"Not tonight."
Eren looked at Becky with his narrowed down eyes. His unstable mental state was manifested in his aura and made Becky take a step back subconsciously. But she tried one more shot– thinking she was doing right by her friend:
"Renita… Eren, Renita is not feeling well tonight. You might want to.."
Becky was about to finish what she was saying when she felt a surge of mana in the surrounding area. Tongues of purple lightning and orange flames surrounded Eren's body as he coldly said to her while looking her in the eyes:
"You know what, Becky? Get the fuck off."
Eren cut Becky off while inadvertently channelling his Ace rank mana. He stopped Becky from being a hurdle by the door. She took a few more steps back– allowing Eren to enter the house.
"You might want to find another place to crash tonight."
Eren said to Becky without looking at her. He made it sound like a suggestion. But Becky knew that it was anything but.
Eren headed towards Renita's room. Becky gulped and sighed. She decided to listen to his threat and act on it. That's because Eren was a patient and relaxed guy in front of her. So when he showed her this side of his, she knew he meant business tonight.
'Take care, Renita. Eren is an exceptional ranker. We all know that. But this guy is no good news as a partner. I tried my best to warn you. And I tried my darnedest at stopping him. But it looks like some heartaches can't be avoided. Sigh.'
Becky uttered a monologue inside her head and left the house. She thought of heading to Ana's place for the night.
******************
Knock knock!
"Renita, are you awake?"
Renita heard a knock on her door followed by a known voice. A voice that had gotten a bit more masculine after that person's change of appearance.
"Eren?"
Renita stopped playing with herself and thought she was hallucinating. Then she heard the knock again and got alarmed. She was in a compromised position at the moment and wasn't expecting any visitors.
'This is… Eren… why is he here?'
Renita thought to herself before feeling butterflies in her stomach again. She couldn't decide whether to open the door and jump at the guy or send him away so she could have some peace of mind.
"Seems like you are sleeping. I'll go then."
Eren's voice sounded distant this time as if he had taken a few steps back from the door. That finally got Renita moving. She sprang from her bed, tidied her clothes a bit, and opened the door right away.
Renita thought Eren had retreated on his way out of the house. But it turned out he was standing right in front of her with his arms folded– a smirk on his face. He had tricked her into opening the door quicker.
Renita's cheeks were about to turn red. But she looked back to hide her excitement and asked in a low and shy voice:
"What… What are you doing here?"
Eren chuckled a bit and stepped forward towards Renita. He noticed a very peculiar smell coming off of her and from inside the room. But he ignored it for now.
Eren stood very close to her before placing his right hand on her cheek and caressing it. He spoke after a bit:
"You wanted to say goodbye to me right? Well… we have all night."
It took a while for Renita to understand what he was getting at. She was speechless before forming a faint smile on her face.
Eren didn't wait for Renita's reply and embraced her. The latter placed her head on his chest again before speaking up:
"Eren, answer me this before we move any further. Will you be with me forever?"
Eren smiled when he heard Renita's question. He was also remembered for his nightmares. Renita's calming voice had accompanied him while being subjected to that misery. That made him embrace the girl even more firmly. He replied after taking his time:
"Renita, believe me when I tell you that I have looked the reaper in the eyes and came back. This was not the first time for me. And it probably won't be the last. But what happened to me now was… let's say… a perspective-changing event."
Eren took a deep breath before continuing further as he stroked Renita's back while she was in his embrace:
"But… when I was at my lowest and completely broken down, I remembered your words and guiding voice that gave me some courage to fight my inner demons."
Renita felt Eren's hands stop roaming over her back as he said so. He had clenched his fist— and she could feel his hands shaking a bit. The ranger had come to realize that Eren was either suffering from post-battle trauma or something much more serious.
Renita wasn't stupid. She understood that being with her was Eren's way of coping with that trauma. But that fact didn't repel her from him. It brought her closer to him than ever before. She felt that she had found a tiny, peaceful place in his slowly beating heart for her to reside in. After all, he saw her as something he could rely on.
Renita knew she didn't have to speak. She just stayed in that position and enjoyed his warmth. Her hands had also wrapped him in her embrace now. Eren continued after taking a long breath:
"I'm not sure about the future, Renita. Because I'm not sure about my life or where it'll take me. In the face of the tasks that await me, it will be difficult to keep my head above water and stay afloat.
But I'm sure about one thing. I want to spend time with you today and every day that we can spend in each other's company. I want us to be together for however long my and your life allows us to."
Eren then chuckled and moved a bit away from Renita. He took her face in his hand before replying:
"Call me selfish for depending on you to deal with my shit. But I'm not afraid to admit anymore that I need you.
Just like you, Renita, I don't want to have regrets. Now you tell me, what do you think? Do you… want us to continue?"
Renita smiled after she heard Eren's version of a broken confession. She knew the guy was always a smooth talker. But tonight, whatever he had said wasn't a facade. She felt that only she was privy to this version of Eren's side and felt comfortable about it.
Renita didn't reply in words. She pulled Eren inside her room before locking the door behind him. The ranger found the strength to look in Eren's eyes as she effortlessly removed the loose-fitting robe hanging by her shoulder and let it drop.
She stood proud– keeping her hands on either side of her chest that accentuated her curvaceous figure– in that sensuous-looking attire. Her image was bathed in the silver moonlight that bounced off of her smooth skin and silky hair– giving both of them a lustrous sheen.
'I like girls who take charge.'
Eren thought to himself and smiled. He narrowed his eyes before tilting his neck forward– intending to kiss a gorgeous girl that was before him.
Eren wrapped his hand around Renita's petite body again. He could feel more of her due to the flimsy fabric of the dress. Since she had discarded her robe, the sleeveless hands were now out in the open along with a large part of her neck area. Eren could also see Renita's cleavage that highlighted the prominence of her perky boobs.
Eren planted his lips on Renita's and immediately forgot about the nightmares. His hands stopped trembling as they got busy feeling the ranger's soft body up.
Ummmmmmm!
Renita groaned, getting bolder by the second. This time, she inserted her tongue in his mouth while pulling his head on her. She had grabbed him by his hair as she dictated the pace and intensity of the smooch.
As Renita retracted her head back to take a breather, a few strands of saliva would form. She could see that the guy was in heat now. His drunk eyes were screaming that he needed her. She also felt pleased that she could invoke so much passion in Eren.
In her room, in her own space, which lacked anyone else apart from her and her partner, Renita found the confidence she needed to march ahead fearlessly.
Despite this being her first time, Renita didn't feel nervous as she was in the evening. Eren's speech and his emotional involvement in her had given her the mental satisfaction she needed to push through with this life-altering experience.
