There was one side of Anne that nd didn’t expect. She liked direct physical contact, especially touches. Like now. When nd carefully ced the bowl in front of Anne, she casually kissed his cheek. Whether she was aware of it or not, it was clear that she was now enjoying the noodles in front of her.


    Shaking his head softly was all that nd could do now. Anne’s side was truly testing him. nd had promised himself not to go beyond the limits, no matter how difficult it was to resist.


    They enjoyed the meal voraciously, well, Anne enjoyed it voraciously. In between bites, she said, “Turns out, your cooking is really delicious. I love it. Will you make it for me againter?”


    “Finish your food first. Don’t forget to eat the vegetables,” nd reminded her.


    Although grumbling, Anne still ate what nd asked. nd noticed that Anne’s portion of noodles quickly disappeared behind her slightly reddened lips. Perhaps Anne had added more chili slices to her bowl of noodles. Beads of sweat started to appear on Anne’s forehead.


    “Still not enough?” nd wiped away the sweat that was making Anne’s hair damp. Anne’s clear eyes seemed to convey something as she nced curiously at nd’s bowl. “Finish it if that’s the case.” He slid his bowl slightly closer.


    “Really?” Anne asked eagerly, but then the joy in her eyes dimmed. “But won’t you still be hungry?”


    “No,” nd tried to hold back hisughter. He took a bite of noodles to encourage Anne to finish her portion. “Come on.”


    Anne looked hesitant, but seeing nd’s tempting bowl, she moved closer. She epted a bite of noodles from nd. “Delicious,” she said between bites.


    “Eat first, then talk.” nd cleaned up the sauce smudges on Anne’s lip. She responded with an enthusiastic nod. nd proceeded to feed her a second bite. Sometimes he truly felt like Anne had transformed into a messy child. Her eating manners were all over the ce.


    On the third bite, nd couldn’t resist anymore. The way Anne enjoyed the noodles was so tempting that his gaze became fixated on one spot. Her lips. So he quickly grabbed the end of the noodle, leaving the rest in Anne’s mouth.


    Anne’s eyes widened, especially since nd’s face was now very close. Until thest bite of the noodle was chewed by him, leaving only a small piece, their lips met in the brief moment. “Chew, An.”


    nd’s words somewhat paralyzed Anne’s thought process. There were many moments of closeness between them where Anne suddenly didn’t know what to do. Although upon reconsideration, she realized that she often provoked those situations, even though it wasn’t her intention. Somehow Anne always liked the way nd treated her. She enjoyed leaning on his shoulder for a long time. asionally, she would bite his hand even when they were having serious conversations. Or y with nd’s fingers when their hands were intertwined.


    The most frequent thing Anne did was hug nd without permission. Sometimes, she clung tightly to him like a ko seeking protection, and fortunately, nd neverined. Although there was still a lingering fear and worry because nd’s attitude was like the direction of the wind. Easily changing. But upon reflection, that cold demeanor disappeared only when he was with Anne.


    Anne managed to swallow the remaining noodles in her mouth, even though their lips were still locked together, feeling the remnants of the instant noodles moistening their lips. And at some point, Anne’s chair moved closer to nd. The bowl that should have been consumed by Anne also moved a bit further. Especially when nd’s hand held Anne’s neck to prevent excessive movement.


    “The orange vor mixed with the noodles,” nd said between their kisses. This also made Anne annoyed. “nd,e on.” She pushed him gently, but unfortunately, nd was more responsive. He easily lifted Anne to sit on hisp,fortably leaning back in the dining chair with her legs slightly apart so that Anne could sitfortably on top.


    nd gently moved away the hair that touched her cheek. He did it slowly, tenderly, with feelings, and his gaze never left Anne’s. With his other hand, nd deliberately held Anne to prevent her from feeling afraid of falling from hisp.


    Meanwhile, Anne never expected nd to close the gap so closely. Suddenly she felt her skin tingling as she received the gentle touch on her back. Unfortunately, this time Anne had chosen to wear a short-sleeved violet chiffon blouse paired with loosefortable trousers. The touch was so noticeable that it reached the ends of her nerves.


    She wanted to move nd’s hand away to prevent him from going any further, but what Anne did instead was to wrap her hand around nd’s neck. She closed her eyes for a moment, thinking it would alleviate the tingling sensation, but it only made her moan softly.


    “nd,” she looked up, causing nd to lose control. Without wasting any time, nd attacked that slender neck,plete with gentle nibbles. It created an unstoppable rush throughout Anne’s bloodstream.


    The licks transformed over time into gentle kisses. Sometimes, small bites that made Anne squirm. She tightened her grip on nd’s shoulder, afraid that she would copse from the sensation. nd’s lips not only moistened the area around Anne’s neck but also explored its deepest crevices. Satisfied with the sight of the red marks, nd leaned down to nt more kisses.


    At the point where the buttons of Anne’s blouse were still fastened, nd paused for a moment. He could feel Anne’s racing heartbeat and her uneven breath as their eyes met, revealing the haze of passion that was starting to take over. It seeped into the depths of Anne, who had never crossed her boundaries before. nd wanted to stop, but the soft, enchanting voice that escaped his lips left him speechless.


    “Why did you stop?”


    nd had never considered the consequences of his actions before. In every situation that had happened in his life, nd had always relied on instinct, conquering territories and marking them as his own, regardless of the consequences he might face, as long as his ego was satisfied. But when it came to Anne, he couldn’t act that way.


    The hand that had been ready to undress her, to savor every curve of Anne’s body without any barriers, and to take her to his bed, had to halt its intentions. The temptation to explore every wless detail of her fair skin had been ying in his mind. In his imagination, nd could already see them lying together in the aftermath of their shared pleasure.


    But…


    “If I continue, everything can fall into chaos.” nd smiled faintly, choosing to hold Anne tightly in his arms. “Let’s just stay like this.” He kissed the side of Anne’s head affectionately.


    Anne blinked in disbelief, then, after a moment of realizing the weight of his words, she wanted to hit her head repeatedly. She tightened her embrace as a form of gratitude. Why did she act like a seductive woman who couldn’t control herself? Especially when she had asked nd not to treat her like the woman from his past.


    Why did she herself break that request?


    “Thank you,” Anne whispered softly.


    “I can still be patient until the right time. But after that, don’t expect me to hold back if you tease like earlier.”


    Anneughed while lightly hitting nd’s chest.


    “I’m serious.” nd tightened his embrace. They stayed in this position for a while, the most intimate they had ever been throughout their romantic rtionship.


    “Um… An,” nd called out as he slowly released his embrace. “Can you not move?”


    “Yes?” Anne was confused. “I want to get down, so I need to move.”


    “Your movement makes me get up, just so you know.”Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    Clearly, Anne’s eyes widened in disbelief. “nd!” She quickly got off hisp. “I have to stay away from you. It’s dangerous!”


    ndughed heartily, letting the girl half-run back to her room. After grabbing the bag she had brought earlier, she left behind the swollen noodles in her bowl. There was nothing nd could do except clean up their leftovers. He nced briefly at what he had said earlier, and it was true. Who could resist when the girl he liked was near him?


    “Ah… There’s no Tequ here. What a fate,” nd grimaced but then decided to move on quickly. Maybe a cup of hot coffee could calm the desires that had already taken hold. At least he held firm to his promise not to touch Anne until they were united by God through a more sacred bond. Yet it would have been easy for nd to yield to Anne.


    It was not just empty talk.


    But one thing made him hesitant. Anne was different. Perhaps it was a feeling in his heart, wanting to treat something precious that had suddenly appeared by his side. nd had never experienced this before. Abandoned by his parents since he was young, he knew the ending of their lives when he grew up as a teenager. They were lying stiff in an unattended grave, with news that they died as a couple of top-ss ecstasy dealers hunted by the police in the Northern Region.


    He had no siblings to lean on. He wandered freely like the wind that wanted to conquer many ces, but he knew he had limitations. Then he met Sam, who made him feel that he was worthy of eptance. So loyalty was the price he gave.


    It had been quite a while since he had been enjoying his coffee along with the cigarette, leaving behind the remaining ashes. Realizing that Anne hadn’te out of her room yet, he wondered what she was doing now. Curious, nd quickly put out the rest of his cigarette and followed Anne’s whereabouts. When his steps reached her room, he smiled mischievously.


    The girl had intervened in his bed. Although he was certain that the moment her body fell and she fell asleep, the room must have received Anne’s touch in terms of tidying up. One corner of his room was filled with a pile of dirty clothes that Anne had collected in one ce. Some items had returned to their original positions, although nd knew that some were misced.


    “Tired, huh?” nd approached, touching Anne’s forehead while gently caressing her head with affection. “You don’t have to tidy up, An.” He stared at her peaceful sleeping face for a while. The soft snoring and the rhythm of her breathing going up and down convinced nd that Anne was truly deep in her slumber.


    “If we sleep together, you won’t be angry, right?” nd chuckled softly. He pulled the nket that covered Anne’s body. He climbed onto the bed andy right beside her. He nudged her slightly to adjust her sleeping position so that she would be in his embrace.


    “I love you, An.” nd tightened his hold. He chose to turn off the bedroom light and pulled the nket. “Hopefully, this time I can still restrain myself.” Stealing a kiss on Anne’s lips was enjoyable but also exhrating. “No funny business, J. This time, we’re just sleeping,” he whispered halfheartedly, hoping that a kind-hearted God would calm his restless heart.