Five

~~Nathan~~

That was her first kiss? But that’s not even a kiss.

I’ve lived a few decades before she was even born, and now I’m sitting here, weighing how to respond to something like that.

Everything happened so fast. No one expects to walk in from work and find someone naked in their house. But I did. And instead of just a face, I ended up seeing far more than I should have.

It should’ve been easy to dismiss, but the image refuses to leave my head. Accident or not, it left a mark. She was probably terrified, but I’m not the type to let chaos rattle me.

“Don’t worry,” I say firmly, my voice is steady to calm her down and leave no room for doubt. “I’ll keep it between us. Not a word to anyone, not even Yssa.” I lean back and square my shoulders, locking my eyes at her. “But I need to know why you ended up in that state. My daughter doesn’t keep company with people who can’t handle themselves.”

“I’m sane,” she fires back, her brows knitting together. Desperation is evident in her eyes. She wants to explain, but the words choke her.

I raise my hands, not in surrender but to cut through her tension. “Relax. You don’t have to prove anything to me right now. What happened was awkward, sure. But I didn’t mean to see it, and you can’t pin that on me. This is my house, and I don’t apologize for being where I belong.”

She nods her head and slowly sits down. “I… saw…” she sighs and straightens her back. Suddenly, the air around her seems different. She looks calmer and confident now.

“Mr. Reid, I think you should take care of your house. It’s breathtaking, but you’re clearly neglecting it. I suggest you get professionals to clean EVERY corner,” she says, stressing the words ‘every’ as she mentioned the corner of the house.

Hmm. That’s what she wants to say?

A smirk faintly tugs on my lips. I take my glass of wine and have a sip. “You’ve got a sharp eye,” I reply, keeping an eye contact with her. “But don’t mistake a little dust for neglect. This house stands because I keep it standing. If I want professionals, I’ll call them. Until then, every corner is exactly as I allow it to be.”

“Huh?! You mean you like having lizards in the house?” Kate blurts out in disbelief.

A lizard, huh? Did she run around naked after seeing one?

“I don’t mind,” I say, leaning forward. “Lizards don’t bother me.”

She looks at me with her mouth slightly open, her eyes widened in shock. “I can’t believe you just said that,” she whispers, her lips subtly moving.

It was quick, but the memory of our lips touching floods my head. I can’t believe I remember that brief moment.

“Viola! Who’s ready for a cookie?” Yssa’s voice echoes through the dining hall as she enters with a tray of cookies from the kitchen.

Her timing is just perfect. I don’t waste energy fussing over kids. I run this house, I set the order, and if sweets keep them occupied, then so be it.

“Hey, Dad. Give it a try,” Yssa offers, holding out a cookie. I take it, more out of curiosity than indulgence, and bite into it. The taste settles on my tongue. It’s simple but decent.

I nod. “Hm. Not bad,” I say, wiping the crumbs off my lips with my thumb. My gaze then sweeps the table, and there she is, caught staring at me… again.

**************************

“We’ll talk about the details on Monday, Shawn.” I hang up the call and place my phone on the table.

I take a lungful of air as I swirl the wine in my glass. I take a slow sip, watching the fireflies lighting the garden. I used to love the stillness of the night at this hour, but this time, it brings back memories I should forget.

Kate’s body is engraved in my head. Her curves and even the softness of her skin, her mild sweet scent… It’s all there, etched like a mark I can’t erase. I don’t reminisce about those memories, they come to me, and annoyingly lingers.

I take another sip of wine, and then another, emptying my glass. With thoughts that make my body heat up, I don’t think I can have a good sleep tonight.

“She’s my daughter’s age, for heaven’s sake,” I groan, running my fingers through my hair. “This is going to be a long night.”

I pour myself another glass of wine and sips on it when all of a sudden, a faint shuffle breaks through the silence, followed by a scraping sound of clay against the stone floor. I turn my head sharply, furrowing my eyebrows.

“Kate?”

“A-Ah… S-Sorry–hik!” She looks up from the floor, hiccuping as she struggles to stand up. “Oh, y-you’re here,” she laughs, clumsily patting the dust off her pajamas. “Are you here because you c-can’t sleep?”

I catch a whiff of alcohol in the air as she groggily walks toward me, locking her gaze on my face.

“You’re drunk,” I say, clenching my jaws. “You should go to bed. Where’s Yssa?”

“S-Sleeping? I don’t k-know–hik! She’s in h-her room,” she replies, slurring her words.

I narrow my eyes, my jaw tightens as I watch her stumble closer.

“Enough,” I say in a low voice, cutting through her slurred words. “You shouldn’t be wandering around like this. Go back to your room before you embarrass yourself further.”

She sways, blinking at me. Her lips part as if she wants to argue. But I won’t give her a chance, not when she’s intoxicated “Kate,” I call, watching her in case she falls again. “Go to sleep.”

“Y-You…hik… You stole my first kiss!” she cries out. “You’re n-not even my b-boyfriend! You’re Yssa’s d-dad! Hik!”

Ah. Is this about that thing again?

“A kiss? That’s not even a kiss,” I say out loud, massaging the bridge of my nose.

Kate suddenly marches toward me, her hands reach out for my collar. “Not a k-kiss? Then what’s a kiss, h-huh?”

I hold her wrists firmly, helping her stay still. “You really want to know?” I ask, my voice lower and deeper.

She looks at me, surprised. But there's something in her eyes I can very well tell. Kate parts her lips, but befoore she can utter another word, I pull her closer, closing the space between us. Her lips crash against mine. This time, it's not an accident.