Behind his dimpled smile and sugary eyes lies a past of hardships. Zee lives aimlessly, hopping from job to job, unable to keep stable employment. But when he is invited to take a position at the prestigious Haven Hotel, Zee's life changes from a le...
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“Am I being annoying?” Chawarin fluttered his lashes with bitten lips.
Any hesitation Zee may have had faded away like vapor when he heard that sweet question. A small chuckle erupted between his lips and he tried hiding it behind his fist. Suddenly, he threw his body across the sofa and let his head land in the soft lap of the man beside him. He sighed and his hands started wandering. Chawarin let out a soft grunt but Zee ignored it as he found what he was looking for; he gripped Chawarin's hand and placed it on his head again. He smiled as he felt Chawarin's hand flinch as his fingers slid down to his wrist. He chuckled and then crossed his arms as he faced the high ceiling.
But now it hit him: Chawarin wanted to know about his dream, about him. He swallowed hard, realizing his throat was dry. He closed his eyes and his lips tightened into a sharp line. It felt like his fingertips were getting cold and that freeze spread across his veins. Yet, when he felt the gentle caresses along his scalp, the light petting on the tufts on his hair, the careful tracing of swirls along his skin, Zee felt the warmth coming back.
“It's nothing dramatic,” he began, “Like everyone, I had bad things happen to me in the past. I just dreamt about one of those memories. Humans can be so cruel.”
“What happened?” Chawarin's voice was almost a whisper.
Zee went quiet for a bit, not in avoidance but rather… he was thinking. Thinking of a way to tell his story without exposing his bare skin and wounds to the lovely face looking down at him.
“I was,” Zee cleared his throat quietly, “I was made into a monster. And it hurt me. I was hurt for a very long time. And I’m still hurt.”
“A monster?”
“At first, I thought it was unfair. It was unfair that someone could make up a lie and turn me into something I wasn’t. It wasn’t fair that I was the only one who got hurt. But…” Zee turned his head into Chawarin’s waist. He didn’t want Chawarin to see his face, “Maybe what this person and these people said about me wasn’t a lie, but just an exaggeration.”
“What do you mean?”
Zee chuckled, his breath tickled Chawarin’s belly through his thin linen shirt, “Maybe I am a monster. But not the monster they described,” Zee turned around again, his face parallel to the ceiling. He locked eyes with Chawarin this time, “Maybe I have the horns and sharp teeth and a gnarly scream of a monster… But I’m just an itty-bitty monster,” Zee grinned, “It's as if my horns pricked at their feet when they stepped on me. It hurt them, but they forgot… I was stepped on.”
Chawarin frowned at his smile. He swatted around Zee’s head, “You make no sense. Someone who doesn’t hurt others can’t be called a monster. It doesn’t matter if you have horns or sharp teeth or even… or even drink blood.”
