I always realized this point a step too late, and it was no different now. Thinking that nothing would change if this continued, I decided to hold back the downpour.
As I gestured, Kamian brought his ear close to my face, as if it were a familiar gesture.
“Remember, Kamian. I prefer things to be rough. I find great satisfaction in the rigidity of your e******ns, so take good care of them from now on. Don’t disappoint me. Understood…”
“Liv!”
While I was pouring obscenities at the guy, Tessa lightly nudged my shoulder. I was so tense that even the slightest contact made my body tremble uncontrollably. At that moment, I even bit my own tongue. A sharp, stinging pain accompanied the spreading taste of metallic blood, and tears welled up in my eyes.
As I tightly pressed my lips and suffered, Kamian took hold of my chin with one hand.
“Open your mouth.”
Without resistance, I opened my mouth and showed him my bitten tongue. Kamian raised my head slightly backward and examined the inside of my mouth closely. He had a pensive expression, as if he were the one who had chewed on his own tongue.
“Stick it out more.”
I extended my tongue a little further. Kamian pulled his chair closer to me and sat down, their knees digging into the gap between mine. Our faces were too close, almost touching. As the tip of our noses brushed against each other, Kamian turned their head slightly. A gust of air could be felt on my injured tongue.
I quietly extended my tongue, observing Kamian blowing into my mouth. And it was Tessa who pointed out our intimate state, which startled me.
“What are you two doing?”
Both Kamian and I turned our faces towards Tessa simultaneously. Tessa looked down at us with raised eyebrows, as if witnessing something unpleasant.
It was only after seeing that expression that I was able to view our recent actions from an objective standpoint. If a stranger had witnessed it, they might have thought we were about to kiss.
I quickly withdrew my extended tongue and pushed Kamian’s shoulder away.
“Don’t misunderstand. I just blew air into your bitten tongue.”
“Which friend blows air into a hurt tongue?”
“Indeed, under normal circumstances, one would never engage in such an act. However, Kamian and I are quite the peculiar case, you see? So, when I fell ill and remained unconscious for several days, he took care of my bodily needs. He even went so far as to attend to my excretion. It may sound amusing, but it’s the truth.”
I had a vague awareness that Kamian had washed me, but I had no knowledge of him tending to my bodily functions. I desperately wanted to believe it wasn’t true.
“Liv, your words sound increasingly peculiar.”
“Not at all? Kamian and I are not only friends but also caretakers and patients. Instead of Kamian staying at our house, we made an agreement that he would provide various forms of assistance. One of those tasks happens to be caregiving.”
In an effort to emphasize that we were not lovers, I rambled on, mentioning everything and anything. Tessa continued to regard me with suspicion, but since our relationship was of little concern to her, she shrugged her shoulders, signalling the end of the discussion.
I took Tessa to the backseat and settled down.
“Why did you call me?”
Tessa’s eyes sparkled with a rare enthusiasm, igniting my curiosity.
“This winter break, I will be going to the capital.”
“The capital?”
“Yes, you know my older sister, don’t you? She works as a designer at a salon. This time, she mentioned my interest in design to the chief designer of a famous opera production, and they invited me to join as their assistant!”
Tessa’s voice was filled with excitement. My own heart raced as well. I sincerely congratulated Tessa, who was now bouncing on her feet with joy.
“What a fantastic opportunity!”
“Yes, I had planned to go to the capital right after graduating from the academy. It’s fortunate that I get to experience it once before then. Oh, by the way, would you like to come with me this time?”
Her unexpected offer left me speechless.
“Me?”
“Yes, they said it would be okay if I brought a friend along, considering it might be difficult for me to travel to the capital alone. Just one friend, though. I want you to be that one friend.”
I blinked and momentarily lost my words. Tessa’s offer was incredibly kind, but… I had no interest in salons or operas, and the thought of going to the capital never crossed my mind. In fact, I couldn’t even fathom leaving this town.
“Let’s go together, Liv. I’m certain it will be delightful.”
I always realized this point a step too late, and it was no different now. Thinking that nothing would change if this continued, I decided to hold back the downpour.
As I gestured, Kamian brought his ear close to my face, as if it were a familiar gesture.
“Remember, Kamian. I prefer things to be rough. I find great satisfaction in the rigidity of your e******ns, so take good care of them from now on. Don’t disappoint me. Understood…”
“Liv!”
While I was pouring obscenities at the guy, Tessa lightly nudged my shoulder. I was so tense that even the slightest contact made my body tremble uncontrollably. At that moment, I even bit my own tongue. A sharp, stinging pain accompanied the spreading taste of metallic blood, and tears welled up in my eyes.
As I tightly pressed my lips and suffered, Kamian took hold of my chin with one hand.
“Open your mouth.”
Without resistance, I opened my mouth and showed him my bitten tongue. Kamian raised my head slightly backward and examined the inside of my mouth closely. He had a pensive expression, as if he were the one who had chewed on his own tongue.
“Stick it out more.”
I extended my tongue a little further. Kamian pulled his chair closer to me and sat down, their knees digging into the gap between mine. Our faces were too close, almost touching. As the tip of our noses brushed against each other, Kamian turned their head slightly. A gust of air could be felt on my injured tongue.
I quietly extended my tongue, observing Kamian blowing into my mouth. And it was Tessa who pointed out our intimate state, which startled me.
“What are you two doing?”
Both Kamian and I turned our faces towards Tessa simultaneously. Tessa looked down at us with raised eyebrows, as if witnessing something unpleasant.
It was only after seeing that expression that I was able to view our recent actions from an objective standpoint. If a stranger had witnessed it, they might have thought we were about to kiss.
I quickly withdrew my extended tongue and pushed Kamian’s shoulder away.
“Don’t misunderstand. I just blew air into your bitten tongue.”
“Which friend blows air into a hurt tongue?”
“Indeed, under normal circumstances, one would never engage in such an act. However, Kamian and I are quite the peculiar case, you see? So, when I fell ill and remained unconscious for several days, he took care of my bodily needs. He even went so far as to attend to my excretion. It may sound amusing, but it’s the truth.”
I had a vague awareness that Kamian had washed me, but I had no knowledge of him tending to my bodily functions. I desperately wanted to believe it wasn’t true.
“Liv, your words sound increasingly peculiar.”
“Not at all? Kamian and I are not only friends but also caretakers and patients. Instead of Kamian staying at our house, we made an agreement that he would provide various forms of assistance. One of those tasks happens to be caregiving.”
In an effort to emphasize that we were not lovers, I rambled on, mentioning everything and anything. Tessa continued to regard me with suspicion, but since our relationship was of little concern to her, she shrugged her shoulders, signalling the end of the discussion.
I took Tessa to the backseat and settled down.
“Why did you call me?”
Tessa’s eyes sparkled with a rare enthusiasm, igniting my curiosity.
“This winter break, I will be going to the capital.”
“The capital?”
“Yes, you know my older sister, don’t you? She works as a designer at a salon. This time, she mentioned my interest in design to the chief designer of a famous opera production, and they invited me to join as their assistant!”
Tessa’s voice was filled with excitement. My own heart raced as well. I sincerely congratulated Tessa, who was now bouncing on her feet with joy.
“What a fantastic opportunity!”
“Yes, I had planned to go to the capital right after graduating from the academy. It’s fortunate that I get to experience it once before then. Oh, by the way, would you like to come with me this time?”
Her unexpected offer left me speechless.
“Me?”
“Yes, they said it would be okay if I brought a friend along, considering it might be difficult for me to travel to the capital alone. Just one friend, though. I want you to be that one friend.”
I blinked and momentarily lost my words. Tessa’s offer was incredibly kind, but… I had no interest in salons or operas, and the thought of going to the capital never crossed my mind. In fact, I couldn’t even fathom leaving this town.
“Let’s go together, Liv. I’m certain it will be delightful.”
