Chapter 27

“What’s wrong? Are you all right?” he asked as he assisted me in sitting on the bench. I took off each piece of safety gears one by one in order to feel better.

“Hey, are we good?” He was looking at me from head to toe, as if he was figuring out what was my problem.

As I took a big breath and absorbed the brisk air, “It’s fine. I’m fine, I’m fine...” I stated. Oh my God, I felt like I was running out of breath.

“Do you want some water? I’ll go get some.” He grabbed a handkerchief out of his pocket and wiped it across the bridge of my nose.

“Yes, please,” I said as I took the handkerchief from his grasp and wiped my face.

“All right, then. Just hang around here, okay? I’ll simply go seek for someone who sells water.” I didn’t say anything and just nodded. He climbed into his bicycle and began riding away. It would be more faster if he rode his bicycle because the duck pond was a little distance away from the stalls.

I did nothing but stretch my body. Did I went a little too far? Did I’ve gone beyond the limits of my body? Or my condition was getting really worse? Earlier, I had been putting too much pressure on the pedal. I was completely unaware that my body was starting to feel weak.

“Ouch,” I groaned as a bone snapped on my back. If it used to feel nice, it now aches, and I was not sure why.

I sat there for a few minutes, hoping to see Pierre. Why was he taking so long? Were the stalls too far away from here? I was terribly thirsty.

“Aurie...”

I thought it was Pierre who had arrived, so I quickly turned around. When I saw the person who called me, it was as if all my strength had been restored. My heart was beating so fast because of nervousness.

“Seven...”

The man approached me and I quickly backed away. “Goodness, Aurie, where have you been hiding? Your mother has been looking for you since last month!” he said.

I didn’t want to go home.

The thought of telling my mother that I had been seen made my hands tremble with nervousness.

“S-She can’t know where I am, and I don’t want to go home, I don’t want to.”

He might contact my mother to come and pick me up whenever he wanted. And because this province was so small, there was no way for me to get away because they could simply track me down.

“We have to go home—”

“No! I don’t want to!” I approached him and extended both hands. My tears began to stream down my cheeks because of fear. I could already picture myself alone in that room, my body flooded with machine tubes.

“How about you, then? You don’t have proper medication if you don’t go back home, Aurie. Where do you live? Are you eating well? Are you sleeping comfortably? Oh my goodness, you didn’t even bring your meds! How can you live with that kind of condition alone, huh? Let’s go home, don’t be so stubborn!” I slowly knelt down as I cried.

“No! Please, Sev. I know I’ve been a bad patient since day one, but please, Sev! Let me be happy! I eat well every day, my bed is comfortable, and my room is air-conditioned. I have a roommate named Iris, and she owns the house! I pay for our living expenses, but it doesn’t hurt my pocket at all! I can even buy a lot of clothes with my money.” I heard him curse, but he never spoke another word. As I knelt in front of him, he simply stared at me.

I was aware that I appeared desperate at the moment, but it was the truth. I was yearning for freedom, and I’d do anything to have it. Kneeling in front of him was perfectly acceptable to me.

“Aurie, stand up.” I remained still. I would never stand unless he guaranteed that he’d allow me to live freely.

“Aurie, get up. Come on, I promise I won’t tell your mom.” My entire existence seemed to come alive because of what I heard. I looked up, sobbing, and locked my gaze on the emotionless Seven.

“Stand up,” he said, taking his hand in mine. Fortunately, I was wearing pants, which helped alleviate some of the pain in my knee.

“Where do you live?” he asked. I remained silent for a few seconds, unsure whether if it was right to tell him or not.

“As I already stated, I won’t tell your mother or anyone else.” He dried my tears with his fingers. I sobbed even more. Despite that I had been a very bad person to him, he still treated me as his little sister.

“138 Maple Street, W-Walden Subdivision.”

“Who’s with you—"

“Aurora.”

I brushed away the tears as soon as I heard Pierre’s voice behind me. I widened my eyes at Seven when he tried to say something once more. I combed my hair and turned my back on Seven and faced Pierre.

“Pierre...” I smiled as I greeted him. He regarded Seven and me with a grimace. I approached him and snatched up the water from his grasp.

“I’ve been waiting for you for so long. Where did you buy this?” I attempted to keep my voice clear because I knew it might crack at any moment due to my recent crying. I was certain I’d be peppered with questions again.

“Over there, the stall primarily sell fizzy beverages; I had a difficulty finding mineral water.”

“Is that so? Shall we proceed to your condo? Let’s continue this date at your home.” I took a sip from the bottle before taking his hand in mine. I knew he was confused who was the man behind us. I had no plan of telling him as long as he wouldn’t ask.

“Are you sure?” he grasped my waist and cast a behind-the-back glance at Seven. I had no idea what Seven was doing because he was completely silent. I was sure he’s still there, as I sensed his presence behind Pierre and me.

“Aurie...” Both of us came to a halt when we heard Sev’s voice. My chest throbbed once again because of his tone of voice; I felt as if he was going to prevent me from leaving. Pierre and I both turned to him nearly simultaneously. He was expressionless as he glanced at the two of us.

“W-Why?”

“Your pants. Wipe your pants, they’re dirty.” I exhaled a sigh of relief when he didn’t mention anything we talked about earlier. I mustered a grin and wiped the dirty jeans.

“Thank you,” I murmured and turned away from him. Pierre and I started to walk toward the bicycles.

“I don’t believe I’m capable of riding one; may we simply walk?” I asked, forcing a smile.

“If you want to walk, we’ll walk; we’ll simply ask the worker to bring it back to the tent.” Pierre parked the two bikes and safety gears on the side. Following that, we began our stroll away from the duck pond.

As I walked slowly, I clutched his arm. There were no children in this area. Probably because there was no playground here. It was just a long, straight road lined by pine trees. On the side, there was a large duck pond where you could relax at any time.

“That guy...Seven, he’s a friend of mine,” I explained softly. I knew he was not asking, but I wanted to tell him. I believed he truly wanted to know, but lacked the confidence to ask.

“Your friend?”

“Yeah. He’s a close family friend, but not to me; he’s currently taking care of my mother, and I owe him a great deal for being there for her while I’m gone.”

“Where’s your mom right now?”

“At home.” Silence permeated the surrounding area when Pierre remained silent. I was sure he was astonished that I was telling him about myself. I wanted to tell him everything, but I was afraid he’d treat me the way Seven did back home. I had no interest to be treated like a patient.

I didn’t want him to force me take medication.

“I wanna know everything about you,” he stated. I giggled and looked at him.

“You will know everything about me; not now, but maybe...someday.” I couldn’t tell him everything about myself at the moment; I was not prepared.

To be honest, I liked Pierre. He was the first man I’d taken an interest in since I woke up. If I weren’t in a coma, he wouldn’t be the first person I’d like. Well, he was not really my first crush. Crushes were just admiration, it was different from what I felt about him. I doubt I would have known him today if I hadn’t been comatose.

“Then I’ll patiently wait for that day.”

We remained silent till we arrived at the open tent where we rented a bike. Pierre conversed with the workers and left me outside. He spoke for barely a few minutes before returning.

“Let’s go home?” I nodded. He intertwined our fingers as we exited the park. When we climbed into his car, he started driving away.

I was completely silent throughout the ride, contemplating what had happened previously. During those times, all I could think about was pleading for permission to do things I desired but would be unable to do if I remained in that room. I wanted to do everything that a typical person do. I was not sure what compelled Seven to let me not to go with him. I was grateful, because if he didn’t agree, I might flee once more.

The park was not far from Pierre’s condominium, so the trip was quick. We exited the elevator together and proceeded to his unit. He removed the card from his pocket and scanned it at the door. After a few seconds, it rang and spontaneously opened.

When we entered, I instantly felt the unit’s typical chill. Pierre locked the door and turned on the lights.

Oh my word, Aurie, let’s do this.

I drew in closer and kissed him on the lips. He was clearly taken aback by what I did, but he finally responded after a few seconds. He drew me closer to him by bending down slightly and squeezing my waist.

“Why...are you sure you’re all right?” he asked anxiously as I broke the long kiss. His face was filled with inquisitiveness; he appeared to be unsure if I was okay or not.

I, too, would be astonished if I were in his shoes. I am a conservative woman, but I initiated the kiss. He frequently referred to me as innocent and pure, but I kissed him like there was no tomorrow.

“Sleep with me.”

Silence enveloped the entire unit when neither of us spoke after I said that. His eyes were wide with disbelief, but he remained silent. While I was in the car earlier, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I spent a few minutes in my head pondering whether or not to do it. I am already legal, it was fine for me to do it. I’d like to have a taste of it before I die. That was something I wanted to do with Pierre.

“Pierre, I said sleep with me.” I clutched his shirt to kiss him again, but he brushed my lips away swiftly. I felt an overwhelming sense of humiliation because of what he did.

“Oh,” I murmured, gradually overcome with disappointment. I released my grip on his shirt and shifted my look away. I was not sure why he avoided.

“Aurie, you’re a virgin,” he said solemnly. I regained my composure and forced a smile.

“So? You’re not going to do it because I’m inexperienced, right? You don’t know if I’m good in bed or not. Should I let someone fuck me before you do, Pierre?” He frowned and approached me.

“Where—of course not! Where did you get those words?” he asked, his face contemptuous. My head shook and I averted my gaze.

“Or is it because I’m a short-haired woman with bangs and really pale skin? I’m tall, but not as tall as Alyssa or anyone you liked.”

“No, that’s not the case—”

“Why, then?”

“Baby, you’re a virgin. Don’t give your virginity to just anyone; save it for someone you like or love, Aurie.” He approached me and squeezed my waist. He buried his face on my shoulder and wrapped his arms around me.

“Your physical appearance and experience had nothing to do with why I swerved,” he remarked softly. His embrace became even tighter as he realized I was forcibly removing his arms around me.

“Get off me and let’s do it.”

“Did you miss what I just said? Don’t give your virginity to a complete stranger.”

“Yeah, I completely understand and heard what you just said; you’re the one I’m interested in; now, get the fuck off me and let’s have sex.”

I felt him momentarily freeze. He raised an eyebrow at me and looked up.

“Really?” he asked, suppressing a smile.

“Yeah.”

“Are you sure—”

When I kissed him again, he broke off what he was about to say. Unlike a while ago, he now responded quickly.

“My room.” We paused for a bit to go to his room. When we got in, he locked the door and escorted me to his bed.

“Do you know how to do it?” I pressed my lips together and nodded.

“Yes. I did some research about it.” I lowered my eyes in embarrassment. I saw one video after I returned home on the day our teacher spoke about sex education. Additionally, that was the day he gave me pepper spray.

“So you’ve become an expert now, huh?” he teased. I delicately pinched his tummy because of embarrassment.

“Crazy,” I said as I yanked the collar of his shirt and kissed him passionately.

He stripped my socks and shoes off without interfering with the kiss. His kisses reached all the way down to my chin, up to my jawline, and all the way to my ear.

I began to sweat as he stroked my boobs. His kiss landed on my nape as he massaged my chest.

“Pierre...” I stammered. I felt so helpless in his presence, like if I’d blindly obey everything he would say. It was embarrassing to consider that I was the one who told him to do this and now, I was the one who was under him.

“Hm?”

He removed my tank top and tossed it on the floor. I attempted to be courageous by not covering my chest with my hands out of embarrassment. It’s not that I was not ready, it was just really embarrassing.

My chest was not so large. I wasn’t seductive as Iris or Alyssa.

I was only wearing a push-up bra; it was strapless and unadjustable. It is, in fact, only covering my chest.

“You look nervous; do you want me to stop now?” Pierre asked. He paused kissing my neck and looked at me solemnly. I shook my head swiftly and grinned.

“It’s natural for me to feel nervous because this is my first time; I’m good here; keep doing what you’re doing.”