After some bargaining with the shopkeeper, Sylvia finally won the underwear at a low price. She walks over to Ryan and notices some random old man standing near him. She ignores the old man completely.
"Here, put this into the bag. Our shopping is done now, my brain has fried up from talking with the shopkeepers."
The polythene bag containing two sets of underwear is stuffed into one of the shopping bags Ryan is carrying. Sylvia doesn't wait. She is already turning toward the opposite direction, her hands slipping into the pockets of her skirt.
Ryan follows her immediately, the burden on his hands increasing from a lot of items. "Lunch time is about to arrive, should we eat outside today? I don't want to…"
She shakes her head before he can finish his words and says while looking ahead, still walking at the same pace, "No. What will happen to the food we cooked in the morning? Do you want it to get bad just to eat in the restaurant? And furthermore, I cooked it, do…?" She glances at his hand which has now closed around her wrist, even though his fingers tremble against her skin. Her eyes slowly meet his, the look in them going slightly dangerous. "…What?"
Ryan curses his brain aloud. He didn't mean to grip her wrist!
Damn! I was just going to stop her from lecturing me with one smack on her hand… this stupid hand! Always looking for opportunities!
Despite his thoughts, his hand still stays on her wrist, and his head is turned straight so hard that his neck might be straining from it. He coughs and then speaks. "Haha… well, obviously! We cannot waste your food, can we? I was just joking! Joking… haha!" A bead of sweat trails down his cheek.
She hears him, but isn't fooled in the slightest. Her fingers twitch and she looks a second away from yanking her hand, but for a moment, her eyes stay on his face and the resistance in her loosens slightly.
He's going to sulk all day if I stop him from this…
She keeps walking, feeling the damp feeling on her wrist where he is sweating buckets. "That is right, no food from outside for today." Her voice comes out softer but slightly sharper than usual as she tries to look at the other side of the street from him, hiding her face partly.
Ryan's hand stops trembling, his face goes red and then… his fingers tremble even more intensely than before. Squeezing his guts, he slides his hand slowly down her wrist, and slowly he curls his fingers slightly over her palm. The sweat on his palm is now palpable.
She's not pulling away. My heart's going to burst out of my chest at this rate!
The walk back home is silent. They couldn't speak casually as they always do. Although the reasons for their silence might not be the same as each other.
Inside the house…
Ryan puts the shopping bags on the kitchen counter and Sylvia slumps back on the couch in the living room. After taking out a few things like his underwear from the bag, he turns and starts walking toward his room, though he walks a bit faster than usual for some reason.
Sylvia watches his movement with narrowed eyes, her legs crossing over one another as she thinks of something. Then, she turns her gaze away from him and says, "Don't…," her voice lowers down before she continues. "…Click the photo of your hand in your room. Otherwise, I swear…"
He freezes in his place and gulps before glancing toward her. His free hand, which has been gripping his phone over the pocket, loosens immediately, and then he turns and starts walking toward the couch too, his shoulders slumped. "Yeah… I wasn't going to anyway…"
Her peripheral vision takes in his movements, and as he takes the seat beside her on the couch while leaving some distance between them, she turns her gaze back to him. Her eyes look into his, and finally she asks. "Why? Why did you do that?"
"…Restaurant?"
"No. You know what I am talking about!"
The tension inside Ryan shifts, now becoming more irritated than just nervousness. He looks back in her eyes and replies. "Why are you asking about it now? You didn't say anything the whole way."
Sylvia's eye twitches and she lets out a loud huff. "Because it would be too much! It was just hand-holding, so I didn't want to make a scene about it."
"But, you are now making a scene about it, Sylvia!" His voice comes out slightly louder.
She finally closes her eyes and shifts before standing up. "God… You know what I am talking about, still you are…" She looks down at him. "Forget it. I am going back to my room. But, wash your hand. If I catch you clicking the photo of your hand…"
She doesn't finish, but the warning is clear.
As she turns to walk away, Ryan's patience finally snaps. Before he can muster up any thought, his hand moves and grips her wrist. He looks up at her, hesitating but also tired of holding back.
The air grows heavy. Sylvia pauses, her eyes fall to his hand, and for a moment, her jaw tightens, her gaze becomes sharper. "You…"
"Kiss," Ryan speaks before she can. Instead of taking his hand off, he tightens it even more on her wrist. The tension is visible on him, both the desire and nervousness for doing this. "I want to kiss you again… Sylvia."
….
She stares at him, her lips parted. The sheer boldness of him to ask it directly from her! Her hand goes loose in his grip, and her free hand rises up before she rubs her forehead tightly. "The audacity… Help me…" She glances down at him again.
I cannot do this. He will just blame me later for doing this if something bad happens in the future, but…
The conflict stirs within her. She finds herself hesitating for the first time. The desire to find something for herself and the need to keep him away from her. During this conflict, she moves. Her lips murmur in what sounds like annoyance. "Just one time, just this is final. Bastard."
It is Ryan's turn to be surprised now. His eyes widen as he watches her. For a moment, he feels like he has crossed the line. He braces himself.
She looks angry…? She could have just walked away, but why does it look like she is about to slap the desire out of me…?
Sylvia's face indeed looks dangerous right now as she slides her knee between his legs suddenly. Her hand finds the couch beside his head where she grips tight, and her other closes on his neck. She leans in.
"Wa…Wait, Sylvia. Let's talk this out…Mmph!?" The words die in his throat, literally. Her lips crash against his, but not the same as that day. His hands thrash confusedly in the air before finally finding her shoulders. He tries to breathe, but there is no space.
Sylvia lets out her frustration, her fingers hold his jaw tightly, as she locks her mouth with him. She doesn't just kiss, she attacks. And she does so very efficiently.
One second, he tries to push her away…
A couple of seconds later, he gives up and just clenches his eyes shut…
Five seconds later, she finally pulls back with a loud plop sound. "Ha… Hmph! Feels good now!" She wipes her mouth with the back of her hand and smirks satisfiedly. Her gaze falls down on him before she turns away. "Better remember this!"
She walks away toward the kitchen, her steps more relaxed now as if she just squeezed a stress ball rather than kissing a man to the threshold of unconsciousness.
Ryan sits loosely against the couch, his head back, and his eyes on the ceiling. His mouth finally closes, and he takes a deep breath inside. He looks weak and utterly… claimed.
She… kissed the hell out of me instead.