Chapter 28 Chapter 28
His lips were an inch away from hers. Likewise, his arm that snaked around her waist tightened. The proximity is reaching a new intensity. All it was gonna take was a little push, and their lips would clash. She could feel his warm breath on her face.
Luna swallowed.
Her heart was beating so loudly she was certain he could feel it through her back.
"Why so quiet all of a sudden?" Daimen murmured near her ear. There was a hidden smile in his words. "You were quite talkative a minute ago."
"You mentioned your mother." Her scrambled mind reaches out to whatever it could.
Ah.
There it was.
His chest shifted slightly behind her, a low sound—half amusement, half something else—vibrating through him.
"My mother?" he repeated slowly. "Is that what this is about?"
She nodded, even though he couldn't see it properly. "You said you last came here with her. I was just... curious." She averted her eyes so he couldn't see through her lie.
"Curious," he echoed, tasting the word. "Interesting timing."
Her heart thumped at his words. He saw through her. Of course he would. Her improvision was this stupid. But she kept up the facade. "What's that supposed to mean?"
His arm tightened, pulling her back flush against him. She sucked in a breath.
"It means," he said calmly, "that you brought her up the moment things started getting... uncomfortable for you."
Luna bit her lip. A mistake. His eyes shifted downwards to her lips bringing in her a sense of danger. "I'm not uncomfortable."
"Liar."
She twisted slightly, trying to face him, but his grip didn't allow much movement. "I just asked a question." She said innocently and somewhat helplessly.
"Is that so?" he said, voice smooth and knowing. Eyes perceptive and insightful. "Are you trying to play games with me, little girl?"
Her spine stiffened at the nickname. "I'm not... playing games."
"Oh?" His tone dipped, dangerous and amused all at once. "So you were serious?"
Luna forced herself to lift her chin. This was so embarassing. "Of course, I was just curious about your personal life that's all. Why do you make it sound so difficult."
He laughed softly, the sound low and intimate. "Here's a piece of advice, my Lulu" The way he claimed her as his and used her nickname had a shiver run down her spine. "My personal life would bring you nothing but harm. So that's a territory we stay away from. Do you understand?"
As if to test her words, his arm tightened again—just enough to remind her how little control she actually had. She gasped despite herself, fingers curling into the fabric of his sleeve.
"Y-Yes."
"And you shouldn't play games with me," he smiled. "Especially when you're sitting right here... at my mercy."
Why did he need to remind her that?
Her breath came shallow now, her bravado cracking under the weight of his presence.
"I told you I wasn't playing games," she insisted, though it sounded weaker this time.
His hand slid up, fingers brushing her jaw before cupping her cheeks firmly, turning her face toward him. She blinked, suddenly very aware of how close he was—how easily he could do whatever he wanted.
And how he knew it.
She stared at him warily, lashes fluttering despite her attempt to remain composed. His eyes searched her face with unsettling intensity, as if stripping away every layer she hid behind.
Then his gaze dropped.
To her lips.
He wanted this.
Luna stomach flipped.
This was it.
Every instinct screamed at her to push him away, to demand space, to remind him—and herself—why this was wrong. But another part of her, quieter and far more dangerous, whispered something else.
The rapid beats of hear heart, the red creeping up over her face, all of this was not from fear alone. No, there was much more at play here. The things she would never admit to having.
Her mind raced.
But he hadn't kissed her yet.
He leaned in. Her eyes closed and he stopped milimeterers away from her lips.
Waiting for her choice.
Her fingers tightened slightly against his arm. Her breath trembled. And then—against her better judgment—she stopped resisting.
She felt him lean closer, the warmth of him intensifying, his breath brushing her skin. Time stretched unbearably thin. Her heart hammered, anticipation and fear tangling into something dizzying.
Closer.
Closer—
And then...
He pulled away.
She opened her eyes in confusion.
Daimen was smiling.
Not his usual smirk. Something softer. Almost amused.
Then, without warning, he released her.
Just like that.
The sudden absence of his arms felt like being dropped into cold water. She stumbled slightly, scrambling to regain her balance as heat rushed to her face.
"What—" She stopped herself, mortified.
He leaned back on his hands, utterly relaxed, watching her with a glint of satisfaction. "You looked like you needed a reminder," he said lightly.
Lost for words, she looked back at him, embarrassed and flustered.
"That if you can play games, little girl, I can too."
She looked away quickly, cheeks burning. The silence that followed was thick, awkward, and heavy with everything unsaid.
They ate in near silence.
Luna focused intently on her fruit, suddenly very invested in peeling an orange as neatly as possible. Daimen seemed content to let the quiet stretch, though she could feel his attention on her every now and then.
Her phone buzzed in his pocket.
He glanced at the screen and frowned. "I need to take this."
She nodded too quickly. "Of course."
He stood, already shifting into his colder, more distant demeanour. "Don't wander off."
With that, he walked away, voice low as he answered the call.
Luna didn't wait.
The moment she was alone, she exhaled shakily, pressing a hand to her face. "Idiot," she muttered to herself. "Absolute idiot." Why the fuck she allowed him to approach her? That was not supposed to happen. Worst thing was it wasn;t out of reason. It was out of feelings. Her stupid heart won't stop beating.
By the time she returned to her room later that evening, humiliation had curdled into something more troubling.
Mortification.
She grabbed her phone and dialled Sierra.
"Please tell me you're free," Luna blurted the moment the call connected.
Sierra laughed. "That bad, huh? What happened?" She filipped close the magzine as she rolled over her bed.
Luna paced the room as she recounted everything—the garden, the teasing, the almost-kiss, the way he let her go like it meant nothing.
"And the worst part," Luna finished miserably, "is that I almost let him."
There was a pause on the other end.
"Lulu," Sierra said carefully, "Everything else is fine, but you know..."
"Just spit it."
"You are getting emotionally involved."
Luna stopped pacing.
"No, I'm not." She blurted in denial.
"You are," Sierra insisted gently. "And Lulu, this is not a good thing. You almost had me fooled when you said you were gonna play by his rules, but never let him get to you. It's going the opposite way right now."
Luna didn't respond.
She called Susu just to vent, but her words made realisation hit her like a truck.
Yes, she was letting him get to her. To her mind, her heart. And she knew she could do nothing to stop it because he was just too good at the game.