15 Chapter 15- Of Mice and Men (1/2)
His strategic retreat backfired; Hao Mei spent the night tossing and turning, and was sporting international lugage under his eyes when he dragged himself to work the next morning. His bed was too hard- or was it too soft- and his blankets smelled like washing detergent and dry cleaner and his brain kept replaying the events of the day. Over and over he felt every slight touch; had they been deliberate or accidental? Over and over he heard KO's deep voice in his ear, felt his breath on his skin and saw the surprise in his eyes when he had reversed their positions. All night, his brain turned over at hundred miles an hour and finally, when dawn knocked on his heavy eyelids, he admitted defeat and got up to face the day. Mei was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he almost strangled himself tightening his tie, and in the end he left it loose and crumpled.
Leaning against the elevator wall, Hao Mei closed his eyes as he wondered just how long a day it was going to be. A hand stopped the elevator doors from closing and he peered through narrowed eyes as Wang Wei, from the Art Department, stepped in.
”Morning Hao Mei.”
”Hmm.”
Wang Wei laughed. ”You've been spending too much time with KO. You're even starting to sound like him.”
Hao Mei rubbed his eyes. ”Rough night.”
”It shows.”
Something cold pressed against his forehead and Mei jerked his head up, opening eyes to see a juice bottle hovering in front of his nose. He looked over at Wang Wei.
”Take it... You need something to get you through the morning. And did you forget you're with us this afternoon? We need to get some scans and sketches of your face for the prototypes.” Wang Wei gestured to his own face as he spoke. ”Need to get rid of those shadows before then.”
Smiling weakly, Mei accepted the juice, just as the elevator doors opened. He and Wang Wei chatted about the new prototypes the Art Department were developing on their way in to the office. Parting ways, Mei put the still unopened juice next to his keyboard and sank in to his chair. Leaning back, he stared at the downlights on the ceiling. They made his eyes burn, so he closed them. Hmm... maybe he could claim a headache from the lights, find a pair of sunglasses, and then sleep for the morning and no one would be able to tell behind the dark lenses?
A hand rested on his shoulder, fingers kneading the tightness where his neck and shoulder met. With a low groan, Mei rotated his head, giving those fingers greater access to the side of his neck. ”Don't stop. Feels good.”
Warm breath against his ear made him shiver and goosebumps prickle his skin. ”Remember those words.”
”Eh? KO?” He opened his eyes and the hand moved off his shoulder, picking up the juice.
”Orange juice?”
”Hmm. Wang Wei gave it to me. It would have been rude to say no.”
”You don't like orange juice.”
”I know.” Maybe if he spoke slowly, KO would actually hear him. ”It. would. have. been. rude. to. say. no.”
”Hmm.”
Mei left the juice sitting on his desk, condensation slowly rolling down its side and forming a pool next to the keyboard. He managed to limp his way through his work for the morning; it wasn't his best work but it was simply rewriting code to a standardised format and he could do that in his sleep. Half asleep was a breeze. His stomach eventually growled and he was contemplating the juice when Xiao Nai called a meeting.
Throughout the meeting, Mei's stomach kept grumbling and he jiggled his knee in embarrassment. Under the table, a hand gripped his thigh, holding his leg still. Startled, he looked up at KO's impassive face. The man continued concentrating on the conversation around the table, giving no hint that he was instigating skinship at the conference table.
Mei's mind went blank.
At one point, Yu Ban Shan kicked him under the table and Mei jumped. ”Eh?”
”Coding. Standardised. You?” KO gave him the bullet point version of the question he'd been asked, while around the table the other guys grinned and hid their laughter.
”Big night last night Mei-ge?” Li Qiang, from Administration, teased him, clearing the way for others to jump in as well.
”With a face like that...”
”Not having a big night would be more surprising.”
”Ah, but was it with a girl you could introduce to your mother?” At that comment, the hand on Mei's thigh tightened, fingers painfully digging into the muscle. He winced under KO's grip.
”Ah.. coding. I've completed the first three sections. Will finish another two before I go home tonight. There's no rush, right?” He looked at Xiao Nai for confirmation, catching his laosan hiding a smile as he looked at the table as though he could see KO's hand through the wood. Mei fidgeted, blushing bright red when Xiao Nai looked up, his eyes twinkling at him. S*#t... does he know? No. No way. Does he?
”No rush. Everyone has worked hard. We finalised the contract with Feng Teng and will need to concentrate our energies on Dreams of Jiangshu 2... but that can wait. Two weeks holiday for all staff.” Xiao Nai held up a hand to forestall the inevitable question. ”Paid.”
A cheer went up around the table and was picked up by those still working in the office. As the men exited the conference room, talk centered around where to go to celebrate the start of a paid vacation.