Ivan was speechless, gazing at Daiyu with palpable awkwardness.
Daiyu was incensed by his silence. She raised her voice, a sharp edge to it. "Don't just stare at me; say something!"
"Sorry, sorry," Ivan offered quickly. "I like you too, but I've been hesitant to tell you. There were certain matters that made me reluctant to express my feelings."
Daiyu edged closer to Ivan. She correctly surmised that Ivan intended to mention her history with other men. She said softly, "Tell me what matters."
Ivan noticed her faint breathing become slightly audible and quicker, a clear sign of rising anxiety. He grew tense, fearing that Daiyu had become very anxious and might react uncontrollably to any unwelcome response. Sleep also completely left his eyes, replaced by a sudden, nervous alertness.
Before he spent time in police detention, his reservations were against entering a relationship with Daiyu because of her past history with men. It wasn't that he, Ivan, was narrow-minded, but the issue lay with Daiyu herself. He felt that she simply acted on her immediate feelings, thus rendering her vulnerable to future heartbreak.
While in police custody, he had encountered three characters, all male, in the same cell. They spoke candidly about their life experiences within the game. The characters were all married, and each had at least one child. Ivan was asked if he had anyone he shared an intimate connection with, and he revealed he was single. His cellmates advised him to embrace the possibility of love with someone his heart truly accepted.
"No one in the world is perfect. Even you are not perfect. What we require is the right person to complement us and mitigate our weaknesses. That is when we become perfect," one of the cellmates wisely advised Ivan.
Ivan had feigned indifference to what the cellmates said, but inwardly, he contemplated every word of their counsel. What he felt was that Daiyu was, indeed, the right person for him. He considered initiating a relationship with her after a while, not wishing to rush into things without proper consideration.
Alas, it was not he who made the first move; it was Daiyu. He felt profoundly awkward and found it difficult to articulate his thoughts clearly.
He sighed. He said to Daiyu, "I'm not judging you, but your dating history concerns me. I don't wish to be added to the list of men you'll say hurt you. Additionally, a major reason I felt so reluctant to express my feelings to you is our close friendship. I feared it would damage the bond of our friendship and alienate Roger and Chioma."
Daiyu edged closer to Ivan. She took his hands, looking intensely into his eyes. She said,
"I knew that's what you would say. The truth is that I've had feelings for you before, but just like you, I was afraid of expressing them. I was scared of what it would do to our close friends. Had I been bold enough to speak out then, I'm quite certain I would not have dated vipers I was unfortunate enough to encounter."
She drew her face nearer to Ivan's. She could feel Ivan's warm breath on her face. The same applied to Ivan, but he could faintly hear her racing pulse. The heightened sensation made the room's atmosphere more tense for him. It felt like a form of subtle torture to Ivan, and he yearned for it to end. He considered every potential drawback of starting a relationship with Daiyu. He felt she did not possess any personality traits he could consider a red flag. His thoughts urged him to propose to Daiyu that they commence a relationship from this moment onwards.
"Daiyu," Ivan began, his voice a little strained. "Would you like to be more than a friend?"
"Yes, I would like to!" Daiyu shrieked in unbridled excitement.
Ivan sat on the bed, grinning like an elementary school boy who had just been awarded a sweet. Daiyu was savouring the moment, practically vibrating with happiness. Daiyu calmed down after a while, but she was far from composed. Her demeanour subtly shifted to that of a seductress.
She crawled towards Ivan on her hands and knees, catching him completely off guard. She drew her face provocatively close to Ivan's.
She brought her lips to Ivan's left ear, her warm breath caressing the back of his ear, making him feel uneasy, yet he found himself unable to resist.
She whispered softly in his ear, her voice husky, "Ivan, I thought you would say no. I'm glad you didn't. I know what a big, tough boy like you needs after getting out of custody."
Her lips enveloped Ivan's left ear. At that instant, something primal awakened within Ivan, and he transformed into a fervent entity. He grasped Daiyu by the waist, and they both engaged in a passionate embrace.
Although Ivan had taken the bait, he still wasn't entirely in control of the intimate encounter. Daiyu was the one dictating the pace. She was doing all the unbuttoning and guiding Ivan's hands to where they should sensually touch.
Ivan regained some semblance of sanity and resisted Daiyu, the fierce tigress consumed by burning desire. He said, his voice a little hoarse,
"I think we're progressing too quickly. I believe we should take things slowly."
Daiyu gave Ivan a seductive, questioning look, her eyes lingering. She asked, "Really?"
He almost lost himself again, but he controlled himself before he could succumb. He looked away and calmly replied, "Yes, we should take things slowly."
Daiyu used her finger to playfully poke a noticeable bulge on Ivan's trousers. He flinched back, feeling a tickle.
Daiyu laughed and asked, her eyes sparkling, "What are you going to do about that?"
Ivan fell silent, contemplating his limited options. He finally decided and said, "Don't worry about it."
Daiyu winked suggestively and said, "Naughty boy."
Ivan shook his head, a wry smile touching his lips. He said, "I think we should have a nice meal to celebrate this moment. Staying awake all night has made me hungry. I'll head to the kitchen to make us something."
"No, I disagree. I'll make us breakfast," Daiyu said, quickly getting off the bed with a determined flourish.
She gently pushed Ivan back onto the bed and said, "Amuse yourself while I make breakfast."
She left for the kitchen without looking back. Ivan threw up his hands in exasperation at her casual suggestion of what he should do while she was busy.