Checkmate

XVI

That night, the four of them decided to celebrate on the beach. They gathered around a bonfire that a previous group had left. Genesis passed the drinks to everyone, unknowingly serving a little too much for Luciel.

"Why don't you choose dare, you pussy?!," Luciel hollered at Genesis, downing the contents of his glass in one go. "I wanna go. Get me a dancing pole, you boring kids!"

"Oi, sit down!" Genesis yanked the tipsy guy's arm and forced him to sit down.

That was when Luciel began to sob. "Why? Am I unattractive now? You think I can't do it?!"

Yulia sipped on her orange juice, trying not to make fun of Genesis's stressed face. It was a very hard feat as she was already on the verge of losing to her laughter.

The two were already of legal age, old enough to drink themselves to passing out. But it seemed Luciel was in no way the type to pass out when drunk. He was more chaotic than a spin top.

"Okay, you chose truth," Yulia reiterated. It was Genesis's turn and the first time he had chosen truth. Yulia's cheeks flamed at the audacity of her question, but she didn't want to ask a boring one. She was also curious. "Have you ever had an intimate physical relationship with anyone?"

In other words, sex.

Elijah nearly spat out his drink. For a split second, Luciel's expression morphed into a horrified one.

"Wow, naughty," Genesis teased. He let out a low chuckle and simply answered, "I have."

Yulia did not know what she expected, but for some reason, the answer made her heart beat erratically. She realized Genesis wasn't just her friend. He was also a guy, and he was experienced in things she could barely even imagine.

Her cheeks burned brightly. Genesis really was a cool person! But he surely wouldn't be her role model anytime soon. "In...all those girls?"

Genesis looked at her dumbfounded, and then he burst out laughing. "No, no. Just one. I only do it with one person."

Do? Present tense...?

Luciel, who seemed to have sobered up from the topic, turned to him with furrowed brows, but Genesis paid him no attention.

Yulia's eyes widened. If that was so, Genesis wasn't all bad of a Cassanova. "Could it be that you're just in love with one person?! But the other girls..."

Genesis grinned. "I only have one. And they're like a rabbit."

"A rabbit? Because she's cute?"

The green-haired guy hummed, downing his drink. "Uh huh. And elusive. They're my first in everything."

"Adorable," Yulia giggled, her feet giddily playing with the warm sand. "First love, first kiss, and first time."

"They're not my first kiss," Genesis corrected. "These lips of mine are virgins!"

Yulia just laughed it off without realizing that under the pretense of a dramatic joke was the truth.

Luciel's fears and Genesis's limitations.

As ironic as it would sound, Genesis told the truth. Luciel had always refused to let their lips meet, not at least once.