Chapter 244: Holding Your Hand

Jingwei watched the man in the torn raincoat drag the handcart up another flight of stairs.

Its wheels caught on every step, jolting the bedding piled beneath a wet sheet. Behind him, the woman stopped to shift her bags, and the people following had to squeeze past her before they could help.

Zhiyi stayed beside Jingwei as he carried the tablet to the kitchen counter.

He was still holding her hand, although there was no longer a bag to stop her from lifting or a doorway to bring her through.

When he set the screen down, she tilted it toward them with her free hand.

"They’ve brought everything upstairs," Hanchuan said, joining them at the counter. He watched two men take the lower end of the cart. "Let me know if they keep coming toward us."

Jingwei nodded and left the sound on.

Across the room, Shichen pulled a cover from the sofa while Zeyu gathered the loose fabric before anyone could trip over it.

The room smelled faintly of dust and clean upholstery. Rain struck the windows hard enough to make Jingwei glance up, still unused to hearing it after so many years without it.

On the screen, a door opened above the climbing group.

A man in shorts stepped onto the landing, shining a flashlight down the stairs. The woman carrying the bags reached him first and lowered them beside her feet.

"We’ve been downstairs since this afternoon," the woman explained, rubbing one hand against her hip. "There’s water coming under the front doors. We need somewhere to put our things."

"You’ll have to find another floor," the man told her. He stood across the doorway, keeping the flashlight pointed at her face. "There are people sleeping here already."

Jingwei could see bedding behind him, but farther along the corridor, several rooms stood open and empty.

The woman noticed them too. She picked up her smaller bag and stepped toward the doorway, only to stop when the man put out his arm.

"We can use one of those rooms," she said, pointing past him. "We won’t disturb anyone."

The man lowered his light toward her bag. "Leave that here, and I’ll see what I can find."

Beside Jingwei, Zeyu opened a cupboard and took down six cups.

He looked at the screen once more before turning toward the kettle.

Years ago, he would have wanted to confront a stranger charging people to enter their building. Now he filled the kettle while the woman pulled her bag against her chest.

The man in the raincoat began arguing, but she caught his sleeve and pointed up the stairs.

After a few angry words, he took hold of the cart again. Jingwei followed them to the next landing, where they found an unlocked door and carried their belongings out of sight.

"They’ve stopped below us," Jingwei told Hanchuan. "I’ll keep the stairwell feed open."

Hanchuan went to help with the bags, leaving Zhiyi beside Jingwei.

She turned his hand slightly, and he looked down to find a thin line of dried blood beside his knuckle. He had scraped it while unloading the vehicle and forgotten about it.

"You should wash that before it gets on your clothes," Zhiyi said, releasing him. Her fingers slid from his slowly enough that he noticed their absence as he reached for the tap.

When he finished, she was waiting with a small dressing Qinghe had given her.

Jingwei held out his hand without being asked.

She peeled away the backing, her brows drawing together as one corner stuck to her finger, then smoothed it carefully over the scrape.

"There," Zhiyi said, turning his hand once to check her work. "Try not to pull it off before morning."

"I’ll do my best," Jingwei replied.

He liked the small smile she gave him, and for a moment he wished he had another reason to keep her there. Then Zeyu asked her where she wanted the tea, and she went to help him find a tray.

By the time they finished eating, water had covered the road markings below.

Jingwei carried the tablet to the sofa near the window while the others unpacked. From there, he could watch the entrance feeds and the rain sliding down the glass.

The apartment behind him was beginning to sound familiar, with cupboards opening and Zeyu calling down the hall to ask who had taken his bag.

Zhiyi returned carrying two cups. She had changed into a loose shirt, and her hair was still damp around her face. Jingwei moved the tablet to make room as she set his tea down.

"Are you staying up for a while?" Zhiyi asked, sitting beside him. She tucked one foot beneath her and held her cup between her hands while she waited.

"Until Hanchuan takes over," Jingwei replied. "You can stay if you’re not tired. I’d like the company."

She settled against the cushions, close enough that her knee brushed his leg.

Jingwei took a drink to give himself something to do while he got used to having her there.

She had never crowded him, even after years of living together. Sometimes he wondered whether she knew how often he wanted her to come closer.

He set his cup down and rested his hand beside hers.

"You don’t have to stop touching me as soon as you’ve finished helping," Jingwei told her. He looked at the dressing rather than her face, then made himself look up. "I liked holding your hand earlier."

Zhiyi’s fingers moved against his. "You usually let go when you don’t need to hold it anymore. I thought that was what you wanted."

"I know," he admitted as he turned his hand and gently caught hers.

He had given her plenty of reasons to be careful around him, then hoped she would somehow know when his feelings changed. "I haven’t made it easy for you to tell."

She moved closer, her shoulder resting against his arm while she examined their joined hands.

Jingwei waited for the familiar urge to put some space between himself and another person. Instead, he found himself shifting so she could sit comfortably.

"I’d like to touch you too," Zhiyi said, looking up at him. Her free hand rose a little from her lap before she paused. "But I don’t know where you’d like it."

Jingwei took that hand and brought it to his cheek. Her palm was warm, and he closed his eyes briefly when her thumb moved along his jaw.

When he opened them, she was watching his mouth. He leaned toward her before he could talk himself out of it, stopping close enough that her next words warmed his lips.

"Jingwei," Zhiyi said softly, her fingers curling against his cheek, "I’ve wanted you to do that for a long time."