Chapter 447: Nobody Was Going Anywhere
I woke up sometime after the sun reached the middle of the bed.
Chenghai was still behind me, one arm wrapped around my waist and his hand spread across my stomach beneath my nightshirt. Zhenlan slept in front of me with his face near my hair, while Yuche lay on his back a little farther away.
Lingyun had somehow ended up across Yuche again.
His injured side remained surrounded by pillows, but one leg was thrown over Yuche’s thighs and his head had slipped onto Yuche’s shoulder. The man could turn any sleeping arrangement into a problem.
I stayed where I was and listened to the room.
No one was screaming from the garage. No roots were moving beneath the house, and my scar felt like old damaged skin instead of a wire tied to something under the city.
My legs still hurt.
That was Chenghai’s fault.
The ache was different from the one Zhenlan had left after the garden. Zhenlan had made muscles hurt that I had forgotten existed. Chenghai had followed that by making me drive through mud, fall into a creek, spend half a night on a porch, swim in a lake, and stay gone long enough to make Zhenlan give us a curfew.
Dating was exhausting.
I moved one foot beneath the blanket.
My thigh complained.
Chenghai’s hand tightened around my stomach immediately.
He was awake.
I waited for him to say something, but his mouth only brushed the back of my shoulder. His fingers moved slowly against my skin while I tried to decide whether getting out of bed was worth it.
It wasn’t.
I settled back against him.
Zhenlan opened his eyes a few minutes later. His gaze moved over my face, then past me toward Chenghai. Whatever passed between them didn’t require words. Zhenlan reached beneath the blanket, found my knee, and rubbed his thumb over the sore muscle above it.
Apparently, both men knew exactly what they had done to me.
I looked at him. "You’re pleased with yourself."
Zhenlan’s mouth curved slightly before he leaned forward and kissed me.
His hand stayed on my leg while his mouth moved lazily over mine. I was still half-asleep, so I let him do most of the work. Chenghai’s arm tightened around me from behind, holding me between them as though this had been their plan all along.
Maybe it had.
When Zhenlan lifted his head, Chenghai’s mouth moved to the side of my neck.
That woke me up considerably faster.
I pushed one hand against Zhenlan’s chest before the two of them decided I didn’t need breakfast.
"Food first."
Chenghai’s hand stopped moving beneath my shirt.
Zhenlan looked toward the bedroom door.
Neither man got up.
I stared at them. "That wasn’t a suggestion."
Lingyun stirred near the other side of the bed. His eyes stayed closed while he lifted one hand slightly.
"I support breakfast."
Yuche opened his eyes beneath Lingyun’s head. "You ate at four."
"That was hours ago."
"You ate half a loaf of bread."
"I’m injured. I need more food," Lingyun whined.
The excuse had worked well enough for him that he clearly planned to keep using it until his ribs were completely healed.
I reached toward the nightstand for my phone, remembered it was useless, and let my hand fall back onto the mattress. "What time is it?"
Yuche looked at the clock. "Almost noon."
That was acceptable.
I had slept through most mornings before the apocalypse too. The only difference was that no one had been waiting downstairs with enough food to feed five people.
Chenghai finally released me and got out of bed.
He pulled on a pair of pants, then leaned over the mattress and kissed me before leaving the room. Zhenlan followed him after putting the blanket back over my legs.
I watched both men disappear through the door.
Lingyun opened one eye. "They’re domesticated now."
Yuche moved his head enough to look at him. "You live here too."
"Yes, but I’ve always been useful."
"You set the kitchen on fire."
"The stove attacked me."
I closed my eyes again while Yuche helped Lingyun sit up. The bed shifted when they moved, followed by the quiet sound of Yuche checking the bandages around Lingyun’s ribs.
The healer had said he needed several days of rest.
Lingyun had heard several hours.
Considering he hadn’t torn anything open since the rooftop date, Yuche’s threats were apparently working.
Food arrived before I had to get up.
Chenghai carried a tray with eggs, bacon, toast, fruit, and tea. Zhenlan followed with two more plates and enough coffee for everyone except me.
I pushed myself against the headboard while they arranged everything across the bed.
Chenghai sat beside my legs and placed the tray over my lap. Zhenlan took his place on my other side, one hand settling behind my neck before he passed me the tea.
Lingyun reached across Yuche for bacon.
Yuche caught his wrist and gave him a plate instead.
The room became quiet once everyone started eating.
I stole one of Zhenlan’s potatoes. Chenghai added two more to my plate when he noticed. Yuche passed me the butter before I asked, and Lingyun attempted to trade fruit for bacon until everyone ignored him.
This was considerably better than eating alone on the couch.
Not that I planned to abandon the couch.
I drank my tea and looked at the four men spread across the bed. Zhenlan had a book waiting on the nightstand. Chenghai kept one hand around my ankle while he ate. Yuche watched Lingyun closely enough to catch him every time he shifted wrong, and Lingyun looked happy despite being treated like a poorly behaved prisoner.
They had all spent weeks running between the market, the workers, the roads, and whatever else tried to pull them away from the mansion.
Now they were in my bed at noon, eating breakfast and refusing to move unless food required it.
I liked this future better.
After breakfast, Chenghai carried the trays downstairs while Zhenlan helped Yuche get Lingyun into clean clothes. I found shorts and a loose tank top, then sat on the edge of the bed while deciding what counted as enough activity for the day.
The answer was very little.
By the time we reached the living room, the afternoon heat had settled over the windows. The plants outside rested beneath the sun, their leaves turned away from the brightest light.
The pool beyond the patio looked blue and empty.
I stopped near the couch.
Everyone stopped with me.
Lingyun leaned most of his weight against Yuche and followed my gaze through the glass doors. "Are we swimming?"
"You aren’t," Yuche said.
Lingyun looked offended.
"You can sit beside the pool," I told him. "Quietly."
"I can float."
"You can sink quietly too."
Yuche tightened his arm around Lingyun’s waist before he tried to prove anything.
Zhenlan’s hand settled at my lower back. "Do you want to go outside?"
I looked at the couch, then the pool.
Both were good choices.
Fortunately, there was no reason to pick only one.
"We’re moving the couch cushions outside."
Chenghai looked toward the sectional.
"Not the couch," I clarified. "Only the comfortable parts."
That was apparently enough instruction.
Yuche took Lingyun toward the patio while Chenghai gathered cushions and Zhenlan collected drinks. I opened the doors and let the plants shift away from the path.
For once, no one had planned the afternoon for me.
We were going outside because the pool looked good, the sun was warm, and I had four men available to carry everything I didn’t feel like touching.
Tomorrow could figure itself out later.
For now, I was happy.