Sleeping on the Bed Together

Chapter 38

Zuzzy sighed as she changed into a pair of pajamas. This time she did not dare wear a sleep shirt or a nightgown because Mark said he would be sleeping together with her on their bed starting tonight. She did not want him to think that she was deliberately wearing less clothes to expose some of her skin. Because knowing Mark, he would surely blame it on her bare skin if he was compelled to do indecent things.

She paused… 'Knowing Mark?' She mused helplessly. She felt like she got to know Mark more with each passing day. She was getting even more used to his presence.

Mark was inside the bathroom, showering. Zuzzy sighed as she lay on her side on the bed. She closed her eyes, thinking it would be better if she were already asleep by the time Mark got out of the bathroom.

Not long after, Zuzzy felt their bed sink. Mark was now on the bed. "Are you asleep?" She heard Mark asking, but chose not to respond for fear of all the inappropriate things that might happen if they were both awake on the bed.

Yera could feel Mark's movement, and she froze when she felt his hands on her waist, hugging her, pressing his body against her back. She bit her lower lip, trying her best to ignore him and to sleep

'Why can't I sleep?' She complained inwardly. Her body was obviously tired, but her heart was beating erratically.

She got goosebumps when she felt Mark's warm breath on her nape. He whispered, "Relax and sleep. I will behave, so trust me… Let's go jogging and watch the sunrise tomorrow morning. I'll wake you up early. So sleep now."

Zuzzy did not respond even when Mark planted a kiss on her neck and buried his face in her hair. He then murmured sluggishly, "Goodnight, Darling."?

Zuzzy somehow felt relaxed, and her body finally gave in to slumber.

Next morning, Zuzzy woke up with Xander's smiling face right in front of her.?

"Hmmm, as expected, you woke up early. Let's get up and go for jogging. It's good for our health. And the sunrise would be beautiful…" Mark said with a wink before he pinched her nose and got up from bed.

Zuzzy sighed as soon as Xander left to their dressing room to change. She noticed she was often sighing…

She would only sigh instead of wasting her energy to nag and confront Mark about his brazen behavior. She had gotten used to letting him have his way with her as long as he would not do something that crossed the line.

She did a little stretching before she stood up to get her jogging outfit. She almost forgot that this was her usual routine before as Zuzzy Shi. She loved to go for jogging early in the morning whenever she could, or on a day-off, like today.

They jogged around the perimeter of Lee's ancestral mansion, and Zuzzy finally got to see how big their land was. They were both panting as Zuzzy dropped her body onto the fresh grass and looked at the sky. The sun was about to rise soon. Mark did the same beside her.

"Richard and I would often see the sunrise together when we were kids… He often stayed in our mansion because he was not allowed to go out because of his sickness. We grew up like brothers. Although he went abroad and stayed there for so long, I would visit him every month. Funny... Both of us have disorders, but mine was nothing compared to his..." Mark narrated.

Zuzzy remained quiet as she listened to him. She thought the disorder Mark was telling her about was his sleeping disorder.

Zuzzy then spoke, "I noticed Richard was weak as soon as I met him for the first time on Rob Rio's island. That day, he had even passed out there." It was pleasant to reminisce about Richard together. Mark even shared all the funny moments he and Richard had had with her, to which Zuzzy responded with a hearty laughter.

The sun finally rose, and Zuzzy gasped as she whispered, "It's beautiful."

"Yeah, very beautiful, indeed," Mark murmured a response. But unlike Zuzzy, he was not looking at the sun, but he at her beautiful face as it was basking under the sun rays.

"What do you want to do today?" Mark quickly asked when Zuzzy turned to face him. "If you have no plans, then come with me…" added Mark, smiling.

Zuzzy was mesmerized by Mark's charming smile, so she could not help but remark, "Hmmm, I wonder how you manage to always smile like that. 'The Clown' actually really suits you, you know...? Anyway, where are we going?"

Mark laughed and firmly said, "I prefer that you call me 'Darling'… We are going on a date. Dad asked, how come we rarely go out together. He even scolded me last night for not taking you out on a date. So don't be surprised if you hear about it at breakfast. He will definitely remind me of that again in front of you."

ZuzY nodded in understanding, but she suddenly suggested, "We can go out together then go on separate ways afterward…"

'Geez… so cold…' Mark mused. But he quickly objected, "No! I already made some reservations, so we better use it. Why? Do you have some other place you want to go to?"

Zuzzy shrugged her shoulders and answered, "Yeah, I wanted to visit the Robs…"

"Alright, we can visit them together." Mark suggested. Zuzzy's eyes widened as she reminded him, "But they don't know I'm married, and besides…"

Mark face suddenly look saddened. He then murmured, "But I also want to meet your friends. Are you perhaps ashamed of me being your husband? I heard they are Richard close friends, so if possible, I want to get to know them too."

Zuzzy suddenly felt guilty seeing the downcasted look on Mark's face.

"Alright. They are all my trusted friends, so introducing you to them is not a bad idea at all. Perhaps if they know I'm married, they will stop worrying about me," Yera said.?

Lydia Rob would check on her every now and then, and lately, she kept calling her to ask if she was alright that she wanted to meet her again. But Zuzzy had been busy making a name as one of the best surgeons at Lee Hospital, so she had always declined.

Because she was drowned in her own thoughts, Zuzzy failed to notice the change in Mark's expression. He no longer had the downcasted look on his face. It had instead changed into an amused grin as soon as she agreed with him.