There was no resistance from him as our lips met, and as I took off his shirt, flashbacks of our first night together kept rushing to my mind, making me feel bashful, and my hands trembled as I reached to unbutton his pants.
"See... you are a pervert," Zai said mockingly, and I jerked my hand away.
He grabbed my wrist and pulled my hand back down while kissing me tenderly, and then he pressed my palm against the bulge in his pants and said,
"Don't stop, now." Worsening my blushing.
The time we spent together blurred by.
I did my best to take the lead... to show him some appreciation for this surprise.
Sooner than I was expecting, Zai picked me up and placed me in the chair near the bed.
"You still have to work tomorrow," he commented solemnly.
It looked like he was talking to himself, not me. Then he left the room and took a 15-minute shower.
His hair was dripping, and he was in Swimming trunks when he exited.
"Shower too," He mumbled before going outside with a pained expression...
I work tomorrow... it never occurred to me that Zai could be just being considerate.
Did he notice how tired I was, and that's why he's been less handsy lately?
I should ask him...
After showering and changing into my swimsuit, I came outside to see Zai talking quietly with one of the staff members.
He looked at me and instantly ended his conversation to approach me,
"You're so lovely," he said while cupping both my cheeks and staring at me amorously,
"So are you," I replied shyly before I had time to think of a better comeback.
Zai rolled his eyes, then lifted me up in his arms, princess style, and carried me to the pool,
"Can you swim?" he asked on the way.
"Yes," I replied.
As soon as he had my answer, he dropped me into the deep end of the pool. I was panicking and flailing until I eventually floated back to the top,
"Zai! You jerk!" I screamed.
Then he jumped in beside me, creating a big splash and sending water right into my face. When he popped back up, he smiled at me and replied,
"Oops." I splashed him, shouting,
"Oops?! You definitely did that on purpose, you ass—" Before I could complete my sentence, his arms were around my waist, and our mouths were together once more.
Above us, the stars glistened, and it was cold when we left the pool.
Towels were waiting for us, folded up in chairs, and when we returned to the room, clothes were laid out on the bed for us.
A long white Sundress for me and a White T-shirt, Black jeans, and a White zippered hoodie for him.
I put my clothes from earlier in the shopping bag, and Zai put our bathing suits in plastic bags before putting them in a bookbag he had under the bed.
"You... really thought of everything," I noted. He pulled a long jewelry box from the side pocket of his bag and said,
"Do you want to go home tonight or stay here?" he asked.
My eyes stayed fixed on the box, and I replied,
"I think we should leave... I'm sure someone is looking forward to coming here in the morning. Plus, I'm sure it'll cost a fortune for us to stay here overnight... With the whole place shut down."
Zai turned to me, held the velvet black box out to me, and said,
"Snowe, will you marry me?"
My face felt hot.
"We're already married!" I retorted.
"On Earth things are different and on Infaniya too... Plus, I want to give you a wedding, I don't want you to miss out on that just because you're with me."
I felt my heart doing backflips in my chest as I opened it. Inside was a platinum lariat necklace with three snowflake-shaped pendants that had heart-shaped pink diamonds in the center.
"You... must hate social events like that," I commented, tearing up again.
Zai got to his feet and then helped me put the necklace on.
"Yeah... I find weddings annoying, but... I care about you and thought it was something you might want. Plus, it's different if it's my wedding. I can look forward to that," he muttered softly.
I stared at him silently for several seconds before it hit me,
"Oh!... I need to answer you... Of course, I'll marry you."
He laughed, positioning himself in front of me and wiping away my tears.
"Are you sure? We've only been together for three months."
I punched his arm, causing him to laugh again.
"Who else am I going to marry?! There's no way anyone else could be this good to me! You ruined it for everyone else."
I playfully struck him again, and this time, he reacted by hugging me and spinning me around.
"Exactly as planned! You can't live without me," he said cheerfully.
I puffed out my cheeks and pouted.
It was around 1 AM when we finally left.
I fell asleep on the car ride home, and when we got home, Zai carried me to bed.
That way, I could stay asleep until it was time to leave again for work.
The next morning, I felt groggy on the ride there, but I tried my best to hide it, so Zai wouldn't feel bad.
"Are you staying today?" I asked as soon as we arrived.
"No... I still have some things to take care of."
I frowned, and then he pecked my lips, instantly turning the frown into a smile.
"I'm going to be busy for a while... but as soon as you get a break, you can join me... By the way, which one is better, the beach or a lake?"
"Um..." My sleepy brain was having trouble switching topics or even making a decision.
"Do you prefer being inside or outside?" he added.
"Inside... beach," I replied, and he nodded and said,
"Alright, see you when you get off."
I huffed
"Wait, no! That's not how you say bye! You have to kiss me and say you love me."
Apparently, I'm also too tired to keep my mouth shut. Regardless, Zai did as I asked,
"I love you," He whispered as our lips parted.
It felt like my whole body was melting.
I'm wide awake now! I worked harder than ever, finishing two new recordings. Mark was in today to tell me that we are making a music video next month.
I was consulted on my opinion of what theme the video should have, and then Mark made a phone call and left.
"We don't have any more songs right now, so go home and rest. We'll contact you when it's time to start filming for the video," Richard informed me, before walking away with his team. Lisa patted my shoulder and asked,
"Is it okay if I text you?"
I nodded, and she smiled.
Zai was waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs, looking at the door before I even called him. He caught the eye of everyone leaving the building and the people on the sidewalk passing by.
"You ready to go home?" he called to me, and I nodded, trying to ignore all the strangers watching us.
Once I was within reach, Zai spun me around by my waist and pulled me into an embrace.
I caught one of the strangers snapping a photo out of the corner of my eye.
I was gonna complain, but my mind went blank as soon as I looked at Zai's face.
He put me back on my feet, so we could walk to the car together.
"You two are so cute!" Lisa yelled, sending my embarrassment into overdrive, so I walked even faster. I started to open the passenger side door, but Zai stopped me and said,
"You're driving us home today."
WHAT?! He held the driver's side door open for me and waited till I came over and sat down before shutting the door. I was still in shock when he got in the passenger seat and pecked my cheek.
"Okay, first adjust the seat until you're comfortable."
I did as told, sliding the seat forward until I could easily rest my feet on the pedals.
"Buckle your seatbelt and make sure you have a clear view in all the mirrors. Only use your right foot to press the gas and brakes; there's a footrest for your left foot."
I followed his directions.
"There is a backup camera, but you should always turn around and check your surroundings before relying on that. The small pedal is the gas, the other one is the brake. Press your foot on the brakes for now and push the engine start button."
The car sounded so much louder when I turned it on than it usually does.
"Good..." Zai stroked my thigh, then he gently slid his hand under my skirt.
"Don't be so nervous."
"You're not helping!" I argued in a trembling voice.
He removed his hand and smiled, continuing to patiently instruct me.
Pulling out of the parking lot was harder than I imagined, mainly because of my nerves, but I knew I had to drive on the highway to get home.
Zai never raised his voice, even when I slammed on the brakes or nearly pulled out in front of another car, right after he told me to wait.
We somehow made it back home safely, but I was too scared to drive the speed limit on the highway, so many cars passed us, honking or shouting curses from the window.
All that tension had me exhausted,
"I think you did well," Zai noted,
"Oh shut up! That was terrifying! I was so worried I'd wreck your car!"
He chuckled at my words and replied,
"Don't worry about that. I only care about teaching you how to drive, not damage to the car."
That did relieve some of my anxiety.
"Do you work tomorrow?" Zai inquired.
"Oh no, I have a few days off actually!" I replied eagerly.
He responded by turning away from me and getting out of the car.
I thought he'd have more to say... I followed after him, feeling confused.
"Welcome home, guys. What's for dinner?" Valin greeted.
"Quiet," Zai demanded in a testy voice.
Valin responded by pretending to zip his lips, then my husband turned to me with a sweet smile.
"Let's go upstairs." He's acting weird...
"Okay..." I replied hesitantly but followed him up to our room nonetheless.