[TKOSINM] 202 - ‘I Long For You’

 ”Even if everyone in the world hates you, Noel, I will never hate you. So believe me please, and tell me. Why did you avoid me?”

“...I, that.”

At the end of her firm words, Noel gave his shot at luck.

“Do you remember the day I gave you a massage?” 

“Yes.”

How can I forget? That’s when this trouble started.

“At that time, when I was giving you a massage….”

His voice was full of exasperation and anguish. As he spoke, Irene’s curiosity grew.

I don’t think anything happened.

No matter how much she looked back on that day, she was no different than usual.

“Irene’s head touched my stomach, and that..., ha.” 

His words fell intermittently.

“…?”

It was hard for her to understand right away.

It seems that I was leaning on him because my strength weakened….

Did that mean there was something wrong with that? Was there something wrong with her head?

Noel’s voice finally faded. However, she did not understand what he was saying, so Irene asked again.

“I leaned on your stomach?”

“…”

“Noel? Are you okay? Your face….”

Irene saw Noel’s face bursting red, and she was startled. She had never seen him so red while she was with him. Irene wondered if there was something wrong with his health. The moment she put her hand on his forehead, she felt Noel grabbing her wrist and felt his heat transmitting to her hand. As he took her hand, Irene looked at him with her round eyes.

“...I’m, all right.” He breathed.

“…Irene, it was not because of you that I avoided you. The reason I avoided you was because my body reacted to you.”

“...Pardon?”

Noel’s body reacted to her. No... It was still hard to understand what he was saying, but Irene knew one thing. That his mood had changed...

Noel’s eyes were red as usual. His eyes, which had always only held warmth within them, now harboured heat.

“Literally.”

“…Noel.”

“I, I long for you.”

His voice was hoarse and low.

And Irene stiffened. No matter how ignorant Irene was, she was not stupid enough to not know what he meant.

Her suffocating silence continued. Time felt prolonged for Noel. The moment he spoke, he regretted it. He would be patient a little longer. He did not want to hear she was afraid of him now. He did not wish to acknowledge her view of him had changed.

If Irene avoids me, what should I do then?

Could he bear it?

Until the end, he had no intention of telling her. He wanted to die alone and move on quietly without anyone knowing. But Irene’s expression was so desperate that he didn’t want to see it turn into disappointment, so he chose to sacrifice himself.

“...Sorry for startling you...”

“Even now.”

Noel apologised and tried to release her hand, but Irene grabbed him instead. Noel’s eyes widened at her sudden action.

Irene grabbed his wrists with both her hands and took a step forward, meeting his gaze. In the world, there were only two of them.  

Contrary to his expectations, which he had expected for her to run away or avoid him, Irene caught him as he was about to run away.

“Even now, right…?”

And when she asked honestly, it was he who was somewhat embarrassed. 

How should I answer her now?

Although he thought about her worries over and over, in front of Irene’s straight, olive-coloured eyes, he had no choice but to speak frankly.

“….”

At his answer, Irene rolled her eyes.

In all honesty, the first time she heard him, she was so startled and embarrassed that she did not know what to do. Should she pretend she did not hear him and leave the room, or, she might as well try her best to say something along those lines to appease the awkwardness.

But none of that appealed to Irene.

Before saying this, Noel must have thought, worried, and wanted to avoid it countless times. Nevertheless, he trusted her and came forward with his confession. How could she possibly ignore those words?

Above all, you cannot avoid it forever.

Now she had become conscious of not only him but also herself.

So she thought they should find the answer together.

Irene looked at Noel’s face, which was blooming red to the tip of his neck and ears. But why? Her gaze kept glossing over his features, and her eyes landed on his lips.

She could not take her eyes off those lips. She remembered how they felt. Soft and warm. She then pulled Noel’s arm towards her body as she was holding him.

While her sudden behaviour was embarrassing, Noel leaned in as she pulled him. Eventually, when his eye level met Irene’s, Irene put her lips on his.

Noel’s eyes widened at her soft touch and body temperature. Blinking, his eyes found hers. He looked at Irene, and her eyes were tightly closed, perhaps because she was nervous. Strength entered Irene’s hand, holding him.

In the silence, eventually, he succumbed to the feeling fluttering in his heart. Noel also closed his eyes, and his opposite hand wrapped around her waist and hugged her tightly.

Noel clasped her petite body, spewing out his burning desires through her lips.

♔♔♔