Chapter 2.4

But after insisting so much that she wanted to experience romance, she didn’t want to admit she didn’t actually know how. So Berry thought hard.

“Well, um… kissing… that sort of thing?”

“Kissing, huh.”

“I-I’m just curious. They say your ears ring and your heart beats so fast it feels like it’ll burst. I just want to know if that’s really how it feels.”

“Then we should try it and see.”

“!”

Huh? Why was he so quick about it?

A thousand thoughts ran through her mind in an instant. Of course, she wanted to try kissing. After all, he was the man she’d marry, so there was no guilt or anything. But still, wasn’t it a bit much to press their lips together right now?

Just a moment ago, she’d almost kissed a stranger, and now she found herself awkwardly stepping back, twisting her body.

Now that she really thought about doing it, she suddenly felt shy.

“But before that…”

Why did he smile like that? It made her heart flutter.

His gray eyes captured her. In them, there was an affection she’d never expected from her fiancé.

“Will you go out with me, Miss Berry Swanton?”

“Ah…”

Something inside her swelled up. She’d always been the one to ask first and only ever played the role of the one being turned down, but now she was being properly confessed to. Somehow, it soothed the wounds she didn’t even know she’d had.

But Damian didn’t stop there. She’d wondered why one side of the jacket felt heavier, and now he pulled something out.

“This is something I bought for my fiancée, whom I haven’t seen in so long… But since we’re starting to date today, it can be a gift to commemorate that.”

A box wrapped in red velvet appeared before Berry’s eyes. The box, just the right size for a necklace, opened with a click, and the secret inside took Berry’s breath away.

Oh my goodness.

‘How can a necklace be that beautiful…?’

A ruby, about the size of a thumbnail, was surrounded by emeralds cut like leaves. The brilliance of the gems shone even more under the night lights, and since Berry always liked unique and pretty things, her heart pounded for another reason.

“This necklace is called <Strawberry Garden>. It was made around the 18th century. As soon as I saw it at auction, I thought it would suit you perfectly, so I bought it.”

Ten out of ten!

Goodness, who knew Damian could be so thoughtful? The unexpected gift made Berry’s lips curl up. It was perfectly her taste. People could tease her for liking strawberries, but Berry loved them—very much.

“I’ll put it on for you. Your hair…”

“Ah, o-okay.”

She kept stumbling over her words, but it was fine, right? She thought her heart was fickle, but honestly, Berry was the type to accept her feelings rather than pretend.

Until she saw Damian all grown up, she’d hated the idea of marrying him, but now she thought it might not be so bad. Anyone would, after receiving such a beautiful necklace. And the necklace’s name even reminded her of herself. This was definitely romantic.

Poof!

She turned around and swept her hair to the side, and Damian fastened the necklace around her neck.

At that moment, fireworks, which she thought had ended, shot up into the sky and exploded brilliantly.

Berry touched the ruby on the necklace, made up her mind, and turned to him.

Whatever happened, she would kiss him.

After all, that was the reason she’d come to this cruise party tonight!

“Um, Damian.”

“Yes?”

“Call me Berry. Like you did when we were young…”

Trying her best not to stutter, Berry reached out and put her arms around Damian’s neck first. Since he was much taller, she had to stand on tiptoe.

Immediately, she was caught in a chest broader than the Pacific and as solid as a rock. Damian responded to Berry’s bold gesture by pulling her closer, wrapping his arms around her waist.

Thump, thump.

Her heart soared into the sky and then dropped. The faint beating in her chest now pounded in her ears.

“Berry.”

“Damian…”

Damian’s shadow fell over Berry’s head as he leaned in, eyes closed. In the moment when even their breathing was careful and time seemed to stop—

His lips, not too soft but not rough either, moist and full, touched hers.

It was strange. All the advice her friends had given about the feel of lips and the angles of faces vanished from her mind. She’d nodded along before, but never understood. After they left, she’d practiced with a teddy bear on her bed, turning her face this way and that—but she never got the hang of it.

But in truth, there were no such things as “kissing rules,” nor was there any need for them. All she had to do was match her breath to his and let herself go.

Damian gently licked Berry’s lips. When Berry couldn’t contain her tension and let out a short breath, he slipped inside her lips.

“Hng, mm…”

Unlike before, when their lips had only touched lightly, the sensation of his tongue exploring and stirring inside was intense enough to make Berry’s body tremble. Her hands, wrapped around Damian’s neck, instinctively tightened. The bells didn’t ring in her ears, but it was hard to breathe.

Damian brushed along her teeth and explored every corner inside. His skilled tongue never let go of hers. Once hers had ventured into his mouth, it couldn’t return, completely caught and helplessly surrendered to Damian. Heat rose, her throat was parched. She felt like she might go mad. Her breath caught, and her legs lost strength.

“Ha, ha.”

Berry exhaled in short, ragged breaths, feeling she couldn’t endure any longer, and pushed against Damian’s chest. The breath she’d been holding burst out. The pounding of her heart and her heavy breaths alternated, echoing in her ears.

“Mm.”

But Damian was not the patient type. He gave her barely a moment to catch her breath, only the briefest instant. Like a man dying of thirst, as if Berry were an oasis in the desert, he dove in again. His hands traced along her jaw, naturally moving up to her earlobes and gently cupping both cheeks. The shiver that had tingled in her chest instantly turned into a blazing flame, making her heart burn without mercy.

Somewhere deep in Berry’s belly, something soft and hot surged up.

Damian didn’t leave a single spot inside Berry’s mouth untouched, drawing her in so thoroughly it felt almost excessive.

Only after Berry pounded again and again on his solid chest, gasping for breath, did Damian finally step back.

Tears welled up in the corners of Berry’s eyes. But this wasn’t because she was sad. Her cheeks were burning red, and the pounding of her heart made it clear her feelings were the complete opposite of sorrow.

Damian stepped half a pace closer again. And just as he had at the beginning, he softly pressed his lips to hers and pulled away.

“My little strawberry Miss.”

And the last firework burst splendidly across the night sky. The two pairs of eyes, shining brighter than the stars, met and sparkled.

It was a night when her heart felt like it might explode.

But Berry instinctively knew. This was not the end, but the beginning. She could feel her emotions, always ready to pour out to someone, now running wild as if the reins had snapped.

‘Some people might scold me for falling in love so quickly… But I was looking for someone to love.’

There were 4 days left of the cruise party.

Within that time, Berry thought, perhaps she might fall in love.