He kissed you with hunger. Pressed you harder against the wall. He bit your lower lip with his teeth, just enough to force your mouth open so his tongue could enter. His knee locked tightly between your thighs; his free hand traced up your side, reaching your stomach, your chest, then your neck. It was as if he was suffocating you — with his hands, with his kiss.

With trembling hands clawing at his chest, you pushed him. And you did.

Your lips were wet with saliva. He stumbled back when you shoved him, catching himself against the cold wall. His cheeks were flushed red. His body trembled with heat and desire. He didn’t even know what to do.

“Oh... damn it,” he muttered under his breath, cursing himself as he avoided your gaze. It was shameful — he couldn’t meet your eyes. You quickly steadied yourself, trying to appear calm.

It was a strange pull between you and Asher. And finally, with that kiss, you gave into it — like some kind of game.

A gradual love that started gently and then roared like thunder. Asher was the man who had loved you for years. And you had loved him, too — ever since that day in your teenage years when you met him at camp. He was the cold, and you were the warmth. Maybe that’s why he clung to you. Like siblings — once.

But now, it felt like a trembling love that needed hearts to heal itself. Years of holding back. Of pain. Of torment. And finally, the two of you had found your way to each other.

…Asher pushed himself off the wall, trying to steady the moment. His hand twitched with the urge to touch, but his pride refused to let him.

After a long silence, he sighed and shook his head. He was tall. A real man. And now, he had tasted love.

So with a soft, quiet tone, he finally spoke, voice heavy with meaning: “I know—well, I hope you can forgive me. I couldn’t control myself, and when I saw your lips—” His mouth clamped shut as soon as he said lips, eyes locking on your wet, glistening mouth — the one that had just ended the kiss.

He rubbed his face with one hand and stepped away from you, leaning against the railing of the staircase that led down into the main hall.

“…I’m sorry.” He lowered his head in defeat, as if searching for something. Something he couldn’t name. Something he wasn’t even sure existed.