Page 57 of He Is My Bride
It’s not gonna happen,Li Ying thought.Unless…?
Hanjun and Li Ying went to the restaurant beyond the bar. The place was European-style with French cuisine, all white table linens and chandeliers, but also modern twists, such as the kitchen being behind a glass wall so that patrons could watch the cooks at work.
They were seated and their drink orders taken—champagne all the way. They sat in comfortable silence for a moment while reading the menus. Li Ying couldn’t focus on the menu though, it was too French and he was tired, and now getting nervous about a possible proposaltoo. The occasion had all the elements of a dream proposal, but Li Ying found himself uncomfortable.
Am I being ungrateful?
Hanjun might finally be going all out for him with grand, romantic gestures, and now it wasn’t what Li Ying wanted after all?
But Li Ying thought he wouldn’t have wanted to say ‘yes’ in a voice that wasn’t really his own. It bothered him enough that he had to speak up:
“It’s been a long day, huh?”
Hanjun looked up at him. “Tired?”
“Yeah. To be honest, I would have been fine with some hot pot.” He chuckled, crossing his ankles under the table and bouncing his foot, taking tiny sips.
Hanjun could see Li Ying was uncomfortable. He worried, but perhaps Li Ying was, in fact, just tired. Hanjun decided to see to Li Ying’s comfort, it was the most important thing, after all.
“We can go get hot pot,” Hanjun said.
“No. You went through such trouble getting us a table here, and we already sat down. Wouldn’t it be weird if we just left without eating?”
“…We could just get starters and mains?” Hanjun suggested.
Hanjun feared that they would devolve into arguing over little things again. He could see this was the point where they typically lost communication: Li Ying was trying too hard not to appear ungrateful, not to be a nuisance, and while he was neither of those things to Hanjun, it was difficult to find the words that would reassure Li Ying when he was feeling insecure. It’s like Li Ying didn’t dare believe Hanjun, and the more Hanjun insisted, the more Li Ying felt like he was being a bother.
“Is that okay?” Li Ying asked, and the meek way he looked at Hanjun made the man’s heart ache.
“Mm, it’s okay.” Hanjun’s voice was gentle, reassuring. “Should I order for you?” he asked when he saw the waitress approaching.
“No way, you’ll just order me rabbit food,” Li Ying said, his spunk back.
Hanjun smiled. Crisis averted.
Li Ying ordered the soup and a rare steak, while Hanjun opted for the catch of the day. Everything was, of course, excellent, and Li Ying felt better after sinking his teeth into a good ribeye along with a glass of well-paired red.
Li Ying noted there had been no ring in the champagne glass, nor was there one hidden in his food, not that Li Ying expected those kinds of tricks to be Hanjun’s style at all. Li Ying hoped Hanjun had gotten the idea, if he’d even made any such plans: not tonight, not here. Hanjun himself seemed calm and content now, Li Ying thought.
“It looks even better on you now,” Hanjun said, looking at Li Ying’s choker.
Li Ying blushed and carefully drew his fingers over what he knew to be hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of rocks over his windpipe. “I can’t believe I’m wearing something like this.”
Hanjun looked at him, not sure what he meant, and Li Ying felt like he owed him an explanation.
“It’s gorgeous, don’t get me wrong, I just don’t… I mean,whodeserves these?”
“They’re just rocks.” Hanjun’s fingertips touched Li Ying’s hand. Suddenly he felt like he was on fire: Li Ying was so beautiful in that choker. “You deserve so much more than rocks, but I want you to have them anyway,” Hanjun said.
This man is too much.Li Ying was feeling it too. “Let’s pay the bill and go. I want to hold you.”
Hanjun caught the waitress with his gaze, asked her for the bill, and she promptly brought it on a silver tray. Hanjun checked the bill as he always did, and put his card on the tray to be brought for charging.
“Sorry,” Li Ying said, “I’m being kind of lame. I know I’m the one who spurred you on to reserve a nice restaurant, but it’s just been a busy day.”
“It’s alright.” Hanjun kept caressing Li Ying’s hand.
Such a light touch, but it was making Li Ying burn up andyearn. They hadn’t been able to be private since this afternoon. It had been six whole hours, simply unthinkable.
