Previews of my pictures were sent to me and came out much better than I expected.
I had to choose which ones to put on my artist profile and decide if I wanted any of them to be my album cover.
Then I saw something unexpected, a photo of Zai and me kissing against the car in my music video! Who took this?!
Our kiss looked way more provocative from a third-person perspective!
His hand was on my waist, and my back was arched with our bodies pressed so close that there were no visible gaps between us.
My face felt hot from looking at the photo, so I turned and peeked at the person next to me, still unclothed and reading a book, with an expression that implied he was deep in thought.
"Um... Honey."
His ears twitched at the sound of my voice, and he closed his book before turning to me with a smug face.
"Yes?" he asked.
"I... have a group of pictures here... they said I can choose the album cover from and... um... you're in one of them, so I need to know if you're okay with me choosing that?"
He blinked a few times before answering with,
"Your lips are so beautiful."
"I asked you a question, Zai!" I shouted, hiding my face.
Zai placed his book aside and pressed his lips against my neck with his hand resting against the cheek on my opposite side.
"Zai!" I scolded.
He chuckled lightly and pulled away.
"Let me see it..." he requested gently.
I handed him my phone, and he stared at the image for a moment before saying,
"Yeah, upload it... just be sure to send it to me too."
I don't know if that's allowed, but Zai is technically my manager, so it should be fine.
"I'll send it right now!" I replied enthusiastically.
He grinned at me, and my heart fluttered with anticipation. I had to look away so I could send the picture because my hand was shaking so much.
"Thank you," he replied, then he got up from bed and said, "I'm gonna take a shower."
I felt a wave of disappointment wash over me. He gets me so hot and bothered, then just leaves?!
"Join me," Zai's authoritative invitation reignited my mood at full force.
"A-as you wish, honey..." I murmured.
Later that day, we took more pictures together. He backed up all the pictures and then posted them, while I focused on updating my status.
I tried to think of something that would gain attention.
Then I typed:
"Putting the final touches on my album. Should be released soon! I'm so excited, and I hope you all are, too."
After I posted it, I wondered if it came off as inauthentic or overly eager.
"Where is it?" Zai muttered, scrunching his face.
He was scrolling through his phone,
"Where is what?" I asked, confused.
"You took a photo of me sleeping. I just realized I forgot to comment on it, but it's gone now," he replied grumpily.
He saw that?!
"I uh... privated it because I thought it might bother you that I took it without your permission," I admitted. I felt slightly embarrassed remembering all the comments I read that day.
"I'm yours, Snowe. Take all the pictures of me you want... post them online, I don't care," He said while smooching my cheek.
It tickled, so I giggled despite my quickening heart rate.
He continued,
"Brag about me all you want, mark your territory online. It's fine... well... as long as I can do it too."
I hate how he's calling me out right now!
"Okay, I hear you!" I replied, too loudly because of my nerves.
He stared at me silently for a few more moments.
"I want to make love," Zai responded bluntly.
"What?" I mainly replied because I was shocked.
Didn't we just do that in the shower?! My stamina hasn't fully recovered yet.
"Was I not clear? Let's f**k, I want to have sex, let me put my tongue-" I covered his mouth...
"I got you the first time! Where does all this libido come from?!" I retorted.
"I save up my energy for you," Zai confessed sweetly.
Why?!
He needs to stop.
I can think that... but I can never say it out loud because no matter how tired or sore I am, I can't deny I want him, and I would hate for him to think otherwise or miss out on a chance to be with him.
"Honey?" he whispered.
His calling me that struck deep.
"That's not fair... calling me honey," I replied. My voice was shaking a little bit,
The word now brought back vivid memories, which made him even harder to resist.
"My wife started it," he teased. Initiating a second assault on my heart.
"Fine! But... I want to be on top first this time."
My request made him blush, so it was worth it.
He deserves to be the one flustered for once.
"As you wish..." he replied, while lying on his back and waiting for me.
I swallowed hard, trembling as I removed my clothes.
I'm not going to back down; I'm going to show him that I can be dominant as well!
The days flew by.
I only had to work for three days, and Zai had to focus extra hard on his project with his brothers since he had been fooling around with me on my days off.
Then, finally, it was the 17th.
Zai was able to teleport us straight to Infaniya, and he had a travel clearance pass.
He informed me that his backstory was: His parents were from the Eastern Continent of Infaniya but settled on Earth, where they had him.
He had all the proper documentation, even a passport, so when we arrived, no one was suspicious at all, and I was in awe of my husband. Thank goodness he isn't interested in conquest... or Infaniya would probably have an invasion on its hands.
Zai was looking around.
From his face, I could tell he was unimpressed, but I'm not sure what it would take to impress him if the grand city surrounding the Southern Palace is a letdown.
"Snowe? Is that you?!" I recognized Ibij's voice as he rushed over to me.
His hair was tied into a topknot, and I could tell he'd gotten stronger because he was in much better shape than when I last saw him. He was also in very casual clothing with no shoes on.
"Yeah, Ibij. How are you?"
His eyes teared up, and he hugged me.
"I'm so glad you're okay," he muttered.
My body stiffened, and then Zai pulled us apart, saying,
"Hey... are you a friend of Snowe?"
He was smiling, but I could sense a lot of malice behind it. His eyes were saying, "I'll kill you if you step out of line."
"Oh... yeah. We were friends in secondary school," Ibij mumbled, staring at Zai with wide eyes.
He hadn't noticed Zai before, but now that he has, I could tell he was intimidated.
An oppressive aura surrounded Zai; only someone incredibly powerful could exude such pressure.
"He's the friend I mentioned, who had parties and gave me Elixir and Inspiration," I informed.
Zai glared at Ibij,
"Oh... he's the one," Zai commented coldly.
Ibij cleared his throat.
"Nothing happened! Plus, it was a long time ago," he stated defensively.
"Oh... so you tried to corrupt Snowe a long time ago, so I shouldn't be upset?" Zai inquired, forcing a polite tone.
Ibij's eyes went to me, pleading for help.
"Ibij was popular in school, and I was an outcast, so when he spoke to me, it became easier to interact with my other classmates.
And after I went to the parties, people stopped glaring at me in the halls, because of him, I started to feel normal. It was only a short time... but it was the happiest I'd ever been in school," I confessed rapidly.
After I gave Zai this information, he sighed, relaxed, and said,
"Thank you for looking out for Snowe, even though you only wanted to sleep with her."
Ibij was in shock, his lips parted like he wanted to reply, but it was clear he was at a loss for words.
"Zai?!" I shouted, mortified.
"I wanted more than that... I mean, it was a long time ago, and... we never did anything explicit... we just stayed regular friends," Ibij explained. "Anyway, I am so glad to see you alive. Everyone thought you were dead when we couldn't find you anywhere," he added.
There were beads of sweat on his forehead. I could tell he was eager to change the subject.
"Yeah... It makes sense that you'd think that," I replied, with my eyes cast on the ground.
I didn't want to go into detail on what happened to me, so I kept my response short.
He seemed to sense my discomfort.
"Smoke was so worried... he was a mess for a decade. And I didn't know what to do for him... I was worried too, of course, but... anyway, is this your boyfriend?" he asked to change the subject.
Was Smoke upset about me?
I guess Qon did say he tortured him for a decade, so badly that he became permanently disfigured, but our relationship was short.
Why would he care so much?
"He's my husband," I answered bashfully.
Ibij gasped and looked at Zai, then back to me.
"Congrats on your marriage! I assume you're here for the royal wedding?"
He handled that news well, thankfully.
"You would be right," I replied.
"The wedding colors are red and gold, make sure to get a traditional outfit while you're here... and let's get lunch later if you're up for it, I'll invite my girlfriend," Ibij said as he smiled proudly. I punched his arm very lightly.
"Who're you with?! Do I know them?" I asked because I was very interested in the answer.
He nodded.
"Kara... truth be told... she was just trying to get closer to Smoke through me, and I found out. After he rejected her and she saw how... depressed he became over another woman, she changed. It took fifty years, but we reconnected, and we're dating now.
We might even be getting married next year!" he answered.
I smiled widely,
"I'm so happy to hear that!" So much can happen in a hundred years...
I'm glad he's happy.
Though it kinda sucks that she was a Smoke fangirl at some point.
I guess most girls our age liked him, so I can't blame her.
I was one of them.
It took them almost half a century to actually get together, though.
He never gave up.
Ibij is truly a willful man.