FIXated

Sandwich II

Raphael lied.

The weight of his words slammed hard against his chest in rapid beats as his words came out in a stutter. His gaze dropped down, fixated on the ground.

Calm yourself down, Raphael.

She doesn’t know a thing.

His fingers gripped tightly on the last remains of his sandwich as his breath heaved deeply, calming his nerves.

Then, he felt it.

Sylvia's eyes wandered all over him, observing him thoroughly, every move, every twitch, and every breath. His body tensed, his cheeks flushed, his eyes averted.

Her chin perched on his lap, tapping her fingers in rhythmic intervals against his thigh. Every touch sent a slight shock through his skin.

"Liar."

She muttered under her breath.

A cold shiver ran down his spine upon hearing her words. Raphael slowly lifted his gaze towards her, meeting her narrowed eyes and piercing green irises, staring directly into him through his denial.

"I swear. . . I didn't," he persisted, though his voice came out smaller.

Sylvia scoffed with a mix of amusement and disbelief on her face. She slowly rose from the ground, leaning her weight against the edge of the bench.

“Really?” She asked sarcastically, looking down at him.

"Y-yeah… It’s nothing but a bathroom break.” Raphael sighed as he explained desperately. His eyes wandered all over the place, avoiding hers.

Without a word, Sylvia bent down, reaching to his side and then, in a swoop, she swiped his phone sitting right next to him.

Raphael's eyes widened as he gasped.

"H-hey!"

He lunged forward, stretching his hand to retrieve his phone. However, Sylvia was faster, pushing him back against the seat with one hand, pinning him hard. Raphael groaned from the force, caught by surprise at her strength.

Then, his phone hovered above his face.

Ding!

Facial Recognition checked.

The screen unlocked.

Raphael's stomach dropped.

"Oh?"

He watched as Sylvia's eyes lit up while her slender fingers scrolled through his gallery. A wide, ecstatic grin formed across her face.

"You did take one, Raphael. How cute."

She flipped the phone towards him, showing the picture zoomed in on his face before panning the photo down to his chest, clad in nothing but an unbuttoned dress shirt.

Raphael turned away, holding a hand over his face as his cheeks flushed red.

His eyes widened, trembling, unfocused, and mortified.

She let out a soft, amused laugh. Her hand slipped off his chest, releasing him from her trap, but her eyes remained on him.

"You think I wouldn't know? You naughty liar."

His heart hammered wildly in his chest.

She saw it. . . She actually saw it...

This is bad... really bad….

His mind raced through his thoughts, trying to find an excuse, but nothing came out. Then, from the corner of his eye, Sylvia took a step closer, and Raphael instinctively leaned back.

W-wait... what is she doing?

She stopped right in front of him, looking down with gleaming green eyes.

“Look at me, Raphael.”

He didn't dare to look.

She perched one leg onto the edge of the bench right between his spread legs and leaned in closer. His body tensed.

No...Please don't move any closer.

Raphael felt her fingers press against his chin, forcibly tilting his face toward her. The first thing his eyes locked onto was his picture- her fingers dangling the phone right in front of him.

A fresh flush of red burned across his cheeks. He quickly swiped the phone from her fingers.

She broke into laughter, clutching her stomach as if it were the most amusing thing she had ever seen.

“Ah, I love it when you look like that, Raphael.”

“H-how did you even know?” Raphael snapped, still slightly flustered.

"Some things don't lie, Raphael," Sylvia whispered as she leaned in closer to his ear, draping her arms over his shoulders. The scent of her sweet cherry perfume and vanilla shampoo filled his senses, an intoxicating mix of sweat and artificial scents.

Deliberately, her thigh pressed forward against him, giving a light nudge.

A strange sensation hit Raphael like an electric shock as he felt the cloth rubbing against him. The sudden motion caught him off guard as the sandwich from his fingers slipped out of his grip.

Everything fell onto the ground.

Raphael's breath hitched sharply as his body twitched from her touch. He gritted his teeth, holding back a groan from escaping on his lips.

…What on earth is happening?

His body shifted back, scooting away from her, hoping to gain a bit of distance to relieve himself from the discomfort.

But he could no longer move.

He bumped onto the back rest, sandwiched between the hard marble bench and Sylvia’s presence.

He was trapped.

"Sylvia.... you are too close."

His brows furrowed as he held onto her arms, prying them off his shoulders.

She didn't budge.

Instead, she fought back, locking him in a tight embrace.

A soft chuckle escaped under her breath.

"This is what happens when you lie and disobey me," she murmured.

"So what? You already saw it.” He retorted.

“There’s no need for- Ah!”

He jolted once more, cutting his words as Sylvia nudged him on the same spot. He turned his head to the side, putting his arm over his face and suppressing another sound escaping from his lips.

"Too bad," she purred, laughing under her breath.

Raphael's chest pounded rapidly as Sylvia leaned onto his chest, listening to his heart beat. Her body pressed against him, soft and warm. This time, her voice dropped low with a hint of sweetness, creeping right behind his ear as she whispered.

"I told you there would be consequences if you didn't send it on time."

Then, a strange sensation arose around his ear, warm and wet, nipping softly on his flesh.

“Ahh!”

A loud, involuntary moan escaped from his lips, unable to suppress it, throwing his head back against the bench while catching his breath. His eyes wandered in Sylvia’s direction, now looking over him with a playful expression, curving out a delightful grin, amused at the sight.

Raphael averted his gaze.

Too flustered.

Speechless.

The silence between them grew heavy; only the sounds of their heavy breathing filled the place. No one made a move, as if everything was stuck in this moment.

Raphael never looked back, closing his eyes to escape from the scene. Then, he felt her fingertips touching his jaw, about to pull him.

A sharp crunch of dried leaves and twigs echoed behind the nearby bushes and trees, disturbing the scene.

She stopped.

Raphael peeked as he witnessed the playful expression on her face vanish instantly. Then, she stood up and straightened herself slowly while her eyes carefully studied her surroundings, looking in a certain direction.

Suddenly, the garden became too quiet.

No rustle. No chirps.

Just stillness.

The only thing Raphael could hear was the pounding of his chest, hammering wildly as he remained frozen on the bench with his shallow breaths.

She is right there, standing.

The sensation lingered in his ear, tingling.

Sylvia returned her gaze towards him. That dangerous little smile curved out once more, slower this time.

"We'll continue this another time,” she murmured like a promise.

"Don't go hiding again, Raphael."

She gracefully stepped back, casually walking away from the scene without a word. Her heels clicked softly against the cobbled path, fading into the distance.

Raphael watched her disappear.

Now, all alone.

Still, his chest tightened while his hands trembled.

Even though Sylvia's gone, the warmth of her breath, the soft press of her thighs, and worst of all, his body's reactions against his will, continued to haunt him.

He swallowed hard.

What the hell is wrong with me?

A sigh escaped his lips, slumping his back against the cold marble bench. He took a deep breath as his shoulders finally relaxed, looking up at the sky in wonder.

Not a single bird flying on the horizon.

Not a cloud in the sky.

Not wind blowing through the midst.

Everything was too calm, an ominous feeling rather than a breathtaking sight. Even the half-eaten sandwich lay forgotten and untouched on the ground.

Bitten. Discarded.

Like it had been marked by her.