Selira leaned closer, her voice barely more than a whisper, but it cut through the night air like a spark.
"Okay… for what you've seen earlier," she teased, her lips curling in that playful, dangerous smile, "you'll come close to me now. Cling to me from behind… and squeeze my breasts firm. Hold me… for seven minutes."
Kael blinked, frozen. "What?" His voice cracked with shock, as if he'd misheard.
Selira giggled softly, the sound dripping mischief. "Seven. Minutes. Don't act so innocent, Kael. I saw your eyes… you're already burning up." She glanced at him, then rolled her shoulders back, making the straps of her top shift just slightly.
His throat tightened. Every nerve screamed to run, but his body betrayed him hesitating, trembling, then stepping closer. He could feel the heat coming off her before he even touched her.
"You're insane…" Kael muttered, his hand hovering.
"And yet," Selira whispered, leaning her head back until her hair brushed his chin, "you're still here."
The moment he pressed his hands against her, Selira let out a low, breathless laugh.
"Mmm… firmer," she teased, pushing back into him. "Yes… just like that."
Her skirt swayed with the night breeze, brushing against his thighs, lifting just enough to flash pale skin and the edge of her panties. Kael gasped, eyes squeezing shut, as if that would help but her body shifted deliberately under his palms, adjusting, teasing, making him feel every curve, every reaction.
"You don't even know what you're doing to me," Selira whispered, her tone dripping between confession and provocation. "Every touch of yours… it charges me. Makes me feel alive in ways no one else can."
Kael's heart pounded wildly. He wanted to pull back, to breathe, to think but her giggles, her warmth, the wicked swing of her skirt kept him rooted.
"Time's ticking," she teased, glancing at an imaginary clock. "Seven minutes, Kael. Hold on… or do you want me to start counting for you?"
...
"Your hands… they're warmer than I imagined."
His throat was dry. He tried to steady his breathing, tried to not notice the heat beneath her blouse or the way her skirt brushed his thighs when the wind caught it.
Selira tilted her head, exposing her neck as if daring him. "Don't let go," she murmured. "You promised me seven."
Kael's pulse hammered so loud he thought she could hear it. His fingers twitched involuntarily, squeezing tighter.
She let out a soft gasp half teasing, half real. "Mmm… firmer. That's it… just like that."
Kael shut his eyes. Don't think. Don't feel. But her body kept shifting subtly, adjusting, each curve molding perfectly under his grip.
Her skirt lifted with another breeze, brushing high against her thighs. Kael felt the barest edge of lace against his knuckles. He sucked in air sharply, almost pulling away.
Selira chuckled low. "Ah… almost got you." She turned her head slightly, eyes catching his glittering with mischief. "If you stop now, you fail me. And yourself."
The air between them thickened. Selira's breathing grew heavier, her chest rising against his palms in steady rhythm.
"Kael," she whispered, "you don't know what you're doing to me. You're… lighting me up. Each touch… it's like sparks."
Her thighs brushed together as she shifted, the hem of her skirt rising just enough to make him swallow hard.
Kael clenched his jaw, sweat beading at his temple. Just hold on, he told himself. Two more minutes.
Selira suddenly rolled her hips back, pressing against him in one fluid, teasing motion. He gasped out loud, his body betraying the restraint he fought so hard for.
"Mmm," she giggled, "I felt that. You're not as calm as you want me to believe, Kael."
His grip faltered. He squeezed tighter only to keep from trembling. Selira moaned softly, almost too real this time, and Kael nearly lost his balance.
"Don't… do that," he muttered through clenched teeth.
She only laughed gently. "But why? You make me so alive when you touch me. Seven minutes isn't punishment, Kael… it's a blessing. For both of us."
The last seconds dragged like eternity. Selira shifted, her head leaning back against his shoulder, lips grazing dangerously close to his ear.
"Seven…" she whispered slowly. "You made it."
Kael released her almost violently, stumbling back as if burned. His chest heaved, his hands tingled with phantom heat.
Selira turned, facing him fully now. She adjusted her skirt casually, her smile sharp, her eyes glinting.
"You see?" she said softly. "You think you can resist me. But every minute you lasted… you only sank deeper."
Kael stood frozen—guilt, lust, and confusion tangled like barbed wire in his chest.
.....
Kael was still catching his breath, palms trembling at his sides. His mind screamed guilt, yet his body still tingled from every second of her curves pressed into him.
Selira smoothed down her blouse and straightened her skirt, though her smile lingered with sly satisfaction. She stepped close again, this time softer, almost caring.
"Kael…" she said, her voice quiet but piercing, "you've been running from yourself. But you don't need to."
He shifted uneasily, his throat dry. "That… wasn't right. I shouldn't have—"
"Shhh." She pressed a finger to his lips, silencing him. "It wasn't wrong either. What you feel, what you crave… it's human. And if you ever want to stand out, especially to the girl your heart is chasing… you need to understand women."
Her eyes flickered with a mixture of playfulness and authority.
"Lesson one," she continued, stepping back slightly. "Confidence. The way you held me… hesitant, apologetic. No girl falls for a man who doubts himself every second."
Kael swallowed hard, replaying the last minutes in his head.
"Lesson two…" Selira tilted her head, a smile tugging at her lips. "Attention. Don't just touch. Listen. Notice her breathing. Her rhythm. Her needs. It's not about you, Kael it's about what you bring out of her."
He blinked, trying to focus on her words rather than the memory of her body.
"And lesson three," she leaned closer, whispering, "never run. Not from her eyes, not from her touch, not from yourself. If you want to win love, you must face it head-on, no matter how much it scares you."
Kael's pulse slowed just slightly. For the first time, he felt the weight of her words beyond the heat of her body.
Selira finally stepped back, brushing her hair behind her ear. "I'll be available whenever you need me. Just try the few steps I gave you now." Her eyes glimmered mischievously. "And next time… maybe I'll test you for ten minutes."
She giggled softly before turning away, her skirt swinging with every step.
Kael stood frozen, torn between relief and a gnawing hunger he couldn't admit.
.....
I'd replayed Selira's words in my head all night.
"Confidence, Kael. A girl isn't a ghost you don't have to haunt her from afar. Step close, breathe easy, let your presence do the talking."
Simple enough. At least, it sounded simple when Selira said it with that smug little smirk while making me do… well, that kind of "practice." My hands still remembered the heat of her, the way she shivered, the way I nearly combusted. Now here I was, trying to take that same "confidence" and apply it to a girl who wasn't asking me to press my chest against her back for seven whole minutes.
Aimee sat two rows ahead, sunlight sliding across her hair like it had a crush of its own. Her shoulders were hunched slightly as she scribbled notes, but there was something magnetic about the calm way she did it like even her quiet was louder than most people's laughter.
"Okay," I muttered to myself. "Selira's first step: get close. Don't overthink. Just… step forward."
So I did.
One step. Two. My heartbeat slammed in my ears like war drums.
I cleared my throat.
She turned slightly, her lashes catching light, those glittering brown eyes making me nearly trip on the third step. She looked at me. Damn it, she actually looked.
"Uh—hey, Aimee, I just "
"Kael!"
Mia's voice cut through the air like a whip. Before I could even blink, she was there, practically sliding between us, her pink hair swishing over my shoulder as she leaned forward to dump a stack of files on my chest.
"You forgot these yesterday, remember?" she said with a sugary smile that carried knives. "Honestly, you'd be lost without me."
The papers wobbled dangerously in my hands. My carefully planned moment obliterated.
Aimee blinked, a soft little smile curving her lips as if she knew exactly what just happened. She looked down quickly, hiding her face in her notes, but not before I caught the flicker of amusement in her eyes.
Mia, on the other hand, was in full performance mode, hip cocked, skirt swaying, blouse pulling in ways I knew were calculated. She gave me this look like try ignoring me now.
I frowned, mostly at myself. "Really, Mia?" I muttered.
"What?" she asked sweetly, tilting her head. "You were about to trip over your own feet anyway. I saved you."
A couple of guys in the back, Jacob and the others, were barely holding in their laughter. One of them whispered loud enough for me to hear: "Man, he tried. He really tried."
I pressed my lips together, the heat rising to my cheeks. Damn Selira and her "first steps."
Aimee kept her head down, but I swore I saw her shoulders shake like she was suppressing a laugh too. Great. Just great.
.....
The laughter hit harder than I expected.
Not mean, more like that chain-reaction kind of laughter when one idiot snickers and suddenly the whole back row thinks you've just headlined a comedy show.
"Man, Kael—smooth!" Jacob called out, barely able to breathe between laughs. "I swear, if I was in your place, I'd just grab the chance, bro!"
"Or maybe she grabbed you first!" another voice chimed in, sending the room into another round of snorts.
My face burned. My jaw locked. And yet, somehow, I was laughing too. The kind of laughter that's just frustration leaking out because if you don't laugh, you'll look even worse.
"Damn…" I muttered under my breath, shaking my head. "Damn it all."
The stack of files Mia had forced on me wobbled in my arms, practically covering half my face as I stood. My chest tightened, but my lips twisted into a crooked grin I didn't even mean to wear.
I had to get out of here before I combusted completely.
So I slipped down the aisle.
Every few steps, another chuckle from the back cracked into my ears.
By the time I reached the front to drop the files on the lecturer's desk, my own laugh had turned bitter and quiet, like I was mocking myself.
"Great job, Kael. Real confident. Real smooth," I whispered, placing the files down a little harder than I meant to.
The chatter rolled on behind me, but something made me glance sideways.
Aimee.
She wasn't laughing.
Her pen rested idly in her hand, her notebook half-forgotten on her desk. She watched me softly, quietly her expression unreadable but her eyes glinting like she saw more than I wanted her to.
Not pity.
Not mockery.
Something else.
I swallowed, pretending not to notice, and straightened up fast. My face probably looked like stone, but my chest was still buzzing with embarrassment I couldn't shake.
As I turned back toward the aisle, Mia caught my eye from across the room. She smirked victorious, like she'd just reminded me she could pull me into her orbit anytime she wanted.
But Aimee's calm gaze lingered longer in my head as I walked back to my seat, pretending I wasn't breaking apart inside.