Stay Here With Me

After signing the divorce papers, Susu got into the cab that she ordered and the first place she could think of on the top of her mind was Chen Mu's place. Chen Mu moved out of his house long ago and settled on a condo that he bought using his own money.

Arriving at his condo without prior notice, she rang the doorbell a few times. She thought that he might be resting, but the truth was that he ended up staying wide awake thinking about her, so he went to take a shower. When he stepped out of the shower, he heard the doorbell and immediately wrapped his body with a robe.

"Susu?" He opened the door and was instantly hugged by her cold body. Without saying a word, he closed the door from behind and rubbed her back as if he understood what was going on in her mind. He remained quiet until she got tired of standing.

Finally, after hours of fighting, crying, and feeling heart broken, Susu could rest properly. Feeling Chen Mu's warmth made the last barriers of guard go down. Once again, in his embrace, she fell asleep comfortably.

During her deep slumber, she could feel his gentle hands stroking her hair and patting her back to comfort her, making her feel safe. Chen Mu turned the heat a little higher and covered her with a blanket while her head rested on his lap. Once in a while, he would move her fringe aside so that it wouldn't poke her eyelid. Sometimes she would twist and turn in her sleep, kicking away the blanket.

He would then smile and covere the blanket over her body with care. 'Susu, everything will get better. Everything will be okay. I'll always be here to support you if you need me.'

When she appeared in front of his door, he already saw the luggage by her feet and that the ring on her ring finger was gone. He could already guess what had happened, so he didn't ask or say anything. If she wanted a hug, he would give her a hug. If she wanted to sleep on his thighs, then who cares about numbed nerves and leg cramps? If this is what takes to make her happy again, it'll all be worth it.

Susu woke up at 11 and felt refreshed.

"Good morning, dear." Chen Mu greeted her after seeing her wrap the blanket around her body like a cozy kitten.

"Huh...?" She rubbed her eyes and looked up to see Chen Mu smiling at her.

Gasp

"Why are you here?" She blinked a few times, forgetting that she was in his place.

"Hmm? Me? Dear, you're sleeping on my lap and asking me why I'm in my condo~ Of course, I'll be here." He teased her the moment she woke up looking much better than hours ago.

She sat up too quick and felt her blood rush up her head, "Urghh..."

"You should have gotten up slowly. Here, lie down." He patted his thigh and pulled her back down.

"It's your fault." She pursed her lips and whined with her eyes closed.

"Yes, yes. All my fault. How are you feeling now?" He asked in concern.

"Which part?" She answered his question with a question.

"Huh? What do you mean which part?"

"If you mean my head, then I still feel a little dizzy. If you mean my heart, then its shattered that I might need a doctor to help me recover. If.." She felt his cold fingertip poking her forehead and stopped talking.

"I meant your stomach. It's growling." He purposely reached her hip area and started tickling her, making her laugh continuously.

"S..sstoppp.. ahahahaa... no... pffft.." She hugged her stomach and rolled up in a fetal position. Her hair was all over her face and her giggles continued to echo in his living room. She breathed a sigh of relief and sat up slowly. "That was the best laugh I had for the year."

"Mmm.. I'm glad you're feeling better then. What do you want to eat for breakfast or brunch..?" He stood up, but immediately fell backwards onto the couch. While he covered his face with one hand to hide his embarrassment, she crawled to his side with a playful grin.

"What? Is young master Chen Mu having a leg cramp?~ Hmmm?" She teased as she poked his numb thighs where she slept for many hours.

"Aha.a. ha..stop! Stop! I surrender, my queen! Don't torture this peasant during the numb thigh session! Spare me!" He jumped every time she poked his thighs.

"Okay, okay. Here, hold on." She knelt on his carpet and started massaging his thigh and leg to increase the circulation of his blood flow. Soon, the numbness and pain faded and his expression relaxed.

"Phew, I thought I was going to cry for a second." He stood up and walked towards the kitchen.

"What are you doing?" She peeked from behind.

"Making your food. Tell me, what do you feel like having?" He tied the knot from behind and waited for her response. Noticing the silence between them, he turned around to see her rubbing her chin with a grin on her face.

He gulped in response, "Y..yes..? Something wrong?"

"Chen Mu, I never knew you could look that handsome in an apron. That apron brings out your ass. Mhmm, what a nice view." She stared at his bottoms for a bit before smiling enchantingly, "Let's make the food together."

"Okay. So what do you want to eat?" The moment he saw her cheerful smile, he couldn't help but to accept her offer in making food with him. For once he was glad that he had a nice butt to catch her attention.

"Mmmm...." She thought deeply about what she wanted to eat.

"Ah! Scrambled eggs with sausage and a warm cup of milk tea."

"Scrambled eggs with sausage and milk tea."

Both of them said it at the same time and laughed at their similar thoughts. While she cooked the eggs, he cooked the sausage. They finished making their parts of the meal around the same time and proceeded to make the milk teas for each other.

He handed her the milk tea that he made, "Here, extra sweetened milk tea with a cupid's arrow shaped sprinkle of chocolate powder."

She took the cup from his hands and handed him the milk tea that she made for him, "Here. Regular milk tea with tea level at mild. Exactly how you like it."

After taking a sip of each other's handmade milk tea, they smiled and enjoyed the rest of their meal. It was a simple, yet very heartwarming meal.

"That was a good meal." She patted her tummy and wiped her lips.

"So what's your plan after this?" He took the dirty plates and forks to the sink.

"I...I'm not sure. I don't want to go back to my old home because Karen, my stepmother, and... my dad would be there. I already checked my previous apartment and apparently, it's been rented out so I couldn't go back there. I was debating on going to a hotel, but that could only be a short run plan."

Hearing the uncertainty in her voice, he offered, "How about staying with me? I have an extra room that I use for storage, but it's big enough to be a guest room. You can stay with me until you sort things out if you want."

"But.." She didn't want to become a burden for him.

"Yin Susu, we've known each other for how long? More than a decade! If you still think you would burden me, then you are so wrong about that. I'm a single man who comes home to an empty apartment. What kind of burden could you be, huh? Besides, you have nowhere else to go."

With his hands on either side of his hips, he tried to convince her.

"But what if you get a girlfriend later?"

He almost spat out blood when she mentioned 'girlfriend'

In his mind, he repeatedly said to himself, "The only girlfriend that I'll ever have is you! And that is if you accept me! Geez, Chen Mu, your flirting skills needs to be sharper....sharper!"

"Ahem, you don't have to worry about that part." He cleared his throat and waited for her response.

"Then...when can I move in?" She smiled sweetly with slightly blushing cheeks.

"Huh? Oh! Ohhh! You can move in today. I'll have everything cleared up, and we can shop for furniture later." He didn't even try to conceal the happiness inside of him as he hummed while rinsing the dishes.