Chapter 28
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Taking charge in matters of the heart baffled her completely.
Past-life recollections offered volumes of wisdom everywhere else, yet left affection a total void.
She had endured all-female schools from middle through high, devoted college to civil-service drills, scraped through the test, then collapsed under workload.
Love found no foothold there.
Authority figures hammered home that dalliances doomed progress—pour energy into lessons alone. Exam gurus online reinforced it: defer passion indefinitely.
Indefinite stretched eternal.
Academy here mingled genders, still prospects all flopped. Seeming sparks dulled fast.
Connie grazed her cheek, mulling. She released a deep breath, bracing for elusive wisdom.
Library raid for courtship guides?
No digital trails existed; print ruled knowledge.
Voice trailing off, Connie wagged denial, eyes blending sympathy and astonishment.
Such shelves skip seduction tomes entirely.
Seek a proper shop. Dusty archives lag behind fashions.
Nothing outranked desperation.
Nearby mega-store yielded armloads of manuals. They pored like midterm assaults.
Sore gaze lifting from final page, she distilled essence: beam at first glance, whisper approvals, graze softly.
Nailed it precisely.
Ally in the skim-through, Connie endorsed heartily.
Courtship tactics registered as deceptively basic.
Absorb lectures, deploy in wild.
Dawn brought fresh attire, Connie-picked, to rendezvous point.
Everette loomed early, vigilant.
Her call snapped vigilant scan onto her. Sun amplified gold irises to brilliance.
Gaze hooked, grin exploded wide, corners folding.
Frame locked rigid a touch.
Unfamiliar vibe, though rejection absent.
Smile lingering, she edged inward.
Lord Rojas gleams under daylight.
Handsome defined his baseline; tome supplied safe script.
Wit failed fresh praise.
Proven phrasing promised broad strike.
Praise dispatched, she halved gap—no guiding arm surfaced. Trance gripped him.
Facial scan complete, arm ventured bold, palm claiming.
Gentle brush finale.
Motionless as marble.
Doubts flickered.
Pals palm freely.
Escalation demanded bolder merge.
Guts summoned, palm retreated, elbow hooked light.
Feral twitch rocked him. Unbound, flight seemed certain.
Alarm rising, chin lifted. Stare wrenched sideways stiff.
Contact ignited scarlet wave.
Her name escaped in fragment. Visage shield attempted rightward—hers trapped it. Off palm sealed leftward instead.
Slivers betrayed blazing skin downward.
Shame rippled back, fever blooming tandem. Pressed forms blazed midday blaze. Pulse hammered ears relentless.
Initiator or not, audacity stunned her.
Features tracked, hook dissolved, lateral shift granted air.
Spaced by strides, views diverged, cheeks mirrored crimson.
Wind nipped sharper than autumn warranted.
Balance returned via him.
Entry deadline presses close.
Plenty hours masked as urgency. Prolonged vigil? Venture within?
Flawed pivot welcomed warmly.
Hesitant phrases bridged, strides synced toward venue.
Lips sealed, whirlwinds spun inward.
Threshold loomed; fingers laced anew, ginger. Prior clasps paled against today’s edge.
Rhythm thrashed throat-high.
Crowd roar drowned under inner roar.
Gulp risked cardiac launch.
Traversed venue portion mute, palms welded, strides automaton.
Fixations mirrored deep.
Sliced standard marathon brief.
Cadence refused truce.
Sever grasp for peace?
Chin angled; stare drilled ahead.
Severance repelled.
Fingers realigned, frenzy tamed gradual.
Vendor booth snagged focus; gait dragged astray.
Shift registered; query trailed sightline, stalled.
Dual visions replayed vivid.
Pupils quaked, prior cramming exposed.
Hidden curve lips thawed strain.
Prod sparked sly.
Guide etched fresh today?
Floor claimed eyes; rim glow screamed, chest tickled light.
Escalated imp: Passed it over?
Pressure cracked barrier.
Dwarven bellows strike me worthless debris, yet ignite your glow. Crave that wonder.
Timbre dwindled, valor ebbing.
Affinity sharpened inward.
Artifact chill hit post-second outing clear.
Voided that, bonds vanished.
Boredom opt-out lodged unspoken.
Strands teetered slender.
Wills entwined forged fast.
Bridges built willful.
Palm wiggled lively.
Your pursuit commands future.
Endless tomorrows queued intent.
