Earlston, Scotland, 08:40;

Xi Yuan stared at the girl in a daze, her words still resounding in his mind. 'I want this, Yuan', she'd said, 'I want this to happen with you.' All those doubts, and uncertainties, flooding through his heart; those words were an end to them all. And it was then that he knew they were ready to become one another's. Entirely. With every atom in their body.

He was at a loss of words to express his elation at the moment. He was no artist like her. He couldn't recite poems to her, nor could he make such simple words sound like magic the way she did. But he was her Yuan. He didn't need to do any of those things. The power he and his touches had on her; he'd always been au fait of them.

Hence, responding to her words, the man tightened his grip around the back of her neck and swiftly yet assiduously, lowered her against the bed, switching their positions in an instant. A little startled, Rong Xinghe bit her lower lip, an unusual blend of nervousness and exhilaration rushing through her veins.

The man kissed her on the lips first, and then her cheeks, her chin, before finally moving to her sensitive spots. Her proudly arched neck, the mole behind her right ear, and the other ear. Each kiss, and each bite, equally stimulating.

The girl was no still. Her hands made their way to his broad back first, bringing him closer to her, and then to his front, brushing against the fabric of his shirt over his strong build. Tenaciously then, she reached for the buttons of the denim cloth, parting the two halves of it one by one.

The man's lips curled up as quietly, her fingers skimmed across his fine muscular shoulders in the process of removing the clothing. How restless, he laughed to himself, getting rid of both the shirt and the undershirt at once, revealing his upper-self to her. And as he returned to her, Rong Xinghe touched his well-maintained abs, and his chest, and his arms, taking her time with every inch of him.

About a minute later, Xi Yuan pulled up her sweater a bit, snaking his left hand around her waist till he reached her bra's clasp. As he unhooked it, the girl closed her eyes shut, halting her movements altogether. She wanted to feel everything that was to come next, for she wished to savour this sensation for all her life.

Considerately, the man brought his right hand to her front, and beneath her clothes, grazed her skin with his fingers. Her belly, and waist, and then her breasts. But it was lenient. The touch of his hands. And yet, somehow phenomenal. So much so that the girl, influenced by ecstasy, dug her nails into his shoulders, gripping onto them tightly. Xi Yuan groaned, pulling away to look at the woman in his arms. She'd never looked more beautiful, he thought, a genuine smile escaping his mouth.

Shortly after, all their clothes lied on the ground, discarded, and by this time, there was no curve on her body that he hadn't seen or felt or relished. The same was the case for her. What surprised them the most though was how natural it seemed to them. Despite being naked in front of each other, there was not even a tad bit of nervousness or awkwardness between them. In fact, it felt right. And perfect. As if that was where the two belonged. In each other's arms.

There was just one thing left to do now. Both of them knew of that. "I am asking this for the last time, Xinghe.", Xi Yuan pulled back from their kiss, "Are you sure?"

The girl nodded approvingly, looking away from him as the heat rose up to her cheeks. Xi Yuan smiled lightly, stretching his hand toward the left side-table by the bed, grabbing a packet of condom from it. How come the farmhouse had such an item in the first place, Rong Xinghe wondered, as her brows furrowed with skepticism.

Noticing the darkness in the woman's gaze, Xi Yuan realized that she might've had misunderstood something as he explained to her quickly, "We are to marry soon, Xinghe.", he said, "And with you, I've never trusted my self-control. I just prefer to stay prepared, beforehand. Don't take it otherwise.

"You are... my first too. I've been waiting for you, Ma Jolie."

Listening to the man, the girl's gaze softened as she pecked him on his lips, "I love you.", she confessed.

Relieved, the man thoughtfully shielded himself for her, eliminating the distance between them. "I'll be gentle, Love.", he promised her, his tone solicitous, "But it'll still hurt." The girl laughed weakly as she looked into his sincere eyes. What had she done to deserve him?

It would hurt, of course, she knew that. It was her first time, after all. But the way he was calming her down was so... sacred and caring, that she could feel herself dissolving into him, her eyes reddening gradually. "It's okay.", she said, her voice shivering a bit.

Worried that she might catch a cold because of the intense Scottish weather, the man tugged the blanket over them, planting a kiss on her cheek. The girl smiled at the man encouragingly, cupping his face with both her hands. Certain that she was fine, the man inhaled a long breath, as he kissed her on her gracefully slender neck, focussing on her feelings at the same time.

It was painful, yes. In the beginning. She cried, clawing at his back and arms in an attempt to hold onto something dearly. Xi Yuan didn't complain but. He had to go on, for that was the only way to lessen her pain now. So he did. Gently. Softly. While kissing her, he made her his, and in that very second, became hers.

He waited for her pain to vanish as he started moving, slowly. Carefully. Allowing her to get used to him. His presence inside her. Watching her smile through the tears.

That was the thing about the relationship between lovers. Uniting with someone to the limit beyond the possibility of distinction. Making love had never been about just pleasure. Not for true lovers, at least. It was more about the closeness, and the connection, and the comfortability, for such people. About devotion, and loyalty, and everything else in between. Xinguan had always been like that, hadn't they? Each other's 'One Epic Love'.