Faking It

WEI LI LIAN

YIYUAN

Was he about to kiss her?

No. She beheld that his intention was to feed her with his mouth, Nameless once did that with her when she was sick. She desperately tried to cover her lips but it was too late. His lips covered hers and his tongue started to probe her lips open. The softness of his lips took her back, his breath a breeze on her lips. He was a pungent of wine in both taste and smell. Not like he was not wine in her life that made her drunk from taking the right choices.

Her lips were now wet from his tongue gliding on her, so she gave him entrance and the well of medicine which he held in his mouth poured into hers. She could not spit it back for he was on top of her, besides they said it was only herbs in the medicine. She finally swallowed it and it did not taste as bitter as the first time or was it the effect of him on her lips.

He rose from her smiling widely, delighted with himself for a job well done.

Was that a kiss? She was not sure if she could count that as their first kiss.

"To make things clear, that was not a kiss." His lips pursed fashioning the peck lips had when kissing. "I don't kiss and leave a woman with unswollen lips."

So the Grand General saw her as a woman. That made her feel giddy.

But how many women had gone before her?

"Do you want me to do that again?" He inspected her closely, and she lost herself in his eyes. A tornado of hazel and passion reflected in them. "Or you are going to cooperate with me?"

With no second thoughts, she grabbed the bowl of medicine and downed it in one go. Her face scrunched, hating the taste of it.

"Brave." He smiled, looking pleased. "I like that."

His smile made her feel as if she had hit the jackpot. She wanted to win more of those smiles.

Again, she found herself floating into dreamland where she ran around in green lands, her mother chasing her. The little girl she was, had beautiful wide wings, and so did her mother but hers were bigger.

Her head hurt, but she could breathe, and she could take in as much air as she wanted. Her back didn't hurt too.

It was day. The room was gorgeously lit with sunlight, the air rich with birds chirping happily. The room she was in was just a room with a bed, cabinet and carpeted vast area. By the walls were decorating zabuton cushions.

Seated by her bed and facing her, with his head on his folded hands was the Grand General. He looked so at ease with his eyes closed, breathing slowly.

She appreciated his unruly hair that lay long and loose obscuring part of his gorgeous face. The length of it flowed past his back up to his hips. He looked beautiful with it laying on his broad face of masculine bone structure. She was sure that if he was to walk like this, the eyes of both genders would pass looks of envy at him.

He was in his black sleeping garments. Last time he wore ones which were gold and white. Was he trying to have the aura of 'dark and dangerous' as he stated?

She sat a little and her hands reached for his hair, not able to resist touching it. It was soft and it nicely nuzzled her hand. She was sad that even the sleeping General had the posture of having the world weighing on his shoulders. He was not entirely relaxed but entirely alert.

His long lashes flattered and she hurriedly threw herself back and closed her eyes, pretending to be asleep.

She heard him groan as he rose. Some bones buckled. He was stretching tiredly.

A moment of silence followed. She guessed that he was staring at her. It was frustrating that she couldn't keep her closed eyes from blinking within her eyelids.

'Agh. By now he knows that I'm faking it.'

Grand General was an observant person. He wouldn't miss it.

He took her palm into his and started drawing circles in it with his finger. A warm fuzzy feeling overwhelmed her senses. They were butterflies gliding in her stomach.

"Are you asleep Little Fox?" he playfully derided her.

Should she snore to make it more realistic? Should she? She started to snore and he laughed.

His finger flicked her forehead. It was slightly painful but she wouldn't wince. A pretending sleeping person doesn't react much to disturbances than just turn around sleepily, which she did with a yawn.

Realizing that she was no fun with her back toward him, he stood up from her and left.

Li Lian breathed a sigh of relief at his departure. She girded herself up with a hand on her chest, heart thudding.

Truthfully, she didn't know how to face him after the eventful nights. And yes, she wondered what made her worthy to receive so much of his goodness. Was it because he saw it as a way to repent for his sins that he probably committed against the person she looked like?

She hoped not.

Because for once she wanted to be cared for by someone just because.

"Call for me if she starts to act up again." She heard him say to a physician on guard outside.

It felt good.

To be cared for, it felt good.

Nobody really cared for her in her life except for Nameless who died. Even though he was just doing it for the respect he had for her mistress, it was nice.

S.V