Jax's eyes fluttered open just as the captain's voice came over the intercom. "We are beginning our descent into Calonia City. Please make sure your seatbelts are securely fastened."
He fastened his seatbelt and turned his head to look at Ruan, a smile spreading across his face. Ruan was asleep, his seatbelt buckled and his head lolled slightly to one side. They had both spent the past few hours talking about the island, eating when their meals were served, and when exhaustion caught up with both of them, they had fallen asleep and had now entered Calonia City.
Once the plane landed safely on the runway, Jax looked at Ruan again and noticed that he was still sleeping. He unfastened his seatbelt, stood up, walked toward him, and gently tapped him on the shoulder. "Hey, Ruan, we are here."
No response.
He tapped him again, and instead of waking up, Ruan grabbed Jax's hand, twisted it backward, and pulled him closer to himself. Jax lost his balance as he struggled against him, and before he knew it, he landed on top of Ruan's chest, their lips meeting in a harsh, unexpected kiss.
Ruan's eyes fluttered open, locking onto Jax. For a moment, they just stared at each other until Ruan pushed Jax away, who fell to the ground. Realizing what had happened, Ruan unbuckled his seatbelt and apologized. "I am sorry. I had no idea you were in front of me, and I…" He stretched forth his hand for Jax to take and gently pulled him off the ground. "I thought that someone had come to attack me, and…"
Jax said nothing, giving him a questioning look and wondering what he might have gone through for him to have the mindset that he was going to get attacked when they were the only ones on the plane.
"Are we in the city?" Ruan asked him, and he nodded in response, pointing toward the jet stairs. They both climbed down, squinting their eyes from the bright sun of the city. For Jax, it was a change from Spectra City, which was always hot and noisy. Here, it was calm, and even with the bright sun, the air was cool.
The air hostess handed over their luggage and exchanged smiles with them. "I hope to see you again, Captain James," Ruan said to the pilot, who also came down to greet them.
"The pleasure is always mine," James bowed his head, and just as they were standing there talking, a black van drove to the front of the jet, its engine purring softly. A man dressed in a crisp suit stepped out and bowed his head as he approached them.
He handed over his business card to Ruan. "My name is Derek, and I will be your personal chauffeur to the island."
Jax noticed how Ruan frowned when he read through the card. "Is there a problem?" he asked him.
Instead of replying to him, Ruan faced Derek instead. "What is this about you driving us around? Why are we not using a helicopter to the island? It is faster, and…"
Derek cut him off politely before he could finish. "I apologize if that's what you were expecting, sir, but according to the rules of the island, helicopters or any other private flights are prohibited from entering the island since it is a private one."
Ruan groaned. "How long is the drive to the island?"
"Eight hours, sir, and…"
"I am not going to sit down in that van for eight hours after enduring a ten-hour flight. We rest tonight in a private hotel, and we continue the journey tomorrow!" Ruan declared.
Derek argued. "I am sorry, sir, but that was not part of what I was told when I was asked to pick you up." He turned to face Jax. "The CEO said you should turn on the phone he sent to you, which contains basic information."
Jax frowned and looked down at the sleek bag in his hand. He had somehow forgotten about it during the flight and had not once tried to peek into it. The time he had spent talking with Ruan had made him forget about it. "Oh, I will turn it on once we have rested."
"But you have to communicate with the CEO, and…"
Ruan brought out his phone from the pocket of his jogger, typed aggressively on the screen, and then handed over the phone to Derek. "I already texted Lucas that we would be resting in a hotel and then move to the island early in the morning. Is there a problem with that?"
Derek tried to argue, but he said nothing and helped them pack their luggage into the boot of the van. Once they were all settled inside the van, he started it and pulled out of the airport.
Jax couldn't stop thinking about the bag, even though he had wanted to open it later in the day, but he knew that there could be messages from the CEO, and he didn't want to seem irresponsible. So, he tried to bring the phone out to check, but Ruan gently placed his hand on his, stopping him before he could.
"Forget about the phone or the messages for now," Ruan told him. "We are both exhausted and jetlagged from the flight. Once we are settled in, then you can turn it on."
Jax looked at Ruan and nodded his head in response, feeling a sense of reassurance wash over him.
The driver glanced in the rearview mirror in the direction of Jax and spoke up. "Sir, you need to put your seatbelt on. The city is all about rules."
Jax stared down and realized that he was the only one not wearing a seatbelt. Even Ruan already had his on. "Alright," he responded and reached for the seatbelt but realized Ruan's hand was still lingering on his. "Ruan, your hand…" Jax trailed off, his heart skipping a beat.
"Relax," Ruan responded and leaned in closer to get the seatbelt, his face inches from Jax's. Memories of their short, unexpected kiss from the plane came flooding back, and Jax's heart started racing fast, even faster when Ruan's face drew closer to his.
He thought that his heart was about to burst from excitement, and he couldn't breathe. Once buckled in, Ruan pulled away, and Jax took a deep breath, placing his hand on his chest, feeling how it rose and fell, but it started racing again as Ruan's hand brushed against his thigh, sending shivers down his spine.
"All done," Ruan said and relaxed back into the seat.
Jax sighed, rubbing his chest as he tried to calm his racing heart. He turned to the other side of the van, gazing out of the window at the passing cityscape. Calonia City looked high-class with sleek skyscrapers, less traffic, and manicured lawns, but despite its luxurious appearance, the city was surprisingly small compared to Spectra City. It was appreciated for being a tourist attraction city because of Azure Island. Deep in his thoughts while staring out the window, Jax suddenly felt a gentle weight on his shoulder, and he turned to find Ruan's head resting against him, his eyes closed.
"I am just going to close my eyes for a few seconds," he murmured.
Jax didn't respond, unsure of what to say. Instead, he worried about how he could avoid getting affected every time they shared a little touch. It was hard to contain his feelings each time Ruan was close to him, and Jax couldn't deny that he felt attracted to him. He didn't know how long he would be able to avoid the temptation. It was as if his body was hyper-aware of Ruan's presence, responding to even the slightest contact.
His eyes drifted back to the window, but his mind remained focused on the man beside him. Somehow, he knew that he had to figure out a way to avoid getting close to him so he wouldn't break his own promise to everyone.
The drive went on for almost an hour until Derek drove to the front of a hotel with the name Crystal. Jax recognized it as one of the five-star hotels in the city, but he worried that they might not get a room since the hotel was known as the best around and heavily booked all year round. Regardless, Jax decided to try it out and announced to Ruan that they had arrived.
Ruan yawned lightly, removed his head from Jax's shoulder, and turned to look at him. "We are at the hotel?" he asked, rubbing his eyes.
"Yup," Jax responded, making sure the 'p' sound was loud.
"Good. Let's find a room and rest."
Jax nodded and tried to open the door but stopped and looked back at Ruan. "Since your visit here is not known, do you mind if I go talk to the receptionist alone, and then once I get a room, I will let you know, and…"
Ruan chuckled and brought out dark shades and wore them. "With this disguise, no one is going to recognize me."
Jax stared at him for a moment, then nodded in response and stepped out. Derek was already inside the hotel, helping with the luggage, and once he was done, he walked toward Jax. "I will be here tomorrow morning to pick you up. Please do get ready," he informed him, bowed his head, and walked away just as Ruan stepped out of the car.
"What was that about?" Ruan asked.
"He is coming tomorrow morning to pick us up," Jax responded, then headed into the hotel, stepping into an opulent lobby and making their way to the receptionist, a poised woman with a warm smile.
She greeted them as soon as she saw them. "Welcome to Crystal Hotel. How may I assist you?" she asked.
"We would like to book a presidential suite, please."
The receptionist's expression turned apologetic. "I am afraid most of our presidential suites are fully booked. We might not be able to give out any rooms now because we are…"
Jax sighed even before she could finish. This was his first task as Ruan's manager, and he was already failing miserably. He wondered if he would be able to do his task perfectly when he couldn't even get a room booked in advance for him.
"I got this," Ruan said and suddenly pulled him closer, his tone changing to a romantic one. "Miss, we are a couple, and we've come on a vacation here, and there is nowhere for us to stay. Please make an exception for us. My boyfriend is…" Ruan paused, looked at Jax, and removed the strands of hair from his forehead. "He is tired from the long trip and needs to rest."
Jax visibly gulped as Ruan continued touching his face, but he didn't stop him because it was working on the receptionist.
Her expression softened, and then she focused on the computer in front of her. "Let me check… Ah, yes. There is one room left, but it's not one of our larger suites."
Ruan's face lit up with a smile. "That's perfectly fine. We will manage since it is only for the night."
The receptionist nodded and processed their booking with efficient speed, and she handed over the key to Ruan. "Enjoy your stay, both of you."
"Thank you," he responded.
Two hotel staff members, friendly bellhops, stepped forward. "We will help you with your luggage, gentlemen," one of them said and picked up some of their luggage, leading them toward the elevator. As they stepped inside, Ruan leaned against Jax, his hands still around his waist, and Jax was unsure of how to react to him, but since they were still lying about being a couple, he didn't do anything.
Once they got to the front of room number 600 on the 5th floor, they stopped, and Ruan opened the door with his card. The bellhops efficiently unloaded their luggage into the room. It was smaller than Jax expected, and the space was dominated by a queen-sized bed, adorned with plush pillows and a sleek, gray headboard. A compact desk sat in one corner, accompanied by a comfortable-looking armchair.
"If you are hungry, gentlemen, you can order from our menu," one of them said, pointing to the sleek booklet beside the bedstand. "Just dial zero for assistance. Enjoy your stay." The bellhops informed them and bowed before walking out of the room.
"Thank you," both of them said at the same time.
As the door closed behind them, Ruan still hadn't let go of Jax until he reminded him. "They are gone now," he said. "You can let me go."
Ruan chuckled, releasing his grip. "My tactics worked, didn't they? We make a pretty convincing couple."