CHAPTER 76: PERVERT’S IGLOO KINK

"It wasn’t you who pulled me back the second time..." Theo’s voice was low, almost absentminded as if the words slipped out before he could stop them.

Daisy stilled.

She stared at him, but he didn’t really meet her gaze. His eyes were fixed ahead, unfocused. Not cold, just... distant.

Her chest tightened.

A pause dragged between them like wet silence.

"Was it Camellia?" She made a wild guess.

Theo’s eyes snapped back to her, "How do you know?"

"Oh—from Elias... I guess?" She smiled faintly. "He mentioned something about blocking the one who dragged him out and pulled him back in... something like that."

She leaned forward, narrowing the space between them. "Connecting the dots... it had to be her."

Theo didn’t respond right away.

His gaze dropped, expression unreadable, like he was weighing whether to confirm it or pretend the moment never happened.

But silence was already an answer.

Daisy tilted her head. "So... what is it between the two of you? Like a love-hate relationship?"

"Nah..." Theo smiled, small and unexpected.

Daisy blinked. Then blinked again.

Wait. ’What the hell is with his smile? How can this pervert igloo look so charming?’

Her brain short-circuited.

"Wait—" She held up her hand like she was directing traffic. "This is dangerous..."

And then, as if realizing too late what her body was doing, she cupped her hands over her cheeks, trying to hide the heat crawling across her face.

Theo’s smile dropped instantly. "What? What happened?"

He stood up in a flash and reached toward her. "Are you cold? Getting a cold? Your face is red red..."

He touched her forehead, checking if she was getting a fever. The moment his fingers made contact, Daisy froze.

"Your temperature feels normal," he murmured, puzzled. "Then why—?"

"I’m not sick," she said quickly, swatting his hand away.

"Then why are you looking this red?" His brows furrowed deeper as he crouched to her eye level. "Did I say something weird?"

"Your smile! Don’t do it often, it’s bad for my heart." she sputtered.

"What?"

"Because..." she hesitated, then gave up. "You don’t usually smile. So when you do, it’s like—bam! Emotional damage."

Theo blinked. "Then should I put on my usual cold demeanour?"

Daisy scoffed, flustered beyond recovery. "Yes, please. Be a jerk again. Be annoying. Go back to glaring at me like I owe you money. Anything but this."

Theo tilted his head, amused. "You owe me emotional compensation now. For saying my smile causes damage."

"It does!" she accused, pointing a finger at him like he was some sort of forbidden artifact. "It’s like watching a cat suddenly walk on two legs. It messes with the natural order of things."

Theo bit back a grin. "A cat?"

"Yes! Like... a cold, independent, sometimes fluffy, mostly grumpy. That’s you." She suddenly reached to pinch his cheek, making him surprised, "So when you suddenly act soft and charming, it’s deeply unsettling."

He leaned forward slightly, voice lower. "So I’m charming now?"

Daisy blinked, regretting her entire vocabulary. "That’s not what I said."

"That’s exactly what you said."

"No, I—ugh." She buried her face in her hands again. "I need to reboot. Please come back later."

Theo chuckled, the sound soft and rare. "I’ll try to smile less."

"You say that like you’re doing me a favour."

"I am."

She peeked at him through her fingers. "You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?"

"Immensely." He leaned forward and rested his hands on the ottoman, right between hers.

Daisy groaned. "Where’s Camellia when I need her? She should be barging in to ruin this moment."

But the second the joke left her mouth, both their expressions shifted.

"Ah—uh, I’m sorry," Daisy stammered, sitting up straighter. "That was a joke. I didn’t mean it like that. I guess it crossed a line?"

Theo shook his head. "It’s fine. Just... yeah. Our relationship’s weird."

He paused, as if debating whether to say more.

"There was a time when she was eighteen and we were nineteen, the press started stirring up rumors about who she was going to choose. Then one article specifically paired her with me, saying we were a good match because we both did well in academics."

Daisy blinked. "Wait. You’re good at academics?"

Theo raised an eyebrow. "Do I look like a dumb troublemaker to you?"

She stared at him for a moment. "Uh—no! I mean, thinking about it... even with privilege, you wouldn’t be where you are now if you were actually dumb, right?"

Theo burst out laughing.

The sound made Daisy gaze at him quietly, her expression softening. "You look... comfortable," she said with a small smile. "I mean... compared to the first time I met you."

"Yeah," he said, almost to himself. "I guess I am."

Daisy tilted her head. "What changed?"

He glanced at her, and for a second, it looked like he might say something serious. But then he smirked instead. "You did."

Daisy blinked. "Huh?"

"You keep popping up where I least expect. It’s hard to stay grumpy with you around." His eyes were totally different, like he let his emotions let loose and everyone could see from the pair of those eyes that he really likes her.

She narrowed her eyes. "Was that... a compliment?"

"I guess... yes—"

"No!" Daisy clutched her chest. "Ah... my heart is doing some power pumping right now, and I don’t think that’s normal, so please, Theo Kingsley, just stay like that... pervert igloo..."

Theo blinked. "Pervert igloo?"

Daisy froze, then blinked rapidly. "Wait... did I say that out loud?"

He tilted his head, clearly amused. "Yeah. Loud and clear. Is that my nickname?"

She looked away, cheeks puffing slightly. "No—it’s just... something I used to say when talking to Aurora. Slipped out by accident."

Theo let out a low laugh. "So that’s what you two call me behind my back."

"Not always!" she said quickly. "There were others. But that one stuck."

He frowned, not in anger, more like curiosity. "Do I really look or sound like a pervert to you?"

"Well... who asks for a hug from a girl they’re not even close to?" Daisy raised a brow, dead serious.

Theo hummed, then slowly crouched down again, this time leaning in dangerously close. "It’s just at that time... I want to confirm something..." he murmured, lowering his head until it rested on her shoulder. "Then I realised... this part..." His nose brushed lightly against the curve of her neck. "It gives me a weird sense of calm."

His warm breath fanned over her skin.

Daisy flinched like she’d been electrocuted and shoved him off. "Theo! I knew it! You do have a kink!"