Sanctuary

Warmth, peace, and comfort. These three words perfectly encapsulated An Mei's current state as she woke up in the loving embrace of her brilliant husband, Li Wei. As the gentle rays of the morning sun squabbled with the silk curtains shielding their private sanctuary, the light of early dawn was slowly winning and gradually illuminating the bedroom.

The room itself mirrored its owners in temperament. The large bookshelf in the wall was filled to the brim with tomes on subjects ranging from classical literature to chromodynamics, all arranged in a neat and meticulous fashion. But the special place of honour was reserved for Li Wei's advanced physics textbooks and An Mei's bestselling novels. On the other side of the room, near the window overlooking the balcony, stood a small snug desk which An Mei frequently used for her writing. Dominating the space was the large cozy bed, an island of mutual comfort for the two lovers.

An Mei let the minutes pass by as she observed her husband's handsome face while tracing her fingers along his gentle features. Occasionally he would smile in his sleep or mumble something that sounded vaguely like complex mathematical computation, which somehow inexplicably came to include An Mei's name.

In those precious few moments, the outside world did not exist. There was only her and her beloved, and only she got to witness him in this most vulnerable and delicate state, within a small, treasured part of their forever.

As An Mei ran her fingers through his silky hair, Li Wei slowly opened his eyes. He gave her a tender smile, and still half asleep, he whispered, "Zao an, Ai ren."

She did not answer him with words. Instead, she pressed her soft lips against his and gave him a long, lingering and affectionate kiss. When they broke off, Li Wei was fully awake and grinning like a puppy who had just been fed his favourite treat, but An Mei was not done. She peppered his face with kisses. No part of his face was left untouched by her loving assault: his cheeks, nose, lips, eyes, ears and forehead were all happy victims of that sweet conquest.

By the end Li Wei was in the Nirvana of early mornings. Still carrying that delightful grin, he asked his beautiful and gentle wife, "How come I am so lucky today?"

An Mei, her previous bravery now giving way to a shy smile, pressed herself against his chest and whispered, "You looked too cute. I just felt like kissing you."

"In that case..." He gently lifted up her chin and gave her a deep and passionate kiss that left them both breathless and blushing.

A few moments after that sensual excitement, they were back to their ground state of wholesome warmth.

An Mei, now nestled against her husband, cooed, "Weiwei, I don't feel like getting up."

"Then, let's not," he replied, once again tightly wrapping his arms around his wife. "It's Sunday anyway. The world can wait."

They lay in comfortable silence, snuggling against one another with their legs completely intertwined. The only sounds were the slow rhythm of their breathing and the distant hum of Tianjing city waking up from its slumber. Occasionally, they would steal a kiss from one another or tease and tickle each other. But gradually, lulled by the warmth of the bed and the reassuring presence of one another, they drifted back into sleep, two halves of the whole, perfectly content in their shared dream.

And then, the phone rang.