Escape To Libran III

The food joint was filled with so many people. The congested place smelt like a blend of sweat and burnt meat. She and her hooded stranger sat at a table in the corner away from the rest of the customers. Away from piercing gazes, she felt were on her.

"So, what would you like to have? Any particular cravings?" He asked.

Cravings. Aside from revenge, she couldn't remember when last she craved any other thing.

"Anything will suffice. As long as there's no mushroom in it"

"Hmm, then I'll go ahead and other whatever I want" he snapped his fingers and a server appeared before them soon to take their order.

As she downed the food, she loved how the coconut rice warmed her mouth as she scooped a spoonful of some chicken soup. She ate the meal like a predator devouring prey. It had been weeks since she last ate something warm and she could feel the warmth as it dropped in her stomach.

"You must've been very hungry" the hooded man watched her again

"Just tired" she told him flatly

"Interesting..."

Moments later, the two were done eating and soon departed the stuffy tent.

"Thank you for the meal. How could I possibly repay you?" She asked him as they walked out of the joint and onto the cold dim roads. The meal had indeed been better than she had hoped and she was so full she could go another week without a meal. She had the stranger to thank for that.

"Let me guess, you don't like owing debts?"

"No I don't" she replied straightforwardly, adjusting the scarf over her head.

"What if I told you you don't need to pay me?" He asked

"I want to pay you back" she made it clear to him. She had enough silver to cover up for the meal.

"Spend the night with me" he told her abruptly. She was unsure if he was serious or not. But she didn't care. She studied his body. Under all those clothes, he was very built and physically fit. Most likely among the top five most fit men she had met in her life.

"Okay. Where do we go? An inn? Your place?" She asked.

Her words made him laugh again, but this time, she could sense he sounded annoyed.

"What do you take me for? A savage who sleeps with a woman just because he bought her a meal?" He was upset but she couldn't understand why. She had only agreed to his request.

"I don't know you" she reminded him

"Exactly" he was annoyed.

"I don't want to remain in your debt so let's just get this over with"

He paused and looked at her.

"Does it bother you that much? To have someone do something for you for free?" He asked with a knitted brow

"Nothing is free. Everybody always wants something"

"And what do you want?" His light blue eyes stared into her grey ones.

"Have me for the night and let me be free of debt to you" she told him.

He eyed her from head to toe as he said, "You're too small for me. I might hurt you"

"Now who is funny?" She mumbled with a scoff

"I'll take you when you're ready" he told her. She gave him a last expressionless look before she flipped a silver Tiba coin at him.

"I've paid my debt to you now"

He smirked again before saying

"Interesting. Very interesting..." it was almost a whisper to himself as he stared at the silver in his palm.

He looked up to find that she was walking away already.

"Won't you at least tell me your name?"

"Not today"

"Then when?"

"You'll be safer not knowing"

She soon vanished into the crowded markets once again.

With the silver coin in his hand and the possibility of never meeting her again, he hoped to encounter her again. A hope that was to be much sooner than later.

_____

Marki's house smelt like sand and rain. The sort of smell she cherished. She could perceive the eggs he was making in the kitchen.

"Cooking something for two?" She stood by the kitchen door, leaning against the wall as she took off her gladiators.

"You look like you've had your fill" he looked at her for a second then went back to frying eggs.

"I can still eat" she pinched from the bread on the counter.

"It is so cold at night. I had almost forgotten how the weather in Libran is" she said, her eyes on him as she studied the way he effortlessly flipped the eggs in the pan.

"Come here" he positioned her in front of him, teaching her how to fry an egg

"It looks easy" she admitted. She could perceive his familiar scent that tickled her nose.

"It is easy"

Marki grabbed a plate and placed his cooked eggs, taking the bread with him.

"What did you eat?" He asked her

"Coconut rice and chicken broth"

She sat beside him on the bed, taking a pinch of his egg, as she struggled to tie her hair with a scarf.

"You're a great cook" she said with a nod

"It's... just eggs" he said with a shrug despite the slight curl at the side of his lips.

"Yeah, but I've eaten food made by you before. You'd be a great husband" she told him.

"Then marry me"

She looked at him, her gaze meeting his, unsurprised by his words. He had uttered those same honeyed words to her several times, it now sounded like a sad lullaby.

"Don't tempt me" she half-joked.

"Maybe one day" she added. Her tone was filled with lustful hope.

If I'm alive.. she thought.

"Fine, I'll wait for this "one day", but right now I need to bathe" he still sounded normal. She could tell he was getting used to her inconclusive answers. Her 'maybe's and 'someday's were getting bearable. She watched him as he undressed, pulling his shoulder-length brown hair backwards and grabbing a towel. For someone with a fragile heart, his body was made of steel.

"Shall I join you?" She asked. She was not joking. In all honesty, she did not know how to joke. She still found it hard to phantom why Marki thought she was funny.

"Mmm no. Not unless you want to get pregnant" he smiled at his own words, stuffing the rest of his bread into his mouth before heading to the bathroom.

She changed into her sleeping clothes and laid on her back, watching the white ceilings. She could hear the sound of the rain that poured outside, getting heavier upon the roof of the house. The smell of the air quickly went from dry and cold to the smell of wet sand. It reminded her of how the beach smelt in Tiba. She was restless. Constantly rolling on the bed as she caught the scent of Marki's homemade banana- honey soap. A scent he knew she loved.

"You smell edible" she told him as he stepped out of the bathroom. She watched him towel his hair dry and throw on his shorts.

"I see someone is flirty tonight. Don't tell me the rain has gotten to you" she caught him blushing.

"I guess it has"

"Oh, that's no good"

He plopped on the bed beside her, his hands behind his head as he told her

"Don't tempt me if you're only going to torment me"

For some unknown reason, she had admired Marki from the moment she saw him. She had stalked him for a few days, watching him from the shadowy trees and the rooftops. Following in his shadows. Until the day he had caught her. Bleeding and unguarded after that incident. With no hesitation, he had taken her in and nursed her to life.

Since then he had become someone she could trust, which was rare. That was how their story began, as well as her affection for him. Something she had to get rid of if she really wanted to survive.

She stared at his lips before she climbed on top of him and pinned him down, kissing him as passionately as she could. His eyes widened in shock and amusement.

"Are you sure about this tonight? Once we start, you might end up being with twins" he tried to play it cool despite the thumping of his heart.

"I want you" she did not know why she was doing this, but it just felt right tonight.

Her words broke every chain that had been restraining him and this time he rolled her over, allowing her legs to rest on his waist as his left hand grabbed her butt. She took off his trousers and pulled off her dress. Their bodies intertwined as he made love to her as she'd never imagined. He made her whimper and moan as he kissed her all over her body and her lips to stop all her mumbles. He was being sweet with her, struggling to control the beast that wanted to take her roughly. He knew she had been with several men before. Done whatever she needed to do to get out of tricky situations, but that night he made her his woman and left his marks all over her body from her neck to her breasts and thighs. She had pleased him equally, showing him all her tricks until he quivered with pleasure. The heat of their bodies overcame the cold that night as they slumbered.