He could still see it when he closed his eyes: her face looking down at him, the stars above the only light. He hadn’t been able to see her well, and yet it seemed to him he could remember her so clearly. Her eyes, usually languid, were dim, but her mouth glistened warm and moist. A thread dangled from the moistness, and then fell away. It was over, Jinshi saw with a combination of disappointment and relief.
And then the regret.
His partner was well within her comfort zone. She never blushed, nor looked away in embarrassment. Only stared calmly, coldly down at the man beneath her, then licked her lips, sucking in the thread of saliva. She wasn’t savoring the afterglow, but simply eliminating all traces, as if it had never happened. Her small body bestrode Jinshi’s, easily twice her size, her hand placed over his heart. She could feel his heartbeat, but he couldn’t feel hers.