Kael dragged his feet down the corridor, every step heavier than the last.
His head hung low, his bag bouncing against his hip.
Okay Kael… it's just Selira. Just Selira. No big deal. She's only the girl who stripped your brain clean last time. The girl who almost—he shook his head fast. Nope, don't think about that bonus. Don't think about the bonus.
He pressed his lips together, muttering under his breath like a madman.
"Lesson one was a nightmare. Lesson two is a kiss. A kiss. How hard can that be? I mean it's just lips touching lips, right? Right? Oh God, I'm doomed."
The closer he got to her classroom, the more his palms sweated. His stomach twisted like a knot.
What if she laughs at me again? What if she leans in and does that thing with her hips, stop thinking about her hips Kael, focus! You're here for training, not
BOOM!
Kael jolted forward, colliding with something soft. No two soft things. His nose squished into them before his brain could even register what was happening.
Time stopped.
He froze, too afraid to look up. Because he already knew.
"Kael," a low, amused voice purred above him.
His eyes snapped up. Selira.
Her smirk curved like a blade, her violet eyes gleaming with mischief. She leaned casually against the doorway, but her generous chest was still pressed firmly against his, practically swallowing him whole.
Kael's brain short-circuited. His face burned so red he could feel steam rising off his ears.
"I-I-I… I wasn't—this isn't...I didn't !"
Selira tilted her head, watching him stammer, and then leaned just a little closer, her warm breath brushing his cheek.
"Hmm. Funny. For someone who claims he wasn't looking for me…" Her lips curled. "…you sure found me with precision."
Kael gulped hard.
She's pressing on purpose. She's pressing them on purpose! Oh God my heart... I can't…
He stumbled back, hands flailing, trying to create space, but Selira only stepped forward with him, like a cat stalking its prey. Their shoes tangled; they nearly tripped together.
And when her soft curves brushed against him again, Kael squeaked out
"Wha—wha what are you doing?!"
Selira leaned down, lips near his ear, whispering in that velvet tone that made his knees buckle:
"Lesson two hasn't even started… and you're already trembling."
Kael's stomach dropped. His eyes darted everywhere but her face, muttering nonsense.
"I'm not trembling, I'm just uh... allergic to… uh doorways. Y-yeah. Doorways!"
Selira laughed softly, the sound dangerous and sweet. Her hand trailed up his arm, her smile widening.
"Oh, Kael… you really are going to make this lesson delicious."
She didn't move away. She liked watching him squirm too much. Every time Kael stepped back, she slid forward, her heels clicking sharp against the tiles.
"Wha why are you following me out like this?!" Kael stammered, holding his bag like a shield.
She smirked, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear with deliberate slowness. "Following? Oh no, Kael. I'm escorting you."
"E-escort ?!" he squeaked. What am I, some prince? Don't say that, don't think that!
Her eyes gleamed as she leaned closer. "Unless… you'd rather me press harder until your knees give out?"
Kael nearly tripped down the stairwell. His inner voice screamed: Why does she always talk like she's writing erotica in real time?!
They stepped out of the building side by side. Selira's hips swayed like she knew exactly the effect it had on him, brushing his arm "accidentally" every few seconds.
Kael forced his gaze straight ahead, muttering prayers under his breath.
"Don't look down, don't look down, don't look "
His eyes dipped.
…oh God, I looked.
Selira chuckled, catching him. "My, my… Kael. You're shameless."
"Shameless?! I'm.. I'm innocent! I wasn't even looking"
She leaned close enough for her perfume to dizzy him. "Mhm. Keep telling yourself that."
Just then someone else noticed.
Across the school yard, leaning against the gate, was Aimee's friend, Elara. Her sharp eyes narrowed as she saw Selira practically glued to Kael's side. Selira's figure alone drew stares, but Kael's nervous expression only confirmed something was brewing.
Elara tilted her head, a knowing smirk spreading across her lips. So… Kael and Selira, huh?.
But Kael didn't even notice her watching. He was too busy dying inside as Selira teased him all the way down the street.
By the time they reached the quieter blocks, Kael's head was spinning. He finally blurted out, "Wh-why are you even walking me home?! Don't you have your own place to be?!"
Selira's reply was slow, sly, dripping with play:
"Because, Kael…" She leaned close, brushing his arm with her fingers. " your training doesn't end at school."
Kael froze, wide-eyed. Training? At my house?! Oh my god. She's going to kill me. I'm actually going to die.
He stumbled up his own porch steps, fumbling with the keys. His hands shook so bad he nearly dropped them twice. Selira leaned against the doorframe, her curves outlined by the evening light, watching him with that same devil's grin.
When the door finally clicked open, she stepped inside like she owned the place.
"Well?" she purred. "Lesson two awaits."
Kael's knees buckled.
"Ohhh, I'm doomed."
His hands were still trembling when the door shut behind them. He stood stiff in his own hallway like a man facing judgment. His bag slipped from his shoulder, hitting the floor with a dull thud.
Selira glanced around casually, her heels clicking against the floorboards. "Hmm… cozy," she murmured, dragging her fingers along his wall, as if marking territory.
Kael gulped. Oh no… she's in my house. She's inside my house. What kind of cursed destiny did I just unlock?!
"L-let's just get this over with, alright?" Kael blurted, clapping his hands together nervously. "Just a kiss, that's it. I want to pass to the next step. Simple. Fast. Efficient. No extra bonus, no extra "
Selira turned her head slowly, her smile devilish. "Fast?"
Kael froze. "…Yes?"
Her laugh was soft but laced with heat. She stepped toward him, every move deliberate, hips swaying like fire trailing behind her. "Oh, Kael… nothing about this lesson will be fast."
Kael's back hit the wall. He raised both hands as if surrendering. "I-I said just a kiss! Just a little tiny peck! That's the deal!"
Selira leaned closer, close enough that her breath tickled his ear. "And you think you get to decide the rules?"
And his knees nearly gave out. Oh my god… she's the devil. She's going to roast me alive.
He squeezed his eyes shut and blurted out, "F-fine! Just… hurry up and kiss me already!"
Selira stilled. For a moment, silence filled the air. Then she laughed. A low, sultry laugh that shook him down to his bones.
"You really think," she whispered, brushing a fingertip along his jawline, "that you can survive this by closing your eyes? That's adorable, Kael. You're like a boy waiting for a dentist's injection."
Kael cracked one eye open nervously. "Wha what does that mean?!"
She smirked, then bent slightly, her chest pressing against him as she leaned closer. "It means if you think this is just a kiss, you're in for a very slow… lesson."
Kael's whole body went rigid as she tilted her head, her lips hovering just an inch from his. His breath caught, heart pounding like a drum in his ears.
Don't panic. Don't panic. It's just a kiss. JUST A KISS. Quick in, quick out. Seal the deal, next step. Easy.
But Selira didn't move in. Not yet. She just hovered there, lips brushing the edge of his, teasing him with every second. Her perfume sank deeper into his lungs, her body heat nearly scorching through his shirt.
Kael whimpered. "Wh why aren't you doing it?!"
Her grin widened. "Because watching you fall apart is so much sweeter than the kiss itself."
He let out a broken laugh, halfway between despair and hysteria. "Oh my God, I'm doomed. I knew it. I KNEW IT."
Selira placed both hands on the wall beside his head, boxing him in. Her lips finally brushed against his ear, sending shivers straight down his spine. "Lesson two, Kael…" she whispered, her voice dripping with seduction. "…isn't about a kiss. It's about how long you can last before begging for one."
Kael's jaw dropped.
"B-begging?! Who's going to beg?! Not me! Never! I-I can hold out "
Selira's laugh silenced him, rich and dangerous. Her lips barely grazed the corner of his mouth as she whispered, "We'll see."
Kael felt his soul leave his body. Ohhhhhh no. I'm finished.