( she takes a sip, though the warmth of her drink does nothing to help the blush on her cheeks, which eventually reaches the tips of her ears. it betrays how well she thought she had been hiding how rapidly her heart had been beating since she closed the door and allowed them both some privacy.
eventually, she sets the cup down, reaching across the table and extending her hand. there is no use in constantly punishing herself for what has been done in the past, what they could have done to prevent some of the wrong. there's only the present to live for. )
Then let us close the distance between us.
( it still sounds so proper, but that's something both of them will eventually learn to shake off. together, she hopes. )
[ The tea is a distraction, he thinks, and it means nothing to him in the wake of how much she means to him. The urge to reach out and touch her is overwhelming, and only his own sense of propriety - and his own nerves - stop him from wrapping his arms around her and holding her so, so gently. This is new territory for him, but...
He is doing what he can.
Wen Qing reaches for him, and he reaches back, the callouses on his hand brushing against her own. Slowly, he draws it up, so that he can lean in and kiss the tip of her fingers, turning to kiss her knuckle. It feels a touch on the edge of embarrassing, but that's okay; he can deal with a touch of sheepishness for her. ]
Closer, now, then?
[ He would move to her, go to her, now. Draw her into his lap. Hold her. ]
( wen qing isn't unfamiliar to courtship, though she had skirted attention for as long as she could, walking a fine line to ensure her family's protection and their place in the larger hierarchy. courtship was to be expected, especially when she was a much younger woman. flirtation is another thing entirely.
she's surprised — though, perhaps she shouldn't be — when he kisses her hand after her small prompting. grasping her hand, she expected, lacing their fingers together, maybe.
but she wants more. she knows he wants the same, and she fights every single urge to deny them another moment of happiness together, temporary or not. she squeezes his hand, tugging on it so he can come around to her side of the table. )
[ Even closer, closer, and it's a temptation he can't ignore, a daydream that had settled in his mind for months and left him wanting more of her. It had started out so simple, so soft, the desire to kiss her, to touch his hand to hers, to be the one to show her affection and warmth, and had developed into something all the more. The desire to be with her is new enough, and his heart thuds in his chest as he moves around the table to breach the distance between them.
It feels like crossing the largest gorge, but also stepping across the smallest stream, so important to him and yet such a simple gesture.
Jiang Cheng is close enough now to lean in closer, to move her hand up and let it rest gently against the sharp edge of his cheekbone and jaw, to gaze at her with that adoration that he had never quite being able to muzzle or hide. ]
As close as you will permit.
[ Easy enough, then, to guide her close, to seek her mouth in a kiss. ]
no subject
eventually, she sets the cup down, reaching across the table and extending her hand. there is no use in constantly punishing herself for what has been done in the past, what they could have done to prevent some of the wrong. there's only the present to live for. )
Then let us close the distance between us.
( it still sounds so proper, but that's something both of them will eventually learn to shake off. together, she hopes. )
no subject
He is doing what he can.
Wen Qing reaches for him, and he reaches back, the callouses on his hand brushing against her own. Slowly, he draws it up, so that he can lean in and kiss the tip of her fingers, turning to kiss her knuckle. It feels a touch on the edge of embarrassing, but that's okay; he can deal with a touch of sheepishness for her. ]
Closer, now, then?
[ He would move to her, go to her, now. Draw her into his lap. Hold her. ]
no subject
she's surprised — though, perhaps she shouldn't be — when he kisses her hand after her small prompting. grasping her hand, she expected, lacing their fingers together, maybe.
but she wants more. she knows he wants the same, and she fights every single urge to deny them another moment of happiness together, temporary or not. she squeezes his hand, tugging on it so he can come around to her side of the table. )
Even closer.
no subject
It feels like crossing the largest gorge, but also stepping across the smallest stream, so important to him and yet such a simple gesture.
Jiang Cheng is close enough now to lean in closer, to move her hand up and let it rest gently against the sharp edge of his cheekbone and jaw, to gaze at her with that adoration that he had never quite being able to muzzle or hide. ]
As close as you will permit.
[ Easy enough, then, to guide her close, to seek her mouth in a kiss. ]