Zenjiro blinked one more time. The flat white ceiling faded completely from his vision. He turned his head to the right. The dark room offered poor visibility.
A faint orange glow from the streetlamp outside leaked through the thin window blinds. The weak light painted soft shadows across the mattress.
A girl lay fast asleep directly beside him. He stared at her quiet form. He lifted his left hand and extended his index finger through the cool air. He poked Liora's right cheek.
The skin felt warm. The texture was flawlessly smooth under his touch.
He withdrew his finger and let his gaze travel. He observed Liora from the top of her messy blonde hair all the way down to her feet. Her right leg rested heavily across his own dark shorts. Her left foot lay flat against the far side of the mattress. The casual, sprawling posture exposed the pale curve of her thighs.
He brought his focus back up to her face. The physical distance between them was entirely gone. Liora kept her head tucked securely against Zenjiro's right shoulder. He felt the intense heat of Liora's left cheek burning through the thin cotton of his gray shirt. Warm air escaped her parted lips. The steady exhales washed rhythmically over his chest.
He studied her features in the dim orange light.
She is really pretty.
The long observation period twisted his rational thoughts. The longer he stared at her peaceful expression, the more attractive her physical body became.
Something shifted near his center. A sudden, involuntary biological reaction occurred beneath the fabric of his shorts. A tight pressure built rapidly in his lower body.
He ignored the physical strain. He just kept his eyes locked on Liora's face and the soft curves of her body.
He needed absolute certainty. He had to confirm she was deep in sleep before he took any further risks.
He raised his left hand again and pressed his thumb against the soft skin just below Liora's right eyebrow. He pushed the eyelid upward.
A sliver of pure white sclera appeared. Her pupil was rolled back completely into her skull.
He let the lid drop. He repeated the exact same motion on her left eye and saw the same white void.
She was completely unconscious.
The confirmation broke the last remaining chain on his restraint. He flattened his left palm and pressed it gently against Liora's right cheek.
He rubbed the soft skin with slow, deliberate circular motions. The fierce heat radiated directly into his hand. It felt as smooth as polished glass.
Zenjiro's palm drifted across Liora's face. He touched the bridge of her nose. He smoothed his fingers over her forehead. He traced the delicate cartilage of her right ear. He memorized every single texture and curve. He conducted a thorough, quiet quality check on her sleeping features.
Liora's face is perfect.
He moved his hand upward and patted her messy blonde hair.
One. Two. Three.
He counted the soft impacts silently in his head. He patted the thick strands at least twenty times. The repetitive motion calmed his racing nerves.
He lowered his hand back to Liora's face. He pressed his left thumb against the corner of her lower lip. He rubbed the pad of his finger across the soft, pink skin from left to right.
The damp heat burned his skin. He shifted his thumb upward and glided the digit across her upper lip, tracing the shape from left to right.
The tactile exploration fueled the heavy fire in his stomach.
He slid his left palm down the column of her neck. He felt her steady, slow pulse beating beneath his fingers.
He moved his hand lower to Liora's right shoulder and traced the firm line of her collarbone. He followed the dip of her waist and the flare of her right hip.
He wrapped his hand around to Liora's back and patted the fabric of her shirt five times in a slow, rhythmic sequence. Back and forth. He felt the shallow rise and fall of her ribs.
He was feeling her body first. He conducted a full physical inspection before he crossed the ultimate line.
His hand slid further downward and brushed the palm against Liora's right buttock. The thick, dark fabric of her pleated school skirt covered the flesh. He pushed past the heavy cloth. His hand reached her exposed right thigh.
He glided his left palm flat against the smooth, burning skin and dragged his hand toward Liora's right knee. The intense body heat sent a jolt of electricity up his arm.
I am done inspecting. This body is really perfect.
He pulled his hand away from her leg and reached up toward her face one final time. He pushed her eyelids open to double-check her state. The white void stared back at him. She had not stirred at all during the invasive touch.
He leaned his head slightly to the right and placed his mouth near Liora's ear.
"Liora, I am sorry," Zenjiro whispered into the shadows. "You respect me. You trust me as your older brother. But I am just a man. I cannot take it anymore. I am at my limit."
He tilted his head down and pressed his dry lips firmly against Liora's warm forehead for a brief second.
He pulled back and mentally calculated his next move.
The physical geometry of their tangled limbs created a big problem. Zenjiro rested his right hand flat on the mattress beside his own right leg.
That meant his right arm was completely locked beneath Liora's sprawled body. Her tight hug pinned his right upper arm against her chest. Her soft stomach pressed heavily over his lower arm. Her heavy right leg acted as a solid anchor, trapping his hand near his thigh. He could not lift his right arm at all.
His free left hand could easily reach Liora's right thigh resting across his lap. But the left hand could not reach the target hidden below the dark skirt.
The angle was entirely wrong. Even if he twisted his shoulder and forced the reach, the awkward stretch would ruin his balance and likely wake her up.
His trapped right hand offered a completely different story. The fingertips rested maybe an inch away from the heavy hem of Liora's skirt. A tiny shift of his knuckles would bring him into direct contact with the forbidden territory.
He was ready to explore the uncharted place he had never touched before. The dark craving completely consumed his mind.
He closed his eyes tightly and opened them a second later. He inhaled a sharp breath of the cool bedroom air and exhaled a long, shaky breath.
"Yosh," Zenjiro muttered under his breath. "Here I go."
His right hand twitched and slowly flexed his trapped fingers. He dragged his knuckles a fraction of a millimeter across the cotton bedsheet. He moved steadily toward the dark shadow of Liora's skirt.
He swallowed the dry lump in his throat.
The distance shrank.
The prize was right there. He was prepared to grab it.
Suddenly...
A harsh, electronic noise erupted in the dead silence.
Ring! Ring! Ring!
Zenjiro froze. Total panic flooded his veins. He snatched his right hand back to its original position and lay completely rigid against the mattress.
The loud ringing continued to echo off the bedroom walls. The sharp sound originated from the space directly behind Liora's head.
A bright white light flashed rapidly against the dark sheets. It was a mobile phone.
Liora was still not moving.
Zenjiro stared at the flashing light. He could not move a single muscle. His heart pounded wildly. The shrill noise cut through his skull. He silently prayed for the caller to hang up.
But his prayers were not answered.
Liora shifted her weight. A sleepy groan vibrated in her throat. She slowly opened her blue eyes.
She blinked against the harsh glare of the phone screen. She saw Zenjiro lying stiffly beside her. She noticed his wide eyes staring toward the source of the noise.
She rolled onto her right side. She reached her hand out and grabbed the glowing device from the mattress. She pushed herself up into a sitting position and swiped a finger across the glass screen and brought the speaker to her ear.
"Hello," Liora said. Her voice was thick and raspy with sleep.
Zenjiro strained his ears. He could hear faint, tinny sounds leaking from the small speaker, but the actual words of the caller remained muffled and unintelligible.
"I am home now, Sakura-chan," Liora answered.
The tiny voice chattered again for a few seconds.
"Thank you," Liora replied. She pulled the phone away and tapped the screen to end the call.
Liora tapped the glass surface rapidly to dial another number and brought the speaker back to her ear.
"Miu-chan," Liora said softly. "Your mother is asking Sakura-chan where you are. She is very worried. You'd better go back home now."
The person on the other line answered.
"Okay, go home now," Liora said.
Zenjiro lay completely rigid on the mattress. A dark, bitter frustration clawed at the inside of his throat.
He had been a single millimeter away. His knuckles had practically felt the dark hem of her skirt.