A Summer With Bitter Rivals - Chapter 26

Chapter 26: Ignition

The complete disregard in his gaze left Emeline astonished. His blunt question made her cheeks flush bright red.

Before she could respond, Zenon prodded her further. “You barely have anyone close to you, and your thoughts are still childish… What could you have possibly experienced?”

“……”

“Oh, right, you’re so high and mighty that you would freak out if someone even touched you, wouldn’t you?”

His words carried a sharpness unlike his usual tone.

The biting remark hit Emeline’s nerves just right, irritating and hurting her.

When she took his words as taunting and provoking, Emeline’s eyes flared. In her blue eyes, a fierce fire blazed hotter than ever.

“I’ve done it too. Want me to show you?”

“You’ve done it…?”

Zenon began with a scoff, but before he could finish, she grabbed his collar and pulled him down.

His provocation had ignited Emeline’s impulse, and the fire-lit actions couldn’t be stopped.

Their lips, carrying a different kind of warmth, collided immediately.

Zenon froze.

Emeline, making sure he saw, wrapped her arms around his neck. Then, standing on her tiptoes, she pressed her soft lips more firmly against his.

Zenon stared at her with bewildered eyes.

For a moment, his thoughts were paralyzed, and he stood there blankly.

He slowly began to understand what was happening.

It wasn’t a kiss.

It was just a peck, a prolonged one at that.

Realizing this, Zenon let out a small, involuntary laugh through their joined lips.

Emeline’s eyes, which had seemed filled with anger, were tightly closed. Her eyebrows were still furrowed in the same way as before.

The soft scent of baby powder, mixed with a deeper floral fragrance, brushed gently past his nose. Zenon’s gaze softened.

Feeling the gentle, unwavering stare, Emeline slowly opened her eyes.

Not used to another’s warmth touching her skin, her eyelids quivered as they parted.

Only then did she see Zenon’s gaze clearly, staring right at her from such a close distance.

All the displeasure that had been in Zenon’s eyes had disappeared, replaced by an expression of gentleness.

Realizing their eyes had met, Emeline quickly pulled away, separating their lips. Her own face held a look of shock.

Their lips parted without any friction, just like that.

For some reason, Zenon, who seemed a bit dazed, moved his lips as if trying to say something before finally speaking.

“I get it now, what your idea of a kiss is. But I think mine is a bit different.”

With a smile that seemed part mischievous and part bashful, Zenon lightly wrapped his arm around Emeline’s waist.

Startled by his action, Emeline took a step back, but Zenon followed her calmly.

There was a bookshelf behind her anyway, blocking any escape. Even if there had been more space, Zenon would have let her pull him along wherever she wanted.

Holding her gently, Zenon spoke softly from close proximity, “Why don’t you judge it yourself? See how mine differs from yours.”

Watching her as if to gauge her reaction, Zenon soon leaned down.

Everything—from initiating the kiss to the current situation—left Emeline feeling overwhelmed. Instinctively, she closed her eyes.

She could have easily pushed him away if she wanted to, but for some reason, the thought of rejecting him didn’t even cross her mind.

The moment their lips met again, it felt like something nameless ignited within her.

Unlike earlier, when pride and competitive spirit had led her to grab Zenon impulsively, her heart now pounded wildly, almost frighteningly so.

Emeline clung tightly to Zenon’s shirt. He held their lips together calmly for a moment, as if telling her to relax, then slowly tilted his head.

The warmth of their lips twisted and deepened. Emeline’s eyelids twitched involuntarily.

Zenon, moving gently to gauge her reaction, let out a faint chuckle.

Eventually, he couldn’t hold back and withdrew.

“Why aren’t you breathing properly?”

“I was… breathing,” Emeline said in a broken rhythm, gasping for breath. She then glared at Zenon, who couldn’t stop smiling.

“You look like a cat when you glare like that.”

“And you look like a dog.”

“You wouldn’t use crude words, so that must be a compliment, right?”

“…You just licked me.”

“I didn’t lick… Oh, was that an insult?”

Zenon still had his arm around Emeline’s waist.

Looking up at him, Emeline listened to the loud pounding of her own heart. It felt like she was being swallowed up by that sound.

The heat from their closeness was stifling, yet it didn’t bother her. It felt ticklish instead, and made her want to be closer.

Though she knew it was a dangerous impulse, she couldn’t stop herself again. The loud cries of the cicadas seemed to drown out all rational thought.

Staring into Zenon’s eyes, Emeline reached up again and grabbed his collar, yanking him down. It was an unusually rough action for her.

Zenon, who let himself be pulled without resistance, took her hand and placed it around his neck, then tilted his head to meet her lips.

Their breaths overlapped once more.

The kiss, which began with a slow rhythm, soon lost control as their hot breaths mixed.

It was reckless and messy. Their lips burned hot.

The sweltering weather combined with it all, making her head spin, her heart pounding like a drum.

Emeline held onto Zenon’s neck even tighter, not knowing if she was being pulled in or if she was the one pulling him closer.

As her breath grew ragged, her lips slowly parted, losing their strength.

Following her lead, Zenon seemed almost entranced as he delved deeper into her parted lips.

Heat, hotter than their lips, seeped into the soft, exposed skin.

When his tongue slipped smoothly against the tender skin inside her lips, Emeline flinched and let out a faint whimper.

Zenon abruptly stopped all movement.

For a long moment, he stood completely still, as if broken, before finally pulling away from her.

Breathing heavily, Emeline opened her eyes in confusion.

Her flushed cheeks bore evidence of how much the heat and the kiss had affected her.

Their eyes met, both filled with heightened emotion. Zenon looked at Emeline with a confused gaze.

Eventually, he carefully removed her arms from around his neck and took a step back.

He opened his mouth several times, as if unsure what to say, before finally speaking, “Sorry. I got carried away and…”

Emeline blinked at his unexpected apology.

Unlike earlier, Zenon’s expression had turned serious. His ears were just as flushed as hers, his eyes no longer steady.

He wiped Emeline’s moist lips with his sleeve. He was so flustered that he hadn’t even thought to use a handkerchief.

After a moment of hesitation, Zenon spoke again, his face troubled, “I’m sorry about this too… I think I should go now.”

“You’re… leaving now?”

“We’ll see each other again.”

Leaving her with those brief words, Zenon hurriedly left Emeline’s sight. She remained there, her breathing still uneven.

Once Zenon left, the heat that had dulled her thoughts and senses quickly dissipated.

All that remained was the sound of her own heartbeat, echoing loudly in her ears.

“Ha…”

What on earth did I just do?

A sense of embarrassment and emptiness engulfed Emeline.

***

Later that day, as Emeline lay in bed, thinking over what had happened with Zenon Trancium, she suddenly bolted upright.

“What kind of ending was that?”

The fact that she had kissed Zenon, and that she had lost control in that moment, was certainly shocking.

But what bothered her even more was how Zenon had left right after.

To make matters worse, Zenon hadn’t visited her since that day.

Though she found the incident embarrassing as well, Emeline had swallowed her pride and sent him letters a few times. But all she received in return were a few words of apology and the excuse that he would be busy for a while.

Lies.

Emeline scoffed at the thought.

He was just as involved in the kiss as she was, yet now he was obviously avoiding her.

‘Does he think he’s the only one who wants to forget it?’

Lying back down and pulling the blanket over her head, Emeline felt sullen.

Her eyes, staring into the dark space beneath the blanket, were filled with gloom.

Whenever she tried to forget, the feelings and sensations from that moment came rushing back vividly. The mere act of recalling it made her heart beat wildly.

The ticklish feeling she often had around Zenon Trancium now stayed with her almost all day. Her heart kept pounding, and she felt a thrilling sensation that seemed to melt away a part of her.

A somber realization crept into her mind—she thought she knew what this feeling was.

She also had a vague idea why Zenon, who used to show up in front of her even after harsh words, had suddenly stopped coming.

‘I should have been nicer with my words.’

Even so, Zenon was probably avoiding her because he regretted what had happened.

Emeline let out a weary sigh and closed her eyes.

The night felt heavier and more silent than usual.