02 // Hands On

The smell of cigarettes was overwhelming, I couldn't wear the sweater for longer than a minute. As if reading my mind, he said, "Sorry."

I handed the sweater back to him and he put it on, covering his face with the hoodie yet again.

"It's okay, thanks for the warm gesture though," I said, and he laughed.

I could never get used to that rumbling laughter. "Was that pun intended?"

My cheeks warmed up. "Maybe."

"I'm Silas, by the way. And you are?"

We stopped outside me and Esra's room.

"I'm Yvonne."

"Well, nice to meet you, Yvonne." He held out his hand, and I stared at him before linking our hands in a handshake.

I gasped as a familiar feeling of electricity shot up my arm, and I snatched my hand away. I wanted to ask him if we had met earlier, but I couldn't find the words.

We stood there awkwardly, until he cleared his throat. "Well then, goodnight," He said and walked away.

"Wait!" I called out before I could stop myself, and he stopped without turning around. "Would you like to come in?"

He seemed taken aback, if his rigid posture was anything to go by. For a moment, I thought he was going to refuse, but he dropped his hands in a relaxed manner and tilted his body slightly in my direction.

"Are you sure about that?" He asked, and I replied with a nod as my mouth had suddenly gone dry.

Silas walked over to me with his hands in his pockets.

I quickly averted my eyes and distracted myself with unlocking the door. I have no idea why I invited him in, perhaps it was because I have a long night ahead, since I will be all alone and I don't feel sleepy since I slept for long hours earlier today. If I had my painting equipment here, boredom would be the last thing on my mind, I would have spent the night pouring my heart on a canvas.

Once we were inside, I realised that although Silas was chatty, his eyes were downcast all the time.

"Uhm... would you like something to drink or eat?"

There was a pause for a moment, and then he shook his head. "No, thanks."

Okay, that was sad because I was hungry and there was no way I was going to eat in front of him, it would be much better if we were both nibbling on something.

"I–"

"Or maybe some snacks," he quipped. "Do you mind?"

I was about to say I did not mind ordering some snacks for him when I noticed the cigarette in his hand. "Of course not, uhm... go through to the pool area. I'll order us some food in the meantime."

He nodded and left through the sliding glass doors, and I watched him make his way to a bench a few feet from the pool before he lit his cigarette and took a long drag, smoke filling his mouth before he exhaled through his nose.

I don't know why I got the feeling that he smoked a lot, as if there weren't enough people already dying from lung cancer. My body shivered at the thought.

Stop being a creep, I chastened myself, my feet paddling to the phone. I ordered us some food and drinks.

Hopefully, he did not plan on staying out there all night, it was really cold. If he wanted to, he could even choose not to return to my room and leave.

Honestly, I was dying to hang out with someone who didn't know who I was, a complete stranger who wouldn't make fun of my life and try to advice me out of the predicament I found myself in.

Guess Silas was that stranger because he returned as soon as he finished smoking, and I tried not to look excited as I settled on the two-seater couch, stealing a moment to spy on him while he closed the door.

Silas was lean and tall, he walked with his back hunched to hide his full height. He was in faded slim-fit jeans that looked like they were the perfect black in their early days, with white sneakers paired with dirty laces. I wouldn't be surprised if people stepped on him, that was guaranteed if you chose to wear white sneakers.

"Sorry for keeping you waiting," he said as he plopped next to me and dropped his hoodie.

I'd expected his mouth to smell of cigarettes, but my nostrils were confronted by strawberries. I was furthermore piqued when I noticed the dark shades covering his eyes, wondering if perhaps he was sensitive to light. What if I am being selfish by choosing to stay indoors?

I tried not to read too much into it, but there was something unfamiliar about him. His skin was that of the colour of a camel, but a bit pale and smooth, almost to the point of perfection. And two of the things I envied about him was the perfect pitch-black afro pulled into a ponytail on top of his head, as well as the faded freckles dotting his T-zone, one would not be able to see them unless they were sitting or standing really close.

I wondered how his eyes looked.

He quickly glanced away, and I did the same, my cheeks burning at the realisation that I'd crept him out with my constant staring.

I cleared my throat. "Uhm... I ordered us food, I'm sure it will be here soon," I said hastily, but got no response.

"What were you doing up there?" He asked instead, and I turned to him in surprise.

"Getting some fresh air?"

That earned a heartfelt laughter from him. "And here I thought you had a thing for nature." Well, I did, but I was just being honest. "I always go there to watch the sunset, it's really beautiful from up there."

That was true, and I was glad to get to be the first person among the guests to see it, especially on the opening of the lodge. If Silas says he came here every day then it must be truly worth it.

A realisation occurred to me, and my eyebrows knitted together as I turned to him. "You said always," I pointed out and he replied with a nod. "But the place only opened today."

He gave a lopsided smile. "To the guests, yes."

"Wait... you work here?" Again, he nodded with a smile. "Well then, what are you still doing here with me, shouldn't you be at work?"

"Relax, Yvonne." The way he said my name made my stomach feel weird. "My shift is over."

As if that's supposed to put me at ease. The lodge was busier since the sun set than it was during the day. Clearly, they needed extra hands somewhere. What if he got fired because of me.

"But–"

"I work at the massage parlour, and it closed early. People are only interested in the groove right now," he clarified. "But since you are so concerned about my job, I can give you a massage if you want, seeing as you clearly need it." I gaped at him. "What?" He shrugged. "Besides, if anyone asks why I was in your room then you can just say I came to give you a massage. We have a cupboard stocked with massage supplies in every room, just in case our guests ask for a private session. Come on."

I was about to follow him when a light knock sounded at the door.

"I'll get that." "I'll get the supplies from the bathroom." We said simultaneously, and I waited for him to vanish into the bathroom before getting the door.

The waiter wheeled our food inside.

"Thank you," I said after walking him out.

When Silas came out from the bathroom, he had taken off his sweater and rolled up the sleeves of his gray t-shirt, and he had his hands full of supplies.

He dropped oils, lotions, and creams on the bed. "Do you need the full package? Candles and everything?" He asked without looking at me.

"Is it necessary?"

He chuckled. "Full package it is."

I heaved a sigh and sat down, opting to eat while he continued setting up, clearly he had made up his mind. The fact that he seemed at ease while doing his job made me relax, until I realised that I might have to undress like they made me earlier.

"Uhm... Silas–"

I swore he had to be a mind reader, because he picked that moment to toss a towel at me. "Change into that once you are done eating," he said with such ease as if his request was something normal. He stopped what he was doing and glanced my way for a second. "You don't have to do it if you are uncomfortable."

My eyes grew the size of saucers. "No! I mean, it is not that." He did not understand, and it was not something I was going to disclose to him, it was too embarrassing.

How do I tell this stranger that I've never undressed in front of a man before? Sure, it is not like I was going to start removing my clothes while he watched, nor was I going to be in his company, butt-naked. But it was a somewhat stressful situation for me.

The food was no longer going through, I got up and grabbed the robe and made my way to the bathroom.

I stripped naked until I was left in my underwear, and then I wrapped the towel around my body. The towel only covered my chest and barely reached my knees.

As I passed the mirror, I noticed how messy my hair was, I combed it and fixed my ponytail, and then I splashed water on my face before returning to the main room.

I can't believe I've been here all day, and failed to realise that this was a set of recliner couches. Silas had shifted the smaller one to blend in with the setting he had going on. He had really gone out, scented candles and everything. It almost looked like something out of a romantic movie.

"Madame." He bowed and gestured at the couch. I walked over to the couch covered in towels and laid on my stomach, resting my head on the cushion provided. "Are you comfortable?" He asked, standing beside the couch.

"Mhmm."

He was on his phone for a minute before soft, soothing music filled the silence, and he adjusted it to a comfortable volume so that it was not loud to the point where we could not hear each other speak. Then he went ahead and turned off the lights, leaving the room illuminated in candlelight.

"Remember, you can tell me to stop if it gets uncomfortable."

He began to apply oils around my shoulders and neck, and I tensed as soon as his hands came into contact with my skin, and then slowly breathed out and began to relax as his hands continued to gently glide across my back.

"So, do you want to tell me what's on your mind?"

I closed my eyes, letting out a soft sigh as his hands worked their magic on my shoulders. "I don't want to bore you with my problems."

"Come on, don't be like that. Look at it as payment for my services and a thank you for inviting me in. How does that sound?"

"I thought the purpose of the massage was to help me relax and forget about my problems for a while."

"I know." There was a pause. "But I also know that it helps to speak to someone, especially a stranger."

He moved to my feet and repeated the process, applied oils and then massaged my toes and the soles of my feet.

"I come from a very religious family," I started after some time since the silence and music playing in the background felt deafening. "Well, at least my mother is religious and my dad does whatever she demands, she thinks she's a deputy God or something." I snickered. "They made a decision regarding my life and future and did not care to ask how I feel about it. All that matters is what they want and how they feel."

His hands started gliding up my legs, and I tried to stay calm, but my body had a mind of its own. My fingers gripped at the towels. I heard before, how frustrating it was being in heat, but I didn't think it would be this much.

Silas was talking, but I couldn't make out what he was saying, all I could hear was my own laboured breaths, and my mind was stuck on the fuzzy pooling in my panties. My brain told me to stop him, but my body was protesting.

I relaxed slightly when he finally finished working the back of my legs.

"Do you mind flipping over so that I can work on the front?"

It took a moment for his words to sink in and for me to move without feeling like something out of the ordinary was going to happen. I sat up, careful to prevent the towel from riding up, that's the last thing I needed.

I prepared myself to lay on my back, but my breath hitched when I caught Silas' eyes.

"Oh, my God!" I gasped. "Silas, your eyes are glowing."