3 Boa Noite, Diego

"So can we get a name, oh hot stranger?" Kill me. Kill me where I stand.

But the man only laughed slightly in response to my joke, arms folded as he sat across from me.

"Marcellus LaRoux. I'm currently traveling across the continent," the main said simply, his eyes unmoving from mine. Even I had to shift my sight at times, and I always thought I was more confident than this.

Gods even his name was sexy. This ain't fair!

"So that's why a young nobleman like yourself is out here in this small town? Dunno what you could possibly learn from here but hey, happy to have ya!"

"Oh but the most interesting of people aren't within the walls of capitals or large metropolitan cities," the man, Marcellus, said, leaning forward across the table slightly. Our faces were getting closer the more the conversation went on. "Small towns like these have places like this inn. Full with life you can't encounter within cities. I find their lives the most interesting, so to speak."

I didn't fully understand his meanings or reasonings but I held onto every word he spoke. I couldn't miss a single decibel of that alluring voice.

"Also cities tend to stink." Why the fuck did I say that?

Marcellus blinked lazily at me but then laughed lightly, covering his mouth to muffle the sound as he leaned back into his seat. "Yes," he said in between short chuckles. "You're quite right about that."

Hey at least he finds me funny. That's one point for me.

"Here's your breakfast, Sir. I hope you enjoy it. I asked the chef to add in extra sausage," Sofia arrived with a steaming plate full of sausages, fried eggs, and a small salad on the side. "If you need a specific drink, do let me know."

I stared at her with an incredulous expression, wondering where the Sofia that slammed plates on guests' tables and cursed at them was hiding behind the sweet smile on her young face.

"Thank you so much for your hospitality, my lady," Marcellus said, giving the girl that killer smile. Even someone as heartless as Sofia nearly swooned right in front of them.

"Oi! Sofia! Why aren't you ever that nice with us?" an old patron yelled, mischievous grin on his face.

Sofia's welcoming smile fell and out came her usual glower as she turned to the old man as she was leaving and yelled, "Because you're a slobbering sack of shit that never tips!"

"Quite the girl," Marcellus said with a chuckle as he turned back to me. "Also, I do believe you owe me a story."

Okay. Okay that I can do.

I smiled widely as I folded my arms on the circular table and leaned forward. "Aight, your lordship. What kinda tale are we in the mood for? Monster fighting, princess saving, or the time I pissed off some elves so much they tracked me down all the way to a different continent?"

Marcellus paused as he was about to put a piece of the fried egg in his mouth, eyes on me who was busy staring at the man's pointy canines.

I wonder what it'd feel like if he bit me.

…I cannot be that horny after last night, right?

"What could you have possibly done to have angered them to such a degree? Aren't elves usually more pacifist?"

I couldn't help but laugh at Marcellus' words, already geared up to tell the funny tale. Well funny now, not exactly funny when two elves were threatening to castrate me if I didn't marry their brother after 'defiling' him.

That memory made me pause and look at my guest, the man's curious brown eyes not leaving me yet again even as he ate his meal.

Surely, this is an appropriate tale to tell a man I find painfully attractive. Surely.

Ah too late now.

"So we all know that elves are rather conservative compared to some other species, right? I just didn't know how bad it was until after a rather long night."

———————

"Are you two gonna be talking through the night as well?"

I paused mid-sentence and finally noticed the emptying, ground floor.

There was only Sofia and a passed out drunk guest left, apart from myself and Marcellus. Not to mention that the sky had considerably darkened.

Have we been talking from morning to night?

"Oh my," Marcellus muttered, looking as surprised as I felt. "I sincerely apologize. I took your time and for so long at that."

"Don't you even think of blaming yourself, Lord Marcellus," Sofia said from the door as she put on her coat and bag. "The old man was the only one talking and he doesn't know when to shut up."

I was about to fire her then and there but was interrupted by the door opening to reveal her older brother, Mateus, who walked in with a big smile, ready to take the little witch away.

"Evening, Mr. Di! Hope Sofie didn't cause too much trouble and mum says hi—What the fuck he's hot."

Like sister like brother.

"I know, right? See you tomorrow, old man. Sleep well, Lord Marcellus." Sofia then had to drag her brother out, the boy stuck in place as he'd been staring openly at Marcellus.

Then it was just them, the drunkard didn't count.

"Well," I cleared my throat. I was suddenly embarrassed because Sofia had been kind of right. He'd been talking for hours, Marcellus only saying a few words in response to his storytelling. "I guess it's time to hit the hay. Also, sorry."

Marcellus blinked, tilting his head to the side in confusion and I found the action too cute for words.

"I talk. A lot. Especially if you let me cause then I get excited and talk some more. It's a problem. Next time, you can just tell me to shut it."

Marcellus looked even more confused.

"But I quite enjoyed what you had to say, Sir Silva. I would've left if I hadn't."

I couldn't help but smile at the words. Even if they weren't true, it was awfully nice of him to say.

"You don't need to be nice about it, but thanks."

Marcellus didn't look confused anymore. His expression turned into one of mild annoyance, a thick eyebrow raised as he asked, "Are you implying that I am lying?"

I felt a shiver run down my spine, the lowness of his voice doing things to me I didn't know a voice could do.

"I am not one to lie and I am certainly not one to sit through hours of conversation if I didn't find the words interesting enough to stay seated," Marcellus said while he sat back in his chair. "Especially not when the seats are quite uncomfortable, no offense."

Damn. I worked really hard to afford those too.

It wasn't time for me to get annoyed by nobility standards because I fucked up. I had inadvertently implied Marcellus had lied which is an insult to nobles, as far as I was aware.

"I'm sorry," I said while folding my arms on the table and looking out the window, not exactly sure how I would react if Marcellus was angry at me. Mostly because the thought of the pretty man glaring at me sent a weird amount of need to little me downstairs.

I'm so fucked in the head.

I froze as two rather cold, slender fingers turned my head slowly back to face a smiling Marcellus, the fingers slowly leaving my chin. I couldn't breathe.

"It's fine. You can make it up to me by showing me around town tomorrow. You did tell me that the place practically ran itself with Sofia around."

I had said that offhandedly. He was listening to every word I said.

"'Kay," I breathed out, incredibly sure I sounded as winded to the man as I sounded to myself. I cleared my throat. "Yeah, sure, of course! I can do that, for sure."

Marcellus stood up and moved to stand in front of me. I looked up at the man and realized that he was indeed taller than me, which was pretty hard to fine, and there was an almost red tinge to his brown eyes.

Marcellus reached out a hand and I took it without much thought. I felt like a dainty maiden, all five foot eleven inches of muscle, with the way the man gently helped me stand up.

"Then boa noite, Diego," Marcellus said with that cursed smile, our chests a few inches apart. Then he had the audacity, the absolute gall, to kiss my hand and leave me standing there in pure shock.

Why the fuck are a man's lips that fucking soft?

I watched him climb up the steps and waited until I was sure he wasn't around. It wasn't until almost ten minutes passed that I crashed back into my seat and ran a hand over my face and into my long, brown hair.

I got hard.

"Oh someone's in love~"

I glanced up at the drunk man sitting by the bar and the old man had the audacity to grin at me.

"Of course you wake up now."