To Be the Perfect Childhood Friend - Chapter 75

Before she knew it, snow was falling gently outside. Anita shivered from the cold. Rutger’s body heat, leaning against her shoulder, felt warm.

He simply stared at Anita as she spoke. His gaze, which had been fixed on her eyes, trailed downward like a flowing stream. Sensing where his gaze lingered, Anita unknowingly bit her lip.

Rutger’s hand gently brushed against Anita’s lower lip. Anita’s lips parted slightly without her even realizing it.

This was definitely strange. Anita tried to move back, but Rutger’s persistent gaze held her in place like a paralysis.

“I’m going to bed now. You should too…”

Anita’s words trailed off. Before her lips could fully close, something soft touched them briefly before pulling away. It happened so quickly that Anita didn’t realize what had happened until much later.

“You, you just…”

Anita couldn’t articulate properly in her bewilderment. Regardless of Anita’s reaction, or lack thereof, Rutger, the instigator of all this, remained composed.

Rutger’s hand smoothly reached the back of Anita’s head, like water flowing, gently pulling her closer through the strands of her hair.

“Once more.”

Rutger whispered with an ambiguous tone, sounding like an order and a plea, as he looked down at Anita, as if confirming her consent. Instead of answering or nodding her head, Anita closed her eyes. In that moment, Rutger’s lips touched hers.

Anita expected it to be another brief contact like before, so she was taken aback when something moist and warm lingered on her lips. Opening her eyes in surprise, Anita found Rutger’s vivid green eyes avoiding her gaze, sliding downwards.

“Open your mouth…”

Rutger’s earlobes turned red. Anita thought hers would be a similar shade. As Anita stared at him blankly, his face came close again, and their lips met.

With the unfamiliar sensation, Anita’s mind was blank.

Rutger’s hand, which had been on Anita’s nape, descended downward. Anita’s waist was firmly held by his arms, making her twist awkwardly. While it was her torso that moved, Rutger’s tongue persistently chased after hers.

His tongue traced over Anita’s lips, which still had a hint of candy’s sweetness. As his tongue followed its path for a while, it touched the lemon candy. Anita’s stiffened back from the sudden event, but he gently brushed it off.

As Anita started to feel short of breath, she began to grip Rutger’s forearm tightly. Unfazed, Rutger gently rolled the candy on Anita’s tongue.

Anita peeked open her eyes, wondering what kind of twisted act this was. Even his peridot-like eyes seemed to pierce through her.

The candy rolled over their touching tongues.

Rutger, who successfully retrieved the candy I had given, smiled warmly. As Anita realized that what had just been in her mouth was now rolling on Rutger’s tongue, she felt like dying. She was sure her face had turned as red as a tomato, so Anita covered her mouth with the back of her hand.

“Shall I give it back to you?”

Anita couldn’t bring herself to answer and simply nodded slowly. Even though it was just candy taken from her, breathing felt as difficult as if her lungs had been stolen.

People often talk about how kisses make their heads spin or how angels play trumpets in their minds.

Anita’s first kiss felt like embarrassment and lemon flavor.

Warmth touched Anita’s fingertips, which had been lying quietly on the floor. Before Anita could withdraw her hand in surprise, his hand traced up her hand. Anita, who was staring at her finger with her knuckles still bent, suddenly raised her head. Rutger’s face was too close.

“Aren’t you going home?”

She didn’t intend to say such a morose remark. But as Anita, she couldn’t help it. It wasn’t easy to find reason when you were alone in a dimly lit room with a man you had just kissed. Especially if you had been harboring unrequited feelings for him for a long time.

“I should go.”

Even as he said it, his grip on Anita’s hand didn’t loosen. Rutger trailed off, scrutinizing Anita’s expression. Feeling uncomfortable under his gaze, Anita turned her head away, but before she could do anything, someone knocked on Anita’s door.

“Miss Anita?”

Anita jumped as if she were on fire. She untangled her hand held by Rutger’s and replied with a voice that betrayed her confusion.

“Yes?”

“Are you still awake? Sleep is important, especially for the young ones.”

Laura, who had taken care of Anita since her childhood and now worked as a housekeeper at Anita’s house, sometimes made Anita feel strange when she casually referred to her as “young.” Despite being already sixteen, Anita couldn’t help but feel like a little child when she heard such words from Laura’s familiar mouth.

Anita absentmindedly turned her head in the direction where Rutger was sitting and was shocked. He intentionally stuck out his tongue, and on it was a lemon candy, now reduced to the size of a fingernail. In an instant, Anita felt like jumping out the window, her throat constricted.

“I was about to go to bed. Have sweet dreams, Laura.”

Responding with a nervous heart, fearing that Laura might open the door and come in, Anita felt her heart pounding strangely, even though she hadn’t done anything wrong.

“Going to bed early helps you grow taller, you know.”

Laura muttered with a yawn in her voice and left the room. The sound of her slippers gradually faded away until it couldn’t be heard anymore, and only then did Anita relax.

“Going to bed early helps you grow taller.”

“…Can you please not laugh?”

At sixteen, Anita had already passed the age of rapid growth. Anita glared at Rutger, but he only raised the corners of his mouth.

“You’ve always treated me like a kid. What are you trying to do to a kid… Ah.”

Rutger suddenly grabbed Anita’s hand and pulled her towards him. Caught off guard by the sudden weight on her arm, Anita stumbled and landed in Rutger’s arms. Rutger’s green eyes shook for a moment as well. Holding onto Rutger’s chest and barely managing to support her body, Anita asked anxiously,

“Are you okay?”

Since Rutger would have felt the impact too, being not as light as a leaf, Anita worried if he got hurt somewhere. While Anita was deeply immersed in her worries, Rutger, the person concerned, just made irrelevant remarks.

“You sometimes talk nonsense. I’ve wanted to shut your mouth more than once.”

Anita wanted to retort and ask what nonsense he was talking about, but Rutger’s perplexed expression made her stop. Instead of receiving a scolding for being silent, Anita found it odd that Rutger reacted strangely.

“Could you let go of my arm?”

“Oh, uh, sure.”

When Anita fell, Rutger quickly withdrew the hand he had used to catch her. Trying to appear nonchalant, but Rutger was so flustered that Anita felt embarrassed too. As they both straightened up, they avoided each other’s gaze.

“I’m going now,” Rutger said, attempting to leave through the window again.

But Anita, still looking down, grabbed his sleeve firmly.

“Take the stairs,” she insisted.

Turning towards the door, Rutger mumbled, “See you tomorrow,” as he passed by her and left the room. After he left, Anita sat by the door, her face expressionless.

What the hell had just happened.