“No! Enough! Ryan I cannot accept this; this love is too insane!” She pushed him away, feeling that if she did not resist, she would be completely occupied by him. “You abuse me so crazily and say it is because you love me. If one day you kill me, you would also say it is because you love me.”
He did not immediately step forward to embrace her or continue to hold her hand; instead, he remained rooted in place, his hands outstretched toward her, emitting a low voice that seemed to come from the depths of darkness. “No, I will not kill you. Of course, according to my nature, I would kill you, but I cannot bring myself to do it…”
Khanyi frantically averted her gaze from his ice-blue eyes. She believed that what he said at that moment was true, and the love he expressed was also genuine. But no matter what, she could not accept that he could be so cruel yet so romantic. His extreme romance was intertwined with extreme cruelty. Why did he always give her such extreme feelings? She was accustomed to moderation and elegance, a balance of strength and gentleness; this was not the civilization her heart yearned for. “No, do not push me toward such an extreme situation of either this or that.”
He took a step forward, still gazing at her, but his hands did not touch her. “You African people always act with elegance and restraint. I do not want to be like the lyrics, wanting to pick this beautiful flower but hesitating and being timid. That is not me. What race of woman you are does not matter; what matters is that I want you. Yes, I want you, this pure and fragrant little jasmine.”
“But the way you love flowers is not to admire and respect them, but to disdainfully pluck them, to toy with them in your hands, and when you grow tired of them, to trample them under your black military boots…” She shook her head vigorously, feeling her emotions rising uncontrollably again. “Perhaps you can disdain my body, but you can never seize my soul!”
He stepped forward again, lowering his head to gaze at her downcast face. “Look at me, Khanyi, look into my eyes. Let those formalities go to hell. I want you, and I will have you. Your body and your soul will belong to me. I will make you realize that your soul also longs for this.”
“No, I do not long for it, and I do not love you, not at all.” She rejected him bluntly, like a little fish trying to escape from the net woven by his ice-blue gaze. But he clearly would not give her the chance to slip away again. He stared at her, his fingertips gently brushing her lips, softly saying, “What are you thinking? You must be hesitating, trying to resist. Those beautiful, dark eyes easily betray your heart. I feel sorry because I want to suppress it too, but what can be rationally suppressed is not called love.” He gently lifted her face, once again solemnly inviting her, “Khanyi, look into my eyes…”
He had cold eyes, yet they radiated flames, a scorching heat like the sun. One more glance, and she would be reduced to ashes. One step forward, and it would be an abyss… She trembled, her shoulders shaking as she sobbed, “I do not want to look; I will be burned to ashes by your gaze.”
“Then let us turn to ashes together.” He used his thumb to wipe away the tears at the corners of her eyes.
His lips were so hot. She closed her eyes, inhaling his scorching breath, feeling as if she would truly melt away.
He lifted her up, and her mind felt blank, the ceiling spinning above her. He carried her up the stairs, into the bedroom on the second floor, gently placing her on the bed. She still stared at him blankly, her hands instinctively covering her chest under his gaze. Her chest felt a bit tight, and her cheeks were slightly warm, not knowing when they had turned crimson.
He saw her sitting on the edge of the bed with her legs together, her hands tightly covering her chest, her head lowered shyly. So he gently leaned down, half-kneeling beside her, allowing her to look down and see his face. He quietly gazed at her, closely examining her face, eyes, and lips, gently stroking her black hair, not wanting to give her any sense of pressure, not even a little. He waited like this for a long time, until his knees felt somewhat numb, but he did not change his position, remaining still. He seemed like a mischievous child waiting for a little bird pecking at the ground to hop into the trap he had set. At this moment, even the slightest sound would startle the bird, causing it to flap its wings and fly away. He took her small hand, opening her palm and placing it against his cheek…
“My angel, you are truly beautiful.” He whispered in admiration, and her cheeks flushed even more. His fingertips gently touched his warm skin. He was so handsome, with a high nose and deep-set eyes. From the moment he picked her up until now, her head had been spinning. They were so close that she could hear each other’s breathing.
“My angel, your black hair is so beautiful,” he leaned closer to her hair, closing his eyes and deeply inhaling at the crown of her head. A series of gentle kisses fell on her strands of hair.
Her hand slowly climbed from his side to his golden hair, which was a light shade of gold, with naturally curly waves at the ends. Her delicate fingers playfully stirred through those waves, making his hair a bit messy.
