Do Not Feed Recklessly - Chapter 4. Part 4

“You never really thought of me as a friend, did you?” Ethan continued, his voice steady but intense.

“No, that’s not it…” Jia tried to defend herself, but her voice faltered.

“If I hadn’t come along, we would have just drifted apart, wouldn’t we?” he pressed on.

Jia had no response. The situation had got so out of control that she couldn’t find the words.

“So tell me, why should I keep trying to play it safe like I used to?”

Ethan’s tone darkened as he stared at her as if expecting her to agree.

Jia shook her head, utterly confused by his words.

“What are you even talking about?”

“Right? There’s no reason anymore, is there?” he continued, his eyes locked onto hers.

Ethan’s smile deepened, his dimples appearing as if he had just solved a puzzle. The sight of him only increased Jia’s unease.

“And if you stop trying… what exactly happens?” Jia asked, her voice trembling, already fearing the answer.

“What do you think?” Ethan replied with a soft laugh, a hand gently caressing her cheek.

Before Jia could process what was happening, his lips were pressed against hers. Her eyes widened in shock, her mind racing in disbelief. 

‘This… this is insane!’ 

Jia’s brain screamed in protest as she realized exactly who was kissing her – ‘Ethan Taylor’, of all people.

That idiot’, whose lips were now pressed against hers.

She pushed against his chest with all her strength, but it felt like trying to move a solid wall. His body, firm with muscle, didn’t budge an inch, as if he were a boulder anchored to the ground.

What made it worse was that a simple kiss wasn’t enough for him – Ethan tried to deepen it, his tongue pressing against the seam of her lips.

‘Please, God!’ Jia’s mind raced in horror.

‘Why does my first kiss have to be with this bloody Ethan Taylor?’

As soon as her lips parted slightly, Ethan seized the opportunity and without hesitation slipped his tongue inside. The hot, unfamiliar sensation invaded her mouth, exploring every soft spot like an uninvited guest making himself at home. It felt invasive, shameless, and utterly overwhelming.

Jia’s body involuntarily shuddered at the foreign sensation of their tongues intertwining. The unfamiliar intimacy made her recoil inside.

‘Damn it, damn it, damn it!’ she screamed internally.

‘Ethan Taylor, you are not going to get away with this when you sober up. I’m not letting you get away with this, not for a second!’

Jia, resolute in her anger, pounded weakly on Ethan’s back with her small fists, but it did nothing to break the bond between them. His lips remained tight, madly locked to hers, and his tongue continued its invasive exploration. Her heart was pounding wildly, and with the alcohol still coursing through her system, her head felt like it was on fire.

The hand that had been gently caressing her cheek slid to the nape of her neck, pinning her in place with a touch that was firm yet disturbingly tender. Ethan’s closeness felt suffocating, and Jia’s breathing grew ragged, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she struggled to catch her breath.

“Mmm…”

As the soft, involuntary sound escaped her lips, Jia squeezed her eyes shut in sheer shame. A tidal wave of shame washed over her.

‘Oh God, no. No, no, no! What the hell was that?’ her mind screamed.

‘Why did I make that sound? Why is this happening?’

She desperately wanted to deny everything about the moment, to pretend it wasn’t real. But the more she resisted, the more undeniable Ethan’s presence became – his lips, his hands, the obscene sound of their mixed saliva filling the room.

As soon as their lips parted, Jia snapped out of it, seizing the moment to unleash her fury.

“Y-you crazy idiot… what the hell do you think you’re doing?”

Jia’s voice trembled pathetically, completely out of sync with her usual sharp tone. Her heart was pounding so hard that she could feel its echo in her voice, making it even more unsteady.

“A kiss,” Ethan answered, his tone infuriatingly casual.

“I know that!” Jia snapped.

“Then why’d you ask?” he shot back, a teasing smile playing on his lips.

“That’s not what I was asking!”

Jia fumed, but her anger faded as she noticed his flushed cheeks.

‘Was his face this red before?’ she wondered, her gaze lingering on him.

Ethan’s typically clear, pale complexion was now tinted with a reddish hue that made his features look almost… sensual. His half-lidded eyes added to the effect, and the way his blond hair had fallen untidily across his forehead somehow made him look even more dangerously attractive.

‘No, stop it!’

‘I must be crazy, completely out of my mind.’

A whirlwind of emotions left Jia feeling completely confused. Among all her feelings, two stood out the most: a deep sense of defeat and an overwhelming feeling of injustice.

This certainly wasn’t how one should feel after their first kiss, but here she was. Frustrated, she struck Ethan’s chest again with more force, her voice rising as she shouted,

“You’re unbelievable! What are you doing?”

The mix of anger and embarrassment boiled inside her, making it hard to think straight.

“You jerk! You idiot! That was my first kiss!”

Jia exploded, her frustration pouring out. Like most people, she had her romantic vision of what her first kiss should be like. But those dreams had been shattered in an instant, turned into a chaotic mess with Ethan Taylor.

The more she thought about it, the more unfair and annoying it seemed.

‘I wanted a boyfriend who was kinder, cuter, and sweeter…’

‘But what did I get? A drunken Ethan Taylor?’

A wave of disbelief washed over her as the reality of the situation sank in. This was not how it was supposed to be. 

“That was your first kiss?”

Jia glared at Ethan, her anger boiling over. Her lips, slightly swollen from their earlier encounter, only seemed to highlight the absurdity of the moment even more.

“That was my first kiss too,” Ethan said casually, completely unfazed by her fury. 

“Equal footing,” he added with a smirk.

‘What? He claims that was his first kiss too?’

It was ridiculous. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

“Don’t give me that ‘equal footing’ nonsense! Stop lying!”

Jia shot back, her voice rising in indignation.

“It’s not a lie.” Ethan insisted, his expression calm.

“Seriously? I’ve seen at least a few girls confess to you!”

Jia replied, remembering how Ethan had always been popular with girls since they were kids.

With his tall frame and handsome features, not to mention his fair, flawless skin, Ethan had always attracted attention. He was the kind of guy who turned heads wherever he went.