10. Wild thoughts.

Not much happened after she woke up on January 1st. She lay still, staring at the ceiling of her dorm room, the atmosphere outside being so bright despite the winter still gripping the city. She exchanged messages with her mother, giving her a bit of encouragement.

If she still had that e-book project, she could work on it to pass the time. She also needed to change the gauze on her hand, looking at the ugly wounds, taking care of something that increased her hatred towards her own weakness with each passing moment.

She brushed her teeth, staring at her reflection in the mirror above the sink, noticing the sad shape of her human form.

"I don't like this," she said, slamming down the toothbrush.

She decided not to deal with the mirror for a while, starting to hate herself. Josephine continued to fill herself with boredom because she had nothing to do, until the sound of a knock on the door startled her.

"Who is it?" she asked, hurrying to open the door.

She found a student from another room standing there. Recently, Josephine learned that some people stayed in the dorm because they couldn't afford to go home; they were students from outside London. Not all Kingston University students came from wealthy backgrounds. Josephine could see herself in that girl.

"You're Josephine?" the girl asked.

"Yes. What's up?" Josephine replied.

"Someone is waiting for you at the front gate," the girl said.

Josephine looked down the hallway.

"Who do you mean?" she asked.

"I don't know his name, but isn't he the best debater from the law faculty?" Josephine's breath almost stopped. The air felt stuffy around her. The girl had just mentioned Lysander. Why was he here?

"Ah, I know," Josephine said.

"Okay, I just had to tell you that he's waiting there. See you," the girl said, stepping aside and walking down the hallway to her own room.

Josephine swallowed hard, unsure of what was happening. Her mind kept going back to the situation last night. She remembered clearly that there was no conversation about meeting up today. So, why was he here?

She hurried to meet Lysander, who was talking to the gate guard in a friendly manner, even giving him a cup of coffee to warm him up since he was stuck at his post.

"What are you doing here?"

Lysander smiled warmly, his gaze soft as usual.

"I'm here to see you," he replied.

"I know, but why?" Josephine asked.

"Are you bored?" Lysander asked back.

"I don't think that's any of your business," Josephine said.

"Come with me," Lysander said, not giving Josephine a chance to refuse.

"I promised to take you somewhere else yesterday. Today, the sky is quite clear, perfect for a stroll outside. When the New Year's break ends, you'll be busy on campus, and it'll be hard to find time," Lysander said.

"What if I don't want to?" Lysander leaned down, aligning their faces, his silver eyes trapping Josephine in silence.

"Are you sure you don't want to?" he asked.

***

They sat across from each other in a London Eye capsule, enjoying the spectacular view of the city. However, there was tension between them, especially from the man's side, who didn't try to hide his feelings. He looked at the girl next to him with shining eyes, feeling deep love that seemed to ensnare Josephine's entire body.

The girl seemed relaxed, enjoying the city view without paying attention to the man's interested gaze. She talked about ordinary things, unaware of how precious this moment was to Lysander.

His heart beat fast, feeling the desire to stop time so they could be stuck here forever. Lysander chose to restrain himself, believing that someday they could do many things beyond just sitting across from each other like this.

Josephine cleared her throat, glancing at Lysander, who refused to look away. "Do you want to bore a hole in my face with your stare?" she asked.

"Oh, is that allowed?" Lysander's smile was quite enticing.

"Of course not," Josephine replied. Somehow, Josephine forgot why she suddenly agreed to Lysander's desire and ended up in the London Eye capsule. She had only thought about it yesterday, and today, someone else surprisingly made her small wish come true.

The man was cold-blooded.

"What are you thinking about? It seems like your little head holds so much, I'm curious."

"It's nothing." She turned closer to the window, they were almost at the top, and the view of the Thames from this position was amazing. "Do you come here often?"

"No, I don't. This is the first time."

The girl frowned, looking away for a moment. "Really? That must be a lie."

"Why would I lie?"

"I don't know, maybe." Her expression instantly changed as the capsule reached the top. "Look at the atmosphere up there, it's quite pleasant."

"Really?"

Lysander came closer to her, sitting side by side only to see Josephine framed in pleasure, she smiled brightly at the situation outside the capsule.

"Amazing."

Josephine hadn't realized it until she turned her head and found they had been sitting side by side. The twinkle in her eyes piqued Lysander's interest to pinch the girl's chin.

As his thumb gently pressed Josephine's lower lip, a wild thought popped into his head.

What if Lysander pressed his lips together, licked gently, moistened them with his saliva, then pushed his tongue in and explored the inside of Josephine's tiny lips.

How would it feel if Lysander did something like that? Would Josephine welcome it and play along? Or would she push him away before slapping him roughly?

Lysander swallowed, he could only rub it with his thumb, then moved down.

While from the other person's point of view, her heart was beating fast, realizing Lysander's interest in her was growing, Josephine immediately adjusted her distance-moving to another corner, running away.

Her expression was that of a petty thief caught red-handed, both nervous and at a loss for an excuse.

"I-I just wanted to see the atmosphere from this angle."

"So ...."

Josephine nodded obediently, her face already quite red in response to the opposite sex's intense touch towards her.

"Yes! You too, take a look over there, next to you."

"Sure." Lysander couldn't help but giggle at how adorable his quarry was getting when nervous, how he wanted to lick her reddened ears and bite them, thinking how Josephine sounded back then, Lysander cursed himself.

Again the wild contents of the head thrashed about, thirsting for biological needs as a normal adult male.

You bastard!

***

As they stepped out of the London Eye capsule, the man felt a sense of loss. He wanted to prolong their moment there, but restrained himself from expressing it.

Lysander was afraid of making Josephine even more uncomfortable, especially after touching her lips with bad intentions.

They walked along the Thames River, enjoying the beautiful city view. The man tried to regain his sanity and set boundaries for himself. However, he couldn't help but look at the girl with different eyes, seeing the beauty and gentleness that captivated his body.

"Do you want to visit another place? We still have some free time," Lysander said, glancing at his watch, trying to ease the awkwardness between them.

"No need," Josephine replied.

"How about Big Ben?"

"Not really."

"Do you like museums?"

"I do."

"How about the National Gallery?"

"I don't want to go there for now."

"Then-"

"Wait," Josephine stopped, and Lysander followed suit. "I don't want to go anywhere else, let's head back to the dorm."

Lysander suspected that the discomfort that occurred in the capsule might be the reason for her avoidance.

"Is it because of my behavior in the capsule?" His gentle gaze, usually directed at Josephine, turned somber. He looked down for a moment and then apologized. "I'm sorry."

Josephine felt a bit awkward responding to Lysander's change in demeanor, and she shook her head slightly. "I don't even remember it, so don't feel guilty."

"If that's true, why do you seem to be avoiding me?"

Josephine knew that this man was straightforward and didn't hesitate to show his feelings.

"Is it because I made you uncomfortable?"

"I've forgotten about it, let's drop it." She started walking again, but Lysander reached out and grasped her hand.

"Josephine."

The girl looked down, feeling the softness and comfort of Lysander's grip. She was entranced for a few seconds before pulling her hand back, realizing what was happening.

"W-what?"

"When you feel uncomfortable with my behavior, please just let me know. I'll listen to your advice so that you'll always feel okay when we're together. Can you do that so our interaction goes smoothly?" A pair of silver eyes captivated Josephine, making her focus on one thing only.

She nodded according to his instruction.

"Good girl." He touched the top of her head, stroking it gently, making her feel more entranced. It would be enjoyable if Lysander could keep her to himself.

***