Kael's world narrowed to the figure on the plush seat.
Vivian was only a few years older than him, at 22, while Kael was 19. She was the older daughter of Sherry, tall, toned, and effortlessly stunning.
Reclined comfortably on the soft cushion, she flipped through a book casually, utterly unbothered by her state of undress, as if nudity was simply part of the morning routine.
Her hair, damp and loose, cascaded to her back. Her breasts, generous and proud, rose and fell with every breath. Her skin gleamed faintly with whatever oil or lotion she'd just rubbed in.
She looked up, meeting Kael's eyes.
"Oh. Hey Kael," she said simply, lips curling into a small smile. "Didn't know we had company."
Kael opened his mouth to respond… then closed it. Then opened it again. But nothing came out because he was utterly speechless.
This morning was taking a sharp turn for the better.
Vivian, lounging half-naked in the golden spill of sunlight, looked like a painting someone forgot to hang. He could watch her like that all day, hell, he wanted to. A view like this? It wasn't just rare, it had never happened before.
Behind him, Sherry let out an exasperated sigh. "Vivian, seriously, you can't just walk around like that."
Vivian shrugged lazily. "It's our house." Then, with a cheeky grin, she glanced at Kael. "And I'm sure Kael doesn't mind. Right Kael?"
Kael nodded, swallowing hard. "...Y-yeah. No problem." He couldn't deny that. She was right, he absolutely did not mind.
Sherry rolled her eyes, clearly used to this kind of behavior, then turned to Kael with a softer tone. "Kael, do you want something to drink?"
Kael finally tore his eyes away from the sight Vivian was generously offering him and looked at Sherry, trying to compose himself.
"I'm fine," he said, forcing a smile. "No need for a drink."
Sherry nodded, but not before her eyes darted to Vivian, still reclining without a care in the world. The look on Sherry's face was brief but telling. She didn't like how her daughter was almost flashing Kael. Simply put: she was a little jealous.
"Well then," she said, placing a hand on Kael's shoulder and gently turning him away out of the danger zone. "I actually did have something I needed your help with."
"Kael, come find me once you're done," Vivian called out sweetly as he walked away, still posing like she was a figure in a painting.
Kael almost stumbled over his own feet.
"Y-yeah," he muttered. He didn't dare glance back, because he didn't want to look like a pervert inside his neighbors home.
Sherry led him outside, toward the small shed beside the house.
A wheelbarrow sat beside some mystery sacks. Was it fertilizer? Potatoes? Who knows.
Either way, they looked like back pain waiting to happen. Was he going to carry all those bags?
He couldn't help but regret agreeing to help Sherry. Of course there was a catch.
He should've known something was up when Sherry was being extra sweet, practically begging him to stop by and help with a, so called 'simple thing.'
So called simple thing? There was nothing simple about hauling sacks in the heat.
"I need you to move these to the garden. Can you do that?" Sherry asked him sweetly, "And... if it's not too much trouble, Anya's door is acting weird again. The latch is loose. Think you could take a look? She's out at her mage school and won't be back till later this day."
Kael frowned at the mention of Anya.
He'd almost forgotten that smug magic wielder lived here. Thank the stars she wouldn't be around while he was working. 'That bitch is annoying,' he thought.
He could confidently say he liked every woman, just not Anya. And it wasn't because she was ugly. Quite the opposite, actually. Anya was a total package. Tall, blonde haired, and sharp-eyed. The kind of pretty that made guys trip over their own feet.
But her personality? Absolute garbage fire. And she seemed to hate Kael just as much. And unlike him, she didn't even bother pretending to be polite. She hated him. Openly.
"Yeah. Sure. I can handle that." Kael nodded, although he was reluctant. What was he supposed to do, back out now and look like a lazy freeloader?
"Thank you, sweetheart," Sherry said, planting a teasing kiss on his cheek. "You're a lifesaver."
Kael gave her a small grin in return. Although in the back of his mind, Vivian's casual repose still burned like an afterimage on his retinas.
'Alright, he thought, lifting the first sack with a grunt. The faster I finish this, the sooner I can spend some time with Vivian. Maybe she still won't be wearing anything by then.' He hoped.
He grinned to himself, a little wickedly. Motivation comes in all forms.
After a short period of time, Kael finished carrying the bags into the garden. And it took him a lot less time than he was expecting.
The best thing was that he wasn't even sweating from all that heavy lifting. He was surprised by how easily he'd managed to lift those heavy bags; he hadn't even needed the wheelbarrow.
He had grown stronger over the past few years. That much was clear. Sometimes he felt like he was stronger for someone his age, but that was just his imagination.
After dusting himself off, brushing away the dirt clinging to his clothes from the sacks, Kael stepped back into the house. Vivian was still lying there, reading a book.
She twirled a lock of her hair around one finger, slow and absentminded, while the other hand kept her book steady.
She looked bored, achingly bored, but in that alluring way only someone like Vivian could manage.
Kael lingered at the doorway a moment too long, eyes drawn against his will.
He found it hard not to admire her from afar. Especially lying like that: bare from the waist up, a tight skirt hugging her round hips, scandalously short and leaving her long, sculpted thighs fully on display.
She looked like a seductress. And she didn't even have to try.
Trying not to risk getting caught watching her, Kael continued with his task. Since he had already finished with the hauling, the only thing left was to fix Anya's door. And then, he would spend the rest of the time with Vivian.
Kael walked over to the room and crouched by the door. The latch was definitely loose, wobbling in place like it was barely hanging on. He grabbed a small toolkit Sherry had left nearby and got to work.
The wood creaked as he adjusted the screws, tightening them one by one. It didn't take much, just some steady hands and a bit of focus.
A few minutes later, the latch clicked into place. Fixed. Kael gave the door a test push. It shut cleanly.
Task complete.
He stood up and dusted off his hands.
Now, with the chores behind him, he returned to the living room. Vivian was still engrossed in her book.
She noticed him approaching and sat up.
Kael swallowed hard. Her bare breasts were now fully visible to him, as she faced him.
His steps subconsciously slowed, and he forgot to blink. It was unreal. Believe it or not, Kael was the purest of the pure, the most virgin of virgins. He had never even seen a female bare before.
The closest he'd ever come was glimpsing Sylvia in a robe or her nightgown, and even that felt like forbidden fruit.
But this? This was different. This was the first time Kael had ever witnessed a real, live pair of bare breasts.
Vivian smiled, casual as a summer breeze. "Looks like you're done with your chore," she said, patting the space beside her. "Can you sit with me?"
"No problem." Kael nodded stiffly and lowered himself onto the cushion"So, uhh, what is—" He cut himself off.
No. He wasn't going to ask about the book. That was just his brain grasping for something safe to say and not turn her off, something normal and this situation was anything but.
Instead, he cleared his throat and stared ahead, doing his absolute best not to glance down.
Vivian peeked over the edge of her book, one brow arched, a sly smirk playing on her lips. "What is...?"
Kael shook his head, chuckling with a little nervousness. "Nothing. Doesn't matter."
Without warning, Vivian stretched and reclined, right into his lap. Her bare chest faced him directly, breasts practically staring up at him.
"You don't mind if I lie here, do you?" she asked, her voice a teasing murmur.