Chapter 227: School Date... with Azrael: Part-1
The festival’s hallways pulsed with music, colour, and energy, every doorway decorated with new styles and new names... it was far from the usual boring school that one usually had.
Leo found himself led along by Azrael’s insistence, her gloved hand’s grip as sure as if he’d been claimed.
He could feel the shape of her palm against his, the silk of her glove a shivering barrier, fingers curling just tight enough to remind him she could pull him anywhere.
"Don’t get lost, handsome," she murmured, lips quirking, "unless you want to."
As she took over the school hall, each floor enjoyed the sound and view... everything was so lively.
Azrael’s hips swayed with every step, the movement hypnotic... he couldn’t help but imagine the world swirling behind her, every other girl jealous of the way she commanded attention.
"You see that?" she whispered, "All this is for us. Let them stare... I own you~"
Yet, Leo barely had time to read the names painted above each classroom door:
"Witch’s Potion Bar," "Mystic Tarot Den," "Midnight Ballroom," "Chocolate Fair," "Scavenger Hunt," "Bloody Mary," and so on... students really had good taste with their naming sense.
Azrael giggled low, "Midnight Ballroom—think they let you dance without clothes?" she teased.
’But... Are these even approved?’ Leo thought with a confused expression. No matter how one looked at it... It was weird as fuck, and there’s no way the PTA would agree to this shit.
He caught himself grinning, wondering what the teachers would say if they saw the sign for "Bloody Mary"
Still... It’s here, which means... either the school didn’t care or... It’s nothing to them!
Anyway, even though there were many unique and interesting ones there... yet none of them slowed Azrael for even a heartbeat.
She moved like a snake, weaving him through the crowds, ignoring every call for customers and every curious glance.
His gaze turned to their hands... her hand gripped tightly on him.
He stared at their entwined fingers, feeling the slow burn of desire, her thumb stroking the back of his hand.
"You feel that?" Azrael asked quietly. "That’s me marking you."
Leo shook his head... why was he really letting her lead him?
It was like something he couldn’t explain, just... but whenever she says or begs or even... turned seductive, it became hard to reject her, as if something inside him would not answer her ’No!!’
Which was kind of frustrating!
His chest ached with confusion... why did her touch make him dizzy?
Why did he want her to keep holding on, to drag him deeper into danger, into fire, into things he wasn’t sure he could handle?
But every time she looked back, something wild enough to make him forget the world outside.
His mind flickered back to Ophis and Raphael. He worried about them, especially Ophis... they just left her in the stall... no, he was more worried about the vendor.
Poor man, what was he going through!!
"Maybe we should—" he started.
Azrael stopped so suddenly that he almost crashed into her back. She spun, eyes sharp with something dangerous.
She pressed her body against his, hand sliding up his chest, tracing every muscle beneath the fabric, fingers curling around his tie, yanking him closer. Her lips hovered at his jaw, breath warm,
"No thoughts of anyone else. That would be a huge turn off for a woman!" Her lips barely moved, the words meant only for him.
Her eyes darkened, pupils wide, "I want you all to myself," she whispered, voice so low it sent a thrill down his spine. "Don’t make me jealous... or I’ll have to remind you how good I can be."
A flash of her smile made his skin prickle.
A few students paused to watch, eyes wide, uncertain whether to laugh or be jealous. Leo flushed, throat tight, uncertain why he didn’t pull away... her words felt deeper than he thought they would.
Azrael tilted her head, meeting the other students’ stares with an unashamed, sensual smirk, as if daring them to interrupt. Her hand trailed down Leo’s arm.
Azrael turned on her heel, smirking at the silent crowd, and led him onward. He stumbled after her, half-dazed, his body responding to her presence before his mind could argue.
She moved like she owned the festival, "Nope... Nope... Nope," she muttered while rejecting those interesting names of the classroom.
"Too cutesy,"
"Too obvious,"
"Too boring,"
It seemed like she wanted something unique.
Leo’s own thoughts tangled as he followed, ’Why am I letting her drag me like this? Why do I let her choose where we go, how fast, how close?’
He wasn’t like this... sure, with his girlfriends, he was being pushy, but they were his girlfriends, and he needed to learn about this relationship, but... Azrael and him?
What were they?
The question tangled in his gut, twisting between want and fear.
Why was he letting her do what she wanted?
Every time he tried to resist, she only pulled him closer, her touch gentle but insistent. It felt like falling—like surrender. He wondered if she sensed how much power she had over him already.
Was he unconsciously thinking she would be going to be his third girlfriend or something?
That thought itself sent a shiver through his spine!!
Three girls?
He gulped!
Finally, Azrael slowed in front of a classroom transformed... Glass windows glowed with soft, warm light.
Painted letters arched over the doorway... Café La Renaissance. Candle sconces flickered beside rose-laden curtains, the air inside rich with vanilla, strawberry, and the faint perfume of tea leaves.
Her eyes glittered, catching candlelight, lips curling as if she’d found her treasure at last.
"Yup, this is it..." Azrael said as she stepped through the entrance.
A pair of students in crisp uniforms stood at attention. "Welcome to Café La Renaissance! Will you be dining with us today?"
Azrael offered a dazzling smile, "We will. The best seat, please."
She placed her hand on Leo’s chest, possessively guiding him forward.
Leo trailed after her, still blinking. They were led to a table tucked beside a window, sunlight broken by drifting petals from an overhead garland. The tablecloth was real linen, a vase of fresh violets at its centre.
The seat was set apart from the others, framed by flowing curtains and dappled light. The rest of the world faded.
For a heartbeat, it felt as if he and Azrael were alone inside their own fairytale.
He found himself exhaling, not even realising he’d been holding his breath.
For a school festival... this much amount of perfection... damn, these students really went on their research, aren’t they?
Azrael sat first, legs elegantly crossed, coat falling open just enough to reveal the glossy sweep of her skirt against her thighs.
Leo sat opposite, "This is lower class than us and literally doing this with such perfection... colour surprised... hmm!" he nodded to himself.
He tried to look away, but her beauty kept dragging him back, the way her hair caught the light, the way she seemed to glow in the warm golden haze of the café.
He glanced around, awe flickering in his gaze... the care, the charm, the seductive atmosphere. He tried not to stare at her legs but failed.
A waiter arrived. Azrael ordered with a kind of bored grace... a pot of the house tea, a parfait topped with sugared petals.
Once the waiter left, Azrael leaned across the table, her gloved fingers tapping out a slow, "So, tell me, Leo. Have you ever taken a girl to a place like this before?"
He raised his eyebrows, ’Woman, mostly they take me...’ he thought with a haughty tone, but... he knew he couldn’t say it out loud, so, "Not really. I—"
She grinned, inching closer, the shadows at her collarbone deepening. "Good. I like being your first~"
She let the word linger, her tongue tracing her lower lip, gaze locked on his. Her foot brushed his under the table.
Leo’s pulse thudded... This woman!!
"Miss, you don’t understand... You’re playing with fir—!!!"
Leo suddenly flinched in shock.
Azrael’s foot, hidden beneath the table, slid forward... trailing up the inside of his calf, lingering, then pressing lightly against his knee.
"Playing with... what?~" she murmured, voice just loud enough for him to hear. "Fire? Boy... I am the woman who loves to play with fire... What are you? A small spark? Maybe even smaller?" Her face turned into a wicked smile, eyes shimmering with challenge and mischief.
She leaned forward, elbows resting on the table, as if daring him to resist.
He stared at her with a blank expression... he didn’t have an answer?
Her smile widened, lips curving into a slow, predatory grin. That only made her smirk even more as her foot dared to move up even more dangerously closer to his upper thighs.
Just then, the tea and desserts arrived.
She immediately pulled down her leg... The waiter poured the tea she ordered, but Leo barely noticed. Azrael thanked him with a languid nod, then lifted her teacup with both hands, eyes peering over the rim.
"Cheers, Boy~" she whispered.
He tried to steady his own hands as he lifted his cup.
They stared at each other... their eyes never left each other’s... it was like they were talking?
No, fighting in their eyes as they stared deep into each other.
"Hm... Tell me about your girlfriends," Azrael suddenly asked with a curious tone.
Leo tilted his head, "I thought we were supposed to not talk about others while I am on a date?" he said, putting down the teacup.
Azrael nodded, "Yes, but it’s me who’s asking now, so that won’t be a problem."
She shrugged elegantly.
Leo stared at her for a second before asking, "Why do you want to know about my girlfriends all of a sudden?"
Azrael’s foot touched directly his thighs and she said seductively, blowing hot air across her cup, "Well... of course to know about your girlfriends, and whether they were worthy of my Leo, and..."
"And?"
"To become a third girlfriend, of course!!"
Her cheerful sound almost made him cough up the tea that went through his food pipe. He coughed slightly before asking with a red face, "What the hell?" he whispered, making sure nobody heard them.
Azrael shrugged with a smirk, "What? You thought I was kidding before? I’m freaking 1000% sure I’ll be your girlfriend, no matter what it takes!!"
Leo blankly stared at her with slight disappointment, shaking his head... Even though it stung a little bit in Azrael’s chest, she was not letting this slide; she was going to get him for sure!