– Confinement –

I.

Whenever Serabella stepped on the old stairs, a creaking sound came from beneath her feet. It was like the discordant note of a string instrument played wrong. But ever since she was young, she had tended to prefer the sound of broken instruments over well-tuned ones. Wasn’t it a pitiful and precarious sound?

After descending the narrow, dark stairs, Serabella unlocked the firmly fastened door and opened it wide. Beyond the door, the man Serabella loved with all her heart was waiting for her. The beautiful, brilliant, and now slightly broken Damian Terca. Damian, who belonged only to Serabella.

“I missed you, Bella.”

The moment the door opened, Damian pulled her into his arms. It seemed he had heard Serabella’s footsteps and had been waiting for her in front of the door all along. Serabella’s small body fit snugly into his embrace. Instead of holding Serabella tightly, he wrapped himself around her just enough for their bodies to barely touch, then rubbed his cheek against hers.

The faint warmth that reached her tormented her. She wanted to be held more tightly, yet she liked this precarious feeling that made the fine hairs on her body stand on end. Letting out a languid breath, Serabella hugged Damian and stroked his hair. Black strands wound softly around her pale, slender fingers. It was a texture she liked.

“Damian, my love. I brought food I thought you’d like.”

Serabella lifted the food basket in her hand. The cream soup in a bottle and the sandwich filled with turkey meat looked appetizing. If it weren’t the middle of the night and this weren’t a basement, it would have been a menu believable enough for a spring picnic. Damian took the basket she had brought and immediately set it down.

“Let’s eat later. There’s something far more enjoyable than that.”

In a way that didn’t suit his tall, lean body, Damian whined like a child and kissed her cheek without pause. Each time his lips left Serabella’s cheek, a smack stuck to her in place of Damian’s lips.

His languid breath tickled her face as well. The moist, soft kisses moved endlessly over her cheek before settling on her lips. Damian licked her lips open and slipped his tongue between them. Naturally, she didn’t push Damian away.

His thick tongue swept along Serabella’s teeth and brushed over the roof of her mouth. The kiss, which had certainly been light, had somehow turned sticky, making obscene wet sounds. Each time their lips parted for a moment, heated breaths slipped out.

Even that felt like a waste. She wanted to have every part of Damian. Instead of letting go of his breath, Serabella wrapped her tongue around Damian’s, tangled with it, and sucked. Damian’s tongue had a faint sweetness. A taste that was so good, yet somehow lacking, making her want something richer.

Pulling their touching lips apart by only the slightest bit, Serabella pushed a question into his mouth.

“Damian, you love me, don’t you?”

“Yes. Very much. With all my soul.”

Serabella smiled faintly as she accepted the confession flowing into her mouth and swallowed it down. As if she had swallowed hot tea, his answer slid down her throat and warmed her entire body. As though that had been a signal, Damian lifted her up in his arms.

With both feet raised into the air in an instant, Serabella inhaled sharply and placed her hands on Damian’s shoulders. It wasn’t a gesture asking him to put her down.

“Damian. I missed you all day.”

Although they had only been apart for a single day, Serabella had missed him so much all day that she could hardly bear it. Even while having tea time, it felt as if his breath was flowing down the nape of her neck, and when she opened a book, the words inside tickled Serabella’s body in Damian’s voice. Her body and heart wanted Damian, always.

“Shall we go to bed?”

Instead of answering, Serabella nodded. Serabella had decorated the basement directly connected to her bedroom as cozily as possible. It was all for Damian. Though the bed could be said to be for both of them.

Lying on the soft bedding, Serabella stroked Damian’s chin upward. His prominent Adam’s apple moved above his thickly lined neck.

“Damian, my love. Hurry and… devour me.”