Free Web NovelChapter 18: Chapter 18: First Time Sharing a Bed
Upon hearing this, Felix Preston continued making up the sofa without missing a beat. He said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, "Yeah. Haven’t I always slept on the sofa?"
"You..." Sonia Quincy was at a loss for words.
Watching Felix’s practiced movements as he prepared the sofa, and hearing the matter-of-fact tone in his voice, Sonia’s heart suddenly ached.
He was clearly the victim in this marriage, the one who gave everything, yet Felix Preston had never received the respect and fairness he deserved. When he was successful, she had treated him like an ATM. When he fell on hard times, she used him as a punching bag.
She had wronged him in every possible way, yet he never thought of getting revenge. Even when Sonia, now in her body, said she wanted to make amends, he had been soft-hearted enough to give her a chance to change.
He did it all without resentment, simply because he was her husband and she was carrying his child.
’If I hadn’t transmigrated into this book,’ Sonia thought, ’I don’t know how many lifetimes it would take to meet a man this good.’
"Don’t sleep on the sofa anymore." She wiped her hands clean, walked over to Felix’s side, snatched the blanket from his hands, and stuffed it back into the bedroom closet.
"You’re so tired from work. You finally have a chance to rest, so why are you sleeping on the sofa? Go sleep in the bed. Get some real, comfortable sleep."
"There’s no need." Felix froze for a second before following Sonia into the bedroom. "I’m fine on the sofa. It’s comfortable enough."
"The sofa is not comfortable!" Sonia’s face was stern as she emphasized her point. She shut the closet door, turned, and threw back the covers on the bed. Then, she grabbed Felix’s arm and pushed him down onto it.
"Just sleep in the bed. From now on, you sleep in the bed. No more sofa."
Felix sat up, looking up at Sonia in astonishment. "But didn’t you say you were used to sleeping alone and didn’t want me anywhere near you in the bedroom?"
"That..." Sonia stammered. "That was... I was just being childish and talking nonsense back then. We’re a married couple; it’s not right for us to sleep apart. From now on, you’re coming in here to sleep with me. I want to be next to you. I want to sleep with you!"
"..." The eyes behind Felix’s glasses widened slightly. "Huh?"
’Why does that sound so... improper?’
Sonia froze for a moment, only then realizing how ambiguous her words had been.
"No..." She reached up and tapped her mouth, hastily correcting herself. "When I said sleep, I just meant sleep! Literally sleep. As in, you next to me, us lying on the same bed, and doing nothing but closing our eyes and sleeping."
Felix nodded slowly. "...Oh..."
Sonia avoided his gaze, raising a hand to rub her forehead. Fearing she would only make things more awkward by explaining further, she decided to drop the subject.
"Just get some sleep." She stepped forward, kicked off his slippers, pushed him firmly back down onto the bed by the shoulders, and pulled the blanket over him. "I’m going to start dinner. I’ll call you when it’s ready."
With that, she hurried out of the room with her head down.
Felix lay stunned on the soft mattress, staring blankly at the room’s yellowed ceiling for a while.
From the kitchen, the sound of Sonia washing vegetables came intermittently. He listened quietly for two minutes, then took off his glasses, placed them on the bedside table, closed his eyes, and fell soundly asleep.
Sonia had always slept in this bed, and her scent permeated the pillows and the blanket. A faint, sweet fragrance filled the air, silently wafting into Felix’s nostrils. He fell asleep quickly, and he thought he saw Sonia in his dreams.
He had been awake for a full day and night, and he slept deeply. He didn’t know how long he’d been out, but when he woke and turned his head, he saw the sky outside was already stained red by the setting sun.
The small rental apartment was filled with the tantalizing aroma of food; it was hunger that had woken him.
He kneaded the tense spot between his brows, threw off the blanket, and slipped on his slippers before leaving the room.
"Hey there, little kitty. Whose cat are you?"
Sonia had just finished cooking and was now standing by the kitchen windowsill, teasing a big orange cat that had appeared from who knows where.
The orange cat wore a pink collar, so it obviously had an owner. Felix often saw it wandering around on his way to and from work. It wasn’t afraid of people at all, and the residents of the complex all loved to feed it.
Despite its young age, it had already managed to eat its way into the shape of a small truck.
’Sonia hasn’t left the apartment much since moving in,’ Felix mused. ’This must be the first time she’s seen it, which would explain her surprise.’
"Are you hungry, little kitty?" She picked out a piece of chicken from a plate and dangled it teasingly in front of the big orange cat. The cat tilted its head up, staring intently at the chicken in Sonia’s hand, its head swaying back and forth rhythmically with her movements.
The woman and the cat played their quiet little game as the sunset’s afterglow slanted through the window, bathing them in a warm, yellow light.
Sonia was enveloped in the light, making even the strands of her hair seem gentle.
Felix walked over quietly, leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, and watched Sonia silently from a distance.
’A Sonia like this was too wonderful. He couldn’t bear to break the spell by making a sound.’
...
That evening, Felix came out of the bathroom after a shower and, as usual, sat on the sofa to do some work.
Sonia lay in bed, secretly sketching for a bit. When she saw Felix put away his laptop and get ready to rest, she immediately called out, "Felix Preston, it’s time to come to bed!"
Felix froze, remembering what Sonia had said that afternoon. He gave an awkward, "Mm."
Sonia fluffed a pillow, pulled back the covers, and patted the empty space on the bed. "Hurry up and come over."
Felix let out another "Mm," then stood up, turned off the living room light, and walked into the bedroom with his gaze lowered.
"Come on, time for bed," Sonia invited warmly.
Felix closed the bedroom door, obediently slipped off his slippers, and lay down in the space Sonia had cleared for him.
Sonia turned off the bedside lamp and quietly lay down to sleep beside Felix.
He didn’t dare move, and neither did she. They both lay stiff as boards, leaving a wide, uncrossable gap between them.
It couldn’t be helped. After all, this was the first time they had shared a bed since their wedding. The first time they’d ever gotten into bed together while both fully conscious, it would be strange if they *weren’t* nervous.
...
"BUZZ—BUZZ—"
Sonia was woken by the frantic buzzing of her phone. She frowned and opened her eyes. It was already bright outside.
The space beside her was empty, and the living room was silent. ’Felix must have left for work already,’ she thought.
"BUZZ—BUZZ—"
The phone continued to vibrate relentlessly. Sonia yawned as she fumbled for it. After unlocking the screen, she saw a message from someone on a marketplace app.
The person was interested in one of her necklaces and wanted to meet up. They promised that as long as the necklace was in good enough condition, they would buy it on the spot without haggling.
’Only a fool turns down easy money.’ Sonia didn’t hesitate and readily agreed to the offer.
