The room felt calm, almost sacred, as Dragan continued his explanation. Papers were spread across the table, covered with diagrams of red blood cells and genetic codes. His voice was steady and careful, as if he were sharing a fragile secret.
"See here, this is the point where the hemoglobin mutates," he said, tapping a sheet. "If I can design a correction vector, maybe through a nanobot delivery system, I could theoretically reverse the sickling effect. But for you… I was thinking of trying something even more advanced. A direct molecular rewrite using futuristic gene-editing tech. It's risky, but if it works…"
Aurelia listened closely, her eyes wide and bright. She didn't understand every detail, but she loved hearing him talk. His mind felt alive, always moving, and she felt safe in that energy.
As he spoke, she slowly tilted her head and rested it on his shoulder. Her hair brushed against his neck, soft and warm. Dragan's voice faltered for a moment. He glanced down at her, and for a second, the world felt too still.In his mind, he thought, I don't think this will work out… not like this. It's too dangerous. And us… we're too tangled.
Then she whispered softly, almost dreamlike. "Hey… Dragan… do you like me?"
The question hit him hard. He paused, his eyes moving around the room like he was looking for an escape. What's coming over her? he thought. She wasn't like this before…
But he didn't want to hurt her. He didn't want to see the light in her eyes fade. So he took a quiet breath and decided to be honest. "Yes," he said simply. His voice was soft, real, and heavier than he expected.
Aurelia's lips curved into a gentle smile, her cheeks pink with warmth.
"Hey, Aurelia… I guess you should…" Dragan began, but he stopped mid-sentence. While he spoke, he slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out a small, sleek device: the Xrt model 51.4 pulse transmitter.
He gently pressed it against her wrist, making it look like a comforting touch. His other hand moved up through her hair, distracting her. The transmitter silently synced with its counterpart, the Xtr model 2.5, hidden inside his shirt.
Through this hidden scan, Dragan could track her pulse rhythms, emotional spikes, and even subtle neural signals. It was a futuristic way to see if something deeper was affecting her behavior.Aurelia didn't notice. She was too lost in the warmth, her breathing slow and steady.
Then, as if guided by something invisible, she lifted her head and met his eyes. They stared at each other deeply, as if searching for hidden answers in each other's souls. Slowly, he leaned in, and she moved to meet him.
Their lips touched softly at first, then melted into something deeper and more intense. Dragan felt her fingers wrap lightly around his arm, her pulse rising under his touch.
The kiss lasted longer than he expected. Each second felt sweet and heavy, like they both knew they shouldn't, but neither of them could stop.
All the while, the transmitter silently collected data, sending signals between them, recording everything from emotional waves to subtle blood flow shifts.
When they finally pulled away, they stayed close, their foreheads leaning together, their breaths mixing in the quiet.
Dragan's mind was spinning. She's stronger than I thought… but this connection could break us both.
But for that moment, under the dim light, they didn't move. They just held each other, as if the world outside didn't exist.
After a few heartbeats, Dragan slowly pulled away. He stood up, trying to steady himself, and walked to the small fridge. He took out a bottle of chilled juice, poured it into two glasses, and brought one to her. She accepted it with a shy smile, her cheeks still glowing.They drank quietly. The sweet, cold juice didn't do much to cool the fire still burning inside them.
When they finished, Aurelia moved to the anti-gravity chair and sat down. Her eyes shone as she looked at the screen showing the pulse data. Dragan joined her, leaning over her shoulder as lines and waves flickered across the screen.
His fingers moved quickly as he studied the graph. Then he stopped. A loop appeared on the graph, a strange curve that stood out. His eyes narrowed, and he quickly added new code, comparing it to older readings.
There it was. Her aphrodisiac levels were unusually high - spiking in a way he hadn't predicted. Something was pushing her body, making her act with more boldness than usual. But strangely, it didn't match her emotional spikes or heart rhythms.
He turned quickly to look at her.
Aurelia had left the chair and moved to the bed. She lay there now, her face flushed and dreamy, her eyes half-closed with a soft, hungry look.She slowly ran her hand over her side and up to her neck. Her breath caught as if her own touch was electric.
Dragan felt sweat bead on his forehead. His throat tightened.What should I do? The question roared in his mind. One side of him urged him to give in, to make her happy.
But another side screamed louder. No. This isn't right. Something is wrong.
He clenched his fists, forcing his eyes away, even as her soft movements pulled at him like gravity.Aurelia's breathing turned shallow. She shifted on the bed again, her hands moving slowly, teasingly along her body as if she were lost in a private dream.
Dragan's heart pounded. He stepped back, fighting every urge inside him. He knew he had to stay in control ; for her sake, for the research, and for the fragile line that still tied them together.
He clenched his jaw and turned toward his desk, trying to focus on the data, as her soft sighs filled the room behind him.What triggered this? he thought, scanning the graphs again, searching desperately for an answer that wasn't just desire.