RED FLAME

11 years earlier, Late Spring, 11:58 PM

Servants Residence, Summer Villa of the Spencers >

"I'm so thirsty I could die."

He flinched at the sudden voice behind him and whirled around, his hands twitched, and the glass slipped through to shatter on the ground.

There she was, her hair wet from a recent shower, droplets still running down her neck to her bosom, disappearing between sheets she had loosely wrapped around herself. But her neck and shoulders were left exposed, as were parts of her legs. Oh great, more skin. He swallowed.

"I'm sorry," she smiled, "I didn't mean to startle you." She bent down to pick up the shards at the same time he fell to his knees to pick up the mess he made in a hurry.

"No, no, it's my fault…" he trailed off as his eyes fell on her chest. "I'm sorry!" He grabbed her hands and pulled her up together with him in a frenzy, back to a standing position in an attempt to avoid a dangerous position, "Please just leave it, I'll clean it up later!"

She stared at him in surprise and down at his hands, clasped tightly around her own. He let go, but it was too late. Her sheets which she had held on to until he had grabbed her hands, came loose and followed gravity down a painfully slow fluttering motion to the shards below.

Alexander felt his head explode. The damage was done. She stood there, completely naked, raising an eyebrow. Blood was rushing through his veins at a record speed, he felt his face heat up to a hot summer temperature and his hands seemed to have a glitch, unsure of what to do, "I-…" Should he pick it up for her? But crouching down in front of a nacked woman was even more of a perverted act. What to do?!

Like a headless chicken, he flared around with his hands before they finally grabbed onto his own sweatshirt and ripped it over his head to extend it over to the woman while he turned around, head facing the kitchen sink while contributing with his face to global warming. "If you don't mind," he mumbled, wishing he could disappear or turn back in time to undo his birth, "you can wear this."

He felt his arm lighten as she took it from him and, from his peripheral vision, he could detect her slipping it on. He turned back hesitatingly, his lips pressed in a thin line with his eyebrows raised in an apologetic puppy look.

Upon seeing his expression, the woman chuckled, "Quite the mess, aren't you? Maybe even more so than me."

He opened his mouth but couldn't come up with a smart response. He wasn't usually such a klutz, but today was quite the exception. And the sweatshirt and her smile weren't helping to get his head screwed on right. At all. Wrapped in a sheet, she had an undeniably sexy look, but now she looked adorable, with a sweatshirt way too big, which thankfully covered her up until her tights, but also her hands. Only her fingers peeked out.

"Now, could I have my water?" she grinned up at him.

"S-sure." He turned around to look for a glass and literally felt her presence as she walked to his side to hop onto the kitchen board, swinging her legs. She was humming softly while he filled up her glass.

"Here you go," he said as he handed it over.

"Thanks, sweetie."

Sweetie? He looked stupefied.

"May I ask who you are?" she continued undisturbed. "Are you working in this mansion?"

"Sure. Alex. Ander." In a sense.

"Alex Ander? You look young. Still in high school?"

"I'm graduating soon," he mumbled as if he wanted to make sure he appeared as old as he could to her.

"Oh? And what are your plans after graduation?"

"…I want to join the military."

"I heard a training will keep you busy for at least a year with no spare time. Won't your girlfriend be sad to see you go?"

"I don't have a girlfriend."

"Why not? You're cute."

He glared at her.

She laughed. "Fine, you're handsome. Happy?"

"I just wasn't interested in a relationship until now," he said, surprised why he even talked about this with a complete stranger.

"And now you are?"

"What?"

"You said wasn't. So that means you are considering it now. What changed?"

"I'm not…I…"

"Don't tell me you're afraid. Girls don't bite," she said before she flashed her teeth in a predatory grin, "at least most of the time."

He blushed. WHY?! Darn it!

"Are you alright? It looks like it was the first time for you."

"…what?" He swallowed.

"Seeing a woman naked."

"No," he said before thinking. But he didn't want to admit that she was right. She was clearly more experienced, not even batting an eye upon standing stark naked before a stranger. Perhaps she wa….no! He wouldn't think that way. That was rude. He didn't know her, but…if anything, he didn't want to appear like a green rookie in her eyes. "I've seen lots of nacked women."

"In real life?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Yes!" Stop talking, you stuttering idiot! You will seem even more like a liar now. "I just didn't want any serious relationship. I am more the playing around type."

"Oh really?" her amusement showed on her face, barely holding back laughter. She set her glass down, slipped off the kitchen board, and surrounded him in one sweeping motion, her hands set to either side of the kitchen board, right next to his waist, and her face awfully close to his own.

"Yep," he managed to press out, his eyes flickering back and forth as if an earthquake had just struck them.

"Show me."

"…show you…what exactly?" His head was spinning, he felt the steam from the overheating rise from his ears.

"You know what I mean," she said with a crocodile smile, letting her fingers tingle over his cheek and slide down his neck while her lips came closer to his. He felt his heartbeat hammering; there was no way she didn't know, not with her body pressed up against his. Her lips came closer still, only a centimeter apart, his vision got blurry, but her red hair burned into his vision. Only a bit more.

He closed his eyes. His heart overcame his senses, his skin tickled with anticipation, he felt the intensity with every fiber in his body.

But the expected touch didn't come. Hair brushed past his cheek and then he heard her breaking out in chuckles. He opened his eyes in time to see her pull back to her seat on the kitchen board.

"Oh, you're too precious." She wiped tears of joy out of her eyes. "So young, there's no need to rush to grow up –"

At that moment, something snapped. He could feel a switch in his mind, turning any rational thought to naught. The next moment, he was before her, his tongue diving into her mouth in an unknown hunger, one hand around her hips, pulling her closer, the other sneaked up her back all the way to her exposed neck.

If this surprised her, it didn't show. Instead, she responded to his kiss, sliding her arms around his neck and intertwining them behind his head, ruffling his hair.

When he finally let go for a moment, he saw a slight blush had entered her cheeks. A sense of satisfaction spread in his guts. But he was still more out of breath. She looked too perfect; her heated body felt too good; the smell of shampoo and soap was intoxicating. After another inhale, he leaned forward for another kiss, but this time her hand came up and put her fingers on his lips. Shaking her head slightly.

He stared with droopy eyes at her, before opening his mouth and licking her fingers while keeping his eyes on her every expression. Her eyes flared up. An ever so slight smile entered his face. "You sure?"

He felt her fingers tremble. His mouth moved down her palm to her wrist, leaving a trail of kisses. Beneath her skin, he could feel her heart pulsing. Fast. Like his own. His hand moved up from her hips to her back – the next moment, he found himself catapulted away, falling to the ground, covered with shards. He hardly noticed the blood from cuts in his hands. Instead, he couldn't take his eyes off her. She had pushed him away with both hands, breathing heavily.

"…I'm sorry…I-" he began but didn't know how to finish his own sentence.

She pushed herself off the counter and walked past him. Stopping for a short moment. Her lips were pressed in a thin line. For a moment, it appeared like she wanted to say something. But in the end, she remained silent, picked up the sheets off the floor, and went back upstairs. He didn't move for a while.