Ash—as human, and a woman.

The sunlight kissed her cheeks at 7 in the morning as she was awoken by its strange heat brought by its reflection by the windowsill. With her slightly opened eyes she found herself lying in a foreign room, with an old-fashioned yet comfortable bed, with scents of old books all over, complimented by the artistic colors shouting at four walls, with pine trees waving at her as she faintly lift her head to peer at what’s behind them white curtains being swayed by the wind.

She couldn’t help but to smile albeit rather anxiously, with the thought that someone might see her. She then looked around and found no one else except for her bare and naked self. She stood up and walked tiptoed, worried that the floor made of purely wood might break, but the idea of it happening made her laugh at the back of her head. She held the other side of the white curtains and used it to cover her body, leaving only the sight of her face and a little bit of skin from her shoulders as she pressed it in between her armpits making it look like she’s wearing a white tube long dress. She leaned towards slowly and crumpled her eyes to take a clear look at the view—the pine trees stand firmly at the white sand that looked like it has swarovski and diamonds in it, as it shines brightly with the help of the sun. Birds are forming some sort of patterns in the bright blue sky, dancing and singing like theater actors that are well-rehearsed. Beyond them trees she could see the splash of big waves and the sound of it that in that moment, calms her soul.

A soul. Yes, she has a soul. However, it’s not quite visible using typical set of eyes, she reckons no one ever has seen it, as she has been keeping it at the depths of her skin. What everyone sees in her is nothing but evilness and wickedness—and she’s completely fine with it. That’s exactly what she’s born for, aint it? She didn’t want to share her secrets that lies underneath the words in her eyes and she hardly even thought of joining forces with a man on a deeper level. It was never part of the plan. But Ben digs effortlessly to get to know her and now she fears the idea of losing the battle.

It all started when Ben left everything for her, chose her, accepted her, understood her and met all her needs. He brought her in a Probinsya, for a holiday getaway, away from the chaos of Manila’s crazy traffic. Ben told her he bought a house by the beach and that he wanted her to see it but he didn’t tell her beforehand that they’re going to stay the night. She doesn’t want to sleep next to someone, in spite of her strong sexual attraction towards Ben, but she realized she had no choice. It was a long drive she was a little exhausted so she didn’t protest anymore. And there she found herself waking up to such an amazing view. The Psychoweirdo then closed her eyes and played the horror of the ugly possibility that lingers in her head, as the wind touches her face gently, heedless of the curtains that left her body open for everyone else to see. But again, no one’s there anyway.

A few seconds later Ben opened the door with a mussed hair and a full smile on his face, wearing only a cute dirty white apron and his blue checkered boxers while he carries a tray of Filipino food.

“Good morning, Beautiful. I cooked you breakfast.” he said as he stared at Ash’s naked body, looking like he’s memorizing her curves and perhaps enjoying the beauty of her breasts. Ash didn’t say nothing. She almost ignored him and nonchalantly reached for her dress and walked past through him to go to the restroom. She leaned her back against the door with her hands at her back, still holding the knob even after she locked it, not moving a muscle and just staring at the ceiling, with unwanted thoughts that bother her. No one has ever treated me like human, or even a woman except for him. She thought without blinking, her heart started to race like its going to explode. She couldn’t be vulnerable with anyone, that’s never going to happen. She’s scared with the idea of him looking at her like she has seen her soul, that she’s been hiding all along. She’s afraid that maybe he has seen it, even without her knowing it. Is that even possible?

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This is a continuation from my fiction series The Psychoweirdo. 🙂