I felt Karl’s grip on me slowly weaken, whether he had fallen asleep or simply zoned out. It was now or never, so I cautiously started to move, worried I might wake him with any sudden movements.
Just a little more… After a few more discreet adjustments, I felt I was halfway out of Karl’s embrace.
“Mm.”
My efforts were in vain as Karl tightened his hold on me again, pulling me back into his arms. Despite my struggle, one gentle tug brought me right back. I felt a sense of defeat over the stark physical difference between us. It was clear: I had no choice but to wake him.
“Hey, Karl? Wake up, Karl.”
His face remained flushed, but his expression was more relaxed. He didn’t seem to be in serious trouble; thankfully, it didn’t appear to be acute alcohol poisoning.
I poked his chest gently with my fingers. Trapped in his large arms, I couldn’t move much.
“Karl. Wake up.”
All I got in return was the sound of his calm, steady breathing.
“…It’s heavy.”
His face was so close that his breath tickled my cheek. Should I say I could sense his body scent in his exhalation? The moment I registered his breathing, I became acutely aware of his body pressing against mine.
His limbs felt unusually solid, almost like a statue, and the warmth radiating from his chest was intense. I was at a loss with my legs trapped between his thighs.
“I can’t take this anymore, really.”
To divert my attention from the overwhelming sensations, I found myself staring at his face. I couldn’t help but observe every detail. It was an unintended spectacle.
His face had a perfect contrast of straight lines and smooth curves. The defined brow and thick eyebrows complimented each other, while his straight nose lined up perfectly with the soft contours of his forehead, eyelids, and cheeks.
“Why are his eyelashes so long?”
The shadows beneath his closed eyes from his long lashes caught my attention. Was he human or a doll? How could a man have such beautiful eyes? Was the protagonist buff this extraordinary? My mind was flooded with thoughts.
Even at a distance, he had been strikingly handsome, but up close, it was almost blindingly beautiful. I was relieved he had his eyes closed. If he were to open them and look at me from this distance…
“Gasp.”
As I examined his delicate nose and red lips, suddenly, his once-closed eyes flickered open, sparkling. The lashes that had been down were now raised, and his eyelids had cleared away from his eyes.
“…Are you awake?”
I shook him repeatedly, begging him to wake up, but when Karl finally opened his eyes and looked at me, I felt bewildered.
The gaze caught me off guard; his deep blue eyes resembled the ocean. No, it wasn’t the time for such emotions, yet this man’s appearance made me forget everything. Those eyes, like a deep abyss of blue, reflected my face within their mysterious depths.
My breath quickened. My heart, compressed by him, began to race uncontrollably.
“Say something, why are you just staring at me?”
Despite my persistent questions, Karl remained silent, merely gazing down at me from his position.
I was curious about what he was thinking, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that moving might lead to irreversible consequences, leaving me frozen like a stone.
“C-Could you move, please?”
I couldn’t lie there forever. Unable to bear his intense gaze any longer, I asked him to move aside and carefully tried to push him away. Well, I tried.
“Why are you acting like this?”
Karl grabbed my hand. One of my hands was trapped under his body, so I had attempted to push him away with my other free hand, but now that hand was captured by him too.
My legs were stuck between his, and both hands were held tight; I felt completely immobilized. My mind started to go blank. Why is he acting like this? What’s going on with this guy…?
“…Um.”
“Yes?”
How long had I been half-leaning against him, with my hands captured? Suddenly, Karl mumbled something incomprehensible. His eyes were glazed, and his cheeks were flushed, making him seem oddly cute despite the situation. But that wasn’t what mattered.
“What did you say?”
“…Pretty.”
I thought I heard him say “pretty,” but could this man really have said that? I must have misheard.
“Okay, I got it, so could you please move?”
“…Pretty.”
His words slurred, making the pronunciation hard to understand. He was completely drunk, it seemed. Given his blushing cheeks, it was clear he was out of it.
I shook my head, trying to escape his grasp. But Karl apparently didn’t like my movements and wrapped his large hand around my back to keep my upper body still. Depending on how you looked at it, this could easily be misinterpreted.
“Please move…”
The words fell silent within me as Karl, with his other hand, began to touch my face, the one not wrapped around my back. His enormous hand, capable of covering my entire face, slowly caressed my cheek.
“What are you doing? Why, why are you like this?”
The fingers gliding down my cheek tickled. The unbearable sensation sent shivers down my spine. I was bewildered. Why was this man acting like this?
“Karl, get a grip. I don’t know why you’re doing this…”
But my next words were completely drowned out.
“Umm, hmm?”
Our already close faces moved even closer. Now, our eyelashes were nearly touching. His sharp nose brushed against mine before something warm and soft settled on my lips. It was Karl’s lips.
Oh my, why is this man acting this way? Startled, I quickly tilted my head back, but I had forgotten one crucial detail: I was currently wedged between Karl and the floor. With the back of my head pressed against the ground, there was nowhere to escape.
This was my first actual contact with Karl’s lips since our brief, light kiss during the vow ceremony. I hadn’t even considered that I would touch his lips again. It was bewildering.
Unable to move my face, I struggled again, but I was still firmly held in place by him. The only parts I could move freely were my eyelids and the muscles around my eyes.
I opened my eyes wide in shock and looked up at Karl. Contrary to my growing wide-eyed expression, his eyes were drooping more and more.
“Um, hmm! Hmm!”
What am I going to do? I screamed silently inside, but it only turned into a soundless outcry that scattered into the air. Karl, who had been still, closed his eyes and gradually began to move his lips.
“Ah…”
Thanks to that, my lips parted as well. I barely exhaled the breath that had been trapped, and just as I was about to inhale again, Karl’s lips started moving in earnest.
They closed and opened, sensual and inviting like juicy fruit, and the warmth crept up my face as well.
My heart thumped wildly. It felt different from the kiss we shared during the ceremony. I had never realized how soft lips could feel. How could a man with such a solid body have lips so tender? It was confusing.
Still, Karl continued to savor my lips. Yes, “savor” was the right word. The way Karl was moving, with his eyes closed, was akin to indulging in something delicious. Oh, I was breathless.
“Hah.”
This time, Karl let out a hot breath. He too seemed out of breath as our lips remained pressed together, exhaling a deep, heated sigh from the depths of his being before reconnecting his lips to mine.
“Karl.”
I called out his name, but the sound was muffled and ridiculous against my lips. Karl, Karl. Wait a moment. No. I felt as if I had tried to stop him several times, but those attempts all faded into mere murmurs in my mouth before disappearing.
I shouldn’t be doing this; this isn’t right. Thoughts spun wildly in my mind, yet I couldn’t gather myself in the face of this strange experience I was feeling for the first time. Helpless against Karl’s movements, my eyelids began to slowly, steadily droop.
I don’t know. What will happen next? Why is Karl doing this? After this time passes, how should I treat him? What should I do to return to the original timeline? I had no answers to any of these questions, but my mind and eyes refused to stay clear.
My eyes closed.
Now, all I could do was surrender myself to him.
