x
"Alcohol is always bitter when it loosens a tongue more than is reasonable and debrides thoughts."
- Jacques Nteka Bokolo
_____________________________________________________________________
20h30 -
We eat slowly without saying a word to each other, just a few glances, and I notice that his eyes are on me more than they should be. I stare at him, his eyes deviating towards my mouth for a long second. I see his Adam's apple rise as he swallows his saliva, then his gaze returns to my eyes.
- What?
- Nothing, I'm just looking at you. He says to me in a honeyed tone
Indeed, I had noticed. His gaze suddenly turned darker and I start playing.
- Do you like what you see? Do I have sauce on my face? I said in an amused tone, raising an eyebrow
- Yes, I like what I see, even a little too much, and this cloistered atmosphere doesn't help. He confides with a deeper, raspier voice, sending shivers up and down my spine.
I know I've never made love to anyone, or even kissed anyone, yes, kindergarten doesn't count. How could I give myself to someone, how could I feel pleasure? I once tried to touch myself while watching a pornographic video. I felt disgust at the idea of having to masturbate. Cassie tells me I should at least try it once with someone, that it's very different. Never say never, I guess, but why am I thinking about this again? Ah yes! Back to our sheep:
This guy is crazy, how dare he look at my lips and say that, he wants to die young? My breath catches and I choke on my pizza crust as it goes through. He quickly pats me and strokes my back as I try to breathe. Tears roll down my cheeks in a reflex I can't control. As he sees the tear fall, he grabs my face with both hands and turns it towards him. His palms crush both my cheeks. His touch is rather pleasant, given the warmth of his fingers and the size of his hands. My eyes widen in surprise at his gesture. His gaze, green as a summer meadow, scan me.
- Are...are you sure you're okay? Her tone is worried. My heart's racing, damn it.
His gaze descends to my lips once more, he brings his face a little too close to mine, and as I feel his breath crashing not far from my mouth, I abruptly pull back with a slap, while a hiccup catches me off guard. He places his hand on his rosy cheekbone, eyes wide open.
- I'm sorry, I'm not usually like this, I don't know what's got into me. I shouldn't have done that... Let's start again. He holds out his hand.
- My name is Ian
I take a long look at his outstretched hand, wondering if there's any point in this handshake, but I finally accept. In any case, I'm just her neighbor, him ? Probably a psychopath, which can exalt my daily life.
- Xiona
- Xio-na? That's a very original name. Does it mean anything in particular?
- Dawn - The color purple.
- It's beautiful. he confesses, looking at me.
- Hmmm
- I guess you like looking at the sky, then? Maybe that's why you were on your balcony in the middle of the night, waiting for dawn?
- I was trying to sober up
- Drinking alone? He adds
- Yes, I was. I confessed
- Why?
- Because. I exclaimed. Why was he asking me all these questions?
- You shouldn't. It's better to drink with two, I assure you. He blamed me
- I'm kind of a loner. I blush
- And yet here you are with me, chatting
- I did not wish it
- Is it that bad? he asks, pouting.
To tell the truth, I'm surprised this is the first time I've had such a long conversation with anyone other than Cassie. I grab two large cans from the beer pack and hand him one. He smiles, grabs it, opens it and extends his hand to mine to toast. We drink the first one in silence and continue to talk back and forth, well, it was more like he was throwing it, our voices failing on the iron walls, bouncing with each clink, drinking the second beer, but the time seems to pass quickly, which is abnormal.
He's a strange one, but I see him a little differently now. It's even nice to drink together. After a couple of cans each, my cheeks are starting to redden, the beer tending to make my eyes glaze over.
- Well, you're all red! Can't you hold your liquor? He's fucking with me.
- So here, man, I'll take you any time you want. I boasted.
- Is that an invitation? He says with a smirk.
- No, certainly not.
- Next time, call me Ian. He smiles at me
- Hmm. I murmured
We drink a third beer each and finish the pack. He doesn't seem to be drunk. He can hold his liquor pretty well. I find myself thinking that he could become a drinking buddy. I shook my head to get the idea out of my mind. Suddenly, he rolled up the sleeves of his white shirt and I saw the beginnings of a tattoo on his elbow. Curious, I asked him about it.
- What's your tattoo? I observed
- Wanna see?
- Why not? I declared, lifting my shoulders.
He stands up, facing me, so I can get a better look at him. He starts unbuttoning his shirt, slowly, while staring at me. I'm suddenly seized by a hot flush. It was like he was... It was like he was giving me a striptease and I was enjoying it. He drops his shirt to the floor. I get a great view of his shapely abs. He stands staring at me, considering how much I'm enjoying it, before turning and showing me his back.
Inked on it is a woman with long black hair, locked in a birdcage, naked, bearing numerous scars and open wounds. She looks down as the sun rises above her, despite the crows in the trees around her cage, waiting to devour what's left of her. Beneath the suspended cage lies a turbulent sea, dangerous waters, in which his distorted reflection is reflected. The element I had seen on her elbow was none other than the tail of a white and majestic dragon heading towards her.
I was mesmerized by the beauty of it all, it was a work of art with so much detail. A dark work as I loved them. I wanted to take a closer look. I move my hands to his back before touching him and tracing certain ink lines with my index finger, which makes him shiver for a second. His breathing is getting louder and louder. My finger feels the rising sun in relief, I move a little closer and understand that these are thick scars. The sun's rays breaking through the clouds are none other than the indelible white marks on his body. He turned around abruptly and pinned me against the cold wall of the elevator.
- That's enough, you've seen enough. He growled in a harsh, icy voice. His gaze softened some seconds later when he looked deep into mine.
- It's beautiful. I commented.
- Who? The tattoo or me?
- The tattoo, of course. I replied, holding his gaze.
- An... old friend made it. He mentionned, his expression saddened
- Old? Is he dead?
- Alive, but I consider him dead. He revealed to me while getting dressed.
- You don't need to know why. He insisted. A silence fell between us.
- Actually... I could think about it, so give me your number.
He handed me his phone and I wrote my number on it under the name "Neighbor".
- If you give me his contact details, I'll be able to do something for you in return.
- One of my wishes? Would you go that far for a simple tattoo?
- I might.
- In that case, it gets interesting, let me think about it. I've got a billion ideas, I just want to pick the right one. He hummed
Just then, the elevator door opens, and people greet us, apologizing for the length of the procedure. Mr Apollo Psychopath / Neighbor helps me out and waves goodbye.
- You should go home, there's probably someone waiting for you. I'll clean up.
I turn around without saying a word and head for the apartment. I open the door, close it and let my back fall against it. As I slide to the floor, burying my face in my hands, the phone vibrates on the kitchen counter. I get up to retrieve it. A message appears on the screen:
- Good night, neighbor
I record his phone number under "psychopath".
I have to admit it, even though it's tearing my throat out, but I'd just had a lovely evening, despite the circumstances.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXhiepwaSHg
