A JOKE TURNS INTO A CHALLENGE

"This is where it all started." I say, looking at him. "I didn't know that I would be affected this much by coming here. I thought it was over, but I guess there are pains that you just cannot get over. You just get used to it and make peace with it." I force words through my heavy heart.

"I am sorry. This can never be easy for anyone, but you will be fine. With time." He consoles.

"The world is so cruel, isn't it?" I ask.

"It wouldn't be so if there weren't cruel people living. They are the ones who make life seem like a living hell. But you know the best thing about all this?"

"What?" I ask.

"You got rid of one of those cruel monsters. The world is now less than one monster." He says.

"But I had to lose the most important person in my life. Where is the justice in that?" I say.

"Your parents are heroes, Gia. They died running away from evil, trying to prevent it from getting to you and your sister, but that did not help. I am not discrediting them; on the contrary, I admire them. For the love they had for both you and your sister. That should be why they chose to hide instead of fighting—for fear of losing you or leaving you two all alone in this world in case they lost the battle. But you cannot run forever, Gia. The difference between you and them is that you chose not to run away but to confront the devil. You chose to face it head-on until you won. Now it won't haunt you or anyone ever. No matter what, choose to fight." Wow! My beauty god is also smart upstairs, but what do I expect from such a beauty?

"Thank you." I murmured to that sweet, calming sermon. I can't imagine the fear my parents lived in from the day they knew we were in danger. The fear that anything can happen at any time. It must have been so difficult for my father to even drop the family name, just so he could stay away from his family to save us. My mother sacrificing to live with those monsters just to keep us safe was a priceless sacrifice. They loved us dearly, and they did everything they could to protect us. Until their last breath, they were still trying to protect us. It is fair that I stopped the monster from making us suffer or live in fear like he did to my parents. It is only just that I stopped him before he made us suffer the same fate as our parents.

"Let's get you something to change into before you develop a fever." I say to Deep. "The only thing I will do if that happens is sing to you, and my sweet voice will not heal you." I joke, starting my way to my room, holding his hand to follow me.

"I would love to hear you sing specifically for me. And contrary to your thoughts, I think your voice would be the best remedy for that." He teases.

"You, Mr. Moore, are so conny." I say as I open the door to my room, both of us walking in. Before I can walk to my small closet to find him a T-shirt, he turns me to him. "What?" I snap. I hope it is not what I am thinking. The night is still way too early to start complicating it.

"I am happy that you can afford a smile again. I am glad that you are okay. You look more at peace now, and more," he says, looking deep into my eyes.

"More what?" I implore.

"More beautiful. So free. You look more bright. That sad and confused look I saw when we first met in Mombasa is now gone. I am happy for you." He says he is still studying my face.

"Was I that obvious?" I ask, not moving an inch despite our silence.

"To everyone, no. I just happened to be lucky to get close to you. And that is how I saw it—in your eyes and in the way you spoke. I just knew there was something bothering you." Yeah, I was so bothered that I kissed you without even caring if you were the devil of the sea. "But the lion is gone now, and the cage is demolished. I am happy that you are now so free." He adds.

"You must possess a very strong charm for me to have told you so much in our very first encounter. Thank you, because you are the reason why I am free today." I say.

"Anything for the beauty queen." He says, and before I find myself swimming in sin again, I pull away, and I can feel him smirking behind me as I walk to the closet.

"By the way, just so you know, I don't go around kissing strangers." I say this as I roam through my old clothes to find a T-shirt that will fit him.

"Then, am I that irresistible?" He stops right behind me, making my hair rise. I pull out a white T-shirt and hold it in my hands as I turn to look at him. Irresistible? Definitely yes! You are the god of beauty and evil. You are the perfect sin that feels pure and holy. You are the strongest charm of seduction—pure temptation that is irresistible.

"Try this on. It's the biggest that I have. If it doesn't fit you, I am sorry, Mr. Moore, but you will have to stay shirtless as we dry your shirt." I put the T-shirt in his hand.

"Can you handle it? Me being naked around you?" He asks. Naked? I can't stand his looks. How can I handle a naked Deep Moore Azzua? The imagination of that scene alone is messing my brain up.

He is messing with me. And I am falling for it.

"I will go check if there is anything fresh to cook in the kitchen." I turn to leave before this man's charm gets to me. He is too hot for my liking and so inviting. An irresistible temptation is what he is.

"Running away?" I stop in my tracks. Huh? Running? "Why don't you want to answer my questions?" I turn to him.

"And why does it matter?" I snap. I feel like he is getting on my nerves for no reason now. His questions are rhetorical, and he knows that pretty well.

"It matters to me. What you think of me, what you feel about me, Gia, matters a lot to me." I am trembling with every step he takes towards me.

It does? Sincw when?

"Why?" I ask when he stands in front of me.

"You tell me, Gia. We have done so much in such a short span of time that we have known each other. It started the very day we met. Doesn't our kiss mean anything to you? There is no spark between us. Don't you feel anything when we are close like this?" Our eyes are locked, and our bodies are touching. He is wet from the rain, but I am melting in front of him.

I feel a thousand things when we are close like this, and I still feel them even when we are not together. When I think of you and remember you, I feel everything I am feeling now. Those kisses mean heaven to me. I want to kiss you every single minute that we are together. I want to feel your hands doing magic on my body.

"Here is what I think." I unbutton his shirt and take it off, taking a minute to admire the beautiful, eye-catching scenery of his bare chest. He really has all the reasons to be full of himself. "The cold is making you overthink. Grab a towel somewhere in the closet and dry yourself. I can't handle you getting sick." I wink as he takes a step backwards, eyeing me with a smirk.

"You are..."

"To your first two questions, yes and yes. You are irresistible, but I can handle even the irresistible." After seeing enough of his challenging devilish eyes, smirk, and raised eyebrow as if challenging me, I turn to leave, but it seems the devil isn't done with me. "Gia." He calls, and I turn to him confidently because I know I pulled one on him. But in a flash, that confidence is crashed into nothing by the daring demeanor of his firm, dominating voice.

"Challenge accepted!" I thought we were joking. We were really joking, right? He was just trying to lighten my mood. Why does he look like a serious devil all of a sudden? Challenge? What challenge? I didn’t say I wanted any damn challenges, or did I? “Scared already?”

Curse him! He is making me try to swallow even my tongue just to corroborate that I am not scared. But who am I kidding?