[Music Recommendation: "Scenery" by Kim Taehyung (BTS - V) 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 ~

As if my world stopped, and only my resounding heartbeats could be heard in the surrounding, I carved the sensation of our first touch deep in my heart, and my mind.

It was just so amazing how something very simple like this made me so happy.

Our first touch… surely, this memory would be something I would never forget.

Along with the fuzzy feeling rising up within me.

Badump! Badump! Badump!

'Is this love? Or just a fleeting emotion produced by the moment? I still don't know… But whether it's one or the other, one thing is for sure. I do like him… very much. If this feeling develops into love, then who am I to stop it?'

I couldn't help but be in a daze as his finger touched my palm. My cheeks felt like they were burning. I wondered how Kaiden felt—if he was okay at all with this kind of touching, so I glanced at him.

Our eyes met once more. And I could see it—he, too, was blushing hard. I chuckled seeing him like that, which caused him to snicker, until we found ourselves laughing at each other.

"Are you feeling okay?" I asked once we recovered from laughing.

He smiled warmly at me. I felt relieved seeing that he wasn't repulsed by it or anything.

"Yes, I'm okay," he replied, sounding like he couldn't believe it as well.

"Want to try writing your name?"

He nodded—this time, with no trembling or sweating happening on his body. He seemed relaxed which was good. The last thing I wanted was for his condition to get worse though I'm not exactly sure what it was. One thing I'm convinced though was that it was no ordinary mysophobia.

Kaiden then moved his forefinger on my palm. He stroked it downward, then sideways, forming the first letter of his name. The moment he did so, I felt a sudden tingling sensation on my palm!

Badump! Badump! Badump!

My heartbeat grew louder and for some reason, him writing his name on my palm felt so… ticklish and somewhat… erotic!

'Senara! Seriously! What in the world is happening to you? Why are you so horny?! Nooooo… I'm not. It's just… the sensation! I didn't expect it to be so ticklish like this! I swear I didn't plan it like this! I'm innocent! My heart, stop beating too loud please!'

By the time Kaiden finished writing all the letters of his name, not only my cheeks felt so hot but also my palm. The areas that his finger traveled left a warm sensation… as if his fingers were still there, touching me. Wait a minute, that sounded so wrong. I meant, touching the palm of my hand.

'Should I not wash my left hand—No! Senara, get back to your senses!'

"I did it!" Kaiden exclaimed in joy. "I managed to do it! And… I'm okay! I don't feel disgusted at all."

"Yes, you did it! Great job, Kaiden!" I gave him my biggest smile and cheered for him. "How does your forefinger feel right now?"

"It felt… nice, actually. And ticklish for some reason. I'm not sure if that's normal," he said as he stared at his finger.

"Oh, it's totally normal. My palm felt ticklish the whole time, especially on the areas your finger travelled."

"Ah, I see."

His smile didn't leave his face. He was really happy about it. Was it the first time for him to touch someone else aside from his family and best friends?

"I should tell mother and father about this. And Crystal, and Callan, and Verrill, too! They'd be surprised."

'Oh my goodness. The look on his face as he smiled so happily… he's like a kid who discovered something really great for the first time. I'm so glad I was able to help put a smile on his face.'

"They sure will. We can even demonstrate it if they don't believe right away."

"Ha-ha-ha! We can. Callan and Crystal will be doubtful because I always prank them. But Verrill will believe me. We mostly think alike so we can easily guess if we're pranking one another or not. I just can't get past him."

"Yeaaah! He's the Master of Deceit, that's why! He got us all fooled. Can you imagine? Even Crystal who had been a long time friend since childhood! Callan probably saw his slyness multiple times but was too naive to notice. Tsk. Tsk. That guy just looks tough but he is definitely the most innocent one among you three."

"Pft! Ha-ha-ha! I can't believe you're great buddies now." Then, he leaned his face towards me, getting closer to my face and said in almost a whisper, "Maybe I should make you an ice cream, too? Then we can get closer."

'H-he's too close! Oh my goodness! My heart!'

"W-w-what? Y-you're closer to me than Callan even without the ice cream," I flushed pink again. Great. Just when I was finally recovering from all the heart thumping.

'Kaiden youuuuu… Why are you so good at flirting? If Verrill is the Master of Deceit, then you're the Master of Flirting! And what's worse, you don't even know it! You're a living, breathing, walking piece of temptation!'

"I am?" he asked so cheekily, smirking with that handsome face of his. "That's great then. Since we'll be in a fake relationship from now on, you definitely need to be closer to me."

"Y-yes! T-that's right!" I agreed, with shaking lips. The closeness was definitely killing me.

"In that case," he retreated backwards and took the piece of paper I researched once again. "Let's do these things in your list."

"T-the list?" I dazed out for a moment. "Right! The list! Sure! Let's do them one by one. Or as the opportunity permits."

"Agreed. And first on your list is… going to school together—we're already doing that. Eating together—same, already doing that," he said as he skimmed through the paper. "Ah! This one—"

"Hm? Which one?" I asked, curious as to what he picked. There were a bunch of things there and I didn't have them memorized in my puny brain compared to his.

But Kaiden didn't answer me. He simply smirked and winked his eyes at me.

"It's a secret."

'KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! That's so—WAAAAAAAAAA!!! Why youuuu! You're definitely the Master of Flirting! My heart! That wink! Oh my goodness! I think I could die peacefully now.'