<div class="floatleft">(https://i.ibb.co/VpwV62M/devon-daniels-5-crop.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong>Devon Daniels (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=308599.msg15007879#msg15007879)<br/><strong>Age:</strong>28<br/><strong>Sexuality:</strong>Heterosexual<br/><strong>Hometown:</strong>New York City<br/><strong>Date/Time:</strong>July 3rd, 2019 | After Midnight<br/><strong>Location:</strong>Villa Backyard, Grassy Edge of the Infinity Pool<br/><strong>Wearing:</strong>A pair of blue plaid boxer shorts<br/><strong>Coupled with:</strong><del>Cleo Balleta</del>Erm, no one, apparently<br/><strong>Tagging:</strong>Elsa<br/><br/><hr/><br/>It was strange, Devon had come out here to help cheer Elsa up, and now he'd worked himself into a bit of... rage? Frustration? He wasn't sure. That toxic waste began to contaminate his heart once more, and now it was the Swede's turn to to first listen, but then provide feedback of her own. She didn't necessarily defend the show or its tactics, but she was right in one thing: just about everyone else had come here knowing what they were getting into. Devon was likely the only one that hadn't bothered to watch a single episode beforehand. He just imagined something like The Real World, or Survivor, or even like Ink Master, but with a pseudo-romantic twist to it. He thought he understood due simply to his assumptions, and he certainly didn't come in with high expectations of the others contestants that would be showing up. He'd buck the system, right? Be the rebel, refusing to buy into the drama that the producers would seek to manufacture.<br/><br/>Man, how stupid that had been.<br/><br/>He smiled, though, as she spoke positively about Grace and Corey. It was nice to see someone that didn't perceive them as a threat, or at least viewed their pairing in a positive fashion. He quirked his eyebrow, feeling her fingers continue some of their work in his hair though notably distracted as she made reference to her own secret. His mind tried to flash back to that morning, already feeling so long ago... ah, he had actually gotten her secret, but he actually found her to be least likely. He smirked at himself, calculating all the poor judgments he'd had of this contest so far. For some reason he never considered that they'd air his engagement on air, despite it likely being the primary reason he was selected to begin with. He stepped forward for Red and only Red, all because she hinted at possibly having some decent musical taste. She then made a dramatic feint designed for the cameras before choosing a hunkier fellow. He then chose Gwen at the competition as he didn't see Elsa as the sort to have her first sexual experience with another girl in College.<br/><br/>Not a big list, but enough to cause him to re-evaluate his preconceived notions not just of the game, but the people.<br/><br/>His eyebrows rose as he suddenly felt her slender arms wrap about him, embracing him lightly.<br/><br/><strong>"Hope this is okay. I sort of needed this. So, thank you."</strong><br/><br/>He smiled, and only wished he was in a better position to reciprocate. She rested her chin upon his shoulder, and he felt the slight motions of her cheek and the soft caress of her speech as she announced her intention to sing once more. "Feel free," he said softly, and soon she began to sing a... mournful sounding tune. The melody reminded him of Lord of the Rings, of all things, something one might sing at a funeral, in memory of someone or something. As she sang, feeling the warmth of her body against his back, her breasts pressing against him, he lifted a hand, resting it across her own fingers splayed over his chest. Each word sung tickled against his ear, sending tendrils down his spine, each of his digits seeming to vibrate with subtle pleasure.<br/><br/>Maybe it was just the moment of it. Two souls in the silent night, bodies pressed together, emotionally raw and vulnerable. In the past he'd have no question regarding his attraction to her. No, this was not love, but he'd always compartmentalized romance away from lust. There was no need to be in love just to enjoy the physical pleasures of someone. Yet he'd learned all too painfully that you could not always compartmentalize the two, and right now his physical attraction was intermingling its roots with... his emotional attraction? Intellectual attraction? How charmed he was by her? Really, feeling so emotionally raw was new for him, and this was probably the worst day and environment to be tempting himself with any sort of physical interaction. This was how people dove head-first into relationships that became a bed of nails (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N__yGuSz7PM). In time, someone in the relationship would be sitting at the bar, heart broken, bleeding their heart onto the counter for someone like Devon to listen to and try and clean up.<br/><br/>He was swimming in dangerous new waters and there were sharks everywhere. But, for the time being, he was going to see if perhaps Elsa could be his life preserver.<br/><br/>She finished her story, and he tilted his head to better listen to her explanation of its vocals. He smiled, listening the whole time to what is a bit of a sad story. As she pulled away from him, he turned his body so that he could better face her, and nodded as she inferred a lack of happy endings to her own life.<br/><br/>He sat there silent a moment, uncertain of what to say at the moment, just looking into her eyes.<br/><br/>"Thank you for sharing that," he said, smiling. "It was a beautiful song. Funny, though, how I kind of feel like the troll, but..." He shook his head. "Maybe we can discuss that another time." His hand reached forward, brushing some of the blonde locks from her face, allowing him to see the soft features of her cheeks, how brightly her eyes shined... his fingers took hold of her chin, tilting her face up as he leaned forward towards her. He paused, though, not completing the action.<br/><br/>"I'd like to kiss you," he said, a simple statement of intent.