Warm sunlight streamed through the skylight and spilled over the intricately patterned carpet, dust dancing like sprites in the beams.
Ash lay on his side across Rose's lap while Rose held a fluorescent ear pick and cleaned his ear with the care of someone defusing a bomb. The pick scraped against the wall of his ear with a faint rustling sound, giving Ash an inexplicable sense of pleasure.
He actually really liked letting Rose clean his ears. The others were willing to do it too, but Vishy looked like he would pierce his eardrum and stir around inside;
Niya clearly wasn't good at delicate work like this;
Philly would awkwardly imitate Vishy and tease him, but that only made his thoughts run even wilder;
Harvey's technique was pretty good, but he made Ash feel like he was undergoing an autopsy.
Only Rose and Igula could let him enjoy the experience, but Igula never indulged him and would just give him a cotton swab and tell him to handle it himself. Actually, Rose did not indulge him either; she only agreed to provide ear-cleaning service when Ash truly needed his ears cleaned.
Rose wore a black pleated skirt with a pearlescent gold-accented waist ornament. The friction of the polyester fabric felt very comfortable, and the sunlight shining into the villa was softened just right, making Ash feel slightly drowsy.
"I just saw someone wake up and immediately hug his girlfriend, kissing her and clinging to her. I thought, if only the person I like could do that too. Then I walked over and looked. Ash, guess what I saw?"
Across the coffee table, Philly stared straight at Ash, her face full of resentment, like a fierce little lamb that wanted to bite someone. Niya sat beside her in a hooded one-piece