The motorcycle sped along the smooth road.
The night wind whistled past, lifting the ends of hair outside the helt.
Streetlights flashed by like the tails of shooting stars.
Mia loved this feeling, akin to the freedom everyone seeks, breathing in the compressed air, feeling her heartbeat quicken like the revving tachoter.
Such monts always brought Mia unparalleled sensations, as if she were a sprite living in the night.
It’s hard to describe how wonderful and thrilling this feeling was. Perhaps her essence was never ant for being the obedient girl. Though youth had passed, her life was still ablaze...
The only difference from other tis was the presence of Sam behind her.
His initial tight embrace around her waist was both amusing and sowhat embarrassing to her.
It was funny that Sam could also be timid, but... why was he holding so tight? And why were his hands so hot?
It felt as if two flas were pressed against her lower abdon...
Fortunately, Sam quickly got used to it, his hands not holding Mia too tightly, just lightly encircling her, his chest only occasionally touching Mia’s perfectly curved back, usually due to the bumps on the road.
Sam cherished life. Although his physical condition kept improving, he had no intention of challenging extre sports, including riding on a high-risk motorcycle.
So, he didn’t talk nonsense or say anything absurd to distract her.
Even when Mia, caught in the mont, asked, "How do you feel? Want to go faster?"
Many bizarre images would pop into Sam’s mind, none related to motorcycling. But for safety, he decided it was best to keep silent.
"Don’t talk, focus."
The benefit, of course, was that they safely reached their destination.
This experience made Sam realize sothing: no matter the gender, anyone riding a motorcycle seems to go a bit mad, which is quite terrifying.
Perhaps it looks cool, but sitting at the back, Sam was indeed a bit shaken.
Sam got off the bike, and Mia quickly parked the motorcycle under the dazzling neon sign, removing her helt and looking at Sam with a teasing smile on her face.
"Still playing it cool? Were you scared? Don’t worry, I’m very gentle~"
Sam rolled his eyes at Mia without amusent.
"If you dare to ride after drinking, I’ll be the first to call the police."
Mia widened her eyes.
"That’s ridiculous! I never drink and ride, okay? You have no sense of humor~"
The bar was indeed large, with valet parking available at the entrance. The crowd at the door and the decoration made it clear that it was a high-end establishnt.
Mia owned a small convenience store. Was that enough for her daily expenses?
"Co on, stop dawdling. Follow ; I’ll show you what adult nightlife is all about~"
"If you keep talking like that, I might just report you for harassing a minor."
Mia snorted disdainfully.
"You’re not a minor."
"Oh, right."
Sam then rembered he was already 18 years old.
Following Mia into the bustling bar, the busy streets outside were a stark contrast to the atmosphere inside. After going through a security checkpoint, they were imdiately greeted by the loud music.
They could faintly hear exaggerated laughter, loud conversations, and the occasional singing.
What bothered Sam the most was the drumbeat that seed to pound against his chest, as if vibrating his eardrums.
He imdiately frowned.
Noticing Sam’s expression, Mia smiled and said, "It’s okay, everyone feels a bit uncomfortable their first ti here. You’ll get used to it."
"I ca here just to help you out. I’m not interested in getting used to this stuff."
Mia shrugged nonchalantly.
"You’ll find the fun soon enough. Who knows, maybe next ti you’ll be the one begging to co here."
"Trust , that will never happen."
Sam adapted quite well; after about ten minutes, he got used to the environnt. The drumbeats that once tortured his ears now seed to bother him less, a testant to his stronger adaptability than he had anticipated.
"Over here!"
Sam could even clearly hear voices amidst the loud music, signaling them to join.
Mia led Sam through the dancing crowd to a sowhat quieter booth where her friends were waiting.
"You guys took forever... Wow! Mia, is this that employee from your store? He’s so handso!"
Upon Sam’s arrival, he imdiately caught the attention of several won at the booth. With no other n present, Sam beca the sole focus of their interest.
Aside from Mia, there were four won.
Sam was surprised by the situation, recognizing it wasn’t necessarily good news.
Being the only man at a gathering doesn’t an you’ve hit the jackpot; often, it ans becoming the center of attention, and at a party, that can lead to predictable consequences...
"Yeah, this is the guy I showed you in the photos, his na is Sam. See, I didn’t lie to you!"
Mia and Sam sat down at the side, in a sowhat secluded spot.
Imdiately, one of the won closest to them leaned in, eyes wide, examining Sam.
"My God, you’re even more handso in person! Mia, you’re holding onto such a handso and young guy all to yourself in that little convenience store. Not sharing with your besties... oh, I an, admiring, admiring. Surely, a drink isn’t too much to ask, right?"
"Who said that?! Showing him off to you is already a huge favor. Not everyone gets this opportunity. Sam never cos to places like this. The fact you’re seeing him here is all thanks to , you know?"
Mia tilted her head up, looking quite pleased with herself, prompting scoffs of disdain from the won.
"Look at you, showing off..."
But it was all in good fun as they bantered with Mia. Soon enough, the focus shifted back to Sam, bringing a slew of topics along with it.
"Hi Sam~"
"Uh... hello."
"Don’t be nervous, I don’t bite. Here, have a drink~"
"..."
"Where are you from, Sam? Are you a local from Kuhang?"
"I’m from Cedarwood."
"Ah, Cedarwood, yes, I know it, I’ve been there. It’s fate, let’s drink to that~"
"..."
The won seed very enthusiastic in greeting Sam and asking questions, but it all boiled down to getting Sam to drink.
With signals from Mia, Sam ended up downing five beers rather quickly. This wasn’t much of a problem for him, considering his physical condition and enhanced self-healing ability, giving him a significant resistance to alcohol.
However, Sam knew better than to keep drinking just because he could handle it, making it seem more difficult with each drink.
It appeared Sam was being heavily coerced into drinking at the start, prompting the won to eventually ease off and shift the conversation away from him.
But then...
Why did it feel like soone was touching his leg?
Turning to look, everyone acted as if nothing was happening.
It couldn’t be his imagination, could it?
Mia knew what her friends were like. As long as Sam wasn’t her boyfriend, they wouldn’t ignore soone like him.
She could tolerate the small actions at first, but then...
"Callista, what’s the aning of giving Sam a hotel room key? Acting as if I don’t exist, huh?"
The young woman with the seductive makeup imdiately responded with a smile.
"Why not~ He’s not your boyfriend, just your employee. What if he’s interested in ~"
Mia, visibly annoyed, directly pulled Sam up.
"What’s up?"
Sam was tugged by the arm.
Mia then pulled Sam to her other side.
"You sit on this side. That woman is too lecherous, don’t fall for her trap. I’ll protect you."
Her expression was dead serious, like a sister protecting her younger brother.
It was touching, really... but wasn’t it her idea to bring him here in the first place?
With Mia shielding him, Sam felt sowhat relieved, no longer harassed by the other won. Despite their attractive appearances, Sam had no interest in them.
He watched as Mia, standing guard by his side, kept getting pressured into drinking one drink after another. Was it her tolerance or just sheer bravado?
Before an hour had passed, Mia was already reeking of alcohol, her cheeks flushed with the rosiness of intoxication, stirring a sense of pity in Sam.
"Drinking all the ti isn’t fun. How about we play a ga instead?" one of Mia’s friends eventually suggested.
Mia seed to catch a break, her eyes slightly hazy as she looked around the group.
"What ga...uh, no more drinking?"
Callista replied with annoyance, "Look at the state you’re in from drinking, let’s pause that...umm, what to play? Ah, there are six of us! Let’s play the paper passing ga!"
Mia paused, puzzled.
"What’s the paper passing ga?"
Callista explained with a smile, "It’s simple. We have tissues, right? Since there are six of us, we can pair up. Each pair bites on one end of a tissue and then tries to bite towards each other until one can’t hold on and the tissue breaks. The couple with the longest loses, and both have to drink a bottle. How about that?"
Mia was montarily stunned, "I see... wait, that’s not right. You all are won... Sam’s a guy, isn’t this bullying us? It’s better just to drink directly!"
Callista responded with a smile, "It’s fine by us if you prefer to drink directly. Or maybe I can switch places with you~ I don’t mind, I’m not afraid of drinking."
"I spit! Are you looking to drink? You’re clearly looking to sexually harass Sam!" Mia retorted irritably.
Callista shrugged, "What do we do then? Are you scared? Or is it... Sam doesn’t want to play with you? I’m actually quite interested in playing, how about you guys?"
The won nearby, already tipsy, seed to relish the unfolding drama, indicating that Mia hadn’t shied away from leveraging her position in the past, leading to her friends now enjoying her predicant.
"I’m in!"
"I want to play too!"
"How about I play with Sam? I can do it~"
Mia widened her eyes.
Sam wanted to tell her that it’s okay to back down; there’s no sha in admitting defeat. Why take it so seriously?
But whether Mia had drunk too much or harbored other intentions, she lifted her head defiantly.
"Who’s chickening out? Let’s play!"
"Wait... you’re going to play this ga with ?" Sam couldn’t help but speak up.
Mia patted Sam’s thigh reassuringly.
"Don’t worry, leave it to . I’ll protect you from these dreadful won."
Not exactly comforting... Experience more on .Côm
The one I’m actually worried about is you.
With five won and one man, the man’s opinion was effectively disregarded, almost as if it didn’t matter.
Sam couldn’t get a word in edgewise as the ga started.
The first pair quickly wrapped their arms around each other, biting down on the tissue to start the ga.
They managed a piece of tissue no bigger than a fingernail, seemingly going easy for Mia’s sake.
But Sam’s twitching eye corner betrayed his discomfort.
Mia continued patting her own thigh.
"Don’t worry, this level is okay. It’s bearable."
"Are you sure?"
"Of course, I’ve been through worse. Just don’t panic, follow my lead."
"It’s my turn."
Callista, with a smile, picked up a tissue, turning to her partner to start the tissue biting challenge.
Although Mia appeared strong and capable, Sam could clearly see a flicker of nervousness in her eyes.
And when Callista presented the bitten-off piece of tissue, Mia’s eyes bulged.
"Did you guys eat the paper?!"
Callista held up what could only be described as a scrap of paper between her fingernails.
"It’s right here, isn’t it?"
"How are we supposed to compete with that?" Mia protested.
"Then just give up and drink. What’s the big deal? It’s not like anyone goes their whole life without losing a drinking ga," Callista retorted, clearly understanding Mia’s ntality.
Mia, unfazed, pulled out a tissue and glared at Callista. "I can drink, and I can lose and drink, but I absolutely won’t drink because I’ve admitted defeat! You just wait. Sam, co on!"
Sam looked at Mia, who had turned around with her cheeks flushed red. Her eyes were wide, as if she was preparing for battle.
"What?" Sam replied, not exactly enthusiastic.
"Trust ! Just bite this end, and I’ll handle the rest," Mia said, stuffing one end of the tissue into Sam’s mouth for him to bite down on. Then she took hold of his shoulders, facing him directly.
Sam froze, and the surrounding won, driven by curiosity, leaned in closer, all silent as if waiting for the show to start.
Sam felt like he was about to sweat buckets. He vowed never to find himself in such a situation again.
But it was too late for regrets now. Mia bit the other end of the tissue, bringing their faces uncomfortably close.
Her eyes seed misty, it was like a shy girl, nervous about her first kiss with a boyfriend.
Sam remained motionless.
Mia’s lips began to move delicately, and the sight of her enticing, soft lips approaching the tissue made Sam’s heart unrestful.
The alluring scent grew closer, and her flushed face neared his. He could even feel her slightly heavy breathing on his face.
Closer still.
Their noses touched.
Mia instinctively turned her head, perhaps seeking a better angle for a deeper engagent.
At this mont, Sam could already feel the warmth of her lips.
Very close...
Truly, very close now.
He felt that with just a slight move, their lips would fiercely et in a kiss.
He also clearly saw the fluctuation in Mia’s gaze.
She slowed down, yet her lips drew nearer.
The excited yet nervous glances from the surrounding won seed to slip beyond their control.
It appeared as if, under the influence of alcohol, their gazes drew closer, falling into a strange, enchanting atmosphere.
A romantic vortex, tinted with shades of pink, pulling and attracting each other.
Could this be considered a form of gravitational pull?
Sam couldn’t be sure.
But in the next second... he noticed her eyebrows tightly knitted.
And he felt a distinct moisture on his lips...
This was no illusion, nor was it a hallucination from drinking too much.
It was... Mia’s lips.
Her eyes seed lost, filled with a mix of struggle and srized palpitation. She hadn’t pulled away; she wanted to go further...
"Mmm..."
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