Chapter 259
He wanted to know just how far the courage hidden behind that expressionless face would carry Aldraya.
Was this merely a naive foolishness in a half-conscious state, or a deeper desire that had finally found its way to the surface?
Aldraya's warm breath was already brushing against his skin, her distinct fragrance growing stronger, creating a bubble of reality that contained only the two of them.
Theo's own heartbeat thumped loudly in his ears, awaiting the moment when the distance would truly vanish.
The distance continued to shrink.
Ten centimeters, five centimeters, then just three centimeters left.
At the brink of that deeply personal boundary, Aldraya's face still showed no signs of pulling back.
Her eyelids remained tightly shut, her face inclined forward with an almost meditative determination.
There was no hesitation, no unease—only an intention to merge that seemed so pure, and therefore, so dangerous.
And right at that critical point, Theo's instinct as a guardian, as someone who still held a shred of awareness about consequences, finally took over.
Before their lips could truly touch, before a line that might be irreversibly crossed was breached, his hand moved swiftly.
His right index finger rose, and gently yet firmly, he placed its warm pad upon Aldraya's half-parted lips.
The motion was not a slap or a rough push, but a solid barrier.
That finger became a small wall, a boundary separating two worlds.
'Is this a new skill—emotions held back, but her aura is so bright?'
A subtle yet sharp tension suddenly filled the space between them.
Aldraya, her intent blocked by Theo's finger, slowly began to withdraw.
Her body, which had been leaning in with full passion, now retreated, reopening the distance that had nearly disappeared.
She did not pull away with a rough or hurried movement, but with a measured and meaningful retreat.
After freeing her lips from the touch of Theo's finger, she fell silent, sitting on the bed with a posture that was upright yet stiff.
Her eyes, which had just been closed, were now wide open, staring straight at Theo without blinking.
That gaze lasted exactly three seconds.
Three seconds that felt long and dense with suspended silence.
On the surface, there was no change at all in Aldraya's face.
Her features remained flat like cold marble, no furrowed brows, no downturn at the corners of her lips, no flicker in her eyes that would usually signal inner turmoil.
To an ordinary observer, she appeared exactly as usual—a figure detached from human emotional storms, a face that had lost the ability to express.
That very expressionlessness made the situation even more unreadable and, therefore, more unsettling.
Yet Theo was no ordinary observer.
Years of dealing with the complexity of characters and reading the scripts of human hearts, both real and fictional, had sharpened his instincts.
He could see beyond the mask of absence.
From the depths of Aldraya's seemingly empty eyes, he caught a faint glimmer, a slight disturbance in their usual clarity.
From the way her breath was held half a second too long, from the slight stiffness in shoulders that were usually supple when embracing, Theo read a different narrative.
He understood clearly that behind the flatness of that face, Aldraya was feeling a very human emotion.
Not explosive anger, but a deep-seated irritation, a guarded disappointment.
She was upset, like a pampered child whose whim was denied, but with the intensity of a grown woman whose intimate desire had been physically blocked by the one she wanted.
"To be honest, Aldraya, I won't be a hypocrite—the desire is there.
I'm an ordinary man, and you're beautiful. But look at reality. You're only sixteen. No world condones that."
Huuuuhh!
"We also don't share any formal bond yet. If forced now, all that would remain is regret for you."
Hooooh!
"Don't take your own worth lightly. Don't give it away because of guilt or obligations you've created for yourself, okay?"
After that moment of questioning gaze, a small, complicated smile finally appeared on Theo's lips.
The smile was not broad, just a faint curve at the corner of his mouth, accompanied by him closing his eyes briefly.
The movement was like an effort to gather patience, wisdom, and the right words behind his eyelids.
When his eyes opened again, his previously confused and wary gaze had softened, yet remained resolute.
Theo then broke the silence with a low but clear voice, answering the question reflected in Aldraya's earlier gaze.
He acknowledged that the impulse existed.
Within him, as a living, breathing man, there was a pull, a primitive desire to respond to the intimacy offered so innocently yet fervently.
He admitted that the temptation to "tarnish Aldraya's purity," in the sense of crossing that final physical boundary, was real and palpable.
However, in a calm and considerate tone, Theo continued his explanation.
He chose to imprison that impulse, locking it tightly behind the bars of rationality and responsibility.
The first reason he stated was the status of their relationship.
Aldraya, however close emotionally and physically, was not his.
The bond between them had not been sanctified by a more formal and sacred commitment like marriage.
Engaging in intimacy without such a bond, according to the values Theo held, was a violation of Aldraya's own honor.
The second reason, and perhaps the more fundamental one, was age.
Theo was acutely aware that the body inhabited by Aldraya's essence was still very young, only sixteen years old.
It was a vulnerable age, a transitional period between adolescence and adulthood full of turmoil, where emotions and understanding of consequences were still forming.
In his view, it was an age too young, too green, to be burdened with the complexity and psychological weight of a sexual relationship.
Theo saw it as a responsibility to protect, not exploit, that vulnerability.
Buuuuk!
Hearing Theo's clear and thoughtful explanation, a subtle change occurred in Aldraya.
Before reacting further, she blinked once—a quick, almost imperceptible movement, as if processing the words through an inner logic circuit.
There was no verbal response, no nod or shake of the head.
Her flat expression remained unshaken, an impenetrable mask.
Then, with a sudden but not rough motion, Aldraya began to withdraw.
Her body, which had been pressing against and tightly embracing Theo, now moved, releasing the contact that had been the source of warmth and tension.
She shifted her body, moving away from that intimate position, and sat on the edge of the bed.
Even after freeing herself, she did not go far.
She remained within the vicinity of that mattress island, like a satellite that decided to stop orbiting but had no other destination in mind.
She sat still, her back straight, her hands resting on her thighs.
Her gaze was empty, staring straight at the wall or something invisible in the distance.
Her entire demeanor was silent, forming an active silence, a vacuum she intentionally created.
That silence felt like an inverted invitation, an opportunity she gave without asking.
To be continued…