Isearched for his hand, intertwining our fingers while he cupped the side of my jaw, sneaking a hand between long strands of hair to secure his grip while claiming my lips. Sorrow, regret, and uncontrollable passion were brewing to reach his surface, so strongly that the mixture was unraveling me completely. I felt naked in front of his emotions, stripped of any resentment due to his actions, and was prepared to believe him again.
That was his spell and my curse. Every time he was opening up, he was erasing all of our past and capturing me in the ephemeral moment he was painting only for us.
What came as a shock was that I knew I couldn’t believe him, and yet I was blindingly following his lead, craving for the warmth of his lips as if it would be the only element keeping me alive.
I couldn’t believe him. I could never trust him. Still, I was doing it once again.
Through muffled groans, his hand lost itself beneath my jacket, searching for the voluptuous shapes of my chest. Things were heating up with lightning speed and I was losing ground with each trail of his tongue. I had to do something, anything to slow down the dynamic of the evening. I owed it to my conscience not to be swept off my feet again by the man that had guaranteed suffering written all over him.
‘Dessert,’ I whispered, trying to stop the thoughts flooding my mind.
‘There’s where I’m getting to,’ he quickly slid a hand beneath my jeans, thinking I was trying to rush things through.
‘No, Ferris. Dessert,’ I couldn’t hold back a chuckle as I retreated so that my core would prevent his intrusion.
Ferris arched an eyebrow, so confused as if he didn’t actually know the true definition of the worddessert. ‘I thought this was dessert!?’
‘Well, it’s not. Come on,’ I leaped between the cage of his legs and set out a distance to get him to move.
‘Don’t tell me you were only teasing me,’ the disappointment in his words combined with his unsatisfied lust was warning me that I had no chance of our night ending this way.
‘Then, Iwon’t tell you,’ I stretched out my hand to grab his own and, like an eager child, pulled him from the windpipe. Not that on a normal day I had any chance of moving him even an inch.
‘Ok...ok. Where are we going?’
‘There’s a donut shop nearby. I want you to have the complete experience of living in the Pit on a good day,’ I rushed him because the rooftop view seemed to be getting ideas into his mind.
As we walked back through the narrow lanes, Ferris didn’t miss the opportunity to sneak in some feverish kisses, especially since the night’s blanket was covering us in its dormant secrecy.
I admit, what he did for me and my family was pretty amazing, but it couldn’t wipe the slate clean over what happened between us a few nights ago.
‘We’re here,’ I squeezed his hand to stop as we reached a tiny donut shop, hidden between the grocery shelves of the other stores around.
‘How could you even spot this place? I would have passed by without even noticing it existed.’
‘I can smell it. The sweets these people make are amazing. Come,’ I crammed him between the display shelves to get in front of the shop. ‘Two house specialty,’ I told the woman behind the counter.
‘What’s house specialty?’ Ferris leaned to look over the window, and glanced inside at what the cashier was putting in our bag.
‘The most delicious cake they have. It’s made out of scraps.’
‘Scraps!?’ The notion bruised his noble senses.
‘Trust me on this one.’
‘$0.60 it’s 50% off. Closing time,’ the woman behind the counter pointed at the clock, though I already knew that. You needed to learn all the tricks in order to survive in the streets. It was pretty much the same everywhere else. Survival of the fittest. And I knew by now, I was capable of doing anything to survive.
‘Thanks,’ I paid the woman then picked up our bag.
‘Do you get everything at sale prices?’ Ferris laughed, probably because the wordsalemade no difference to him. On the contrary, it represented that something was wrong for a piece of merchandise to ever be on sale.
‘Ferris, there were times when I couldn’t afford even what wason sale. And I’m not talking about clothes or who knows what luxury. I’m talking about food. Everyone in the Pit lives like that, and even if from time to time they could afford a normal meal or who knows what, they still chose the discounted one because you never know what tomorrow brings. We don’t have government allowances to live off from. Hell, we don’t even have bank accounts. Most of the revenues go undeclared anyway so that the employers won’t pay taxes. No premium healthcare. In fact, no healthcare at all.’
‘Sometimes I’m.... let’s just say I’m spending too much time in the house.’
‘That’s why I wanted you to go out with me today. To see reality. Most of the people here share your pain. It may not have resulted from the same actions, but their struggle is real.This is who I want to help.Thisis what I want to change.’
‘And we will.Together. Now, give me that bag. I’m like the fucking Cookie Monster. I need to see what’s in it.’
