[Spirit of Lust 2] Chapter 499 &. 500. (Patreon)

Chapter 499: A bit of reassurance.

We sat down at a wooden bench to the side of the path. By then it had become dark already, but the street lights kept the area well lit, if with a bit of a yellow or orange tint. We relaxed and laughed softly, shaking our heads and feeling silly all of a sudden.

“We really are making too big a deal out of this, don’t you think?” Diana asked me. “Most people truly don’t care what we do. And for those that do… Does it really matter?”

“I suppose it doesn’t,” I agreed with a nod. “Still, though… Can’t help but feel uncomfortable at the idea of, well, making others uncomfortable.”

Diana sighed heavily. “I hate that I agree.”

“But if it’s a choice between you and strangers, I’ll pick you every time.”

Diana smiled, and after a moment’s pause, she slid closer to me, our arms brushing. I decided to also act on my words and got my arm around her waist to pull her even closer. Diana answered by putting her hand on my lap.

“Speaking of strangers… Should we address the elephant in the room already? Or rather, the exotic, sexy girl in the coffee shop?”

“...I suppose we should, huh?”

Diana chuckled and caressed my thigh reassuringly. “So that’s the stalker the others mentioned, right? She fits the description to a T.”

“She is,” I said with a wry smile. “Though I feel bad referring to her like that.”

“I’m joking, of course. You could also call me a stalker, considering I knew more about you than you did about me for a long time.”

“I didn’t even know OF you for most of that time, when I think about it.”

“Point is,” Diana said, quickly changing the subject, “that I think I get what the others meant before. That girl is certainly your type.”

I cleared my throat. “I mean… Um…” Yeah, just give it up, Oliver. “She is,” I admitted with a sigh.

Diana moved her hand from my leg to my chest. When sitting together, the difference in height between us was a bit less, so she could also comfortably lean her head on my shoulder. Diana has long legs.

“I’m not mad, you know? Or jealous. Just… a bit worried,” she told me. “I wouldn’t be with you if you having multiple partners bothered me. I simply… I’d like things to remain as they are for at least a bit longer.”

“Believe me, I understand. I can’t lie, she’s… attractive, yeah. And I do feel something similar in her to what I felt with you. Something that makes me have a hunch that we could… you know, hit it off really well. But like I said before, I’m not planning on hooking up with her or anything.”

“She did just apply for a job at the coffee shop. You’ll probably be working with her if Maria accepts her.”

“At least for a while, maybe. Speaking of, what do you think?” I asked her. “Do you think she did that to… get closer to me?”

“Hmm… Can’t really say. You know I’m not particularly good at reading strangers. You’re the one with the talent for that. I will say, however, that while she talked to Maria, she never once looked at you.”

“Would you believe me if I said I think I’m not her reason?” I asked her.

“Not like I have a choice when I can feel you believe it,” she said, kissing my cheek. “Sorry, I don’t want to make things uncomfortable, but I needed to let you know how I feel about this.”

“Please, never stop doing that. We might have a supernatural connection, but it’s always better hearing you all say things out loud.”

Diana smiled, cupped my cheek and pulled my face closer to hers. She kissed me on the lips, tenderly and sweetly. It further stroked the fire in me lit by our previous display. I wrapped both arms around her waist and deepened the kiss. I trusted the runes, trusted Frey, to keep us inconspicuous and kissed Diana like I would if we were in the privacy of her own home.

We let hands roam, only avoiding the riskiest places. I fondled her ass again and she pulled on my shirt while sucking each other’s tongues inside her mouth. Her breasts brushed, bumped and slid against my chest or my arms as we embraced each other.

As a test, it was… kind of a failure because we were too focused on each other to see if anyone else was paying attention to us. For that fleeting moment, I understood what other couples felt when they did things like this. That unbridled desire for your partner that blinds you to anything and everything that isn’t them. I admit it felt liberating, but doing it with the belief and knowledge that we were being ignored let us actually feel that way instead of overly paranoid.

We pulled away and stared into each other’s eyes. Cheesy as it sounds, I got lost in the street light reflecting on those beautiful dark orbs. 

In some ways, I always felt Mila and the others were out of my league. Gorgeous, exceptional girls in many aspects while I was a gloomy guy with a single talent that happened to find himself more attractive and good at sex one day for reasons unknown. But still, they were my age and we were schoolmates. Even if I didn’t believe it, I always HOPED something would happen. Diana, though? Never in a million years could I have imagined I’d end up with a woman like her. She didn’t only feel outside my league, but more like she was playing baseball while I was playing soccer. Totally different worlds. And yet… there we were, passionately making out.

After a few seconds, we came back down to earth and, predictably, got all self conscious. We looked around and saw a couple of schoolgirls happily talking to each other as they walked by, not sparing us a glance.

Diana swallowed. “So… What do you think is the upper limit to this?”

“Currently? I’m not sure, but Frey wants to make it so we can do… practically anything.”

“And how can we help her get there?”

I chuckled. She was eager. “She wants us to stress test. We need to see what we can’t get away with.”

“Well, if we MUST…” she said, rolling her eyes.

I wanted to laugh, but I held it in. Diana got a good taste of inconspicuous PDA and liked it.

So did I.

************

Chapter 500: Different types of people.

We stood up and resumed our walk. We tried to continue our tests in the meantime by each putting a hand inside the other’s back pocket. For me it was great. I got to casually fondle Diana’s ass while we walked. For her, though, it was a little awkward. Oh, not because she felt weird about it, but because she had to lean a bit down and to the side since I was shorter than her. In the end we went back to lewdly holding hands.

“Sorry. It’s weird walking next to me, isn’t it?” I asked her, a little self-conscious now.  

“Funny, I was about to ask the same. Does it not bother you that I’m… tall?”

“No. I mean, it’s not like we can help it, so I’d much rather see the bright side of it. I… enjoy the height difference between us. But what about you? I’m a fair bit shorter than the average guy.”

Diana chuckled. “Would it weird you out if I said I enjoy it, too? I’ve always been tall for a girl, but even so most guys are still as tall or taller than me. This is… fun.”

“I admit, I kind of feel like a kid walking next to you, but I guess I sort of am,” I said with a laugh.

“I bet you have at least one more growth spurt in you.”

“Probably, but I doubt I’ll ever go past 1.75 meters, if that. I had a big one not long ago, but now I wonder if it’s Frey’s power pushing me up. Not sure I want more drastic changes like that.”

Diana chortled, and after that exchange we went quiet for a long while. It was a comfortable silence, since aside from being socially anxious, we were still introverted people. And yes, there is a difference. 

As much as we wanted to have social interaction, we also enjoyed our quiet time and alone time. Even if we weren’t talking, just being together was enough. However, it did push my mind elsewhere, back to my job just earlier. Without realizing it, I found myself frowning.

“What’s wrong?” Diana suddenly asked, giving my hand a squeeze. “What were you thinking about?”

“O-Oh, nothing. Nothing important.”

“Hmm. Just earlier you said that, despite our connection, it was still better when we told you things ourselves. Do you think that doesn’t apply to you as well?”

Ugh. She got me.

“I was thinking about Isabelle. About how well she did at work today.”

Diana smiled wryly. “And you feel you should be happier about it?” Her question was likely just a formality. She probably felt my own emotions.

I nodded. “Working at the coffee shop was such a huge deal to me. My first job, and in customer service no less. It forced me to grow past my social anxiety issues just to start doing a passable job. When I started I couldn’t even properly greet customers. I preferred washing dishes and sweeping floors to waiting tables. But I had to do it all, and it was a big struggle. That job is a big reason for why I can now do things I couldn’t before. I felt really proud of myself for it. Then… Then I saw my sister doing the same without issues. She was a natural at it. Felt like all my progress was a joke. That I was struggling to get to a point where most have been all their lives.” I chuckled in self-deprecation. “If you hadn’t come by, it would’ve been a pretty depressing work day.”

“Huh. That’s how I always felt about Maria. And she says that’s also how she’s always felt about me.”

“R-Really?”

“She’s always been the social one. If it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t have had a social life in university. It never takes her long to meet new people and make new friends. I’ve always envied that about her, and I told her that once, when we had a few cups in us. She said I was being stupid and that she was the one jealous of me. I got good grades without studying, was good at sports and picked up new skills instantly. So she claimed, at least. Sounds silly, but that was when I really understood that people do have different strengths and weaknesses. Being good or bad at any one thing doesn’t make you better or worse, it just makes you different. And that was proven again today while you two worked the same job together.”

“Ah? What do you mean?”

“Isabelle seems generally good with people. She’s not afraid to strike up a conversation with customers, asking them how their day is going, if they work nearby, what their favorite drinks or pastries are… A lot of people love that kind of service, but not everyone.”

“...”

“It happened a few times there, where Isabelle would try to talk to customers who were just there to read or have a conversation with their friends. You noticed stuff like that and drew her away by giving her other tasks, didn’t you?”

Did I do that? I suppose I did.

“You also kept covering for her when she made mistakes or didn’t know what to do. She may have natural skills you lack, but that doesn’t mean all you’ve learned was a waste. Some people, like me, prefer a waiter that gives off a friendly aura yet keeps his distance unless called. It’s why I’m excited to have you working with us at the bar. Your calm demeanor is perfect for what we have in mind.”

“...”

Well, that left me feeling pretty dumb. I was never, at any point, trying to compete with my sister at anything. I just wanted to get over my own issues for myself. It’s true I was jealous of Isabelle’s natural ability to talk to people, but I am who I am now because I’ve pushed myself out of my comfort zone. I should still be proud of what I’ve managed so far.

“Sorry,” I told Diana, caressing her hand with my thumb. “And thanks.”

“Just saying it how it is.”

Yep. And that’s why it helps.