The Interstellar's Expert Plant Tamer

70

Xie Sen sat in the passenger seat. When he saw Maine stop the shuttle, he looked out. They weren’t at the apartment but at the supermarket instead. He asked, “Want to buy something? There’s still enough meat in the house.”

The shuttle was lit with a warm yellow light, and not very bright. The light hit Maine’s face, and created a faint shadow. His eyes darkened slightly as he looked at Xie Sen. “Mn. I need to buy something. Wait for me in the shuttle.”

Xie Sen didn’t think much of it, just reached out and prepared to push the door. “I’ll go with you.”

“No,” Maine said immediately. “You wait here for me.”

Xie Sen raised an eyebrow. He immediately sensed the oddity. Given how clingy Maine was, there was no reason at all to refuse his offer to go with him for such a small thing. Xie Sen’s thoughts turned, and he had a guess. He must have wanted to give him a gift, to surprise him, so he couldn’t let him know in advance. The more Xie Sen thought about it, the more he thought it was possible, and he smiled. “Okay. I’ll wait for you here.”

Maine was very fast. He left and returned in less than three minutes. Xie Sen looked at his empty hands and was a little excited as he wondered what he bought.

When they got home, Xie Sen went straight into the bedroom to find a change of clothes and prepare for a shower. While he was getting his clothes, Maine’s eyes kept following him. He looked at Maine, “Aren’t you going to your bedroom to take a shower? What are you standing there for?”

Maine smiled.

Did he want to give the gift now? He tried, “Something wrong?”

Maine said, “I’ll wash with you.”

Xie Sen’s movements as he gathered his clothes paused. He coughed dryly, and refused, “No, you go next door.”

Maine took two steps forward to trap him in the middle of the closet, and whispered in his ear, “Why? Are you afraid, or are you shy?”

Xie Sen blushed, and tilted his head to avoid his hot breath, while he reached out to push him. “What do I have to be afraid of? It’s too crowded for two men to wash together, and it’s not convenient.”

Maine stood firm, not moving from his push, as he said thoughtfully, “I’ll talk to the construction company tomorrow about enlarging the bathroom so that the tub in our new home can accommodate at least two people.”

“No!” Xie Sen said hurriedly. The bathtub was already custom-made in a large size. Any fool would know what that deliberate proposal was for.

“Why?” Maine met his gaze. Suddenly he gave a soft laugh. He reached out to his left earlobe and lightly twisted it. “Very red. You are shy.”

Xie Sen’s knees instantly weakened, and he backhanded him. He thought that things would get out of hand if they went on like this, so he slapped his hand away. “Get out. Get your hands off me!”

Maine didn’t go out. Instead he bent down, picked him up and walked towards the bathroom. Then Maine stopped in his tracks. “You don’t want to be close to me?”

“No…” Xie Sen’s face was flushed. He had already been honest with himself in bed, but the thought of being in the bathtub or in the shower together made his heart beat wildly. He grabbed Maine’s arm.  He thought about his reaction, and felt too unmanly. Gu Luo’s words suddenly came to his mind. ‘You are a female!’

He said loudly, “Let’s wash together. It’s not like we haven’t seen each other before. Put me down. I haven’t got my change of clothes yet, and neither have you.”