Infinite Mana In The Oasis

There was a simple array disk that served as the source of slow music.

A non-vocal track was playing in the background. This was well past midnight.

Eren and Reece were slow dancing to the tune of the song. It was mostly Reece leading and Eren following. The guy tried his best. But it was obvious that Reece was a better dancer than them.

But that didn't matter. The pair was busy enjoying each other's company. The unpacked boxes of stuff could still be seen lying in the corners of the living room. The paint was still wet. And the house lacked many things that made it home.

Then again, did the pair really need a clean and tidy ambiance to enjoy the moment?

"I had a good time today, Eren. It's a nice change from the work we usually do. I really enjoyed it."

While looking into Eren's eyes, Reece said. Her voice was clear. But Eren could tell Reece was not her usual self. The troublemaker and loudmouth of a girl were nowhere to be found. It was as if those traits were all a facade to hide what was in front of him.

Eren smiled at Reece's words before verbalizing his response.

"Yeah. Only I know how much I needed to change to cope with my changed reality. I'm still a work in progress, Reece. So I struggle. I put the work in as much as I can.

But it's nice to have these moments as well. They made me grateful for the things I had achieved. They allowed me to look back and understand how far I have come."

Eren said to Reece while stroking her hair. He tucked the bangs behind her ears with his hand as he followed her lead.

Reece was glad that Eren had become more approachable tonight. She decided to ask him a question she had in mind for a long time.

"Eren, why didn't we venture any further than where we stopped that day?"

Reece asked, the blush on her face intensifying by the moment. Eren knew what she was talking about. He chuckled before answering.

"I don't know, Reece. Maybe we should have. Or maybe it's better that we didn't continue at that time."

Eren said while allowing Reece to spin around herself before taking her in his arms once again, the fingers of their hands weaving into locks. Eren waited for the right time to speak again.

"To be honest, Reece. I needed a roof over my head that I could call my own. It felt like I was doing Aunt Rumi injustice when I was living with you at your home."

Eren said honestly. Reece seemed like she wanted to ask him something. But Eren verbally marched on.

"I know aunt Rumi would have been fine with us getting involved with each other. It's just that I didn't want to risk creating a conflict with people who I'm blessed to have in this life."

"This life?" Reece repeated Eren's last words with puzzled expressions. The latter smiled bitterly before coming up with an explanation.

"I mean the life I had when my parents were here. And the new lease on life I was given when I was taken in by aunt Rumi.

Plus, I was an unranked mortal back then while you were already set on the right track. I had to get my act together.

It doesn't really make sense, I know. But I often do things that I see as right. Buying this house was one such example."

Reece couldn't help smiling when she heard Eren's words. She derived another meaning from his act of buying the house.

"Hehe. You mean to say you bought the house so we could pick up where we left off that night?"

Eren was about to say something in denial. But then he stopped himself from doing that. He looked Reece in the eyes before speaking up boldly.

"Absolutely. This is my house now. We can do whatever we want to do here."

Eren said and pulled Reece into his embrace even further than she already was before tightening his hold on her. The girl stopped dancing and wrapped her arms around his neck before speaking up.

"What are we waiting for then? This is your damn house."

Reece said, borrowing courage from her slightly tipsy state. She then tiptoed and brought her face in front of Eren's. She also led Eren's head near her and stopped just when Eren's lips were only a centimeter or two away from hers.

The pair could feel each other's warm breaths on their skins. They both felt like they needed this warmth to survive the night.

As if the entire world had been embraced by the world of snow at this point. And their partner's body was the only source of heat available to them. As if without this warmth, they might die.

Eren effortlessly lifted Reece with his grip on her hips. He then moved forward and planted his lips on hers. At first, Reece was too stunned to respond. She just let Eren's lips touch hers while closing her eyes and thinking of so many things at once.

Reece couldn't put into words what she was thinking. Her thoughts were noisy, intense, and incoherent. Eren didn't rush. He just brought her body close to hers and waited for her to respond. He could feel that her body was heating up.

Reece finally opened her lips with shaky movements and turned Eren's kiss into a smooch. Then all of a sudden, an overwhelming impulse took over her body. She started kissing Eren as if it was the only source of oxygen available to her, which she was in dire need of.

As their restless hands touched each other, the distance between their bodies decreased to zero. Reece concentrated on her ongoing task by holding Eren's face from either side with both her hands.

The smooch turned into a series of sloppy kisses soon after. Tongues met and sparred with each other. It didn't take long for the atmosphere to turn sultry.

Eren knew what he had to do. He quickly lifted Reece into a princess carry before heading to his bedroom. Reece still has her arms wrapped around his neck. She was looking at him with a tinge of shyness and boldness blended.

Eren looked down before whispering his words to Reece.

"One way or the other, I'm painting the interior in monochrome white, Reece."

Despite it being the last lousy pun for the night, Eren managed to make it sound intriguing for Reece.