Chapter 115 Don't you think...?
In the airport terminal, boarding announcements came in waves, and crowds thronged outside the security checkpoints. The sound of suitcase wheels rolling over the marble floor rose and fell like a never-ending urban symphony.
Xia Zhiyao stood in the crowd, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Zhou Yue turn back from the direction of the coffee shop for the third time.
“The gate is 32, right?” He leaned closer, his breath carrying the cool scent of mints. “I just checked, it’s a ten-minute walk.”
“You just confirmed it five minutes ago.” Xia Zhiyao lowered her eyelashes, concealing the smile in her eyes.
Zhou Yue touched his nose, his gaze wandered for a moment, then fell back on her face. The smile on his lips was almost impossible to hide, like a child who had secretly eaten something good. He pretended to be nonchalant, but even his eyebrows revealed his undisguised joy.
"What's wrong with you today?" Xia Zhiyao finally couldn't help but ask him. "You've been absent-minded ever since you left home this morning."
Zhou Yue paused, as if only then realizing his lapse in composure. He pursed his lips, his Adam's apple bobbing, and lowered his voice, carrying a hint of tentative gentleness: "We're going back to New York together."
Xia Zhiyao's eyes flickered slightly. "So what?" She casually adjusted her boarding pass, avoiding his burning gaze.
"Don't you think..." Zhou Yue paused, as if considering his words, "...that New York is where we truly began to get to know each other?"
"You're revisiting this place, aren't you too excited?" She cleared her throat, her tone teasing.
“No, that’s not it.” Zhou Yue shook his head seriously, his eyes shining brightly. “It’s about being able to revisit familiar places with you.”
As soon as he finished speaking, he took the boarding pass from her hand and naturally took the handle of the suitcase, his movements as practiced as if he had rehearsed it countless times, or perhaps this was something he had always wanted to do.
Xia Zhiyao paused for a second, then quickly followed in his footsteps. The crowd engulfed them, and the sounds of announcements, luggage, and footsteps mingled together. She suddenly felt that this journey might not just be about returning to New York.
The boarding gate is at the end of the terminal building. Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows is a long stretch of tarmac. Orange-red light shines in obliquely, casting two shadows side by side on the ground. The shadows sometimes come close and sometimes separate, like dancing a silent dance.
Zhou Yue pulled his suitcase and walked half a step ahead, glancing back at her every now and then to make sure she was still behind him. Every time their eyes met, he couldn't help but smile.
"Zhou Yue," Xia Zhiyao suddenly called out to him.
"Hmm?" He turned around immediately.
“This time when we go back to New York…” she paused, a slight smile playing on her lips, “let’s go eat that beef burger again, the one you took me to the first time.”
Zhou Yue's eyes lit up immediately: "You still remember?"
"I remember," she answered softly. What she really wanted to say was that she remembered every detail of that winter. She remembered that snowy winter night, the dim streetlights in Manhattan, each one blurred into a golden halo in the mist, and he stood in the snow, his breath spreading in the air, his eyes deeper than the night.
And then there was that one moment when he suddenly leaned down, and the temperature of their lips touching was so hot it was almost uncontrollable. That was the shortest distance they had ever been together, and it was a moment of loss of control that she could never forget.
The plane slowly taxied away from the jet bridge, and the cabin lights gradually dimmed, leaving only the ground lights on both sides of the aisle emitting a faint blue glow. The feeling of weightlessness during takeoff had just faded when Xia Zhiyao took out her iPad, opened the novel, turned down the brightness, and flipped to the chapter she had been reading halfway through last time.
The cabin was extremely quiet. She was engrossed in her text and didn't notice when the person next to her had given up the struggle with the seat angle and was now looking at her with their head tilted to the side, until a hand reached out and gently closed her iPad.
"What?" Xia Zhiyao looked up, feigning impatience.
Zhou Yue turned around, the chair making a slight scraping sound. In the dim light, his eyes were exceptionally bright, and a sly smile played on his lips: "Stop reading, look at me." He said this with a confident and domineering tone, yet with a touch of childish arrogance.
Xia Zhiyao almost laughed at him, but still tried to remain calm: "I see you every day, I've had enough of you already?"
“That’s different.” He lowered his voice, moved closer, and his breath brushed against her ear. “This is on an airplane. How many times a year do we get this kind of opportunity?” As he spoke, he stared at her intently, as if they were discussing something important.
Xia Zhiyao finally couldn't hold back any longer, and a smile crept onto her lips: "So? You want me to stare at you for over ten hours?"
“It’s not impossible.” Zhou Yue leaned back in his chair, adopting a pose of being at the mercy of others. “My face is probably more interesting than your book.”
“Narcissistic.” She chuckled softly, reaching for her iPad.
Zhou Yue didn't stop her, but simply pulled the blanket off her lap and tucked the edges in naturally, his fingers brushing against her arm.
“See?” his voice softened, “If you get sleepy, go to sleep.”
Xia Zhiyao's finger paused on the screen for a moment. She lowered her head, her long hair falling down. The screen lit up again, and lines of text scrolled by, but she realized that she hadn't absorbed a single word.
When Xia Zhiyao woke up, the cabin was dimly lit. She subconsciously glanced at her phone and realized that they had been flying for eight hours and were still six hours away from New York.
She turned her head and saw Zhou Yue sleeping soundly beside her, his head slightly turned towards her. His eyes and brows looked exceptionally gentle in the dim light, all of his usual sharpness and restraint gone, leaving only relaxation and tranquility.
Xia Zhiyao paused for a moment, then couldn't help but turn her head slightly. The two were so close that they could almost hear each other's breathing. She suddenly had a feeling that this flight would go on forever and never reach its destination.
Even late at night, the terminal at JFK Airport was still bustling with people. The baggage carousel creaked and groaned. Zhou Yue stood there waiting, his back looking somewhat tired under the lights. When he heard her footsteps, he turned around, and the weariness in his eyes was replaced by a soft light.
"Still sleepy?" He reached out and took her handbag, the movement as natural as if he'd done it a thousand times. "Didn't sleep well on the plane?"
"It's alright." Xia Zhiyao rubbed her eyes. "At this time, people back home are also able to wake up from their afternoon naps."
The suitcase finally appeared on the conveyor belt. Zhou Yue bent down to pick it up, and she noticed a few strands of hair sticking up at the back of his neck, probably messed up from sleeping on the plane. For some reason, this detail softened her heart.
The moment Xia Zhiyao stepped out of the terminal, the October night breeze of New York hit her face, the air mixed with the damp, earthy smell after the rain, and the unique, indescribable atmosphere of this city that never sleeps. Xia Zhiyao subconsciously shrank her neck and pulled up the collar of her coat.
The taxi trunk slammed shut. As Zhou Yue got into the car, he said softly, "Jiang Qiran was insisting on picking me up from the airport, but I stopped her."
“That kid has midterms coming up, and he still has two subjects to review.” Zhou Yue leaned back in his chair, his tone filled with undisguised helplessness and doting. “Besides, he came out to pick me up at the airport at 1 a.m., so he’ll definitely have to skip his 8 a.m. class.”
The taxi merged into the highway, and the Manhattan skyline appeared and disappeared in the distance. She pressed her face against the cold car window, watching the familiar yet unfamiliar city approach little by little. The neon lights reflected flowing light on the glass, like the brushstrokes casually splashed by an Impressionist painter.
"What are you thinking about?" Zhou Yue's voice was very soft. His arm was resting on the back of her seat, and his fingertips accidentally touched the ends of her hair.
“I remember the first time I came to New York.” She didn’t turn around, her voice somewhat dazed. “Back then, I felt that the city was so big, so big that it was frightening.”
"And now?"
“Now…” She paused for a moment, then finally turned to look at him.
The glow of Times Square swept past the car window, the colorful lights reflecting in his eyes like a whole galaxy falling into his eyes. He just watched her quietly, waiting for an answer.
"Now I feel that New York doesn't seem so big when I have someone with me."
Zhou Yue reached out and smoothed her wind-blown hair: "From now on, I'll accompany you every time you come."
Xia Zhiyao turned her face away and continued to look out the window. The taxi drove through one familiar street after another, and the light and shadow of the streetlights rhythmically swept across their faces. The hustle and bustle of New York at night had faded away. Occasionally, an ambulance would rush by with its siren blaring, and the red and blue lights would flash by in an instant. The convenience store on the street corner was still lit up.
When he got out of the car, he went out first, turned around and reached out his hand to her. His hand had distinct knuckles and looked particularly beautiful under the streetlights. Xia Zhiyao hesitated for a second, but still put her hand in his palm. His hand was very warm, so warm that she was almost at a loss.
The warmth of the hotel lobby dispelled the chill of the night, while the crystal chandelier cast a soft glow, and two shadows were reflected side by side on the marble floor.
The receptionist on duty looked up drowsily, but immediately perked up when he saw them: "Wee to New York."
“Your room is 1205, and mine is 1207.” As the elevator doors opened, he stepped out first, glanced back at her, and said in a low voice, “I’ll come find you once I’m all packed.” It sounded so natural, as if they were already used to this arrangement.
Xia Zhiyao pushed open the door to her room. When she came out after washing up, the doorbell rang. Xia Zhiyao reluctantly opened the door. The person outside didn't say much, just picked up his coat, smiled, and raised the room number in his hand, saying, "Room service."
Xia Zhiyao sighed helplessly and stepped aside, saying, "Come in. Didn't you just say you were going to get ready?" She dried her hair as she looked up at him.
“All packed up.” He walked to her side, took her hand as a matter of course, and smiled. “So, I’m here to report for duty.”
"Didn't you just book that room for nothing?" Xia Zhiyao glanced at him with a smile.
“No waste.” He said softly, already bending down to lift the corner of the blanket. “I can’t sleep well without you in my room.” His tone was gentle, yet carried a hint of coquettish self-righteousness.
Xia Zhiyao was amused and helpless, and could only shake her head: "Really good."
“I’ve arranged everything perfectly.” He lay down seriously, turned to look at her, and said, “You can work in that room and sleep in this one.”
She couldn't help but laugh out loud and slapped him: "Stop being so cheeky."
Zhou Yue grabbed her hand and pulled her into his arms: "If you can't sleep, lie down for a while."
His breath was warm and steady against her neck, the familiar scent so relaxing. Before long, Xia Zhiyao's hand was still in his grasp. She had thought she wouldn't be able to sleep, but she was unknowingly enveloped by that sense of peace. The city's hustle and bustle was shut out of the window. The night was deep, and their breathing rose and fell almost in unison.
Autumn in New York is actually quite similar to that in Beijing, with a cool breeze in the air. They live on the same floor, with their rooms separated by only one wall, but these past few days have felt like living in two parallel worlds.
They slept together the first night, but from the second day onwards, their schedules were fragmented by work.
Xia Zhiyao woke up at seven in the morning. By the time she got ready and went downstairs, Zhou Yue was nowhere to be seen. There was only a WeChat message saying, "I'm going to the company."
When she returned that evening, Zhou Yue had not yet made a move. They were like two ships sailing at night, traveling on the same sea, occasionally brushing past each other, only having time to flash their signal lights briefly.
My phone was constantly receiving messages.
Have you had breakfast?
[I bought bagels on the way here, what about yours?]
The Eggs Benedict at the hotel was a bit salty.
[Next time, try the one on the corner.]
【good. 】
Brief and ordinary, yet carrying a familiar warmth, such a greeting is enough to put one at ease, even if you only exchange a few words a day.
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