Click—
At that moment, the sound of the door lock being released split the silence.
I turned instinctively. Our eyes met instantly.
“……”
It struck me then, strangely, that it wasn’t usual for us to lock eyes the very moment he stepped inside a room. Only then did I realize I was standing in a cramped room, unlike the divided spaces I was used to. I could see how impatient he must have been, hurriedly accepting the limited accommodations of this hotel without complaint.
Seconds stacked up one by one as I stood frozen, locked in his gaze.
I found myself staring absentmindedly into his eyes, then slowly let my gaze wander upward, as though tracing over him. I didn’t even think to consider that such scrutiny might be rude. I was simply watching, because it was a sight I so rarely saw. His hair, freshly towel-dried, his casual training clothes—his appearance after exercise was such a stark contrast to his usual strict, immaculate look that it created an entirely different atmosphere. Because it was a sight I seldom witnessed, I couldn’t pull my eyes away.
So absorbed in looking at him, I realized too late that he was doing the same. He was scanning me thoroughly, from the crown of my head to the tips of my toes.
“Uh, why are you suddenly…”
By the time I noticed, he was already right in front of me. His pace had accelerated into a sudden charge, and I instinctively stepped back, but the glass behind me blocked any retreat. In the instant I faltered, my body was swept up at once.
“—coming, ngh!”
His hand cinched around my waist, leaving me no time to struggle. When I came to my senses, my vision was filled entirely with the ceiling, or rather, with his face leaning over me blocking that ceiling. It was far, far too close. Our breaths mingled together.
“What are you doing first thing this morning?”
That… sounded more like something I should have been saying. But words of protest could never leave my lips.
“Is this a gift? Though I don’t recall today being any special occasion.”
I couldn’t even understand what he meant. I knew each word on its own, but strung together, they might as well have been another language. I couldn’t grasp its meaning.
Ah, maybe.
“Are you like this because I’m wearing this?”
“You’re not completely oblivious, at least.”
“Ah… I’m sorry.”
…Or maybe not.
His face suddenly cooled, and confusion overtook me.
“Are you perhaps angry?”
“If you keep spouting nonsense like this, I might just be.”
“Uhh, wait—”
As I spoke, his lips brushed against the side of my neck. My shoulders flinched.
Come to think of it, he had asked if this was a gift. That hadn’t been meant in any negative sense. Realizing only now that asking whether he was angry was a completely absurd response, I saw that I didn’t just lack tact. I had none at all.
The warmth that had been teasing and tickling at my neck withdrew. The body that had been pressing dangerously close to mine pulled back. Propped on his arms, his upper body looming firmly over me, he filled my entire gaze.
Sunlight poured in from the side and spilled across his profile. The glare made me blink slowly, but it wasn’t the sun. It was the presence of him above me, casting his shadow, that dazzled me. His face was wholly immersed in me. The resolve in his eyes seemed unwilling to allow anything other than me to be reflected there. At times, that fierce, unrelenting love felt overwhelming, but still, within it, I felt a warmth and security that cradled me.
Droplets clung to his partly dry hair, gathering and pooling. Without thinking, I reached out my hand. With my fingertip, I brushed away a drop that had been about to fall. His hair, shimmering as though it rippled with light despite the still air, was soft under my touch. The strands slipped between my fingers, my palm tingling as though I were bold enough to stroke him.
“…!”
It was in that moment that I saw something deepen in his eyes. Before I could avoid it, my lips were seized, devoured. His mouth locked over mine without a gap, plunging so deep that I couldn’t even snatch a breath. He stole every trace of air in me, and only then, too late, did I realize I had touched upon something I should never have provoked.
–
Continue to read the rest of the chapter here (nsfw)
It’s Christmas Eve~ A spicy present for everyone~
Make me feel happy and supported by leaving a comment!
