Criminal Love

54. Pleasant Disruption

The morning after

It's 5 am, and Yue's phone beeps subtly–she set it on low volume on purpose–because it's time to go for a run.

Since her brain is wired for it, Yue immediately opens one eye and stretches her arm to interrupt the noise and prevent it from disturbing Dylan.

Generally, Yue nags and yells and whines about having to wake up this early, but Dylan is finally with her, and all she can do is smile inside and out. Her heart feels bigger and fuller this morning, content as if a missing piece had been found.

Yue turns around on the bed and giggles inwardly at the sight. Dylan's face is sideways, squashed on the pillow, his black and shiny hair is messy and in contrast with the white sheets, his mouth is pressed in a flat line and his naked chest goes up and down, up and down. He was wearing a t-shirt and boxer shorts when he went to bed, but Yue's air conditioning is not set for a penguin habitat like Dylan's, so he felt warm at some point and removed his clothes. Yes, all of them. Yue notices this intriguing fact when her eyes travel down his body, taking his handsomeness in, and halt between his hips.

Oh, dear.

The linen is barely concealing his most masculine area and Yue covers her mouth with her hand to muffle a squeal of giddiness. Does she really have to go jogging today? Yes, dammit. If she didn't, Dylan would certainly move back to his apartment. Perhaps they can eliminate that bed of his, throw it out or give it away -Yue wickedly schemes-, so he can never go there to sleep again. Ever.

When Yue finally gathers the volition to leave the bed and go to the bathroom, Dylan smirks. He's been awake since the first beep, of course. His light sleep would not allow otherwise. And he fought with all his might the impulse to take Yue into his arms and rip her pajamas off.

As soon as Yue leaves the house, Dylan zigzags to the bathroom, stumbling on the coffee table on his way because his eyes were mostly closed and he's not yet familiar with the new surroundings, especially in the dark.

"Argh! Son of a gun!!!"

What Dylan needs is to tinkle, and he also wants to brush his teeth–and rinse with minty fresh mouthwash–because when Yue comes back, he wishes to kiss her without the nasty morning breath. Certainly, they have kissed and painted in the penthouse as soon as they have opened their eyes in the morning, never caring for one second about body odors, but this is a special occasion, worthy of some effort.

Once Dylan's head is back on the pillow, he falls asleep again quickly. Even though he does not become Mr. Grumpy in the mornings like his beloved wife, he truly hates waking up at ungodly hours, such as 5 am.

Outside

Fresh air sweeps Yue's face as her feet hit the ground step after step. The sky is still dark because the sun won't rise for another hour and a half, but she likes it anyway. No one is watching her, and the streets are quiet. Moreover, there are no creeps around this early.

Yue's hair is up on a ponytail; she's wearing a white sport's bra, a black tank top and black running shorts, sweat dripping off her forehead and down her back, inhaling and exhaling through her mouth to allow more oxygen to enter her body and fuel her muscles.

Normally, Yue runs 5 to 6 kilometers each time, which takes her about 45 minutes, that's why she always returns home around 6 am. However, today she pushes herself to go a little faster so she can be back earlier. Since her legs are petite, there's only so much she can do to save time, and perhaps those 5 minutes will not make much difference in the end, but the thought of Dylan in her bed is making her want to go back as soon as possible.