Indirect kiss

Silence filled the living room. Leonid tried to suppress his urge to laugh, but he felt an overwhelming desire to burst into laughter like never before. Meanwhile, Charlotte was busy staring at her phone screen, where the search results appeared… negative.

Nothing about the downsides of lip pursing. No warnings, no studies, not even a sarcastic post about lips falling off from excessive pursing. Nothing at all.

As she processed this unexpected discovery, she felt the weight of Leonid's head leaning over hers. His icy blue eyes glanced at her screen for a moment before a light chuckle escaped him. Charlotte narrowed her eyes in annoyance before shutting her phone with force.

"How can you mock me?!"

She lifted her head, pressing her forehead against his, locking eyes with him directly. The space between them was nearly nonexistent, but anger kept any hint of shyness away from her mind.

She silently bet that he would get a taste of smile wrinkles today, considering how much he was smiling.

"Say something!"

"Well, I was just joking. Why are you so worked up?"

Leonid waved his hand in the air as if justifying his heavy teasing. Maybe he had caught Dimitri's heavy handed humor and needed treatment now.

"Now, let's drop this. If you didn't purse your lips most of the time, I wouldn't have said that."

He cast her a deliberately cold look, as if blaming her indifferently.

"I don't purse my lips all the time!"

She tried to defend herself, but without realizing it, she was already pursing her full lips.

Leonid watched her in silence, the smile never leaving his lips.

"But, darling… you're doing it right now~"

He whispered playfully before raising his fingers and gently poking her full lips with the backs of them.

"By the way, I wanted to say something for a while, but I held back. Now… I'd like to tell you."

Leonid paused for a moment, then moved his hand, pressing the backs of his fingers against Charlotte's lips again to prevent her from interrupting before continuing in a calm tone.

"Seriously, you should stop pursing your lips. I've told you this time and time again because, darling, every time you do it, I can barely…"

His words faded as he leaned closer, his lips touching the backs of his fingers, where his breath and warmth hid behind them. It was a thin barrier, but it didn't stop the sensation from seeping through.

Charlotte's stomach flipped, and her heartbeat quickened as she realized what he was about to say.

"… resist the urge to do this."

He whispered it against his fingers, his eyes piercing into hers with a restrained yet undeniable longing.

Charlotte didn't dare to part her lips. What if Leonid suddenly moved his fingers away? Or worse what if she accidentally touched a part of him?

Amid the chaos of her thoughts, her phone slipped from her hand, falling to the ground with a thud.

"Hm?"

The sound of impact shattered the spell between them. Leonid pulled back from the indirect kiss, while the lingering tension still hung between them.

He lifted his fingers from her lips before leaning down to pick up her fallen phone. When his fingers touched its cold surface, he lifted it from the floor without hurry.

Meanwhile, Charlotte was burning with embarrassment, the heat in her face unbearable. She hastily raised her hands to cover her face before collapsing onto her side, burying her head into the couch pillow as if trying to hide from what had just happened.

This wasn't just a fleeting moment of physical contact it was an experience she had never lived before. A grand sensation, like a hundred whistles ringing in her head, like thousands of butterflies fluttering wildly in her stomach.

Is this how everyone feels in a relationship? Does intimacy cause this much chaos in emotions?!

Invisible steam practically floated above Charlotte's head as countless conflicting thoughts and feelings raced through her mind.

Leonid placed Charlotte's phone on the couch beside her head and let out a deep sigh.

Had he been too hasty, or had he overreacted with his words?

He sighed again, then swayed slightly before settling behind her on the couch. He nudged her gently with his chest almost enough to push her off but then pulled her against him with his arm, trying to keep her in place.

His head rested atop hers, while his arm wrapped around her waist, tightening his hold on her.

"… What are you doing?"

Charlotte whispered in a huff, still hiding her face in her hands.

"Fixing what just happened. You know, I get embarrassed too."

"You? Embarrassed?!"

Charlotte swiftly pulled her hands away from her face, attempting to steal a glance at Leonid.

What kind of embarrassment could someone like him possibly feel?

And how could someone as composed as him claim to be shy when he spoke with such fluency and ease?

Just as Charlotte was about to turn her head to take a glance at him, Leonid moved quickly, cupping her cheeks between his index and thumb fingers, and redirected her head forward.

Leonid's pale skin reflected a faint flush, despite his sharp and rigid features.

"What are you doing now?!"

She muttered softly, but he didn't give her a chance to protest.

"Shh."

He gently pressed on her cheeks before adding in a calm voice.

"Let's stay quiet now, alright?"

He said it with a tone that was almost commanding, then released her cheeks and pulled her toward him with force, making her back fully rest against his chest. The warmth between them made her heart race violently, as though it was trying to process the sudden closeness.

"Alright..."

She muttered shyly, then covered her face with her hands again, trying to hide her growing tension.

His heart was beating steadily, but thoughts of desire for her still echoed in his mind, clinging to his consciousness despite his attempts to ignore them. What he had done just moments ago... To him, it was like his first kiss, even if it was indirect.

"Ah..."

Leonid sighed for the third time, trying to push those thoughts away, then closed his eyes.

In the dark and cold room, the blanket covered half of the man's bare back, while his short red hair spread across the pillow.

Silence filled the room until his phone began to ring.

Kaiser woke from the middle of his dreams and quickly reached out with his arm in search of his phone. The blanket slowly slid off, revealing more of his toned, muscular body.

He finally grabbed the phone and took a quick look at it. He could barely read the caller's name, but he lifted it to his ear and answered in a quiet voice.

"Mm?"

"Hello..."

Natalia's voice was slightly hesitant before she asked him.

"Have you finished your work or not?"

Kaiser raised his head and laid back on his back. His sculpted abdominal muscles and toned chest were visible, while the blanket barely covered his waist. He responded calmly.

"Yes."

His answer was brief, with no attempt to elaborate.

"Really? So, where are you now?"

"At home."

"At your home..."

Natalia took a deep breath, feeling a clear sense of disappointment. After a moment of silence, she asked.

"Are you sleeping, and did I wake you up?"

"Yes."

Kaiser made no effort to offer a different answer. He slowly yawned, then asked, his voice calm but with a hint of curiosity.

"What do you want now? Why did you call me at this time?"

"Nothing urgent, I just wanted a delivery service."

Kaiser smiled, still feeling the drowsiness.

"Oh, that's unfortunate. Your private driver still wants to sleep, so you'll need to order another driver... by the way, I can send a driver to you if you'd like."

"I would be grateful!"

Suddenly, life returned to Natalia's voice, and she quickly added:

"I'll send my location now, thank you~"

"You're welcome. Just a few minutes, and I'll send the driver. Then call me when you arrive."

"Okay, I'll try not to forget. Goodbye~"

"Good girl, see you later."

Without wasting time, Kaiser hung up the call and sent a message to his driver to take Natalia to the residential building, attaching the location she had just sent. He then placed his phone on the bed's mattress, covering his eyes with his arm to be enveloped by the calm in the last minutes of tranquility.

Yesterday had been eventful for him, and so would today seem.

"Ahh."

Kaiser sighed deeply, and his disappointment was evident in his voice. He remembered that unexpected incident, feeling his frustration creeping back in once again.

Minutes passed, and Kaiser continued talking to himself until he fell asleep again, the silence of the room surrounding him.

On the main street, in front of the bank, Natalia stood expectantly, waiting for Kaiser's private driver to take her to the residential building. She stood next to a streetlamp, checking her social media.

Only five minutes passed before the driver finally appeared, waving at her.

"Ms. Natalia, please, after you."

The driver opened the back door of the car and bowed slightly.

"Thank you."

Natalia thanked him shyly, enjoying the treatment as if she were an important person, spoiled by Kaiser's influence.