Chapter 263 - 256. Say It Again (M)
"Were you...jealous?"
Zein paused, turning around with slightly widened eyes, looking stunned and in a daze. It wasn’t what Bassena expected. He had thought Zein would either look embarrassed or straight up denied it.
But the guide, leaning his hips against the kitchen island, was touching his abdomen. The blue eyes blinked slowly, staring into the empty air to digest that word. He traveled his hand upward, and stopped above his chest, pondering.
Zein knew about jealousy, he could tell when people acted jealous. After all, Bassena was coded with that trait. But Zein, who didn’t care about people’s thoughts before, who always became the one who was chased and courted before, had no idea what it felt like.
Now that Bassena pointed it out, he recalled the feeling of something churning in his guts, like a bug somersaulting in his stomach. That feeling of caution wasn’t for an enemy, but...a rival--or what he thought to be one. This was why, when he saw the way Bassena got offended on his behalf and told the Saintess off, he felt a sense of relief, and the uncomfortable feeling in his stomach was gone.
"Huh..." he muttered, stroking his lips in realization. "So this is...jealousy?"
Bassena was stunned, watching the guide’s dazed expression with increasing heartbeat. He realized then that Zein had never felt jealous before, and it snapped something inside him.
"Ah, seriously--"
Bassena took a long stride and reached Zein in a mere second, grabbing the guide’s waist and nape before pressing his lips in a hard, ardent kiss. Zein blinked at the sudden intensity, because Bassena had been more or less gentle before, as if scared of crossing the line. Even in the heat of the moment, Bassena let Zein take the rein, controlling the intensity of their sensual activity.
But this kiss reminded Zein of the darkness of the underground ruin; filled with raw emotions that had been strained and suppressed for long. The thought that Bassena still held back this much even after Zein answered his feelings put the guide in a daze. His lips, parted in surprise, accepted the unleashed ardor in kind.
Because the moment Bassena touched his skin, Zein felt all of his frustration released. The days of yearning for his esper’s touch and kiss flooded his senses. He was too distraught and emotional earlier, but now that they were home, his whole being screamed a yearning for Bassena.