I stirred in the dark, a vague warmth brushing against my side.
Again.
My eyes fluttered open slowly. The room was silent except for the faint hum of the heater. The moonlight streamed in through the curtains, pale silver cutting across the wooden floor. There she was, nestled beside me, her bare skin flush against mine. Aria. Once more, she'd somehow slipped into my bed without me noticing, and once more, she clung to me with desperate tenderness, as if afraid I would vanish if she let go.
Her arms wrapped around my chest. Her leg draped across mine. The softness of her body, the quiet sound of her breathing, and the slow rhythm of her heartbeat against my side, everything locked me in place. I tried to move, but a tingling numbness rooted me down. She'd been laying on me so long I couldn't even feel my arm.
I swallowed, feeling my heart rate climb.
"Aria," I whispered cautiously.
Her body stirred.
Then she looked up.
Her eyes, still hazy from sleep, locked onto mine. That gaze filled with hunger, with longing, froze me. A heat radiated from her, not just physical warmth, but something more… primal. My mouth opened to say something, anything, but my breath caught.
Something warm grazed my neck.
I flinched.
Her tongue. It was slow. Seductive. Deliberate. It traced along the side of my neck, flicking once against my pulse. Her breath fanned across my skin as she moved, inch by inch, her lips ghosting downward to my chest.
I gasped, trying to speak again. "A-Aria… wait, I—"
But she only looked up at me with that same unshakable stare, that glimmer of affection drowning in desire.
She pressed her lips to my skin.
Then I felt it.
Her tongue again. Along my collarbone, up to my ear, warm and slow, until it sent chills through my spine. I could barely breathe. My body still wouldn't move, as if her presence overwhelmed every nerve, making it impossible to resist.
Then she climbed on top of me.
Her eyes never left mine.
"Aria… stop, I…" My voice broke.
She kissed me.
Not soft. Not chaste.
Her lips devoured mine. At first, the kiss was tender, intimate, a reunion of longing souls but then it deepened. Her tongue slipped into my mouth, coaxing mine gently before wrapping around it, claiming it.
I moaned faintly into the kiss, a mixture of confusion and surrender swelling inside me. She pressed her body closer, her bare skin against mine, warmth pouring over me. I felt everything... her chest, the soft curves of her waist, the fire behind her trembling hands as they touched me.
Seconds became minutes. Minutes blurred into something infinite.
When the kiss broke, I was gasping. I felt dizzy. Aria pulled back just enough to look at me, lips damp, cheeks flushed. Her eyes shimmered with something unreadable.
She licked her lips.
Then she smiled.
And leaned down again.
Another kiss, this one slow, sweet, and comforting. A whisper of warmth. When it ended, she rested her head against my chest, wrapping herself around me, sighing softly.
"I... I love you, Reiji," she whispered.
Then sleep claimed her once more, her breathing returning to its gentle rhythm, her naked form pressing softly against mine.
I couldn't respond. I stared up at the ceiling, my heart pounding so hard it echoed in my ears. What just happened?
...
The alarm buzzed.
I jolted awake.
My entire body ached. As I sat up slowly, I caught sight of myself in the mirror across the room. My eyes widened.
Hickeys.
All over my chest.
I yanked the blanket closer, heat flushing my face. What the hell?
A soft moan reached my ears.
Then Aria sat up. The sheet slipped from her body, revealing everything. She blinked once, then smiled—mischievous, warm, and utterly unbothered.
"Morning," she whispered.
I turned away instantly. "A-Aria, put something on!"
She giggled.
"Why? You've seen everything anyway," she teased, leaning closer. Before I could protest, she grabbed my cheeks and kissed me again, knocking me back into the bed.
"Mmf—Aria!"
But she only laughed, continuing to kiss me, undeterred. My head spun.
That's when the door opened.
"Oh no—" I tried to sit up.
Too late.
Yuzuki stood in the doorway, holding a towel. Her eyes widened. Her mouth opened slightly, but no words came.
"Yuzuki!" I shouted.
She blinked rapidly, her face lighting up like a furnace.
"I-It's not what it looks like!"
Aria, still on top of me, giggled and leaned into another kiss just to make it worse.
Yuzuki shrieked and slammed the door shut.
"Aria! What are you doing?!" I panicked.
"Kissing you. Again," she said playfully, planting another kiss on my forehead. "You're so cute when you're flustered."
...
By the time I got to class, I was a shell of a man.
My brain was somewhere else, still back in my bed, still hearing Aria's breath in my ear, still feeling her touch. I couldn't focus. I didn't even hear the first half of the lecture.
Yuzuki sat near me, her face slightly red. She kept glancing at me, lips pressed together, like she wanted to say something but couldn't. I avoided her eyes.
I wanted to crawl into a hole.
Then came Hayato.
"REIJI!" he yelled.
I flinched. "W-What?"
He put me in a headlock. "You dead man walking! Don't tell me you didn't hear! Rumor just came in hot. We're getting a new transfer student! I can smell it - it's gonna be a girl."
The class erupted.
Boys cheered like it was the second coming. I just slumped into my seat.
Hayato squinted. "Why so glum? Don't tell me having Yuzuki with you twenty-four-seven has killed your teenage instincts."
"Shut it," I muttered.
Yuzuki coughed, red as a tomato.
"Alright, alright, take your seats!"
The classroom snapped to silence.
Ms. Sayuri Minazuki entered with her usual no-nonsense walk, heels clicking like gunfire.
She faced us, calm and commanding.
"Before we begin, one quick announcement," she said. "Despite the unusual timing, our class will be receiving a new student tomorrow."
Another wave of excitement hit the boys.
"A girl?!" someone whispered loudly.
Ms. Minazuki smiled faintly.
Then her eyes met mine.
Something flickered.
A smirk.
A knowing, sultry smirk.
I froze.
My stomach dropped.
No way.
I looked away instantly.
...
By the time I returned home, I was exhausted.
I opened the door.
And just like yesterday, there she was.
"Reiji!" Aria shouted.
She launched herself into my arms, wrapping me in a suffocating hug, smothering my face with kisses. Her warmth flooded over me again.
Yuzuki stood nearby, face red, lips trembling.
I sighed.
And just like yesterday, the night repeated itself.
Aria slept in her room. Or so I thought.
Because like clockwork, sometime past midnight, I woke again to find her beside me, naked, clinging to me, her breath soft, her heartbeat steady, her body molded perfectly into mine.
And I could only stare at the ceiling.
Wondering where all of this was heading.
Wondering how long I could survive her.