Chapter 14

Xu Heng followed every word like a command. He opened his mouth and softly took the glans in. Chen Ang rewarded him by going down on him again, and it didn’t take long before Xu Heng could barely hold it together. With something in his mouth, he couldn’t speak. Saliva dripped from the corner of his lips.

Chen Ang licked him like he was savoring a lollipop, then slowly began thrusting into Xu Heng’s mouth. It didn’t take long before Xu Heng came, his waist buckling against Chen Ang’s body as he released in his mouth.

Chen Ang turned his head and grabbed a tissue, spitting the load out. Xu Heng had completely gone limp. Legs spread, body slumped over his chest, lower half soaked, face blank. The white dress shirt was a wrinkled mess, and his mouth still had Chen Ang’s cock inside, too tired to even spit it out.

The sight made Chen Ang’s brain heat up. He cupped Xu Heng’s chin, pulled himself out, rubbed his glans across those swollen red lips, then came all over Xu Heng’s face. The thick cum dripped down his cheek, perfectly matching the filthy fantasy that had been playing in Chen Ang’s mind all night.

Xu Heng had no idea what had just happened. He only felt something sticky on his face, reached out his tongue to lick it, and immediately frowned, complaining, “Tastes awful.”

Of course it tasted bad. Cum always did. Chen Ang’s mouth wasn’t any better either, but he wasn’t about to break the mood to rinse it out. He wiped Xu Heng’s face roughly with some tissues, then grabbed a mint from the table, popped it into his mouth, crunched it up, and leaned in to kiss him.

Xu Heng was pressed deep into the soft sofa, his legs spread wide. The cock that had just hardened again began to push into his already loosened hole. Xu Heng was too lost in the kiss to respond. All he could do was moan softly as he was stretched open once more. It felt like giving himself away completely.

Chen Ang was a full size bigger than Xu Heng. From behind, the only thing visible was the powerful movement of his back and hips slamming forward. Xu Heng’s calves hung over the back of the sofa, his toes flushed red.

Maybe it was because he was in his own space, or maybe because he had already gotten off once, but Chen Ang lasted even longer this time. When they were done, Xu Heng was melted into the sofa like a puddle. The shirt he still hadn’t taken off was soaked and stained all over, wrinkled like pickled cabbage.

Chen Ang took another shower. When he came back out, Xu Heng was still there, completely passed out, even snoring a little with his eyes closed.

Chen Ang nudged him gently. “Go wash up.”

Xu Heng sniffled, unwilling to move, and muttered in a daze, “Call me a ride.”

A ride? He looked more like he’d sleepwalk his way home.

Chen Ang just picked him up and carried him into the bathroom, rinsed him off under warm water, then brought him to the bed. Xu Heng turned over and immediately fell back asleep, riding the blanket like it was a pillow. His back was pale, slim but not bony, with just the right amount of muscle. The tattoos trailing down from the back of his neck to his spine, hips, and thighs were all clearly visible. Chen Ang pulled the blanket from his arms and covered him up, then grabbed another quilt and lay down beside him, listening to the faint sound of Xu Heng’s snoring before drifting off to sleep.

The next morning, Xu Heng woke up feeling like he’d been run over by a truck. His whole body ached. His head throbbed, his nose was stuffy. The seasonal flu had gotten him. He sat up groggily and realized he wasn’t wearing anything. He was alone in the bed. His clothes from the night before were neatly folded and placed by the bedside.

Chen Ang’s apartment was a split-level, with the bedroom upstairs. He drew the curtain open and headed down the snow-white stairs into the living room. The tall windows stood wide open, letting sunlight pour in. The hydrangeas, which had looked wilted the night before, now seemed revived after soaking overnight. Someone had already taken them out of the water. Droplets still clung to the petals.

On the table was a prepared breakfast. Chen Ang, wearing a tank top and shorts, had a cigarette in his mouth and was doing the dishes.

Xu Heng stood there dazed, lost in thought. The smell of smoke hit his nose, made his throat itch, and he broke into a violent cough that almost knocked the breath out of him. His eyes and the tip of his nose were red like a reindeer from a Christmas cartoon.

Chen Ang turned around when he heard it and quickly put out the cigarette. “Sorry.”

He had been meaning to quit. He went through a bunch of lollipops trying to replace it, but the craving always came back whenever he felt anxious or had too much free time.

“You caught a cold?” Chen Ang pointed to the table. “I ordered some food. It’s congee. You should eat a bit. I’ll find you some medicine in a bit.”

Xu Heng sniffled. After washing up, he sat down and slowly finished the bowl of congee, taking it in spoonful by spoonful. His head felt heavy, and when he spoke, his voice was muffled. “Can you call a car for me?”

Chen Ang offered, “I’ll drive you.”

Xu Heng shook his head quickly. “No need. I’ll go back on my own.”

Seeing he was firm about it, Chen Ang finally gave in. “Alright. I’ll call a car for you and walk you down.”

Chen Ang added, “Take the flowers with you. I don’t know how to care for them.”

Xu Heng said, “You don’t need to do much. Just keep them in water for a few days. Cut the stems, make a cross cut, then remove the white fluff inside… never mind. I’ll take them.”

He wrapped the bouquet roughly in some newspaper and brought it with him. Chen Ang saw him off, waited until he got in the car, and only then turned around and went back upstairs. He tossed the empty food containers into the trash. The apartment was quiet again. The vase that had held the bouquet was empty once more.

And then it hit him. He forgot to ask for Xu Heng’s WeChat. Again.

Xu Heng returned home with flowers in one hand and the makeup case in the other, dragging his feet. Even though he was sleepy, he still handled the flowers, placing them in a vase. He took two flu tablets with cold water straight from the kettle, didn’t bother changing clothes, and crawled under the blanket. His whole body ached, down to the bones.

He didn’t fall asleep. Curled up inside the blanket, he lay there listening to the silence. The house was so quiet it felt almost scary.