Page 179 of Barbi and the Villain

With how happy I’ve been in the last few days, I have the urge to skip around, but I don’t want Nykander to think me immature—we’re already so far apart in age as it is.

So if I can’t skip around to my heart’s content, then I can at least hum.

Nykander glances at me, his lips tipped up.

“What are you singing?”

“Oh, it’s just a Korean song.” I wave my hand around.

His brows go up.

“Sing it louder.”

My lashes flutter in surprise.

“Uhm, you know I’m not the best singer and?—”

“Doesn’t matter. Sing to me.”

“Fine. But don’t you laugh, okay?”

“Me? Never!”

I hike a brow at his exaggerated expression, but I comply and start signing as we walk. I’m not sure if I can do the song justice, since the original is so perfect, but Nykander doesn’t seem to be complaining.

He listens attentively when he suddenly stops me.

“What does that mean?”

“Hm? Which part?”

“Make me go biteul, biteul,” he repeats, though he butchers the words.

I chuckle at his pronunciation. Going to his side, I raise myself on the tips of my toes and whisper in his ear.

“It means, when I’m with you, you make me so crazy I forget how to walk and every single moment it feels like I’m falling. But even if I do fall, I know you’ll be there to catch me.”

His eyes widen slightly, and his cheeks heat up.

“That is”—he clears his throat—“very expressive.”

“It is, isn’t it? When we find a place to stay, I’ll even show you the dance.”

“You will?” he asks, his eyes moving up and down my body. “Without PomPom, I should hope.”

“For you, I will make an exception,” I murmur.

“Without clothes too.” He smirks.

“Now, Mr. Dark One, you are being too picky,” I chide him playfully.

“Am I? And here I thought it would be easier without clothes. Less restricting… It would do more justice to the moves.”

“You haven’t even seen the moves to know that,” I whisper, lost in his gaze.

“I do not need to see your moves to imagine them, Barbs. You will find that I have quite the rich imagination and whatever you might do, I likely imagined it far ahead of time.”

Now it’s my turn to blush.

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