Where am I?

- Chapter Eight -

Day 11.

Chris and I had been spending more time together, as promised he would come to see me for a few hours during afternoons.

We would talk about random things, I would share some good or embarrassing memories with him, which would make him laugh. We would cuddle and kiss.

But I kept in mind the reason why I was doing all this.
It was just for my way out.

________

He entered the room. I smiled as soon as I saw him.
This day, he seemed a little more relieved. I didn't know why as I didn't get the chance to ask him in the morning, but he seemed more at peace.

He sat on the bed beside me, capturing my lips with his own into a passionate kiss.

Once he broke the kiss, I asked:
-"did you have a good morning?"
-"yes, it was a good morning for me. What about you?"

I flashed him a sweet smile.
-"it was ok, as usual. You seem.. Mhm.. How to say that.." I put a finger on my chin as I was thinking. "You seem more rested today, I guess you've had a good night?"

He chuckled.
-"yes, I've had a good night, and I owe it all to you, to be honest.."
-"why is that?"

He nervously nipped on his bottom lip, taking a moment before answering:
-"well.. First of all, because meditation helps me a lot to fall asleep.. And then.. Mhm.. I.. Uh.. I really enjoy spending time with you, I love hearing your stories, I love your cuddles.. I know I made a mistake when I first started talking to you, I know this would end up like this.."

I felt my heart starting to pound loudly in my chest.
-"w-what do you mean?"

He took my hand, his eyes meeting mine as he said:
-"I mean... I knew I'd end up falling for you..."

I felt a knot forming in my throat at his words. I managed to ask:
-"what d-does that mean..?"
-"that means... I'm falling in love with you... And I'm going to get you out of here.."

I won.

Tears formed in my eyes, blurring my sight.
I wrapped my arms around his neck and straddled his legs, crashing my lips on his own. This time, it was my turn to give the kiss a salty flavor.

He pulled away, wiping my tears away with his thumbs.
I slid my hands under his shirt, running my fingers along his spine delicately, saying:
-"Chris... I don't even know what to say... I can't thank you enough..."

He shook his head.
-"there's no reason to thank me... I want to do something fair, just once in my life..."
-"thank you... Really... I'll forever be grateful for that..."

He stayed silent, lying us down on the bed, my head on his chest, his fingers playing with my hair as I was running my own on his abs underneath his tshirt.

-"Chris?"
-"mhm?"
-"would you mind telling me how you ended up here..?"

He sighed, but I felt him nod.
-"well.. As you know.. My mom passed away because of me... So.. My childhood had been kind of hard, but it was still 'normal' if I can say so.. Back then, my father was a trader.. I don't know how it happened, but he ended up being a trader for some mafia gang. Unfortunately he made a wrong choice, which resulted in him losing everything. Their money, but also his own..."

He paused. I snuggled up against him a little more as he spoke again:
-"they threatened to kill him if he wasn't able to give back the money they invested.. He tried to get back the money he lost, but as a lot of people heard about his mistake, no one wanted to invest in him. He ended up being cornered... So that's when he got this brilliant idea. He offered to give me to them in order to pay for his debt.. So they agreed to take me.. I was around 13 years old when I got here..."

What an awful life. He hasn't been lucky at all, and I couldn't help but feel sad for him. His story was just heartbreaking.

I sat up a little, glancing at his face as I started caressing his cheek, kissing his tears away and trying to hold back my own.
-"Chris... I'm so sorry for everything that happened to you... You've had such a hard life... But it wasn't your fault... You're not responsible for your mom's death... And you never deserved everything you've been through..."

He placed his hands over his face, not able to hold back his sobbing.
I pulled myself on top of him, grabbing his wrists to wrap his arms around my neck as I lied over him, my cheek against one of his.
I whispered into his ear:
-"let it all go... It wasn't your fault..."

He tightened his grip around me, his sobbing echoing in the room.
I ran my fingers through his hair, letting him cry his heart out.

It took him a long time to calm down.
When he did, he managed to say:
-"t-thank you... I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't be such a pussy.."
-"hey.. Chris.. You're not being a pussy, you're the total opposite actually... You're so strong."

I glanced at his face. His eyes were red and puffy, but his heart seemed to feel a little lighter.
I placed soft pecks on his forehead, on his chin, on his cheeks, on the tip of his nose, and finally on his lips.
I knew it wasn't necessary to act like this with him, but as I felt grateful for the fact he wanted to help me out, and also a little sad to know what he's been through during his whole life, I thought showing him some affection was the least I could do.

This made him smile, his eyes fluttering closed when our lips met.

When we broke the kiss, he glanced at the clock. I knew it was time for him to leave, so I pulled myself off him, letting him sit up.

He glanced at me, his eyes sinking into mine as he said:
-"thank you for.. Everything. We'll talk about your way out tomorrow, if that's ok for you?"

I nodded:
-"yes it's fine with me."

I pecked his lips.
-"see you for dinner?"

He smiled, nodding his head.
-"yes, see you for dinner.. I'll miss you..."

Cute... What? No, not cute. I just want to get out of here, I do not give a damn about him.
I do not give a damn about him!

The words left my mouth without me realizing:
-"I'll miss you too, Chris.."

________

A few hours passed until he came back for dinner.

It had become usual for us to share this moment together, even though we didn't have much time to talk.

He would still take a few minutes to cuddle a little with me, share a few kisses, wish each other goodnight and as always, he would leave.

Another day had passed, and this time I finally succeeded. I won, he was letting me out.
I knew I needed to hear his plan, but I couldn't help myself but feel excited about the fact that I was going to leave this place.

I drifted off into sleep, dreaming about my freedom.