28 Trigger the link (Leo)
Julia took a shower as soon as we came back to the room. She applied the creams we bought and then got out of the bathroom to look for help. She's wearing her pyjamas already, but her hair is still wet.
«It doesn't fit in!» she says, her eyes full of tears.
«What doesn't fit?»
«The plug,» she explains, showing me the hairdryer with a round plug. All the sockets in the academy have two parallel pins, while the hairdryer's plug has three.
«What now?»
I observe her for a moment only, imprinting her desperate expression in my mind. It's new: she hasn't reacted to anything till now.
She must have desired much to dry her hair, judging from her pout.
«If I solve it, what will you do for me?» I say, grinning.
She looks at me with a trace of hope, widening her eyes in surprise.
«You know your way around electricity?»
«Why not?» I ask, even though my solution is many times simpler.
«You know so many things,» she says, maybe trying to flatter.
«You're avoiding my question...»
«Oh, no, I'm not.»
«Then, what will you do?»
She looks at the device in her hand with an uncertain expression, and then she takes a decision.
«I will dry your hair!»
«I don't need that thing for it,» I mutter, disappointed. Julia could be more creative.
«But you bought it. It must have been expensive. Wouldn't it be a pity not to use it, now?»
«Indeed,» I sigh. I don't like her rationality.
I open a drawer of the bedside table, and I find an adapter.
«Oh,» Julia moans when she sees the object in my hand. She blushes, realising that she's reacted abruptly to such a problem.
Not that I mind: it was cute.
«You shouldn't use electrical tools in the bathroom,» I say. I don't want her to hide behind that door again. «Water and electricity are not a good combination.»
«Are you worried, perhaps?»
«Who knows?» I shrug, walking to the door of the bathroom to close it. «There's a socket next to the bed, on your side. You can use that one.»
Julia inserts the plug in the socket almost ceremonially. She observes the buttons of the hairdryer for a while until trying a couple at random. When she finds the right one, the device starts blowing warm air, and she winces.
She doesn't let go of it, but her frown tells me that she hasn't ever used one. She wouldn't be acting like a child.
When the air becomes warmer, she widens her eyes and directs the blow to her locks. She's so clumsy right now.
I sit next to her, and she moves the blow of air from her to me, hitting my face. She laughs in the process as if she was witnessing something amusing.
I seize the device from her hand and use it to dry her hair, instead of letting her make trouble around. She won't finish ever if I don't take things in my hands, and I'm in a hurry for her to finish.
«You should first dry the roots,» I explain, sinking my fingers in her hair. «The tips will dry on their own in the process.»
She lets me take control, staring at me with her hazel eyes. Her hair soon becomes silken, maybe thanks to the conditioner.
She has the scent of vanilla on her.
«You smell like a cupcake,» I say after turning the hairdryer off. I throw it on the bed and get closer to inhale her aroma. «So much that I'd eat you...»
Julia is startled by my words, but she doesn't move away.
«Leo,» she whispers. «You shouldn't say things like this...»
«Why not?»
«Because...» She can't find the right words, so she just looks at her fingers. Then, after long seconds of silence, she answers. «Because I might misunderstand.»
Oh, is that so?
«What is there to misunderstand?» I chuckle. I move her hair from her shoulder and land my lips on her neck. «I can't think of a meaning applicable to my words which wouldn't be true.»
She holds her breath, her chest filled with air. Her heart is racing under my lips, her fingers slightly trembling.
I nibble her shoulder, making her moan in between surprise and complaint. She was hoping for more, right?
Yet, I like to play. I like it so much that I don't flinch when she grabs my shirt and tries dragging me down on the bed.
It wouldn't be fun if it was this easy.
Instead of following her wish, I block her between my arms. I'm still sitting on the edge while Julia somehow finds herself lying down under my gaze.
I bow down to reach her neck and lick her skin. No matter the scent, she has the same taste as always.
One of my hands slips under her t-shirt, caressing her side as slow as possible. I don't want to rush, mainly because I'm not sure if I can control myself.
One step at a time, until I resolve the problem I myself created. I'm such a selfish man. I'm letting my soulmate suffer because of my desires.
If I refrained from touching her, I'm sure she wouldn't be panting like this. The corners of her eyes wouldn't be decorated with small tears.
I don't have any right to take advantage of this. I'm the culprit if she's burning under my touch. Yet, I can't stop.
My hand reaches her bare chest, and I cup her breast within my fingers. She clenches the sheets with a sigh, and she arches her back to be closer to me.
Her eyes are closed, but her lips are split to let me see a glimpse of her white teeth. My tongue tickles because of the need to feel hers, and I can't help but kiss her.
My thumb plays with her nipple that hardens at the touch, and she opens her lips more to moan. I take the chance to slip my tongue in, and she sighs as if relieved from thirst.
I should definitely stop appeasing my wild desires. From tomorrow, I won't do this again. I won't trigger the link anymore, I swear to myself.
