An unexpected encounter 2

Jinshi's steps resounded through the empty hallway in his residence that was enveloped by the darkness of the night, as he carried Maomao, whom he had found sound asleep on the bare floor, in his arms. Continuing to wonder how exactly she might have ended up sleeping there in the first place. But that actually didn't matter right now. In any case, he had to get her to bed, where she would sleep much more comfortably and without the risk of catching a cold nor getting back or neck pains the next morning. And after that was done, he would go to his own bedroom and finally get some sleep himself, in order to be ready for the next mountain of work on his desk (even if that would be against his will). He grimaced at that thought, hoping that these dang papers wouldn't at least hunt him in his dreams. Exactly at that moment and as if sensing that his mood was turning sour, Maomao started to groan quietly in her sleep, and he could see in the dim moonlight shining through the windows that she was twisting her mouth in displeasure as well. Jinshi froze for a second, thinking that she had woken up after all and bracing himself for what would surely await him, but quickly relaxed again once he had realized that this wasn't the case. "Dreaming about something unpleasant, aren't you?" he whispered, chuckling softly, and his heart twitched from the cute sight he was witnessing. Something unpleasant, huh? Well, hopefully this "something" wasn't him… although, he actually would have been beaming with happiness if she were really to dream about him… even if that made her put on such a face. Having to be careful to not bump into anything in the darkness or trip on the way, it took him a while to notice that the girl's right hand, that was resting on her belly while he was carrying her, was now clenched into a fist. A need to grab it overcame him out of the blue, to take that small hand of hers, but that was unfortunately impossible right now, since his own were both occupied. At a loss as to what to do in order to chase away her bad dream, he finally decided to shift her weight a bit in his arms, holding her a bit closer, so that her head could rest more comfortably against his chest. And to his surprise and utter happiness, it seemed to work, since her features relaxed again. Jinshi smiled with satisfaction, realizing just now that this was truly the first time of him carrying her like that without her being neither hurt nor injured. Luckily, things were rather calm for now, so he currently didn't need to worry about her safety. Well, not quite, since the fear of her accidentally poisoning herself and doing permanent harm to her body would always remain, despite him understanding that it was impossible to keep her away from dangerous stuff. And he was also assigning her cases and mysteries involving said stuff himself, since, due to her extensive medical knowledge and wits, she was the only one able to solve them.  But the mere thought about what she was hiding under that bandage on her arm, caused him pain. And while he was immersed in all these thoughts, he finally reached her room and entered it, opening the door with his elbow. There was a small candle burning on the table that was filled with strange papers and all kinds of stuff he couldn't identify. Better not think about it. He headed directly to her bed and gently laid Maomao down on it. Then he took off her shoes and carefully pulled the blanket from under her in order to cover her with it. Alright, mission accomplished. So now it was time to leave, right? Absolutely right, but for some reason he didn't. Instead, he sat down on her bed and started watching her again like he had done in the hallway, without even thinking about what he was doing and forgetting his own exhaustion once more. Jinshi was neither moving, nor making any sounds. Just watching Maomao sleep. And as the minutes went by, an absurd yet strong idea started to form in his head: It was the wish to lie down beside her and fall asleep, holding her in his arms. Just like that. Forgetting about their statuses, their positions, everyone, and everything around him. That desire was so intense, so palpable, that he stretched out his hand into her direction without even noticing it. She was right there. Just a little bit, just a few small movements, and his wish would come true. However, his hand sank again, as he came to his senses. No. He wasn't going to do that, because what would she think of him if he did? He didn't want her to be afraid of him, nor being murdered by her in his sleep. But just getting up and leaving, as if he had never even been there, didn't feel quite right, either. He let out a sigh. Even though she was right there, lying in the very bed he was sitting on, so close he could even feel her movements under the blanket, there could very well be a thick glass wall between them. One he wouldn't be able to pass through no matter how hard he tried. And while he was gazing upon her sleeping frame, Jinshi's face was suddenly darkened by a shadow of sadness. He was perfectly aware of the fact that Maomao didn't like being touched by him or having him too close, he wasn't blind after all, but he just couldn't help it, even despite knowing that he was playing with fire and risking her ending up hating him for good. Never in his life had he felt such interest, such affection for another person before, and this was the only way he knew how to show it. Without his biggest weapon, his extraordinary looks, he was feeling completely helpless. Because what would be left if one would take his handsome facade away? Nothing but an insecure and absolutely inexperienced boy. He sighed again and moved closer to her on the bed. What an egoist he was, right? An egoist and a masochist. Yes, a masochist. "I'm sorry, Maomao," he whispered, and then bent down and kissed her gently on her left cheek. After that, he softly ran his index finger over her hand, the one he had wished to grab earlier, stood up, blew out the candle on her table, and finally left her room, not without having taken a last gaze at the sleeping young woman. Hoping that she would return his affection one day. And as long as that hope remained, he wasn't planning on giving up on her. The rest of the night passed in complete silence, and when the morning sun began to enter through the window into Maomao's room and shine into her face, she started to stir and groaned softly, slowly opening her eyes. She needed a few moments to come to her senses. Phew! Last night, she had been working on a medicine for several hours with high concentration, and was still feeling a bit of the fatigue that had plagued her back then. It was still quite early, so maybe she should sleep a bit more. And just as she was about to do exactly that, her eyes suddenly widened, and she shot up into a sitting position. Why was she fully dressed now? Had she really been so tired last night that she had even forgotten to change clothes before going to sleep? She furrowed her brow, and her blue eyes darkened. Wait a minute… actually, she didn't even remember having gone to bed at all… "I'm sorry, Maomao." An intense, ice-cold shudder ran down her spine. So these words said in Jinshi's voice she had perceived vaguely at some moment during the night had not been a dream at all?! What the hell had Jinshi done in order to find it necessary to apologize to her? Maomao put on an expression that would have made a few ladies-in-waiting shriek out in fear and palpated her body. Just in case. Though she was somehow sure deep inside that she didn't need to, since she knew by now that Jinshi was not the type of guy who would take advantage of a sleeping or unconscious woman. Or one to do real harm to a woman at all. After all, she hadn't forgotten the shock on his face after she had told him that she was drawing these freckles on her face for self-protection. And neither his relieved expression after hearing that no man had ever succeeded in doing anything to her. Yes, Jinshi was pretty pushy and clingy… and acting like a spoiled child from time to time… but he wasn't a bad person at all. But still, she'd really like to know what he had done that merited an apology. Maybe she should put some laxative into his food. A little bit. As a warning, so to say. Maomao blinked a few times and put on her usual expression, having calmed down again. Nah. On second thought, rather not. She didn't want to deal with unnecessary trouble. And as she was pondering about that, she absent-mindedly turned her head towards the sunny morning sky that was presenting itself outside the window. Unconsciously placing her hand on her left cheek… …and admitting that, in a way, she did trust him, after all.