[Music Recommendation: "Soffia La Notte" by Fabrizio Paterlini - available in Youtube or Spotify] ~ Please listen to it in a loop while you read this part to experience the utmost beauty of this chapter

[Please note: We're still on Hora's POV when she fell with Verrill on the bed XD]

BADUMP! BADUMP! BADUMP!

I could feel his firm chest pressed on mine. He wasn't so heavy until I noticed he was supporting his body with his free arm. He probably did that so he wouldn't crush me. That's really nice. My cheeks burned again and I started to feel hot even though I just finished bathing. I wanted to scream so bad but it's still so early in the morning and I didn't want to wake anyone up.

'This is bad. He can probably feel my heartbeat. It's beating so loud right now and I can't stop it! Kyaaaaaaaaa! Oh-Em-Gi!'

"Aaahh," Verrill grunted and his breath sent shivers on my neck and throughout my whole spine and my whole being.

'Okay. I think I'm gonna die today from a heart attack. And that groaning sounded so sexy. As if he's m-moaning. KYAAAAAAAA! Bad thoughts! Sena, you're rubbing on me. It seems we've been together for far too long. I'm picking up habits from you.'

"Are you alright?" he whispered to my ears. Thanks to that, another wave of shivers ran through my body. "I'm sorry. I tried to catch you but…"

He removed his other arm on my back and used it to balance himself. But he didn't get up. He just stared into my eyes. Our position… didn't he realize he was pinning me down? On the bed? If anyone saw us like this, they'd definitely faint.

It was only then that I noticed my bathrobe was a bit dishevelled, especially in my chest area. A little bit of my cleavage was showing so I immediately fixed it and covered my chest with my tiny arms.

Verrill's face saddened. "Did I hurt you?" He glanced over my arm covering my chest. Oh no, I made him worry.

"N-no! I'm fine. It just hurt a bit here since you fell on top of me," I tried to reply but my voice turned softer. How could I not?

'His face! He's getting closer and closer to me! Kyaaaaaaaaaaa! What in the world are you doing Verrill? And I have nowhere to run! I'm pinned down for goodness' sake! If he gets any closer… H-he's not trying to kiss me, is he? No way. He won't—'

Chuu!

BADUMP! BADUMP! BADUMP! BADUMP! BADUMP! BADUMP!

And he did it. H-he really kissed me.

H-his warm lips on mine. It was short, just a peck but…

"Hora," he smiled and whispered my name as if it was the dearest thing to him.

Then he kissed me again. This time, longer…

'What the hell is wrong with me? Why am I not pushing him away? And why is he kissing me? But his lips… damn it! It feels so good!'

Feeling his lips pressing on mine, I couldn't help but kiss him back. I closed my eyes as I basked in his sweet and soft, warm lips. Seconds turned to minutes until I wasn't so sure anymore how long we've been kissing. His gentle pecks and kissed turned more passionate, too. Even I was surprised with how well I was receiving his lips.

When I opened my eyes, I saw how red his cheeks and ears had become. I'm probably the same since I easily blush. He gently caressed my cheeks with his hands. And when we felt out of breath, he would stop for a moment, stare at me with his eyes that seemed to look at my soul, and then kiss me back again.

BADUMP! BADUMP! BADUMP! BADUMP! BADUMP! BADUMP!

With all this kissing, my heartbeat continued to run wild. Wanting to hold him, I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him closer. Like my heartbeat, our kisses went wilder and Verrill's lips started to travel to my neck.

"Aaahh… w-wait," a moan left my mouth.

Alarmed, Verrill stopped.

"I-I'm so sorry! I got carried away a-and," he got up, and sat on the bed, releasing me from his clutches. He covered his lips and averted his gaze from me, looking all shy.

"Pft! Ha-ha-ha! You're feeling shy after kissing me so passionately?"

Verrill chuckled. Ahh… his smile was really the best. Then, his face suddenly looked determined.

"Hora, the truth is… I," he said, as his face turned redder, "I really… really…"

BADUMP! BADUMP! BADUMP!

'Is this what I think it is? This fast? Am I not dreaming?'

He struggled to say it with his trembling lips but… he said it.

"I like you… a lot."

'KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! OMG OMG OMG OMG! My heart took a massive blow. He looked so cute confessing like that! What do I do? Senaaaaaa, help me! I momentarily forgot but… Crystal! What about Crystal?'

Remembering Crystal, my heart stung. But I really like Verrill, too. It was useless to deny it. I couldn't even stop him from kissing me.

"I—"

"You don't need to answer right away!" He blurted out, interrupting me. He probably noticed my worried expression. His face was saddened. Maybe he thought I was going to reject him. "I can wait. This might all be too fast to you as well. But I want to let you know at least that… you're the very first girl I liked. So it's okay. I can wait."

Who in their right mind would reject a man like this? If I didn't have Crystal to worry about, I would have already told him how I liked him, too.

I gave him the sweetest and warmest smile I could give.

"Thank you, Verrill."

He returned my smile with the same warmth and sweetness… along with another kiss as he pulled me close and embraced me.

'Wait a minute. I shouldn't allow him to kiss me since he's still waiting for my answer, right? Oh well, we've been kissing non-stop earlier so what's the point of stopping him now? But oh my goodness. His lips are addicting. I could get used to this.'

And so, we kissed for several more minutes until the maids came knocking at the door. They brought over my clothes and some snacks. I changed into my clothes afterwards and had some snacks. Verrill went over to the bathroom and took a shower.

'Haaah… what an awesome morning. I'm definitely not telling Sena about this or she'll tease me until she drops.'