(Darcy’s POV)
“What is the matter, Darcy?” Cham asks while perched on my window sill. His husky voice is dark and low in suspicion of my foul mood. It’s no surprise that he noticed. He would be an idiot if he hadn’t. I mean, I just stormed into my room with rivers of tears painted down my cheeks. And on top of that, my folks are fighting downstairs again. If he has been around me for as long as he claims, he should know that my parents’ fighting puts me through relentless turmoil. As I gather my bath towel from behind my door, I take a glance at his handsome face, which typically puts me in a better mood, but it doesn’t. I feel like I’m staring at a stranger with his features so clouded over with fluster. When I don’t answer, his eyes soften back to their regular gentle stare, then he approaches me as I carry on my crying. With a warm gentle skim of his presence against my ear, he whispers delicately. I almost could’ve sworn his lip brushed the cartilage. At least, that’s what I imagine... “Is it your parents, love?”
I hug my towel to my chest and let slip a few more tears. My chest clenches, trying to hold back sobs. Yet, I manage to sigh in satisfaction at his affections. “It’s just everything…”
“I’m going to take a bath…” I tell him in haste, then turn on my heels for the bathroom just as abruptly.
The familiar radiance follows me into the washroom, then settles itself to lean against the counter, watching me with brokenhearted eyes. Cham’s ghostly pupils follow my every move while I work my way around the room, locking the door, throwing my towel aside. He sighs defeatedly in unison with my exasperated huff that slips through my flared nostrils. But I continue my bustling. I finally take a seat next to the bath to fill it. Cham never takes his hypnotized gaze, squinted slightly in entrancement, off my body. His body follows where his eyes focus, so he takes his place next to me. While I watch my tears get consumed by the abyss of liquid in the bath, the beautiful phantom watches me. If his eyes were laser beams, they would burn holes all over my body.
“I should take my leave if you are to submerge yourself now,” he mumbles.
Before he can make another move, I object, “You don’t have to.”
“A gentleman ganders not at a lady when she is at her most vulnerable.” He then rises to his feet. Absentmindedly, I try to grab his hand to stop him, but my fingers inevitably slip right through him like trying to grab water. I wrench my hand back to my side nervously just as Cham turns around in reaction.
“What if I want you to stay?” I manage to croak despite my sniffles and tears. “I don’t want to be alone…” I can’t help but to look between him and the water anxiously, afraid of what his answer might be to my boldness.
Cham settles back next to me on the edge of the tub. “I’m not supposed to look at a naked women unless she’s my wife,” he says in almost a whisper as if nobody else is supposed to hear. My parents sure as hell won’t hear over their screaming.
“I would’ve thought you’ve already seen me naked,” I mumble, biting my lip at the thought.
“Although it was quite tempting on several occasions, once again, a gentleman ganders not at a lady when she is at her most vulnerable,” he says with a soft chuckle. For some odd reason, I’m sort of disappointed by his respectfulness.
Silence lingers between us as we stare into each other’s eyes. Today’s events melt out of my mind. My wailing has subsided with his calming ambiance at my side. I haven’t realised I was slowly leaning closer towards him until his warmth showers my face. Or maybe that’s an intense blush…
“What if I want you to see,” I break the silence.
A sensuous grin springs onto his cheeks. “Your wish is my command, my dearest princess…” He then leans in and presses his lips to my cheek for a tepid kiss. The butterfly light touch sends a jolt through me.
When he sits up straight again, my hands automatically start on my shirt. My fingers slowly unfasten each button on my white cotton blouse as we watch each other. Cham flip flops between holding my gaze and following my fiddling hands. My shirt sluggishly exposes more and more of my creamy flesh with each button undone. To Cham’s delight, the torture is finally over. The chemise is discarded onto the floor, exposing myself almost completely up top. He lets out a small relished breath, which only encourages me to disrobe more. My fingers slither down my stomach to the elastic of my navy blue school skirt. I rise to my feet, our stare never breaking, my hands still affixed on the cloth. Then, with a slight sway of my hips, I push my skirt and panties down my thighs, and they hit the floor. His fervor touch drifts slowly upwards while zigzagging from my outer to inner thigh. On his curious journey, he just about graves my groin. My eyes close and my head leans back as an enticed quiver racks through me there and a small moan leaves my ajar mouth. The fervency of Cham’s gentle touch follows my hands up my belly, which contained several fluttering butterflies, to my bra’s latch between my breasts. Although my hands stop, his don’t. They scatter around a little higher, drawing random designs along the canyon of my bosom, and up around where my bust begins to curve. I try to catch his gaze, but he’s so focused on the intricacies of my curves. I undo the snap intuitively, then shrug out of my bra. Cham attempts to keep me toasty by running his hands, lips and tip of his tongue over every freshly exposed region. At the time that his hands slip down my body, then caress my back, his lips find their way over my areola. It hardens, desperate to never lose this attention. I try so hard to restrain myself from tangling my fingers in his hair or from digging my nails into his body, so I can hold him forever.
“Make me forget today, Cham,” I sigh wantonly, my eyes closed once again in bliss.
My body chills instantly when his touch retreats from mine. His presence slips around my hand, but slowly starts to slip away. Despite his not being tangible, I try to hold onto him as long as I can. The only way I can is to follow his every motion. He takes one step back, I comply and take one forward. His arm swings slightly, so does mine. Anything so I won’t lose him. He instructs me to get into the bath with a seductive look. Of course, I do as told. I feel myself pulse from between my thighs while I descend into the water when his warmth roams up the side of my body and over my breast. All the while his eyes bare into my nakedness. I lay my head on the edge of the tub to see him crouch down by my side on the floor.
“Close your eyes, love, ” he whispers, staring into my eyes intensely. “I promise I’ll liberate you of your pain. And I promise to replace it with nothing but pleasure…”
I obey once again, only to be then sucked into what I know will be the best dream Cham and I will ever have together.
