Dappled sunlight draped over the rumpled bed, illuminating two figures entwined in an intimate choreography of spent passion. Adam was an unconscious tangle of nicely toned limbs and disheveled hair. His arm lay thrown over Yui, once icy corporate princess who had melted into a puddle of serenity under his touch. Her milk chocolate hair fanned across the pillow, in sharp contrast with the white sheets.

The clock on the wall, a relic from the sixties with an endearing tick, marked noon, but inside the sunlit cocoon, time seemed to have politely excused itself. For Yui and Adam, the world existed only in the warm space between their bodies and in the shared rhythm of their breaths. Their morning had blended seamlessly into early afternoon, wrapped in a sleepy haze and a surprising softness they had discovered in each other.

In their late morning doze, Yui stirred first, but she kept her eyes closed, holding onto the moment. Today, they had no sales pitches to prepare, no robots to demonstrate, and no complications to navigate. Just the sound of laughter from the pool, the soft rustle of palm trees, and the afterglow of a night where they had blurred the line between colleagues and lovers.

Sleep had eluded Yui for quite some time after their passion was thoroughly explored. She spent hours snugly ensnared under Adam’s sculpted tattooed arm, delighting herself with discovering the geeky game characters hidden in otherwise brilliantly aesthetic designs. The strength in his unconscious hold had been surprising, a testament to the careful control he must have exerted during their activities.

She’d fallen asleep with that thought in mind and woke up with a contented moan at being enveloped in his scent. There was an all-encompassing ache in her body, a satisfying soreness that she chose to bask in on that lazy morning.

She shifted slightly under the weight of his arm to get a better look at his face. The fact that this incredibly attractive man had been, if just for a night, hers seemed surreal under the bright afternoon sun.

Adam was deep in slumber, the hint of a growl rising in his throat as she moved. His arm instinctively tightened around her and he mumbled something in Romanian that she didn't understand but loved the sound of, before pulling her even closer. She wondered giddily at how, despite their strenuous activities, he still smelled heavenly.

"We need to wake up," she whispered softly, trying to suppress her out of character urge to giggle like a highschool girl.

"No. Sleep," came his lucid reply, albeit still in the land of dreams.

She made another attempt to free herself from his firm grip, but to no avail. She couldn't help but exclaim, "Are you serious?!"

"Sleep," he reiterated, tugging her until her head was nestled comfortably against his chest. His arm, decorated with the scene of Princess Zelda fighting Ganon, was another unexpected piece of geek culture that drew an appreciative smile from her.

She resumed the night’s study of his detailed ink with a new found fascination as sunlight painted the intricate lines that much clearer. When her words failed to rouse him, she allowed  her teeth to playfully nip at his bicep. The sudden bite elicited a surprised awakening from Adam, and a string of colorful curses. She was certain he called her "Ana," which irked her, but as his sleepy eyes focused on her, he quickly mellowed out.

"That was risky. What if I smacked you... we'd both regret that a lot," he said, his lazy smile resurfacing.

"Then we would have seen what kind of Bowser you are," she retorted, her voice filled with sass.

"I'm the kind of Bowser the Princess runs away with," he countered smoothly, pulling her back in and planting a tender kiss in her hair. It was an unexpectedly soft gesture, something Yui hadn't anticipated from a fling, let alone a one-night stand. His hand settled comfortably on her stomach. "All good here?"

Blinking in disbelief, she nodded, "Very good." The tender care and attentiveness he displayed were too good to be true. What kind of fantasy did this man emerge out of? 

"Don't lie to me," Adam's voice was firm but not threatening, his gaze locked onto Yui. "I had a few too many Red Bull Whiskeys to control myself properly. And you.... you're so damn gorgeous my self-control flew out the window. Pretty sure everyone from reception to your Indian friend in the kitchen knows what we did last night."

"Well," she blushed, tucking her nose behind the sheets coyly. Her face burned, a combination of embarrassment and pride. She was a proper, well-educated young woman. She was also an overachiever, and his claim tickled all her overachieving boxes. “Then, they’re probably envious,” she finally whispered.

"Damn right," he agreed, tugging her back into his arms. "We wasted five very good days, you know?" His tone was teasing.

"Wasted?" She frowned adorably, her face still rosy. "I'd say we let the tension build up. So, not wasted... cooked slowly."

"Well... that much tension can be dangerous when you're so tiny," he cautioned, his hand tracing a path lower than the safe zone on her stomach. "Cooked slowly? You fried my brains on high heat."

"Good, you deserved it. And don't treat me like a child. I am a woman. A fully grown woman."

"Trust me, I wouldn't touch you with a ten-foot pole if you reminded me of a child in the slightest."

"Good." She stretched beneath the sheets, her bare skin brushing against the fabric. "I am fine... Really."

She wasn’t, she was ruined in the best possible way, but she was too proud and cautious to admit it. And too stubborn to succumb to the temptation of just sleeping off the strain that spectacular night left on her body.

Adam looked torn for a moment. But eventually, he got up and pulled his jeans on, leaving them unbuttoned. "Ok, I can behave. Get dressed, but not too dressed… just a bathing suit," he suggested with a wink that made her skin burn. She knew she should have lectured him for being lewd, but the thought of him wanting to see as much of her body as he could, tickled her ego in ways she was not entirely familiar with.

"Behave?" She tried not to sound slightly disappointed.

"For now," he clarified, leaning over to give her a proper morning kiss. "Don't get me wrong, I have every intention to get you back under those sheets or over them, you look too good to cover. But first, I want to show you something. Can you swim? I don't even know if you packed a bathing suit, you were always working."

"Ow, I am sorry, I assumed..." she started, but trailed off. She had assumed he would make a quick exit now, without acknowledging any of the previous night's activities. "Oh, yes, I can swim  and I have a bathing suit."

She had been ready for the cold, awkward retreat, the abrupt shift from one-night lovers to strangers. But here he was, making plans, wanting to spend more time with her. She thought he'd leave the room and disappear into a bar or club like the typical playboy she labeled him as. Apparently, she was wrong. Again. Adam Stroe – Ishida Tech’s Head Engineer and professional stereotype breaker. It was disarming, unsettling even, but the butterflies in her stomach told a different story.

"Well, I have a surfboard rented, and look at that wind outside," he pointed to a palm tree swaying dramatically outside the window. His beaming grin was infectious.

"I don't know how to surf," she admitted, clearly amused and intrigued by his enthusiasm. He was definitely getting under her skin, and she didn't hate it at all.

"Good, more fun for me to teach you. I need my swim trunks, unless you're open to us going in butt-naked. You know I won't say no," he winked at her, and planted another quick kiss on her lips. See you by the stairs in ten?"

She stared at him, taking in the genuine excitement on his face, his boyish charm that was so at odds with the man she had seen the night before. Still feeling flushed, she matched his rush with a swift kiss of her own, "I'll be ready in ten." She was ready in seven minutes, actually. The first thing she did was search for her phone which had been discarded on the ground. Completely drained of battery, she plugged it in to charge without giving it another glance. She put on her swimsuit and beach clothes and made her way to the hallway to wait for... her one-night stand. Her Witcher... Her Bowser... She was running out of names to call him and had been dangerously close to simply calling him Her Adam in her mind.