Saving the Villain

Cosette and Maxen played for a while until late in the night. They talked about how their weekends played out and anything they could broach; they would make out in between, of course. Their routine lasted until late in the night and Cosette fell asleep.

She was exhausted, so even when she already had napped, she still fell asleep before him. Meanwhile, Maxen was slowly getting used to sleeping later and less because of school and work. He didn't mind, though.

He kept her confined in his embrace, listening to how her breathing grow deeper. Maxen casually caressed her back, his hands underneath her shirt. When he was sure she was sleeping, he reluctantly slipped away from her.

Maxen sat down on the side of the bed, hands on either side of him. He looked back at her and smiled subtly. One look at her and he would remember why he was working so hard for.

'It's so nice to have her here,' he thought, pushing himself away from the bed.

Maxen marched towards the bathroom for a quick shower. He wanted to shower previously, but Cosette didn't want to let him go. He told her she could come with him, but she was too lazy to get out of bed. Thus, he had no choice but to stay with her on the bed until she had fallen asleep.

Good thing he didn't commute home as he was fetched and dropped by in the company. He didn't also have a lot of activity that required him to sweat, so he didn't feel that uncomfortable embracing her for hours, knowing he didn't smell bad.

When Maxen returned to the room, he stopped. A towel was wrapped around his waist, his top bare. He was drying his damp hair with a small towel, but the shade of it and his tousled hair that reached past his brows gave him a much more mature look.

His heart warmed up in relief, seeing that Cosette was still in his room. Not that he was expecting her to leave, but for the past two days, Maxen would imagine her sleeping on that same bed. But now, he was certain it wasn't just his imagination.

Cosette… the real Cosette was back and is just around him where he could easily reach her.

'I'm going crazy,' he told himself, resuming his steps to the cabinet to change his clothes. Once he was fully clothed, Maxen stood beside the bed. He carefully bent over, only to plant a kiss on her temple. He smiled, feeling her warmth under his palm.

Straightening his back, Maxen gazed down at her for a moment before approaching the desk in his room. Cosette had noticed this new desk as it was unlike his small study table. He simply told her he needed a larger one, and she didn't press on it, so they moved on.

Maxen opened the locked drawer and took out a few folders. Underneath them was a laptop which he also took out, placing it on the surface of the desk. Maxen worked on it as soon as it started operating, reading the folders in between.

Sometimes, he would lean back to read a document and get a full understanding of it. He would glance at the bed from time to time and would smile at the sight of her.

'I need to finish this quickly,' he told himself, setting his attention back to the document. For the next three hours, Maxen gave the documents his undivided attention before he finally was able to stretch his arms and stiff neck.

When he put down the last document, he set his eyes back on the bed. He was relieved he was finished, and he could join her on the bed. Maxen quickly cleaned up the desk, taking the documents back into the drawer and then the laptop.

As he stood up and was about to turn off the lamp, Cosette moaned. Turning his head to her, Cosette was blinking weakly.

"Max?" she called sweetly, seeing him stand in front of the desk, hands reaching for the lamp to turn it off. "What are you doing there?"

Maxen offered her a kind smile. "I just did some work," he said, turning off the lamp and then crawling to her side.

"But it's super late," she murmured, glancing at the clock on the nightstand.

"I just had to do it so I won't have to worry about it in a few days."

"Ahh…" Cosette moved her head while he slipped his hand underneath her neck. "Don't forget to take care of your health, Max."

"I won't." His tone was gentle, pulling her waist against his body. "Let's sleep now."

"Mhm…"

Cosette felt his kiss on top of her head, holding her in his arms securely. It didn't take long for Maxen to nod off, considering it was late and he had school plus a quick visit to the company. However, Cosette, who had slept early and had been sleeping all day couldn't help but fall asleep.

She kept her eyes closed, but then, opened them ever so slowly. She slowly drew back to look at him, blinking. Cosette then looked back at the desk where she had seen him previously, cocking her head to the side. Deep lines appeared in between her brows as she looked back at him once more.

'I'm moved that he was working hard for our future even if he didn't have to,' she thought, staring at his sleeping handsome face. 'But… why do I feel like I should've asked for more details?'

A shallow breath slipped past her lips, relaxing on the bed while keeping her eyes on him. Her growing curiosity about what sort of offer he accepted because what he said sounded too good to be true. However, she didn't want to invade his privacy, knowing he would tell her if he wanted to.

'Max…' her eyes softened, moving her face closer to his neck. '... don't do anything reckless for me, okay?'