Standing Right Next To You - Chapter 387

The next morning, sitting in the bright and well-lit office space at the top of the building was a man who could not contain his smile.

“Has something good taken place this morning, Young Master?” The other man in the room questioned after noticing the subtle smiles that broke out from time to time.

It was now working hours but his Master could not seem to concentrate on his files which were his reason for inquiring about the cause for the change in his demeanor today.

The newly appointed secretary had discerned that his boss was in a good mood but the fact that they were wasting precious minutes was what had made him speak up.

Reuben Ming let out a cough when he heard the doubt in his Head of Security cum Assistant, Trigger’s mind.

“I’ll look over these, you may leave for now.” He dismissed the man without answering him.

Trigger bowed and left the room once he received his orders without trying to pry further into this matter.

He had been serving Reuben for years now and was used to this indifferent behavior from him.

‘Boss is still the same as always.’ He surmised as he shut the door after leaving the room.

Even when Reuben had a different attitude, a much mellow attitude towards his girlfriend, he was still the same cold and domineering man to those around him.

Only she was privileged to receive such special treatment, of course, outside his family.

Reuben looked at the shut door and his wide smile broke out when he was sure that there was no one around.

His eyes traveled to his palms which laid on the desk and there was a sparkle in his eyes as he thought of the events that had taken place last night.

__

Reuben’s joy stemmed from what had occurred after he had come back to Lina’s suite after taking his quick shower.

Before entering the suite, he even made it a point to call Manager Lang and give him strict instructions about moving his clothes over to her room.

‘This way I won’t have to be kicked out so often.’ He declared that this was the best method for him to save time and also to be with his Kitten for longer.

The Manager who had received these instructions over the phone nodded like a chicken while accepting the orders being passed over to him.

If this was some other guest who was trying to impose on another guest then he would have given that person his immediate rejection.

However, the Manager had witnessed how the lady in that suite had an extremely close relationship with him so he did not decline the orders.

‘Also, who can dare to disobey the Emperor?’ He wiped his sweat after the call was disconnected from the other side.

When Reuben reentered the room, he found that the food for their dinner had already been placed on the table.

Glancing around, he could not find any trace of his Kitten which meant that she had also gone to shower.

Therefore, he sat on the couch as he awaited her return while reading a few emails from work.

He did not have to wait for long as Lina returned sooner than he had expected.

‘Why is she so silent?’ He wondered when he noticed that she had kept her head bowed since the food had been served.

Reuben placated himself by assuming that she must have been hungry and chose not to disturb her during their meal.

However, the silence continued well after their meal which had brought doubt in his mind.

‘Did I mess things up without even realizing it?’ He recalled his actions from the moment he had arrived home.

But much to his chagrin, he could not figure out what exactly he had done wrong to deserve this silent treatment.

As they returned to the couch with Lina watching the news, he could no longer stand being ignored by her.

“Are you mad at me?” The words blurted out of his mouth even before he could control himself.

He watched as her eyes widened and she shook her head in ardent refusal of his claims.

“What? No! Why would you even think that way!?” She clamored to prove that she was not mad at him.

Reuben understood that she was not mad but the reason for receiving a cold shoulder was still something that he needed from her.

“Then why were you so silent?” He questioned, raising his brows while shutting the TV to get some quiet time.

Her eyes averted from his face and it was clear to him that she was hiding something from him.

“What is it?” He prodded, unwilling to let this matter rest.

However, even when he wanted to press on for some proper answers, she was not willing to give him one.

This resulted in the couple heading to bed without making any progress.

‘She wasn’t mad but she isn’t willing to tell me what is bothering her.’ He sighed at her strange behavior tonight.

Just earlier, she was having fun with him as they role-played but now she was so withdrawn from him.

What had taken place in the few minutes that he had stepped out of the room? This was the mystery that he had to solve or else he wouldn’t be able to catch a wink of sleep tonight.

The couple was already in their nightwear so it was not a problem for them to head straight to bed.

Reuben was beginning to learn how to sleep beside her without having any lewd thoughts about her as she sprawled out on him.

However, tonight he was bound to fail as the woman who was beside him had plans which he was ignorant about.

With his back laid flat on the bed and his arms behind his head on the pillow, he was staring at the ceiling with multiple thoughts swirling around in his head.

He sensed movement coming from the woman who was snuggled under the covers beside him and his eyes moved to discern what she was trying to do.

“Can you hug me to sleep?” The soft voice coming from the head which had peeked out from the covers brought a smile to his face.

Nodding his head, Reuben did not refuse her demand as he hugged her and pulled her close to his chest.

However, his Kitten was being slippery as she tossed around, turning her back towards him.

With both his arms around her body, Reuben finally felt her stop moving as she laid still.

Once again there was silence in the room with the darkness all around them.

“Ruby?” The woman in his arms called out to him just as he was about to fall asleep.

“Hmm?” He answered with a hum.

Lina’s palms were sweating as she squirmed with him pressed onto her back.

‘Don’t do that…’ He gritted his teeth and tightened his hold over her to stop her from awakening a primal urge in his body.

“I caught you staring earlier…” Her soft mumble cut off after she uttered those words.

He did not interrupt her as he could feel her hesitancy as she spoke.

‘Staring at what?’ He wondered in silence but it soon struck him what she might be referring to.

Before he could react after realizing this shocking revelation, he heard her speaking.

“I wanted to tease you but I ended up being teased instead.” She admitted her defeat in a competition he did not know that he had participated in.

Reuben gulped hard when he understood the meaning hidden in those words.

‘Am I going to spend another sleepless night?’ He lamented that he was with this tempting Kitten who was working hard to wipe away any drowsiness he had earlier.

While he was in his thoughts, he felt her dainty fingers wrap around his hands.

In the next second, his palms felt an amazing and unimaginable softness pressed against them.

‘These are!’ His eyes widened when he realized what he was now touching.

“Kitten?” He clamored in a panic at this new experience he was encountering.

“Shh…” She shushed him after which the room was overtaken by silence.

His wide palms cupped and pressed the soft flesh which elicited a gentle whimper from her.

This prompted him to pull away from her in fear that he had hurt her.

“Are you okay? We don’t have to do this.” He comforted her even when he very much desired to touch her again.

If she was not comfortable with this then he was willing to wait until she was.

This was exactly what had made Lina take the staunch decision of making the first move as, if she waited for him to do so then they may forever be stuck in the same place in their relationship.

“Shut up and hold me!” Lina scowled at him, attempting to sound demanding and dominant.

Though the tremble in her voice had deceived her by revealing that she was just as nervous as him.

Reuben’s hand reached back to where they had been placed before and remained there without moving an inch.

‘Her back is so stiff but look at her acting tough before me.’ He shook his head but did not expose her.

Thus, the couple held each other in this way for the rest of the night without doing anything else at all.

___

“Oh, what a sleepless night it was!” Reuben exclaimed as he gazed at his palms which had been over a certain part of his Kitten for the entire night.