Chapter 25 — First Kiss

Ivan stormed out of the room. He was beyond pissed, and angry at the same time. Diana broke up with Aiden, and she didn't inform Ivan about it. Why would she do that? We are best friends, for God's sake! he thought to himself.

Diana was walking nearby. She stopped, seeing Ivan. "Are you oka—" Before she could complete her question, Ivan grabbed her hand.

"Come with me," he said coldly, sending shivers down Diana's spine. She didn't say anything else because she could sense his heavy aura. Ivan was angry. She didn't know the reason behind his anger. She wished she understood what it was. It was rare to see Ivan furious, and honestly, Diana never saw him getting this much angry before. It slightly scared her.

Ivan opened the door of his bedroom and pulled Diana along with him. He thought that he closed the door, but little did he know, it didn't close entirely. Anyone could peek through the crack, but an angry person would fail to notice it, including the person who would be tolerating his anger.

"Ivan..." Diana let out. "What's wrong?"

Ivan glared at her and spat out bitterly, "How come I didn't know about your breakup with Aiden?"

She immediately stiffened. It didn't take her much time to understand what Ivan meant. "How did you know?"

"Jasper told me. Now, answer my question. Why didn't you tell me that you broke up with Aiden?"

"I thought it was not important, considering the current situation we have right now," she answered calmly. "Besides, it's been a long time since I broke up with Aiden. I am okay now, so what's the point of bringing it up?"

Ivan clenched his fist. "What's the point of bringing it up? I am damn sure you were hurt when you broke up with Aiden. You cried, Diana, and I wasn't there to console you! What can be worse than this?"

Diana wanted to tell him that she had wanted to tell him what happened before, but she couldn't since she promised Rain that she wouldn't. If she said the truth, Ivan would treat Rain rudely. He was already pushing Rain away from him; if he knew that she was behind the reason for Diana's secrecy, he would make Rain cry for weeks. She spoke, "Ivan, I didn't know it wou—"

"You call me your best friend yet at the same time, you hide important things like this from me. Seriously, what kind of relationship do we have?"

Diana didn't answer at first. I wish I could know what kind of relationship we have, Ivan. I really wish I knew the answer to your question.

She closed her eyes and let out a sigh. "I don't know. You tell me," she whispered, "What do you feel about me, Ivan?"

He glanced at Diana, but he didn't say anything for a while. Taking a deep breath, Ivan walked towards Diana. Then, without warning, he wrapped a hand around her waist and pulled her closer, cupping her cheek with his other hand, tilting her head up.

Diana's heartbeat quickened, just like Ivan's rapid pulse. Instantly, she regretted asking the question to him. "I—"

Ivan was kissing the love of his life for the first time: Diana Stevens.

Diana's eyes widened. Saying she was shocked would be an understatement. She tried pushing his chest to pull herself away from him, she knew she shouldn't be kissing Ivan. After all, Ivan didn't belong to her, he was Rain's.

She didn't kiss back. Rather, she kept trying to push him away. But Ivan didn't care. He pushed Diana to the wall behind her, caging her between his arms. Then he placed a hand on the back of Diana's head, stopping her from struggling to get rid of him.

His lips caressing hers gently as if it's the most precious thing his lips have ever touched, Ivan continued kissing her.

Diana was confused—no, torn. She didn't want to give in. But she never felt like this with Aiden. There was no spark when she was with Aiden.

Ivan moved his lips along hers with no hesitation at all. Now, he knew who he truly was in love with. He had always loved Diana. What he had with Rain was just an infatuation, which he never realized before.

This is too much, Diana thought to herself. She couldn't control herself anymore. For once, she let her heart decide. She closed her eyes and started kissing him back. The hands that were pushing him away gripped his shirt instead and pulled him closer towards herself.

Time slowed down for them.

Their lips moved in sync, molding into each other as if they were the pieces of puzzles, united at that very moment.

No hesitation, no rules. No force, no logic. No worries—just love. Just their hearts speaking with their lips. It was true; actions do speak louder than words.

Those simple pecks Diana had with Aiden held nothing—nothing at all. But that single kiss with Ivan meant everything.

They kissed as if their lips were the most scrumptious thing they had tasted. His rough lips continuously clashed with her soft ones. The world around them stopped as they kept kissing, speaking their heart with no hesitation, not wanting to pull away. As if they were going to lose each other if they pulled away.

Diana let go of her grip and wrapped her hands tightly around his shoulder. His hand was still on her waist, pulling her closer and deepening the kiss, wishing Diana would willingly give in. It was as if they weren't close enough before. They wanted to feel each other's lips further, wanted to be in each other's embrace.

Diana stood on her tiptoes, running a hand through his brownish hair, making him groan in satisfaction.

His low moans and hearty groans mixed with her sweet whimpers, and they savored each sound. They were in a state of euphoria.

Ivan felt proud, having given Diana his first kiss. He held no regrets. His lips moved as if he had known how to kiss from a long time ago. But things just went with the flow when he was with her. Because it's her.

Diana no longer felt hesitant. She just listened to her heart, letting her lips do what her mind wouldn't ever agree to. She listened to her mind for way too long now; she didn't regret one bit for listening to her heart once and letting her lips move along with his. After all, it was Ivan.

They kept moving their lips, caressing them until they were out of breath. Both pulled back slightly and opened their eyes, their forehead touching each other's. Their eyes remained connected, the fire, the passion, the lust, the love—all of them conveying through them.

Breathing heavily, both wanted to taste each other again. But they knew that they had to catch their breath.

Ivan finally pulled back and fixed his collar slightly, trying not to lose his cool and kiss those luscious lips again. Diana stood there, averting her gaze as she touched her lips slightly with her fingertips. What just happened? she asked in her mind.

"I hope you now have your answer, Diana," Ivan spoke in a low voice, looking towards her.

Against her will, Diana's cheeks flushed. She didn't know what to answer. She slowly whispered to herself, "I have. This kiss was way better than those I had with Aiden."

Though it was just a whisper, it didn't go unheard by Ivan. Hearing Aiden's name ignited some spark of possessiveness in him.

He just kissed her, and yet she dared mention Aiden's name? It made him see red. Ivan grabbed her shoulders tightly and made her look into his eyes. He asked sternly, "Aiden kissed you before?"

Her eyes widened slightly as she spoke, "Oh, he ju—"

"It's a yes or no question, Diana."

"Y-yes, he did," Diana murmured. Ivan felt furious at the thought of someone kissing those sweet soft lips of hers. Those belonged to him. Only him.

He didn't care about anything anymore. He loved Diana and she was his now. He didn't waste any moment pushing her against the wall again and crashing his lips with hers. This time, the kiss wasn't simple and gentle. It was rough and full of passion.

He pulled back and whispered in her ears, "I never thought I would be this much kinky, but from now on, you are mine and I am yours. Am I clear, Princess?"

Diana's cheeks intensified in heat, hearing his words. She nodded her head slowly as she couldn't trust her voice at the moment.

Ivan pulled back slightly and gripped her chin, softly yet firmly, making her look at him. "Now, don't go around comparing my kiss to that Aiden. It was all in the past. I am your present. Got it, Princess?"

"Yes, Prince," Diana answered firmly—much to her surprise because she could completely feel her heart beating at full speed, almost as if it's ready to burst out. She managed to compose herself.

Ivan pulled Diana into a tight hug, burying his face in her neck. "Diana, what I feel for you is different—very different. I've never felt like this before. You bring a different side of me."

Diana hugged him back and smiled. "Is the prince feeling jealous?" she asked, wanting to tease a bit, but his answer surprised her more than before.

"Of course, I am. I hate seeing you with another man. Even the thought makes me feel angry and scared," he mumbled. "I want you to stay with me, Diana. Forever."

She didn't answer and closed her eyes, trying to live in the moment. She knew everything was wrong until Ivan kissed her. Ivan felt something for her, just the way she did. Ivan loved her and wanted her to stay with him forever. Even though he didn't confess his love, Diana understood it clearly. That reason was enough for her to stay. She even forgot that Rain existed.

Meanwhile, the queen looked for her son and future daughter-in-law as she couldn't find them at the party anymore. She was about to knock on their bedroom door, but her eyes peeked through the crack in curiosity. Seeing the couple lovingly hugging each other, a smile stretched across Suzanne's lips. She knew that they finally confessed their love for each other—their hugging posture portrayed it with clarity.

Suzanne was so happy because she was successful. When her eyes fell on Rain, who was walking down the hallway, Suzanne didn't waste a second talking to her.

"Ms. Rain Summers, I hope you have prepared your bridesmaid attire," she told Rain. "Even if you didn't, don't worry. I will prepare it. Also, if you don't want to be a bridesmaid anymore, I will appoint s—"

"Why wouldn't I want to be a bridesmaid?" Rain interrupted Suzanne, making the queen scrunch her nose in disgust. She hated Rain, and nothing could ever change that. The rude lass didn't even have any common sense. She interrupted the queen while speaking—it was indeed disappointing.

Suzanne decided to ignore Rain's behavior because she was happy. She said, "You know, you might not be able to tolerate the love between Ivan and Diana." She pointed towards the couple who were still hugging each other.

Rain followed Suzanne's gaze and gasped. She couldn't believe what she saw. "This is not true," she uttered.

"See their closeness before you say something." Suzanne patted Rain's back and smirked. "It's something a couple would do after a passionate kiss—oops, this is an inappropriate conversation. My apologies."

Suzanne walked away, leaving Rain alone as she watched Ivan and Diana. Unable to tolerate it, Rain burst into their room.

"What the fuck is going on?"