Deceptions of a Courtesan |ENGLISH|

VIII

They were both lying on the bed while staring at the ceiling of Cain's room. Everything that happened was processing in their brain. They slept with each other, finally. What now? Are they going to avoid each other again and act as if nothing happened? Laura felt as if a part of her was left with Cain the moment she gave herself to him.

She stood up and wrapped the sheets around her body. She saw Cain on her peripheral vision staring at her but then he said nothing so she continued what she was doing. She saw a cigarette and a lighter on the bedtable and took one. She lit the cigar and placed it on her lips, something she doesn't usually do unless she's stressed.

"Stop overthinking, Laura." Cain said to her and sat on the bed. He was staring at her intently.

"I'm not, I'm just facing the reality. You got what you wanted and I got what I wanted. We're done." She shrugged.

Cain's forehead creased with a mixture of irritation and worry. "What did I tell you? Let's forget everything and be ourselves here. This is just about us, Laura. Stop thinking about something else."

"That's the thing, Cain! It's not just something else. We both know we'll never end up together. You're.. You're perfect. You have the looks, the money, you were adopted by a filthy rich business man. you were raised properly. You were --" 

"--abused by the business man you're claiming to raise me properly." Cain announced. She stopped speaking almost immediately after those words came out of his mouth. She opened and closed her mouth like a fish out of water.

"You were.. You were.." She cannot finish her sentence at all. she was disgusted. She wanted to vomit. She felt her heart broke for Cain. How awful a man can be to do that to him? She stared at his perfect face, she really thought he was perfect. Knowing he was not made her adore Cain more.

"Yes. I was adopted by that man when I was thirteen years old. He told me he'll feed me. Give me family." Cain stopped and averted his gaze. She knew why he stopped, he cannot continue telling her his story because it was eating him alive. She heard him sigh as if stopping himself from whatever it is. 

She offered her lit cigar to him to help him calm down. Can stared at it for a few more minutes before accepting it. Cain didn't talk anymore. He didn't need to, for she knows how he feels. She knew it was eating him alive. The nightmares he has even though he's awake. She knew it because she has it, too.

"We don't deserve the life we experienced, Cain. But somehow, it helps us move forward. And teaches us a lesson to be wiser. Even at our expense." she told him quietly. The whole room was eerily quiet that it was unusual to her. She never expected Cain to open up all of a sudden but she was glad he did. She had the chance to learn more about him. Though she was not glad for what happened to him. She knew why he did it though. He did it to ease her worries, even at the expense of opening his Pandora's box. 

She noticed that they were very much alike in a lot of things yet at the same they were polar opposites. 

She held his face while he closed his eyes and leaned into her touch as if it clams him. She kissed his forehead, something she never did before.

She felt her lips go numb even though she only kissed his forehead. It felt very intimate that she was so scared of ruining the moment. She can feel the 'butterflies' in her tummy. No, in fact it was the whole zoo that she felt stomping around her stomach making her queasy but in a good way. Cain can really make her feel something that others before him couldn't. 

"I'm scared.. The moment we step out of this ship is the moment we'll have to face reality. I hope I can stay here forever. I hope I can forget everything." Laura stated sadly to Cain.

"But no matter how hard it is to face reality, we really need to do it. In that way we'll know we're stronger."

"I can't do it alone, Cain." She said desperately.

Cain held her face dearingly, " You have me now, you';; never be alone."