Chapter 16: They Are a Little Too Intimate Now
Just as Adrian had said, they arrived in Marinus around one in the morning.
But by the time they got to the hotel, checked in, and settled down, it was nearly two.
The hotel was one of Adrian’s properties, so they didn’t have to worry about privacy.
The only thing was, Ryan had slept the entire car ride, so he was wide awake when they got out.
He was even full of energy.
With the child awake, there was no way the two of them could sleep in separate rooms.
After they had each showered, Caroline and Adrian once again found themselves lying in the same bed.
Just like last time, Tiny was lying between them.
This time, Caroline wasn’t as uncomfortable as she had been before.
It wasn’t because she was used to it, but simply because her eyelids were so heavy she could barely keep them open.
Adrian was clearly even more tired than she was. He had gotten into bed before her and was already asleep by the time Caroline entered the room.
She climbed into bed carefully and shushed Ryan. "Sweetie, time to sleep."
Ryan nodded obediently.
Then, with a CLICK.
The light went out.
Only a small night-light remained on in the room.
Fortunately, Ryan was a considerate child. He could see how exhausted they were and truly didn’t make a fuss.
It was just...
Ryan turned his little head from side to side, looking at Adrian and Caroline on either side of him.
The two of them were each lying on their sides, their backs to each other.
Because of this, the blanket covering them was pulled completely taut.
And with him lying in the middle, the blanket was essentially letting in a draft.
Ryan called out in a small voice, "Daddy, Mommy, my blanket is drafty."
The two adults had fallen asleep almost instantly, so all Ryan got in response was the sound of their deep breathing.
"..."
So, Ryan quietly slipped out from under the covers, got off the bed, opened the door, and went into the other bedroom of the presidential suite.
’If the blanket is drafty, I’ll just sleep by myself.’
「Eight in the morning.」
Adrian woke up first, but he didn’t open his eyes.
He was only aware of a warmth pressed against his side. Where their skin touched, he felt a soft, warm body—not the slender frame of a child.
While Caroline was "away on business" for those few days, Ryan had occasionally slept with him, so he was already used to having a little bundle next to him.
But the size of this body felt different.
’Tiny always sleeps flat on his back, spread-eagled. There’s no way he’d roll into my arms.’
Adrian’s heart skipped a beat. Almost instinctively, he snapped his eyes open.
The moment he did, his breathing grew ragged.
He was lying half on his side, his arm draped loosely around her waist, his palm resting against the warm, soft fabric of her clothes.
Caroline’s head was on the pillow next to him, her hair spilling into the crook of his arm. Her light, shallow breaths brushed against the side of his neck, carrying a faint warmth.
They were pressed extremely close, so close their chests were almost touching.
Their legs were also tangled together unintentionally.
Even his lips were nearly touching her forehead, his nose filled with her scent.
’This is a little too intimate.’
Something was slowly rising. Adrian froze, awkwardly pulling his hand back. He tilted his head up and slowly shifted his half-turned body back to a flat position on his back.
Caroline wasn’t disturbed and didn’t wake up.
He sat up in bed and glanced around, only then noticing that Ryan, who had been lying between them, was gone.
Just as confusion arose, the door cracked open to reveal a small figure. The figure seemed to see movement inside and then gently closed the door again.
"..."
Adrian got out of bed, careful not to disturb Caroline.
He calmly went to the other guest room to take a cold shower.
When Adrian had entered this guest room moments ago, he’d seen the little guy lying on the bed, playing.
Seeing Adrian approach, Ryan looked up and said in a low voice, "Daddy, you’re finally awake! I opened the door to check on you guys a few times, but you were still sleeping. I’m so hungry."
He frowned. "I’ll order breakfast for you in a minute. You ran off to sleep here last night?"
Ryan nodded. "Yeah, Daddy. Last night I was in the middle and the blanket was drafty. You two were sleeping so soundly that I couldn’t wake you up, so I had to come out here and sleep by myself."
"..."
"I want to sleep by myself for the next few days, too," Ryan decided, pouting his lips as he recalled last night’s experience.
Adrian fell silent.
’Doesn’t that mean I’ll have to keep sleeping in the same bed as Caroline?’
The image from just now flashed through his mind. He rubbed his brow in frustration. ’This is wrong.’
’This can’t happen.’
’Last night was an accident. I was too tired to wait for Ryan to fall asleep before moving to the other guest room.’
’I don’t even know when Caroline got into bed.’
’And I never would have imagined that Ryan, our safety barrier, would run off to sleep in the other room after we fell asleep.’
"We’ll talk about this later." Adrian rejected the proposal and went into the bathroom to take a cold shower.
When Adrian came out, Ryan was sitting on the bed. He poked his little head out again and tilted it quizzically.
"Why can’t I sleep by myself, Daddy? You always used to teach me that a real man has to sleep on his own."
"..."
’Before?’
’Because your parents used to have a normal husband-and-wife relationship.’
Adrian came up with an excuse. "This is a hotel, not our home. If you get thirsty or get sick with a fever in the middle of the night, we won’t be able to take care of you right away."
"That won’t happen. When we used to go on trips together, you always let me sleep in my own room."
"Besides, if I get thirsty, I can get water myself. And if I get sick and don’t feel well, I’ll come find you. I won’t just tough it out."
In truth, Ryan rarely slept with his parents. It was just that these past few days, the two of them had been acting a bit distant and unfamiliar toward him. It was a child’s psychology at play, which was why he had insisted on sleeping with his mommy and daddy.
"..."
’It seems my parallel-world self "taught" his son very well so he could sleep with his wife.’
In the end, Adrian could only set the topic aside for now and change the subject.
"Have you washed your face and brushed your teeth? I’ll order breakfast for you."
...
「Meanwhile.」
Only after Adrian got up and left the bedroom did Caroline slowly open her eyes.
In reality, she had woken up even earlier than Adrian.
God knows how mortified she was when she woke up and found herself with her arms around Adrian.
Thank goodness the pajamas she’d brought were a conservative, long-sleeved set.
’After having a child and the child’s father in the picture, how could I dare wear a slip nightgown?’
Because her leg was pinned under Adrian’s, the only thing Caroline could do at the time was gently pull back the arm she had around his waist.
A few seconds after pulling her hand back, she felt Adrian stir.
She quickly closed her eyes and feigned sleep.
Next, she felt Adrian carefully pull away.
’Great.’
’Now both of us are awake, and we both woke up to find ourselves in that compromising position.’
’On the bright side, from his perspective, I’m the one who doesn’t know anything.’
But when she thought about that strange sensation pressing against her when Adrian woke up, her cheeks instantly burned hot.
’It’s a good thing he didn’t turn on the light, or he would’ve seen right through me.’
This was why Caroline didn’t dare get out of bed so quickly now. She could only continue to lie in bed with her eyes closed, pretending to be asleep.
She lay in bed for over ten minutes, working up the nerve. Just as she was about to get up, she heard a sound at the door. As if struck by the strange guilt of a thief, Caroline immediately squeezed her eyes shut again.
The footsteps grew closer.
Adrian stopped in front of the nightstand. He glanced at the woman on the bed; her sleeping position hadn’t changed.
’She probably didn’t notice, right?’
He paused for a moment, then picked up his phone and glasses and left the room.
More than ten minutes after Adrian left, Caroline finally, slowly, got out of bed.
In the living room, only Ryan’s small figure was present.
"Mommy, you’re awake?"
"Daddy prepared breakfast for you."
"Oh? Where’s your dad?"
"Daddy went to work."