246 CAN I KISS YOU?

The girl in white dress looked a few years younger than Vanesha but she was chained.

The chains cuffed her wrists and ankles, bound her hands and legs together, preventing her from moving around.

She lowered her head, as her long and dirty hair covered her face, so Nikolai couldn’t see her clearly, but it was safe to say that she was very young.

“Brother, what are you doing here?” Vanesha jumped in excitement when she saw Nikolai there, but she immediately became reserved when she realized Sol was with him. “Commander Sol,” she greeted him politely. Her voice sounded very deep, as if she was accustomed to these kinds of greetings.

For a moment, Nikolai could see that she didn’t even look bashful or clumsy at all. She was used to this situation, as though she had lived in this kind of atmosphere for years.

historical

Nikolai shook his head. His countless assignments had gotten the better of him, since he started deep analyzing every situation and overthinking, literally everything.

“She is here to talk to her. To accompany her, since their age gap is not too big.” Sol then explained a few things about how Vanesha’s job helped them to analyze the girl behind the glass’ behavior and power. “It is a harmless job for her.”

From the way Sol told him, it was indeed a harmless job, way better than his sister becoming one of the new recruiters and having to go through harsh training.

However, somewhere, deep within him, he knew there was something more into it. This was not as simple as it looked.

.....

“Continue your work,” Sol commanded and Nikolai could see this solemn salute from Vanesha. She was used to doing this.

But then, her cold and distant expression broke into a bright smile when she looked at her brother.

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Memories rushed to her mind the moment she regained her consciousness.

The smell of coffee that led them to a nightclub, the shattered soul that Chaos handled like usual, the food that she ordered, the gentle touch on her head when Chaos said he would wait outside while she was eating, the strange man, the sunrise behind Chaos’ back and the kiss...

The last part was a little bit blurry, Zuri didn’t remember whether the kiss had happened or not, but she remembered vividly how close Chaos’ face had been to hers.

Zuri could even remember feeling his warm breath brushing against her skin and this turned her body hotter than usual. She hated it when she felt this desire, as she didn’t want to be reminded about what would follow.

She opened her eyes and gasped loudly when she found herself in this dimly lit room. The bedroom was the same as the last time she remembered with the floor to the ceiling windows that covered half of the walls, showing her that it was already night. The light from the buildings before her eyes shone brightly against the dark. It was a beautiful thing to see the moment you opened your eyes after being unconscious for who knows how long.

However, Zuri didn’t have time to bask herself in that glorious sight, she got off the bed and walked toward the door.

She knew that she was not alone, because she could sense Chaos’ scent all over this house. She just needed to follow his scent, and she found him in the kitchen. His long hair covered his back. He didn’t tie his hair.

“Hungry?” Chaos asked, with his back to her. He didn’t need to turn around to know it was her.

“Starving,” Zuri said lazily, as she sat down on a bar stool and sprawled on the counter top, closing her eyes. She felt like she had used up all of her energy. “Did you cook something for me?” she asked expectantly.

“Hm,” Chaos murmured as an answer and Zuri could smell the freshly cooked meat filling the air.

She sighed in delight and Chaos smiled softly to hear how she breathed.

“Do you want it spicy?” Chaos asked her before he put the meat on the plate and gave it to her with mashed potatoes on the side.

“Yes, please,” Zuri replied happily. She lifted her body and received her meal. “On what occasion did you do this to me?” Zuri was about to take the knife when Chaos beat her to it and cut the meat into small pieces. “Are you pampering me now?”

Chaos didn’t say anything, he just chuckled, while Zuri looked around this penthouse.

“What did you do to the owner of this place?”

“He is locked in the closet,” Chaos answered simply.

“You are not serious, right?” Sometimes, Zuri had a hard time distinguishing his jokes and serious answers, since this creature had limited facial expressions.

“I paid them off, enough to leave this place for the next month.”

“Will we live here for the next month?” They had never stayed in the same place for that long. “Why?”

“There are a lot of things that I have to do in this city.” Chaos gave back the meat that had been cut to her and then stood up to pour drinks for both of them.

“You will go to do your things and you want me to stay in this penthouse and cook for you when you return?” Zuri shoved the meat into her mouth happily. It was very delicious and she felt better.

“You can’t cook,” Chaos pointed out the truth.

“Ah, I forgot about that part.”

“And no to your first guess, too. You will come with me.”

“Then, why do we need to stay in this expensive penthouse?” Zuri couldn’t understand this, because they could stay, literally, in any place they went.

“Because the view is beautiful.”

Zuri frowned, since when did Chaos start caring enough about scenery?

For another fifteen minutes, the silence engulfed them, during which Zuri finished her meal. She didn’t know how long she had been unconscious, but then she thought it did not matter, days were not an issue for them. Their time was limitless.

They could live forever, roaming from one city to venture into another city or even countries, just to seek for pieces of Chaos’ shattered soul.

“Did you kiss me?” Zuri asked. She pushed away her empty plate and lifted her head to see Chaos’ reaction upon hearing this question. “I remember what you said. Why did you say that?”

‘Blue, I don’t want to lose you again.’

Again.

When exactly had he lost her? When she was eight? When she fell off the building? Or when he left after that?

“Chaos?” Zuri looked at him closely. She was frustrated because she couldn’t figure out what was in his mind. He was hard to predict and she still had a lot to learn about him. “Did you kiss me?”

Chaos could be warm sometimes, but in the next second he would turn so cold and ignorant.

“Yes,” he replied tersely.

Zuri breathed sharply when she heard the answer. It was not because she didn’t think it was real, but she thought Chaos wouldn’t admit it easily, but then, why would he lie to her?

She watched as Chaos stood up from his seat and then walked around the table to stand next to her. His dark eyes scorched into her hazel ones and Zuri found herself unable to avert her gaze. She needed to lift her chin until she felt her neck hurt because in this position, Chaos was so tall. He literally towered above her.

“Do you feel repulsive toward me?” Chaos extended his hand, very slowly, giving Zuri enough time to evade his advance or avoid his touch, but Zuri stayed still, she held his gaze and sighed when she felt his warm skin against hers.

Chaos cupped her face and caressed her cheek with his thumb, running his finger on her eyes to her nose and then along the shape of her lips.

“No,” Zuri said. Chaos was different. She didn’t feel repulsive toward him, even though it surely didn’t take a night or two for her to reach this level of trust, but she came to terms with that eventually.

There were nights when Zuri had nightmares that seemed so real and she would wake up with Chaos holding her trembling body. He would say nothing and only hold her still, offering warmth and safety.

Probably during that time Zuri gradually got used to his touch. It was different. His touch provided calm and sanctuary.

“Did you feel disgusted when I kissed you?” Chaos asked her again. She was not a little girl anymore, she was a grown, beautiful, young woman. She could say what she felt and was safe with her decision.

Zuri bit her lips, she said softly, barely in a whisper. “I don’t remember, I think I lost consciousness before that.” That was true. She didn’t remember what exactly happened afterward.

Surprisingly, Chaos chuckled a little bit and the sound of it made Zuri smile. It was not an everyday occasion to hear him chuckling like this.

“Will you claw me if I kiss you now?” Chaos asked, the small smile still lingered on his lips and his dark eyes looked even brighter, it looked like the most brilliant star in the night sky.

Zuri said nothing, but she didn’t flinch away when Chaos leaned over, very slow, like he did when he was about to touch her, or when he kissed her for the first time when her mind was a mess.

Chaos looked at her eyes, trying to find any hint of uneasiness, but when it was not there, surely it felt better than the cigarette between his lips.

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