[The Legacy Series] REDAMANCY - Love's Timeless Path

25th Note [M]

CW // Mature Content, Intimate Themes
TW // Explicit sexual scenes, jealousy, emotional tension

This chapter contains explicit sexual content between consenting adults, including intimate physical touch and sensual interaction, set against a backdrop of jealousy, miscommunication, and emotional reconciliation. It also depicts relationship tension and discussions involving trust and insecurity. Reader discretion is advised.

*****

"A man?" Haira asked, her voice tinged with quiet confusion.

I nodded.

The steam billowed around us, painting the bathroom a hazy white. The bathroom was filled with the fragrance of lavender. The soft glow of candlelight danced upon the walls, casting an intimate ambiance around us. The water, once hot and comforting, had grown cold, mirroring the temperature of the air between me and Haira. She leaned uncomfortably against my chest after I mentioned the man Agni had mentioned a moment ago.

"Me?" She pointed at herself. "With another man? Which man?" she asked as her hands played with the water in the bathtub occasionally.

"How would I know? That's why I asked. Which man made you turn away from me?" I tightened my hug, placing my arms on her chest, hugging her naked body lovingly.

She turned slightly before looking at me strangely. Her half-wet hair stuck to her skin, framing a beautiful face in front of me perfectly.

"I'm angry with you, Jen, but not by running away into another man's arms," she insisted. She seemed not to understand what I was saying.

Earlier, the air had cracked with accusations and hurt. We'd said things we didn't mean, fueled by simmering frustrations that finally boiled over. Now, the only sound was the soft drip of the faucet and the occasional sigh escaping my lips. The atmosphere was warmer than before, and I didn't want to ruin it any more.

I finally broke the silence, my voice rough. "The man you hugged the other day." My gaze met hers in the blurry effect of hot steam.

"Hug?" she answered me with a question, her voice barely above a whisper.

A beat of silence followed. Then I spoke again. "I know things got out of hand before. I said some things I shouldn't have. But hugging men is too much, in my opinion, Ra."

She let out a shaky laugh. "Jen..."

I shifted in the tub, the water swirling around me. "Don't laugh if you don't want to talk to me. We're getting better," I started, then stopped, seeming to search for the right words. "This isn't how I wanted to end our day."

"Gosh, me neither." She then turned to face me and wrapped her arms around my neck before pressing her body against mine.

"Who told you about this man?"

I was a little hesitant to answer. "It was Agni."

She laughed until her body shook vigorously; for some reason, her reaction annoyed me. A moment later, she leaned in, looking at me closely. "The one who hugged me was Satya; I ran into him when he had finished delivering Bria's things, which she had left in his car. You met Satya, right?"

I gaped. "You're not lying, are you?"

"Ngapain? Just ask Agni; maybe she's annoyed because you keep making me angry." She poked my nose.

I felt super stupid because I fell for what the youngest in our circle said. I released a long, shaky breath I hadn't realized I was holding. "Gosh, Agni. She is so nosy." I groaned while rubbing my face roughly.