"Aaron."
Ivory called him softly. Immediately Aaron lifted his head. He scanned the beautiful girl he had been waiting for.
The girl was standing in the bathroom doorway. She walked hesitantly with her naked body only wrapped in the bathrobe that Aaron had seen earlier. She looked down, not wanting to look at him even when she was standing right in front of Aaron.
"Are you done showering? Come here. Sit next to me."
Ivory nodded slowly and obeyed her partner's words. She sat hesitantly and occasionally glanced at Aaron, who was pouring a cup of smoky drink and handing it to her.
"That is a mint tea. Drink it. It will make your body more relaxed."
Ivory's hands shook as she accepted the cup. She hastily took a sip of the unfamiliar tea, which made her choke and cough violently. Her hands beat against her chest repeatedly as she tried to scavenge for air.
"Ivy, gosh. Just drink it slowly."
Ivory shook her head and took a deep breath. Her right hand reflexively squeezed the clothes her partner was wearing when her cough didn't subside. She struggled to get her breath back to normal.
Aaron swiftly rubbed his Copulation partner's back. He pulled Ivory's face up to look at him. He looked at the violet irises that were now starting to turn red.
"Take a deep breath, Ivy. Inhale slowly. Then exhale."
The partner followed her man's instructions to take deep breaths. After a few seconds, she took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. She was able to breathe normally again.
"Aaron ... ahem ... thanks."
"No big deal," said Aaron. He was still rubbing Ivory's back gently. "Next time, be careful," he said quietly.
Ivory nodded twice and fell silent again.
The atmosphere became quiet. Awkward. Aaron's hand was still perched comfortably on his partner's back. Rub it up and down repeatedly. He did it unconsciously.
To be honest, Ivory was starting to like it. He began to enjoy it when Aaron's hand gently stroked her head or back. Ivory could feel the warmth and comfort that the touch brought. She became complacent.
While processing the comfort in her back, a single call from Aaron broke the silence.
"Ivy."
Aaron pulled his hand from Ivory's back. He looked at his partner with tender eyes. He tried to give her a shady look so Ivory wouldn't be too nervous about him tonight.
"Come closer."
Ivory dragged herself closer to her man and looked at him timidly.
"Give me your hands."
"Um … for … what?"
"I want to hold it."
Ivory's breath caught.
Nevertheless, she still reached her hands right under Aaron's nose.
Aaron intertwined each of their fingers together and gripped them tightly. The man smiled reassuringly and kissed Ivory's pale knuckles. He was cautious when he did it.
"I apologize." He kissed Ivory's right hand with his eyes closed. "I have to do this." His kisses turned to his left hand of Ivory, which was shaking slightly with nervousness.
Often Ivory forgot the man in front of her who was so sweet to her. She was negligent and ignored the fact that Aaron was still a Primary. A figure she should respect and serve with all her body. She is often carried away when her partner has shown her some attention that is not made up.
She also often puts aside the fact that this man in front of her is not her permanent partner. This man who cares about her already has his own girl waiting there. She was waiting patiently even though she had borrowed her future husband for a while. After all these games were over, he would return to his old life. He could never be able to joke around with her again.
"Are you ready?"
Aaron let go of both grips and turned to gently touch Ivory's cheek. Ivory's face warmed instantly as her partner's hand gently caressed the thin skin of her flushed cheeks. She dared to look at Aaron's face, staring at her sadly. No sharp eyes. Nor does it look demanding like the day before.
That view implies sincerity. The sincerity Ivory could feel in every word that left Aaron's lips, in the man's breaths, or in the man's overly gentle touch. She tried to have complete faith in Aaron Magnifico; a stranger who is ready to make love with her tonight.
Ivory can no longer run from the reality that haunts her.
"Do it." Ivory swallowed hard. "We can't hide either, so just do it. I'm fine."
Aaron didn't wait twice.
He didn't question the little faith that Ivory had cultivated. Aaron thought if he re-questioned Ivory's readiness, the girl might falter. It would be a lot harder to get started if Ivory ran again when the time they had was so short.
Therefore, he brought his face closer to Ivory. Aaron blew a warm breath from his nose that hit the girl's cheek. The man looked at the Ivory for a moment before he gently touched her nape, pulled her as relaxed as possible, and tilted her head…
And kissed Ivory's lips softly.
Ivory didn't flinch. Really. That's different from the shadow of Aaron's kiss last time. This time, it felt like she was a little more prepared.
Aaron nudged Ivory's head a little, so he could claim longer the lips that teased his sanity. Carefully, he kissed Ivory's lower lip. He bit her pink lips playfully before moving on to her upper lip.
Ivory sighed softly in the intense kiss she had had with her partner.
For a second, Ivory thought that Aaron was an excellent kisser. Aaron knows how to treat his partner, so she doesn't run out of breath. Ivory's hands shook violently. She was clearly nervous, but Aaron tried to shake off her nervousness by interlacing her left hand with the man's right. He placed it between their tightly pressed bodies.
"Aaron," Ivory whispered after the kiss had passed.
There was a strange feeling that made Ivory's reasoning stuck. This feeling was new to her. She had never felt it before.
Ivory's eyes were misty. Her body felt hot. She needed a release that somehow got into her mind.
Aaron pulled Ivory's legs up onto the bed. A second later, he gently pushed Ivory's body so that she fell on her back. Ivory gasped as Aaron pulled the strings of the bathrobe she was wearing as slowly as possible without letting go of his intense gaze. When the rope that kept the bathrobe tightly closed began to fall off, Aaron undauntedly pushed the white cloth aside to greet the beauty of his girl's body.
Aaron swallowed his saliva when he saw Ivory's naked body clearly visible in his eyes.
At that moment, Ivory hastily closed her bathrobe in extreme embarrassment.
Underneath the robe, she was wearing nothing. She thought she could have the courage to give her body to Aaron. In fact, she was still halfway out. She was embarrassed that her body was witnessed by other people.
"Ivory, open the bathrobe, please?"
"I can't," whispered Ivory, losing her voice.
Aaron knew at a time like this that he had to take on the role of a gentleman. He should be able to make Ivory comfortable while doing it. Hence, he gently touched Ivory's wrist and shook his head slowly.
"Don't be afraid. It's okay. I'll be gentle with you. I promise."
"I'm ashamed. I'm not attractive."
"You have nothing to be ashamed of," Aaron coaxed. "You have an attractive body. Besides, if it's closed, how are we going to do it?"
Ivory, who had been tilting her head to avoid Aaron's gaze, slowly looked at his Copulation partner. She found the man smiling smugly at her. Aaron was still patiently waiting for her to open up.
"You are beautiful. Your body is pleasing. Your skin is smooth. You're attractive, Ivy. You should know that."
"But I'm not as attractive as Joy."
Aaron finally knew where Ivory's low self-esteem had come from.
Apparently, the low self-esteem is due to Ivory's inferiority complex towards Joy. Aaron should have understood why Ivory was so worried. Ivory must have felt that she couldn't compete with Joy, who was Aaron's fiancé.
Aaron had to work even harder to cultivate his Copulation partner's confidence.
"Ivy, since we started until the end, you are my partner. Please forget about Joy's shadow for a moment." Aaron whispered in Ivory's ear.
"I'm yours, and you're all mine."