The Black Swan Behind (Beauty of Fire)

316 Rude

Levi closed the locker door and locked it. He kept the key in his trouser pocket as he walked over to Emma. He smiled warmly when he caught her watching him. “Am I that eye-catching?”

Emma looked at him sarcastically. “Disgusting,”

Levi laughed and then stretched out his hands in front of Emma. “Your eyes don’t lie, Emma.”

“Enjoy yourself, mister,” Emma replied, placing her hand on the big, warm palm.

The two of them walked a little until they came to the door of the ice field. Levi stepped in first so he could immediately hold Emma. Once the two of them were inside, they slid into the centre together.

Since spring still brought cool temperatures, the conditions on the ice field were colder. Emma giggled when her body was able to remember how to balance itself as Levi had taught her at that time.

“I think I have talent in ice skating. This is just my second time and I’m so good at it,” Emma said while gliding slowly with Levi guarding beside her.

“You’re too complacent. You don’t know you are moving like a robot now – stiff,” Levi answered while skating backwards.

“Unfortunately, I don’t have much time. If I learn this rather seriously, it might only take me two or three months before I can be more proficient than you,” Emma replied.

..... 𝗳𝔯𝒆e𝘸𝗲𝗯𝓷𝗼𝘃𝘦l. 𝒄o𝓂

“Oh... Haha...” Levi gave a sarcastic laugh, “I want to see it. Do we need to make a bet? Whoever loses has to grant whatever the winner wishes,”

“Tch! Child’s play,” Emma sneered.

Levi chuckled and raised an eyebrow. “Are you scared?”

“A scared Emma? Are you kidding me,”

“I am not kidding,” Levi gave a condescending face as if he thought Emma was cowardly.

Seeing Levi’s face, Emma’s self-esteem was tarnished. “I’ll find some free time to learn this. When I win, you have to become my maid and help me go shopping crazy to carry all my shopping bags for half a year,”

“Is that your request for the bet?” Levi chuckled.

“I’m thinking the worst. Maybe I’ll change it later,” Emma replied sarcastically.

Levi nodded slowly. “I already know what my request is that you must grant if I win,”

Levi and Emma were like hot water and cold water. Emma was always exploding and often angry, but Levi responded with ease and laughter.

“Oh? Is this for real? I didn’t say it would be serious,” Emma said with one raised eyebrow. She really thought this was all a joke.

Levi looked at Emma questioningly. “I thought you agreed to do it?”

“I’m just kidding. How could I have that much free time? If so, we might have to wait a very long time,” She replied.

“Oh… That’s a shame,” Levi let out a long sigh as he turned his body to face forward.

Emma glanced at Levi who had suddenly become a bit silent. She was just kidding and she thought Levi understood that. But why was he being so serious like that?

A feeling of guilt slowly crept up on Emma’s chest. Maybe she had gone too far because she felt the two of them were that close to being able to understand each other in a joking or serious situation. Emma forgot that when they first met today, she had seen Levi’s face which looked like he was depressed. Maybe that’s what made his sense of humour not work so well today.

Emma cleared her throat. “Well... if the bet really could be done, what would you ask for?” she asked to comfort Levi. She could help a little if he asked for something she could do. Yes, she would do it even without a bet.

Levi looked at Emma. Then he slowed down his skates a bit. He smiled faintly with a weak expression on his face. “I will ask you to be my girlfriend. It doesn’t have to be long – Four months is enough. That way, I can have the opportunity to prove my love to you,”

Levi’s answer made Emma stunned. She didn’t expect that request. Ah... Luckily she did not really agree to the bet. Otherwise, she would be stuck in her own game. She was also just kidding when she said she could beat Levi’s ice skating skills in just two months.

Because her focus was scattered, Emma forgot that she was sliding on ice. Suddenly, her feet became closer to each other until both of her shoes hit each other. She instantly lost her balance and staggered.

Emma was stupid. She would bump her feet and it was unexpected by Levi, so he didn’t have time to move faster when she fell. Levi, who saw that Emma had staggered backwards, immediately rolled over to the side of her body and made his own body as a mat for Emma to fall.

For Levi, he didn’t have a problem falling a thousand times on the ice, as long as it wasn’t Emma who did. When you love someone, then your desire to protect them will be even greater, even for the slightest thing.

Emma fell onto Levi’s body in an oblique position. But she didn’t expect that Levi could quickly help her by becoming a human mat.

“I… I’m sorry. I think I didn’t focus,” Emma said as she was about to get off Levi’s chest. But she couldn’t move because the man’s arms held her there. He hugged her.

“Please, just wait a bit like this. One minute... no, just half a minute. It will help me a lot. I miss you so much,” Levi said near Emma’s ear. The pain from his body hitting the hard ice was not felt by him at all.

“I miss you so much, Emma. Days feel like years to me. I want to hear your voice and talk to you. It’s fine over the phone. However, I’m too afraid to call you – thinking you’ll be annoyed and won’t see me again at all. But I really can’t take it anymore,” He continued, closing his eyes tightly.

Feeling Emma in his arms was a heavenly breeze blowing to ease the pain from the torments of hell that Levi was currently undergoing.

Emma froze. All of Levi’s words flowed like music that entered her heart through her suddenly-hot ears. It was beautiful. It was warm. It was intoxicating. However, this must not happen.

Emma immediately removed her body from Levi’s warm and comfortable embrace roughly, then fixed the strands of her long hair.

Emma’s attitude was recognized as a rejection by Levi. As soon as she released herself by pressing his chest very roughly, he already knew that his heart would hurt again. Levi opened his eyes with a straight face, staring at the high ceiling filled with dew from the icy cold steam below.

Emma sat beside Levi with her chest pounding loudly. “Levi, I have something to tell you. We have to talk,”

Levi sighed heavily and sat up. He looked at Emma with a cold questioning gaze, even colder than the layer of ice they were sitting on.

“Levi, we can’t...”

Emma froze again because Levi suddenly hugged her again. However, Emma’s astonishment didn’t last as long as before to realize that Levi had gone too far. She was already used to Levi’s frontal acts which sometimes became too much. However, Levi was at the stage of not respecting Emma now.

“Let go of me. Now.” Emma said with a suppressed tone of voice. However, Levi didn’t buy it. He was still hugging her tightly and silently.

“I SAID LET ME GO, FUCK!” Emma exclaimed, pushing the man’s chest with full force. Maybe Levi’s chest would hurt a lot after this. However, Emma did not care. Wasn’t this called rude?