Chapter 324
'I have to stay calm. Trust my instincts and the memories I absorbed earlier.'
Within the absolute silence he created for himself, Theo's ears became his only channel of information.
And from there, Aldraya's voice was heard again.
This time, however, its quality was different.
Her voice, usually flat, now carried a tone that was utterly unfamiliar.
A plea.
An urgent and concrete plea.
She spoke of the cold, of the cool midday air beginning to touch her exposed skin after her lower garment had been removed.
It was not a threat or manipulation, but a plain and touching statement of fact, Aldraya's unique way of expressing that she was deeply dependent on Theo at this moment, and that any delay would result in real physical discomfort.
Hearing this, all hesitation and ethical deliberation in Theo's mind collapsed.
There was no other choice.
If he withdrew now, it would be a betrayal of the trust and fundamental need Aldraya had just expressed.
With renewed resolve, Theo moved.
First, he ensured safety.
Though his eyes remained tightly shut, he exerted his will.
From both sides of the narrow alley, an invisible yet tangible barrier formed, a subtle distortion of perception that would cause anyone approaching to unconsciously turn away or stop.
It was an extra layer of protection, ensuring the absolute privacy required in this fragile moment.
After that, taking a deep breath he struggled to control, Theo tried to remain calm.
He placed all his trust in his instincts, in his spatial memory of Aldraya's position, and in his basic anatomical understanding.
Slowly, his body began to bend, adjusting its height.
He positioned himself carefully, trying to imagine exactly where Aldraya was standing, where her waist was, and where the pad needed to be placed.
'Do not touch any other area. Focus only on the surface of the pad. Make sure the position is even and perfectly aligned.'
In the dark space behind his eyelids, every other sense sharpened to its limit.
He focused on the soft sound of Aldraya's breathing, on his own lowered posture, and above all on the object in his hands and the empty space before him.
The principle was clear.
Extreme caution, and the prevention of any form of misunderstanding or unnecessary touch.
His intention was not to grope or explore, but to place and attach—a mechanical task that had to be carried out with blind precision.
For that reason, Theo deliberately avoided any exploratory movement.
His hands did not wander in search of position.
Instead, he moved with measured confidence.
First, he had to confirm the orientation of the pad.
With the tips of his highly sensitive fingers, he felt along the edges of the white object, searching for the end that held the adhesive or special fastening mechanism he had designed into it.
Once certain, he held it in the correct position.
The next step was the most critical.
Attaching it.
Theo visualized as clearly as possible where the correct position on Aldraya's body should be—an area that needed protection but was not the most intimate zone.
He tried to attach one end of the pad to the other, forming a loop or protective band, hoping that by doing so, the central part of the pad would automatically settle into the proper place.
Before attaching it, he performed one final verification.
With the back of his fingers or the most neutral side of his hand, he made a very quick and light touch—almost like a brush of wind—against the area around Aldraya's waist or upper thigh, just enough to gain spatial confirmation of where the end of the pad should be placed.
'The back adhesive has attached perfectly, but the front one won't hold.'
Fhhhh!
'Focus a little more. Only on that point.'
After successfully placing and attaching the back adhesive end of the pad, precisely at the area of Aldraya's groin he could reach through blind estimation, a brief sense of relief slipped through Theo.
Half the work, he thought, was done.
But when he shifted his attention to the front, trying to connect the other adhesive end to form a perfect loop, an unexpected difficulty arose.
His hand, still moving carefully in the darkness, brought the adhesive end to what he estimated to be the correct front position.
The moment he pressed it, expecting the familiar sensation of stickiness and certainty as before, what he felt instead was resistance.
The adhesive refused to work.
There was no grip, no faint sound signaling a successful bond.
The surface at Aldraya's front—whether due to skin texture, moisture, or some other factor entirely beyond human understanding—refused to bond with the adhesive he had created.
"Continue, attach it there, make sure it sticks—try again."
'Every accidental touch makes her breathing heavier, more urgent.
This is dangerous. I have to finish it, not sink into it.'
In the midst of his blind persistence to find the correct bonding point, Theo's ears began to catch another sound he had not expected at all.
Not a sound of protest or discomfort, but a sigh.
A soft, long sigh, laden with deep comfort.
That sound slipped from Aldraya's lips every time Theo's fingers, in his effort to find a safe position at the front, accidentally touched or pressed against the sensitive area nearby.
Each misplaced touch triggered a paradoxical response.
Not rejection, but a release of breath filled with acceptance.
Instead of making Theo stop, the pattern only grew more intense.
Each time his fingers, meant only to place the adhesive, strayed and accidentally pressed against Aldraya's warm, soft skin in a more intimate area, the reaction became stronger.
Those comfortable sighs changed, layered with something else.
Erotic sounds began to emerge, a low vibration in her throat, so gentle yet exquisitely resonant, like a wordless song understood only by the most basic instincts.
The sound flowed through the cold air of the alley, filling the narrow space between them with an intoxicating intimacy.
For Theo, trapped within the darkness of his closed eyes, those sounds became a confusing and powerfully tempting language.
They seemed to form a fragmented yet unmistakable message.
Within the softness and melody of every moan, Theo felt as though he heard a spoken request, repeated again and again but never fully formed.
A plea not asking him to stop, but urging him to go further.
The sound begged, coaxed him to touch her more deeply, to explore her beyond the accidental touches meant only to find a safe place to attach the adhesive.
'Ignore the sighs. Focus on the task. Press!'
Fhhhh!
'Yes, it finally stuck.'
"It's finished, Aldraya."
"…"
Fuuuuuh!
"Thank you, Theo."
Amid the storm of enticing sounds and the pull of nearly irresistible instinct, a firmness finally rose within Theo.
His head, still lowered and eyes tightly shut, moved slowly from side to side.
A shake.
Not a refusal of Aldraya, but a rejection of the temptation to cross the boundary he had set for himself.
With somewhat forced determination, he pressed his fingertips more firmly, no longer searching or fearing accidental contact, but focusing all his concentration on a single point.
Making the front adhesive of the pad work.
A subtle click or sticky sensation finally registered at his fingertips, signaling that his mechanical task had at last succeeded.
The moment that certainty was achieved, Theo moved at once.
To be continued…