Not Acid Nor Alkaline ~ Sleep Token FF ~

14.Fair Play

Vessel's POV:

When she had opened the door, I was so nervous. I always was. Normally it has been easier with the mask. Just singing for her was a bit different.
How would she react?

I started to play and sing for her and I had a feeling she enjoyed this moment.
Emma was coming closer and at the end of the song she even placed her hand on my shoulder. This little gesture had a bigger meaning to it.

From her breathing I thought she might be crying somehow. Was she?
Instead of finding out right away, I tried to give her time. I knew this, I mean I need a mask to show my emotions to others. I softly stroke over her hand and covered it with mine. It felt a little cold on her fingertips.

I turned my head, just a bit. As it was silent now, I could listen a bit better on her breathing that was becoming more regular now. 'Thank you..', I heard her whispering.
Emma squeezed my shoulder and I turned around to face her. She looked at me, her eyes told me she truely had been crying.
I didn't know how to think about her reaction. I tried to read something in her eyes.

'Was this song for me?', she asked still looking at me. Sure it was for you, Emma!, I wanted to shout, but I didn't.
Instead I stood up and my hand grabbed her other hand. 'Yes, it is.', I replied. 

This moment felt so intimate, just being close to her, actually speaking to her. Opening up to her about my emotions wasn't easy for me, but easier than it would be showing her who I really am.

She placed her other hand on my chest. I realised my heart was beating heavy and loud. She probably felt my body reacting to her touch.
She got on her toes and I saw her not looking in the direction of my eyes, but she was looking at my lips. My lips? Was she really trying to kiss me? Did she maybe feel the same for me? But why? She didn't know who I was.

I came a bit closer and lowered my head. This moment felt unreal to me just seconds before our lips actually found each other.
This kiss was not full of lust or yearning for each other, it was the language our bodies communicated.

Both of us were silent, I still held Emma in my arms.
I felt I needed to make the next step, so I cleared my throat.
'You want to go for a walk? Behind the building is a park.', I told her about my idea.

'Aren't you freezing?', she asked me.
'Are you?', I asked her back.
She shook her head. I let go of her body and grabbed a simple black shirt that I had been wearing on my way to the chapel.
I turned around and got out of the robe.  I was aware she might see my hair if she'd look in my direction. I quickly got the shirt on and the robe over it.

'Let's go then.', I mumbled and reached out for her hand.
She looked at me unphased for a second, I started to be afraid.
But then she smiled and grabbed my hand.
'I knew I'd give you a heart attack by not reacting.'
I shook my head and smiled. She was something else.

We went outside and around the building. It wasn't anything special, but if I needed to talk, I wanted to walk. I couldn't stand there and speak.

'Can I ask you something?', she has been faster than me.
'Sure.', I returned.
'Why me?', she asked me and turned her face to look in my direction.
I was suprised and stopped. 'Your first question isn't about my identity or showing you my face?', I frowned.
She simply shook her head as an answer.

'Isn't it unusual to ask me why I fell for you, when it is way more surprising you would kiss a masked stranger?', I began. I needed to take a second before continuing.

'Please let me explain everything. This all might sound strange to you at first.  I guess you might know I was watching you the past weeks', I looked at her not sure how she'd react.

'So you were the one with the orange tulip and the roses?', she asked me.
'Yes,I was. I hope I didn't scare you that much. I tried to get in contact with you after the open stage night.', I explained.

'This actually was a bit scary, Vessel. Especially at the graveyard.', Emma replied honestly.
'Well,I thought so too afterwards.', I chuckled nervously. 'I'm sorry about that.'
'You could have just texted me.', she said giggling.
'Everybody could have done that. Isn't it way more special to just creep you out at a graveyard?', now I tried to ease the moment and luckily we both could laugh about it.

'This point goes to you.', she looked at me.
'Aren't you scared of the masked man that tries to win your heart?', I now asked her lowering my voice.
It was her time to be silent for a while before answering me.

'Vessel, you have been right about me. I have a dark past, until now I never let a person come that close to me. I have Abby and Matt as my friends, but not even they know.', she began to tell me. 'Maybe you found a way I am not getting scared away in the first second. Isn't it a fair play so far? I don't know what your real name is or how your face looks like. You don't know about my past for now?'
Yes, maybe this was indeed a fair play.