SALOME Ch 26

Fiddling with his two hands—held together despite their different temperatures—Cedric scrambled for a topic of conversation. He wanted to learn more about him. Anything. Was I always this bad at talking? While Cedric stared awkwardly toward the stage, Yuri pondered deeply to formulate an answer.

New Year’s…

In truth, ever since coming to Berlin, New Year’s was nothing more than a single day off for Yuri. Nothing more, nothing less… Unlike Cedric, it held no special meaning, nor did he have warm memories like Cedric’s family—let alone any fond memories worth recalling between his father in name only and his half-brother.

So, as he wondered how to answer, a buried memory suddenly surfaced in his mind.

“With my mother… I used to gather in the square with the villagers to eat grapes.”

Memories of living with his mother on the island. The freedom he had taken for granted before being dragged away. Eating grapes until his cheeks bulged to the sound of the bell announcing the New Year… In the midst of savoring that time he could never return to, Cedric nodded and replied:

“Ah, I’ve heard of that before.”

“…Thanks for inviting me.”

At Cedric’s words, Yuri abruptly shifted the conversation. The custom he had just described was one found in Southern Europe, making it inappropriate for someone known to be Polish. At Yuri’s prompt word of thanks, Cedric stopped his previous train of thought and simply gave a broad smile, saying, “Don’t mention it.” Unsure of what to do with the glimpse Yuri had shown of his inner heart, his body moved toward him on its own. For someone barely managing to control an overflowing heart, controlling one’s own body was bound to be a challenge.

“I’m the one who should thank you for starting the New Year together with me.”

Gently wrapping his arms around Yuri in an embrace, he pressed his cheek against his and whispered right next to his ear. Just as Yuri’s hand was about to go up to stop him due to the ticklish, warm breath, a wet mwah sound echoed from his dry lips. At the same time, the sound of the orchestra’s timpani reverberated rhythmically throughout the concert hall. Yuri thought with his sluggish mind that it sounded just like the heartbeat pounding inside his head. Right now, what was this…?

“Happy New Year.”

A trace of regret lingered in Cedric’s lowered, bashful gaze, but he managed to compose himself and form a smile. Just as his sister had said, he had intended to take it step by step… but it was far too difficult.

“….”

Looking at Yuri’s face as he stared blankly at him in astonishment, the area around his heart, a part of his brain, and below his waist all felt a prickling sensation. Did Daniela know just how cute he looked with a face that seemed as if its sharp thorns had melted away like snow? Breathing as if holding his breath at that sight, Cedric ultimately couldn’t resist the impulse and repeatedly pressed his lips against Yuri’s like a bird pecking. In his ears, the tenor was singing the climax of the aria.

That resonance, which made one’s whole body feel numb, was felt even between the two as they kissed. Just as Cedric’s tongue invaded inside, ravenously craving like a parched man, Yuri finally moved his dazed body. It was his first time. Kissing for a reason other than “work.”

“Mmph, ah, wait…”

Only after Yuri came to his senses and thudded his fists against Cedric’s chest did their linked lips finally pull apart. Except for the lights illuminating the central stage, the audience seats—wrapped in total darkness—and the two on the top floor were enveloped in deep shadows, making it difficult to see what expressions they wore.

Among them, a single figure standing on the right, whose gold thread merely shimmered every now and then, was catching his breath with his head bowed. The taller person beside him moved his hands up and down toward the smaller figure, completely at a loss for what to do. Then, the one with the glittering golden hair burst through the curtain entrance of the standing section. The larger figure hurriedly followed suit.

“Where are you going?”

“….”

Leaving Yuri walking away rapidly without a word, Cedric brushed his palm over his flushed face and stuck close to Yuri’s side. Did he dislike it? Yet the sweetness felt the moment he met Daniela’s soft lips possessed a force like an irresistible magic. Something he had no choice but to keep seeking.

Was it… no good?

However, for Cedric as well, a kiss with him was his first kiss, so he had no choice but to let his body lead the way. After all, they didn’t teach how to kiss at Eton. With all sorts of worries coming to mind, Cedric lightly placed his hand on Yuri’s shoulder as he finally came to a stop.

“Um.”

“The restroom.”

Yuri’s face, glimpsed briefly as he cold-shouldered Cedric’s hand away, was…

“….”

Bright red, as if about to explode. It caused a small curve to rise on Cedric’s lips. At least he hadn’t felt bad about it, right? If he had hated it, he wouldn’t have reacted like that… Leaving Yuri who had gone into the restroom, Cedric grinned with a strange sense of satisfaction. At a glance, he looked like a madman.

Having lost track of time waiting for Yuri while leaning against the white plaster wall for quite a while, Cedric looked toward the restroom entrance and let out a soft exclamation of puzzle. A sense of awkwardness had finally caught the eye of a man whose romantic eyelids had been peeled back by one layer.

“That side is… the men’s restroom.”

Was he flustered too? Thinking of Daniela—who was so utterly cute that he had walked into the men’s room right beside the women’s room—Cedric stroked his lips, where the soft sensation still lingered.

Since a performance is in full swing right now, no one will be using it anyway, so I suppose it doesn’t matter.

With that thought, Cedric walked over to where the armchairs were located at the far end of the hallway. It was to offer a small consideration for him when he came out in fluster. And, once he calmed down a bit more, wouldn’t it be nice to ask him out on a date? He inflated happy imaginations. Cedric, his mind numb from the drug called happiness, failed to notice someone entering the restroom Yuri had gone into as he turned around and walked away.

∞ ∞ ∞

As soon as Yuri entered the restroom, he couldn’t bear the sight of his own reflection in the mirror and closed his eyes. Damn it… With a bright red face, he looked like a potato that was about to burst. Of course, he had far too refined a face for a potato, but people who were naturally gifted rarely realized it themselves. Turning the faucet on full blast, he tried to chase away the heat by repeatedly drenching his face with water, but it didn’t go as well as he thought.

Only after icy streams of water flowed down his flushed face and soaked between the collar of his shirt did the redness spread across his face settle down a bit. Still, the heat boiling inside his face showed no sign of cooling down, so Yuri went into the end stall, flushed the toilet, and plopped down onto it.

There had been orders to get close to him, but…

“It wasn’t supposed to be like this…”

Burying his still-damp face in his pale palms even after wiping it with his handkerchief, he tried desperately to erase the sensation that kept coming back to mind. It was merely a kiss, yet he couldn’t understand why he was feeling so shaken up himself. Unlike the old men he had met for entertainment, that moist, soft texture kept spinning endlessly inside his mouth and inside his head.

It was as if his lips were alive. Feeling as though it wasn’t his own body—moving uncontrollably as it pleased—he repeatedly rubbed his lips against the back of his hand. Even if he did that, the fact that they had kissed remained unchanged, yet Yuri repeated the motion until the skin of his lips swelled up, as if trying to wipe away whatever had been engraved on them.

Rather, doing so clearly captured the evidence that they had kissed, but his mind was far too chaotic to realize it. Seriously, it’s just a kiss… Why do I feel so strange? Pondering, Yuri muttered with his face buried in his palms.

“I’m a man… you idiot…”

This strange feeling was probably because Cedric mistook Yuri himself for a woman, and so… that was why, Yuri repeated to himself. In fact, he had done far more than kissing before, but it had never given him such a ticklish sensation.

“That was…”

Because that was work. Yuri’s eyes settled down calmly. Since it was work, taking off his clothes hadn’t been difficult. Rather than a ticklish sensation, that was…

“…It just hurt.”