Chapter 281: Or⦠do you want to do something else?
âWait⦠a kiss?â
Aliceâs words hit Ryan like a bolt of lightning, leaving him standing there with his mouth wide open, big enough to fit an egg.
Every teenage guy has probably fantasized about this at some pointâhaving a beautiful girl standing next to you, giving you that look, lightly touching her lips with her finger, forming a tempting curve.
To kiss or not to kiss? Thatâs the question.
Most people would probably just go for it. I mean, opportunities like this donât come around often, and who knows when the next one will be?
Ryanâs first instinct was the same. His hormones were going wild, practically short-circuiting his brain.
But⦠then he remembered it was Alice standing in front of him, and it was like someone dumped a bucket of ice water over his head. He snapped back to reality.
Dangerous. Mysterious. Intriguing. Confusing. All these feelings mixed together, overpowering his initial impulse.
A kiss?
Kiss Alice?
âWhat, you donât want to?â
Alice noticed Ryanâs hesitation, and her eyes darkened slightly.
She leaned in just a bit, her elegant nose moving closer. Her body formed a triangle with the car seat, and Ryan was stuck in the middle, unable to move.
Aliceâs dress wasnât exactly revealing, but compared to her usual outfits, it was definitely more⦠daring. Ryanâs eyes darted to her chest, watching the rise and fall of her breathing, and suddenly, he felt like the temperature in the car had shot up.
âItâs not that I donât want to, itâs justâ¦â
He was trying to figure out how to explain himself without sounding like he was making excuses, but unfortunately, lying wasnât one of his strong suits.
Ryan glanced at the system interface and saw that Aliceâs status was still marked as [???], just like it had been for a while now. It hadnât gone away.
Something was off with Alice. Her behavior might be a result of this unknown status, making her act irrationally.
Was that the real issue? Maybe, but it didnât feel like the whole story.
âLook at you, all scared. Iâm not going to eat you.â
Ryan kept avoiding her gaze, which Alice found amusing. But in a way, it was a good thing. It showed that Ryan took their relationship seriously, that he wasnât the type to mess around.
If something did happen between them, Ryan would definitely take responsibility. Thatâs just the kind of guy he was.
But now wasnât the right time.
âI meant a hand-kiss, you know? You should at least learn how to do that.â
Alice had already prepared an excuse before she even said anything. So when Ryan hesitated, she didnât seem too bothered. She casually extended her right hand toward him.
A hand-kiss?
Ryan looked at her calm expression. Alice didnât seem like she was lying. Had he really overthought the whole thing?
Heâd seen hand-kissing in TV shows before. It seemed like something fancy people did as a greeting, but heâd never actually done it himself.
Tentatively, he reached out and touched Aliceâs hand. His right hand cradled her palm, feeling the warmth of her skin, while his left hand gently held her wrist in place.
Heâd never really looked at her hands before, but now he noticed how delicate they were, like a work of art. Her fingers were long and slender, with clearly defined joints. Her skin was smooth, without a trace of excess flesh, both on the back and the palm.
Her hand was as smooth as polished jade, and his fingers could glide effortlessly along the lines of her palm.
A hand-kiss⦠Was this how Alice interacted with others? Did she let other people hold her hand like this?
Wait, no. What am I even thinking?
Ryan couldnât control his thoughts. Ever since heâd seen Alice in that dress on the stairs, his mind had been a mess. He didnât even know why he was thinking like this.
All he knew was that the moment the thought crossed his mind, it felt like someone had smacked him in the back of the head.
Trying to prove to himself that he was fine, Ryan took a deep breath and, almost out of spite, planted a firm kiss on the back of her hand.
ââ¦â
Whether it was because Ryan kissed her a little too hard or because the car was already dead silent, the atmosphere inside suddenly became⦠weird.
The driver in the front didnât dare look back to see what was happening, but their ears were sharp enough to pick up on the awkwardness. The car jerked forward slightly, as if the driverâs shock had momentarily affected their control.
âIs that good enough?â
âOr⦠do you want to do something else?â
Ryan didnât dare look Alice in the eye. Of course, if he had looked up and seen the blush spreading across her face, things might have gone in a very different direction.
âY-Yeah⦠thatâs enoughâ¦â
The car slowly pulled into the parking lot, but it was quite different from the ones Ryan had seen before. After driving through a circular ramp, the car came to a smooth stop on the second floor.
Compared to the stuffy atmosphere of an underground garage, this place was on a whole other level.
The city at night was dotted with neon lights, the darkness like a mysterious veil gently draped over the cityâs face. Unlike the hustle and bustle of the day, the night felt quieter, more enigmatic.
âWeâre here.â
Alice didnât need to say it for Ryan to know theyâd arrived. He nodded, quickly got out of the car, and hurried to Aliceâs side to open the door for her.
He was used to this by now. Alice didnât need to ask; Ryan would naturally take care of it.
He helped her out of the car, and the driver gave Ryan a nod before parking the car. It didnât seem like the driver was planning to join them inside. It looked like only Ryan and Alice were attending the event.
Now that they were out of the car, Ryan could take in the full view of the place. It was a massive estate, much larger than Aliceâs villa.
At the front entrance, a fountain danced to the soft melody of a violin. One by one, cars arrived, each more luxurious than the last. Ryan wasnât exactly a car expert, but even he could tell these were expensive.
âWhen we go in, donât talk too much, donât stare at anyone, and stay close to me.â
Alice had been to events like this countless times, but knowing she had a complete newbie by her side, she patiently repeated the ground rules.
Honestly, it didnât matter what Ryan did inside. Even if he flipped the place upside down, Alice could handle it.
But her real concern was the âdonât stareâ part. This was a business gala hosted by one of the cityâs top moguls, and the guests were all influential figures. There was no telling which familyâs heiress might be there.
With Mia and Anna already being enough of a headache, the last thing Alice needed was Ryan locking eyes with some other girl. She wasnât sure she could keep her temper in check if that happened.
âDonât worry, I wonât embarrass you.â
Ryan didnât quite catch the hidden meaning behind Aliceâs words. He was too busy curiously taking in the sights of the estate. It wasnât every day he got to experience something like this, and it wasnât too different from what heâd seen on TV.
As the time approached, Alice pulled a gold-embossed invitation from her bag and handed it to Ryan. Then, before he could react, she wrapped her arm around his.
The sudden softness against his arm made Ryan suck in a sharp breath, but when he saw the look on Aliceâs faceâthe one that said, âIf you pull your arm away, youâre deadââhe decided it was best to stay still and let her hold on. He didnât dare move.
âMiss Alice, isnât this a bit⦠inappropriate?â
âYouâre my date. At least for tonight.â
Ryan glanced at the invitation in his hand, then at Aliceâs delicate hand, now covered by white gloves.
This was Aliceâs world, her social scene. But why did it feel like she was giving him the upper hand, like she was the one accompanying him?
And hadnât she just been talking about a hand-kiss earlier? Now her hands were completely covered. Was she messing with him the whole time?
âMiss Alice, do I need to kiss anyoneâs hand tonight?â
âIf you dare, youâre dead.â
Yep⦠he was starting to get a better idea of what Alice was thinking.