Mimi meowed softly as it noticed how anxious she was.

Xu Xingxing’s heart shook when she heard Mimi’s cries. She delicately “shushed” it, then stood up with her phone in hand, and tip-toed to the door.

She put her hands on the door and looked out from the peephole. 

The man on the other side of the peephole seemed to have expected her gaze. His light brown eyes, which were facing the door, were slightly cocked to one side. When the two of them looked at each other, Xu Xingxing’s lips parted slightly to reveal a smile. The man’s eyes seemed to twitch when she peeked again to make sure of his identity, with a smile already gracing his mouth.

Xu Xingxing then put her hands on the doorknob and opened the door.

She was only wearing pyjamas, so she felt the chilly wind attack her as soon as the door opened. She began to shiver slightly as a result.

“What brings you here?” Xu Xingxing could detect the faint smell of alcohol that was around him. ‘Why did he arrive at my house so late in the night, after attending his uncle’s birthday party?’

“I’m a little drunk.” He responded lightly to her question while gazing into her eyes. “May I enter? It’s cold outside.”

The man’s throat moved, he blinked his eyes a little, and his voice sounded scratchy from exhaustion.

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“Come in…”

Since he was already here, Xu Xingxing didn’t have the intention of turning him down. Anyway, he was drunk and might be feeling uneasy, so Xu Xingxing told Huai Jing, who was sitting on the couch, to rest in the bedroom while handing him a glass of water. 

Huai Jing turned to look at her, then he brought the glass to his lips and drank it.

“Okay.” Handing the empty water glass to Xu Xingxing, Huai Jing got up and went to the bedroom.

Xu Xingxing could sense that Huai Jing wasn’t his usual playful self when drunk, for he was so silent now, and she felt a little unbelievable that someone who was usually so troublesome could be so obedient when drunk.

As she was keeping the glass on the table, a noise came from the bedroom, it seemed as if something had fallen, so she hurried to the room.

She first turned on the light, only to see Huai Jing lying on the bed. He had placed his hands neatly by his side, his legs dangling over the edge of the bed.

As Xu Xingxing approached, she could smell the wine again, as well as the faint aroma of grapes. She looked at the man’s tight lips and closed eyes, and sighed softly, thinking, “Did you drink so much because you were in a bad mood?”

Xu Xingxing undid his tie and unbuttoned his collar after adjusting his posture. He had drunk so much wine that the skin on his neck was still red, and it felt a little warm when her fingers rubbed across it.

Xu Xingxing’s eyes shifted in response to the slightly burning heat, and she slid her hand from his neck to his cheek. The man’s skin was thin and tight, and it was indeed a little hot.

The man on the bed appeared to feel Xu Xingxing’s touch and immediately opened his eyes when she stroked his face. Bright brown eyes with keen awareness appeared when he opened his eyelids. Nevertheless, as he realised that the person in front of him was actually Xu Xingxing, this level of vigilance slowly vanished like cotton candy in water.

Although Xu Xingxing was startled by his eyes suddenly opening, she retracted her hands and told Huai Jing, “I’ll get a towel to wipe your face.”

""

Xu Xingxing had washed the towels yesterday but they were still hanging on the balcony in the bedroom, so she went there. 

The balcony was not big, it extended for only the length of the bedroom, and the width could accommodate two people maximum. The half-a-person high balcony wall was covered by a sliding window, thesill of which was very wide, with dark brown wood tiles covering the balcony floor, and two pots of green plants placed there.

Although the balcony was small, it got plenty of sunlight. Xu Xingxing had placed a high chair near the leftmost window, and occasionally, when she was free on weekends, she would sit here and read a book under the sunlight in the afternoons. It was warm during the day, but it got a bit cold at night.

The sliding window was still wide open, and it was letting the wind in, which chilled Xu Xingxing as soon as she stepped outside. She then quickly wrapped a tiny blanket around herself. In order to ensure that sufficient sunshine fell on the whole balcony, the clothes drying pole in her house had been placed very high up. So, she had to stand on her tiptoes to reach for the towel. However, before she got it, a hand stretched out over hers and brought the towel down.

Xu Xingxing’s throat trembled as another hand stretched out to hug her. The man’s hot breath flowed down her neck, making her fingers curl up slightly.

When Huai Jing lifted her, they both trembled at the contact. The woman in his arms was soft and boneless, and the scent of her shower gel could be faintly detected lingering on her neck. His lips lightly caressed her cheeks and ears as he inhaled this lovely scent. He asked for her permission with a raspy voice and a somewhat hot breath, “Can we do it now?”

In the apartment building facing the window, only a few households were dimly lit. In this cold world, only the two of them seemed to be wide awake.

Xu Xingxing’s feet were somewhat hanging in the air, her eyes lowered at this moment, and she answered in a trembling voice, “Um, okay”

The voice was small and soft, and touched the bottom of his heart like an electric current.

Alcohol could drive people crazy.

Only the tiniest breeze could be heard through the still open balcony door after their bout of passion.

They were worn out after this intense battle. The man softly placed his head on the woman’s neck as he laid on top of her. Xu Xingxing, who had now gotten used to this kind of intimacy, put her cheek against the man’s ear and put her hands on his hair.

Looking at the lamps in the living room that hadn’t been turned off, her heart softened. 

“Not happy today?”

The woman’s voice was soft and slightly hoarse.

“En.” Lightly responding, Huai Jing took the woman into his arms and softly kissed her silky shoulder.

“But I’m always happy to see you.“