Chapter 6 First kiss

Nixie’s courage suddenly shrank when she heard what Ziven said. It sounded like he was about to devour her. She quickly looked down with a pleading expression.

“I’m scared... but I have to do it with you!”

Ziven crouched down to see Nixie’s frightened face more clearly.

“If your Esper wasn’t me, would you still be scared?”

“I don’t know.”

Seeing Nixie hesitate, Ziven felt a strange irritation rise in his chest.

The handsome man stood back up, forcing Nixie to look up at him. From down here, he looked like a giant he was so tall.

“I’ll bring the boxes in.”

He carried the three big boxes again without using his power.

Once inside, the big house looked normal. But there was one thing missing to Nixie: there were no family photos. Not like in her home.

Dust flew in the air, making Nixie cough and cover her mouth.

“How long has it been since you came home?!”

His footsteps paused for a second.

“I don’t know. I can’t remember.”

Then Ziven walked toward the stairs, like his room was upstairs.

Nixie waved her hands left and right to keep the dust away from her nose. The house looked like no one had lived here for years.

When they reached upstairs, the room was just as dusty as downstairs. Nixie stared at Ziven, confused.

“I’ll clean up. You sit down first!”

“I’ll help. Wait, are you going to use your power to clean?” Nixie asked innocently.

“This power isn’t made for cleaning, Nixie. It’s only for fighting,” Ziven replied before walking out of the room. Nixie, understanding, just nodded.

The beautiful girl quickly helped tidy the room. She changed the sheets. Luckily there was a broom, so everything went faster.

It took them almost 3 hours to clean the whole house. Exhaustion hit Nixie. She collapsed on the big sofa, breathing hard.

“Ziven, you should’ve called a cleaning service when you picked me up! Ugh, I’m so tired.”

“No one wants to come to this house. Except you.”

That sentence left Nixie speechless. Why was an Esper’s life so miserable?

“Alright. So what’s in the fridge? Or do you have any nutrition liquid?” Nixie asked. They definitely had to eat after all that work.

“There’s nothing.”

That short answer made Nixie sigh and rub her temples. This wasn’t a normal life. This was torture.

“Then let’s go to the city to buy groceries!”

“Why didn’t you buy them when we were in the city, Ziven?” Nixie asked, frustrated.

“I forgot.”

“Damn it.” Nixie rubbed her face. She had no idea what to do anymore. Then she forced a smile.

“Fine. Let’s go back to the city. Otherwise we’ll starve here.”

Ziven had never met anyone who could talk to him so casually. Or make an annoyed face that somehow looked cute to him.

Nixie walked upstairs again to change. She couldn’t go out wearing dusty clothes.

A short pink dress that hit just above her knees, with her long hair down. The sweet look suited her perfectly.

When Nixie came down, Ziven stared at her without blinking.

Nixie smiled and played with her hair. Her heart beat fast, but she told herself it was normal to feel this way around a man. The key to life was to stay relaxed, or she’d get wrinkles from overthinking!

“How do I look? Pretty in this dress?”

“You’re pretty. But I don’t like you wearing that out. Change into something more covered,” Ziven said seriously.

Nixie frowned in confusion. She looked at herself in the mirror. She thought she looked cute.

“Why? I love this dress. I always wear it. Why can’t I now?”

“Because you’re mine now. So no one else gets to see you like this except me.”

That unexpected line from Ziven made her cheeks burn. Why did it feel like they were a real couple instead of just a work contract?

“Ziven, do you even realize what you just said?” Nixie asked to be sure.

“Yes. Do you want to see me when I’m not in my right mind?”

“N-no, I just feel like I could fall in love with you!” Nixie said bluntly. She wasn’t the type to hide her feelings. Bottling them up would only make her sick, in her opinion.

Ziven stepped closer. Even after cleaning, his body still had that distinct masculine scent. It felt strangely comforting to be near him.

Nixie tilted her head up because of their height difference.

“What?”

“Can I kiss you?”

Ziven’s question made Nixie stare at him in disbelief. Her heart was racing so fast she felt like she might die. What was she supposed to do?

“After that... will you go fight those monsters again?” Nixie asked, needing to know she wouldn’t be left behind after this.

Ziven shook his head and gently touched the back of her neck.

“No. I just want to spend time with you.”

His lips touched hers. Nixie closed her eyes and tried to kiss him back. Tears slipped down her face. This was her first kiss. Her first time like this.

They both forgot how hungry they were.

Ziven picked Nixie up in his arms, and she wrapped her legs around his waist.

He carried her to the bedroom, their kiss never breaking. Every touch felt like magic, slowly easing the pain in Ziven’s body.

Thud! Ziven gently laid Nixie on the bed. With quick movements, he pulled off his shirt, then hovered over her again, kissing her until she was breathless.

Nixie pushed against his hard chest until he looked at her, panting.

“What? Are you scared?”

“I can’t breathe, idiot!” Nixie said, annoyed. She was going to pass out if he kept kissing her like that.

Seeing his Guide’s annoyed face somehow made Ziven want her even more. For the first time in his life, he felt something this amazing. Usually anyone who tried to Guide him would run away in fear just from his gaze. Only Nixie stayed.

The kiss trailed down to her neck while his big hand gently held her.

Nixie should’ve felt violated. But remembering how he almost died to save her made her choose to trust him.

“Nixie... does this feel good?”