Dylan led her to the literal dining room of Anthony house, where the rest of the family inclusive of Bobby had gathered.
'I almost sent Zoe to call you,' Mrs. Anthony said. 'She and Bobby said you were—ah—busy.'
'No kidding.' Dylan sat in the seat across from Zoe, which left Sage with the seat across from Bobby.
Please don't make me an enemy, Sage thought as she slid into the chair.
'I suppose you haven't been properly introduced to everyone,' Mrs. Anthony said. 'The girl is Marie-Angelica, my second and youngest child, Dylan's sister.' The woman frowned. 'She prefers to be called Zoe.'
'It's a cooler name, unlike Marie,' Zoe said.
'And—' Mrs. Anthony hesitated as if finding a term for Bobby was against social norms. '—there's Roberta-Alexander Altair, the one seated across from you. They're Zoe's tutor and closest friend. They possess exceptional knowledge in vocabulary, Mathematics, the three sciences, geography…you just name it. Also invaluable to this family are their combat and reconnaissance skills '
'Pitchthank,' Bobby coughed.
Mr. Anthony didn't even lift a finger. Dylan was too immersed in his sandwich.
'Now you,' Bobby said, elbows on the table and manicured fingers interlaced, 'what is your appellation, where do you come from, and what were you insinuating when you said yes to Dylan Boris Anthony of all people?'
'I don't know what an appellation is, but my name's Sage Esmeralda Scarlett,' Sage replied, 'I come from Florida, a state of America, and I admit that I wasn't thinking too much when I agreed to be Dylan's girlfriend.'
'You're truthful. Keep it up,' they remarked.
'To continue Bobby's questions, what about your parents?' Mr. Anthony asked. 'I suppose they live in America, no doubt, but what about them?'
'I have only a mother.' A terrible one, but a mom nonetheless, she thought. 'My dad died when I was little.'
'What a pity,' Mrs. Anthony muttered.
'Have you kept in touch with your mother?' Mr. Anthony asked. 'I hope she's as aware as we are.'
'Um—' Sage looked guiltily at her phone. She tried to avoid conversations with Gothel as much as she could, as they always left her drained and hopeless.
On the flip side, Gothel didn't hesitate to call her whenever she felt like it. Just when Sage had contemplated the best lie, for example.
She stared at the ringing phone, not a fiber of her being desiring to pick it up.
'I have to take this, sorry.' Without delay, she ran to Zoe's room.
'He—'
'You forget things so quickly, don't you?' asked Gothel. 'If only I were there to remind you. If only I could burn you the way I did when you were a child.'
Those words were more than enough to silence her, but oh no. Clara Jones never just silenced; she always broke.
'Let me remind you, though,' she went on. 'You were fifteen, and I was just told by your principal that you'd been spotted in the janitor's closet in a comprising position with a boy. I took you home like everything was fine. Was it fine, Scarlett? Tell me if you remember. Or should I go into more detail?'
'It wasn't,' Sage said.
'Oh no it wasn't,' Clara confirmed. 'I took you into the bathroom, lit a flame…you remember now? I'm too old for those harrowing details.'
Ten years ago become as fresh in her mind as the day it happened. She fell to her knees, convulsing like the fire was right in front of her.
I don't like him! I never will!
Clara had laughed at her. Not just him. Every man that comes. A man's touch is fire. Do you know what fire does?
She brought the lighter close to her face, right under her chin. The flame's heat made her cry.
It hurts, Clara said plainly. Be wary of fire, then.
The lighter went out, but Gothel wasn't quite done. A battery-operated curling iron had been switched on right behind her. She picked up Sage's arm with it. It was as hot as the rage she buried inside.
Her shoulder tingled as if Clara had burned there as well. When she got her bearings, it was only Dylan's hand.
'Sage…' Gently, he wiped a tear from her eye.
Sage grunted in phantom pain and scooted away from him. 'What do you want? I'm clearly having a breakdown here.'
'I want to be your acquaintance,' Dylan said. 'What's the problem?'
She looked for her phone and found it had fallen and cracked just a little distance from where she sat. It still worked, at least. Better still, Gothel was not on the line or calling back.
'My mom's berserk,' she said plainly. 'That's all I can tell you now.'
'When will you tell me more?' he asked.
'When I finally befriend a man,' she said, 'and long as what happened happened to me, I doubt I ever will.'
'Could you at least tell me what I can do to cheer you up?' Dylan asked.
'No man will help me. They're all just embodiments of pain,' Sage sobbed.
He sighed. 'I guess we could cancel the shows.'
'Shows?'
'The London Sun's here. They want to interview us. After then, we have a lot more boyfriend-and-girlfriending to do.'.
TRANSCRIPT OF THE LONDON SUN'S ENTERTAINMENT SEGMENT OF APRIL 29TH, 2022.
[Camera focuses on Vanessa Potter, host and broadcaster for The London Sun. She wears a crisp red pantsuit and has her brunette hair tied into a ponytail].
REPORTER: This is Vanessa Potter broadcasting live from the Anthony House. That's right, the Anthony House—residence of the parliamentarian Henson Aaron Anthony, his wife Florence Anthony, their two children, and—for a limited time—Sage Esmeralda Scarlett, Dylan Anthony's only official girlfriend. Today, we'll be doing England a favor by asking them important questions about their relationship, which had been revealed only yesterday despite their rumored three months of romance.
[The camera shows Dylan Boris Anthony, in blue jeans and a casual button-up shirt, wrapping an arm around Sage Esmeralda Scarlett, who wore a green long-sleeved shirt and black jeans. Sage Scarlett looks agitated, and Dylan looks like he's comforting her].
DYLAN: (whispers), it's just cameras. Imagine if the approximately seven million people who watched this show were here.
SAGE:(mutters), No no no. No no no. No, no freaking no.
REPORTER: (offscreen) Pardon my interruption, latest couple, but the camera's been on you for several seconds. And we can hear everything you say. Like, everything.
SAGE: (audibly), Oh my dear gosh.
[The camera shows all three of them seated in the Anthony House living room].
REPORTER: Let's start with Prince, our master Romeo. How long, really, have you dated? When did you start, precisely?
DYLAN: Three months, like my darling said—she has a better memory, anyway. But I keep the date in my calendar and close to my heart, because what a perfect February seventeenth that day was.
REPORTER: May I ask why it felt so perfect? What I mean to ask is, how did you ask her?
DYLAN: To give a single adverb: romantically. But you'd want the full gist, so that's what I'll tell you. I went to meet her at her friend's house for a post-Valentine's feast, and like usual, Sage was the first to answer the door. I had had my whole debate planned—reasons why she should be my girlfriend despite my interesting romantic record—but with a mere look at her, I just—
SAGE: —froze. Couldn't say a thing. Felt like turning back or becoming totally invisible.
DYLAN: Exactly. I remember feeling my face go hot—a rare experience for me with most women—and I couldn't say a word that made sense. Imagine telling a stranger you want to know them.
REPORTER: (laughs).
DYLAN: So I just stood there like a total wanker, saying stupid things I hope to never utter again in my life, then she gets annoyed and tells me to get inside. Not one to disobey the love of my life, I walked in. It was then I realized that I left her post-Valentine's gift in the boot of my car.
REPORTER: That sounds bad.
DYLAN: It was. But I am my father's son; I could turn my screw-up into something magical.
SAGE: (mutters), That happens three out of ten times, by the way.
DYLAN: We reached her friend's dining area where the gift-sharing would take place. I gave our host, Bailey, a gold bracelet, Sage gave me a blood-red tie, Bailey gave me a wineglass, and I had nothing for Sage. I pretended to search my pockets and even under my chair. Of course, there was nothing. Sage looked upset and rhetorically asked me if I forgot to get her something, but I insisted that my gift for her was right there. Then she was like, "Where, then? Up in the sky?" I nodded and told her to look up. When she did, I pulled her close to me with the tie and kissed her.
[Sage Scarlett blushes in the background].
DYLAN: That's it. That's exactly how her face looked. But she pretended to be angry and was all, "How could you? You know I've never been kissed before." Then I said, "I know that. I want to be your first kiss, because you are my first love."
[Sage Scarlett buries her face in a blue comforter].
DYLAN: To cut it short, I asked her, she said yes, we had a beautiful evening. End of story.
[The camera shifts to Vanessa].
REPORTER: Isn't that the cutest story you've ever heard, London? I can't contain my blush, much less Miss Scarlett over here.
[The focus is back on all of them. Sage Scarlett is seated upright with her legs crossed].
REPORTER: Anyway, Miss Scarlett; our viewers want to ask about your motivation to say yes to him, despite his various sexcapades. Were you truly in love with him, or were you after his reputation and fame?
SAGE: (exhales), I didn't have a motive, ma'am. I didn't care how rich he was or how many people he's reportedly slept with, I didn't care that Bailey was glaring at me like a spider she wanted to kill. Before Dylan asked me out, I had a feeling for him that combined a lot of feelings. I couldn't understand why, but I always found myself thinking about him, worrying about what he thought about me, stuff like that. As a newcomer to dating and romance, I didn't know what love felt like, or that I was in love with him, until the moment Dylan drew me close and—uh—did all the stuff he just said.
REPORTER: When you say you're a newcomer to love, do you mean you've never been in a serious relationship?
SAGE: That depends on your meaning. If you mean that I've had relations with several guys without abandon and fear of venereal disease like a few people here, then no. It's nowhere like that. More like I didn't have a heart until Dylan came along. I never did so much as get close to any guy, have a crush on one, or become anyone's girlfriend. I was too afraid to love, frightened of heartbreak. I closed my heart to anyone who tried and hoarded it from anyone I might've felt attracted to to the extent it probably disappeared. When I met Dylan, my prince—
DYLAN: —your heart started working and beating faster than it ever had.
REPORTER: (giggles.) Take it from the cardiologist, ladies and gentlemen. Now, let's treat some popular questions on the internet. A very unfortunately popular question is, "How many times have you had sex?"
SAGE: (groans.)
DYLAN: Sage would kill me if I told you the real answer. So try and guess.
[The focus turns to Vanessa with each guess she makes].
REPORTER: Twelve?
DYLAN: Higher.
REPORTER: Twenty?
DYLAN: Not even close.
REPORTER: Twenty-four?
DYLAN: Double it.
REPORTER: (amused). Forty-eight?
DYLAN: Now minus four.
REPORTER: Over forty times? How? That's my personal question. @FunkyHallows thinks Sage looks too innocent for that.
DYLAN: You call her innocent. I say that it's a miracle we didn't miss breakfast because of the near-forty-fifth time. As for how, it's quite simple. I just look at her and—
SAGE: Point those peepers away from me, okay?
REPORTER: (checks tablet). Now, Sage. @RichRice asks if there are any flaws you see in Dylan. Like, any at all. He says, and I quote, "because as you could see from yesterday, your boyfriend has anger issues."
DYLAN: Don't answer that.
SAGE: Dylan's got a ton of flaws. He's too nice, too hot, too smart, too rich, too poetic, too famous, too strong, too loveable, too perfect…I honestly can't believe I ignored all of that and fell in love with this guy.
REPORTER: @MarcAngelthedevil asks Dylan, "What are Sarah's flaws?"
DYLAN: (looks at Sage) Should I be honest?
SAGE: Duh?
DYLAN: (looks back at the camera). Well, if I were to have one complaint…Sage is too sassy. Like, her sarcasm can be so confusing at times that I do exactly what she says, not knowing it was just rhetoric, and then she tells me what I was supposed to do afterward.
SAGE: Excuse me?
DYLAN: You're also struggling with certain terms of vocabulary. Do you remember that one time we cuddled and you said I was too hard? That doesn't mean what you think it means to me. Then you wrote a whole three-line message to me and deleted it, then sent—as your explanation—"I missed a period. Sorry."
SAGE: You're the one that doesn't let me know about your love nerd code. Like, what the heck does blowing someone mean? It's just punching, right?
[Dylan Anthony looks at his shoes in embarrassment.]
SAGE: Right?
REPORTER: Movings forward, @SallyCash asks Sage, "Have you ever tried bondage with him before? You should, by the way." Her words, not mine.
DYLAN: Salamanca, Sage is too delicate for that. You, on the other hand, are a bodybuilding instructor who's been on a thirty-day jail term.
REPORTER: To Dylan, @NightshadeHuntress asks, "When are you getting married?"
SAGE: As soon as someone respects me enough to stop calling me sassy.
DYLAN: Sassy is the new sexy, you know.
REPORTER: @Binonymous says, "Since you're so fond of answering each other's questions, both of you tell the public each other's birthdays, favorite color, and unforgettable mistakes."
DYLAN: You're kidding, right?
REPORTER: @Binonymous says, "We're bloody serious, connard."
DYLAN: Okay. Erm—Sage's birthday is the ninth of April. Her favorite color is green, obviously. And her worst mistake is not meeting her sooner.
[Sage shoots an affectionate look at Dylan.]
REPORTER: It's your turn, Scarlett.
SAGE: Um—Dylan's favorite color is—blue, I guess? He said something about his birthday being in July—
DYLAN: August 19th. I'm barely a Leo, as I always say.
SAGE: As for his outrageous mistake…? I've got nothing.
REPORTER: For once, the boyfriend has a better memory! Could you take it away, Prince?
DYLAN: I like teal, a blend of green and blue. I've already stated my birthday. And a mistake I will never be able to erase from my profound memory is—um—flirting with someone I really, really shouldn't have. There was a judo flip, lots of French, and a lasting feud involved.
SAGE: (gasps). You flirted with—
DYLAN: Darling, please. That's exactly why I didn't tell you.
REPORTER: Now here's something lots and lots and lots of fans have demanded since before the show started: They want you to kiss on camera to wrap up the segment.
SAGE: (blushes). Kiss? Like, on the cheek or…
DYLAN: Oh please.
[Dylan Anthony puts his hands on either side of Sage Scarlett's face and kisses her passionately. Sage Scarlett responds by running her fingers through his hair, clearly aroused.]
[The camera shifts to show only Vanessa.]
REPORTER: What a way to end the show! Tune in next time for entertainment news, hot topics, and on-screen action in either sense of the word.
ENTERTAINMENT HEADLINES FOR APRIL 29TH, 2022:
'"Royal Love actor, Dylan "Prince" Anthony, is finally in a relationship!' London celebrates.'-The London Sun.
'"It should've been me!" bemoan several English beauties as dignitary's son gets recognized partner.'
'Couple Conflict Over Number Of Children. Prince Desires Large Family While His Princess Demands Fewer Children.' -NewsRightNow.
'Leo And Aries; The Hottest Match In Town.' -Stars of The Moment.
'Mr. Anthony Promises To Reward Future Daughter-In-Law for "Putting Up With Boris So Long."'-Money Men.
'Sage Scarlett Is On Birth Control. Why Not You?' -Economy Today.
'"Not too fast," Dylan Anthony Remarks When Asked When Wedding Will Hold.'-Bridal News Shower.
'"I forgave him after he did the same things to me," Sage Scarlett Says About Scandal with House of Lords' Daughter.'-GrapeVineYard
'Dylan's Ten Favourite Positions and The Six He And Sage Enjoy.'-RedHot Reporters
'Domestic Violence: Sage Hits Boyfriend As He Remarks He Wouldn't Mind Having Sex On Camera.'-Rights Today.
'Out of Love: Sage Scarlett Fails To Compose Love Poem For Her Prince. Disappoints The One-Hit Wonder.'-Musicals.
'Personalities Putting Up With Pyrophobia (Sage Scarlett Is #15).'-Not Alone.
'There Will Be A Party To Celebrate The Hottest Couple in Town In A Week's Time.'-The Countdown.
'"A New Phone?!" Cheers Sage Scarlett As Her Prince Gifts Her Latest Samsung Mobile.'-Tech Talk.
Sage rushed to the bed like it was the atheist Holy Grail while he leaned on the wall with the light switch.
Dylan understood her desire to crash so badly. He felt a load of fatigue himself after the shows, interviews, walking around, and restricted kissing, but he was at least used to it. Sage had whined severally and even applauded him sarcastically for putting up with all of it for as long as he'd lived.
However, if he wanted to achieve his goal, he would need to interrupt her.
'I keep owing you dinner,' he said from where he was. 'I know you haven't eaten in so long, so let's freshen up and go downstairs.'
'No-oh-oh,' Sage complained. 'Don't tell me we have a dinner show too.'
'We don't, but we do have something important to do.' He quickly added. 'It'll be just you and me, I swear.'
She tossed and turned a few times, stayed stationary for more than a minute, then stood up. 'Bloody heel.'
She left, leaving him to take off his own clothes in private and go to his own bathroom. He held the doorknob firmly, waited two seconds, then slid inside.
What were his plans? To know Sage more in any sense applicable. He wanted to know the real reason why she broke down in tears in the morning, her drive to eat vegan food although she didn't like it, and how much more satisfaction he could derive from being on top of her at night than in the morning.
Like any gentleman with ulterior motives, he waited for Sage to come out of the bathroom since he could recall that she didn't take clothes as she was going.
He smiled at the sound of her bathroom door creaking open, then nearly fainted at the knocks of death on his door. Only one person would knock like that and for a reason so important that Dylan would have no choice but to answer.
So he lazily stood up and went to meet Bobby, but not without checking his face, hands, and zipper. His nonchalance in those areas had cost him greatly in the past two years.
'You were interrupting something, you know,' he lied.
'Idleness is not interrupted—it is terminated, and so will your big head be if you don't answer the following questions carefully and honestly,' Bobby replied.
Dylan smiled to hide his fear. There was no way they figured things out so quickly. 'Ask away…but isn't this improper? You should have me tied up and gagged, then taken to the investigation place in your and Zoe's room.'
'Indisputably—to an extent,' they agreed, 'but there wasn't enough time. You should be familiar with just a little of our schedule for today.'
'Yes, Bobby. Teaching Zoe Geometry four grades her level is seriously time-consuming,' Dylan said sarcastically.
He caught them making a fist, then quickly releasing it. 'If you don't want to do as we say, express your refusal. Go back to what you were doing. But do not ever attenuate the role we play, especially not when it concerns Zoe's education. Do you know where you would be if you had us as a—'
'Bobby, your PMS is showing,' Dylan said calmly. 'If it's about your role to play, let's finish it up before Sage is ready for dinner.'
'You're—forget it,' they say. 'To be frank, we do not trust your relationship. And before you say anything, we have discussed it with Henson. He berated us thoroughly, but in the end, he confessed he had the same suspicion and wouldn't have believed you either if you didn't talk so much about Mistress Scarlett before you brought her over.'
He couldn't help but blush no matter how weak he thought it made him look. His heart-to-heart discussion about Sage with his father was so genuine that he nearly fooled himself.
'But you still doubt me, don't you?' he said. 'You think I was clever enough to have arranged everything before that time? Why, how darling of you.'
Bobby didn't let their fist go unused this time. They aimed at his windpipe. Dylan, who expected that, barely dodged that attack. It turned out that the punch was only a feint so they could kick him in the head.
Dylan landed on his coccyx and groaned in pain. 'I forget that certain D-words activate your defence mode.'
'Darling?'
Sage rushed to him wearing nothing but a towel and a genuine look of distress. She didn't touch him, which was good because he would've thought he was just hallucinating and the woman in front of him was someone else.
'How did you—great beans and gravy.' Sage's own defence mode activated when her gaze slipped to Bobby. Bobby theirself had taken a few steps back.
Dylan promptly reclined on the floor. In the same fashion, Sage dropped to her knees.
'Did you kill him? Did you kill him?' she asked out of panic, gently yet hurriedly tapping him on the face.
'He's a theatric numbskull. He's just acting,' Bobby said, sure of theirself.
'He's my theatric numbskull!' Sage exclaimed. '¡Dejamos solos!'
Bobby took more steps back. He didn't need to look before guessing they had scurried away.
Sage didn't stop tapping him. For a second, he thought she was really scared.
But actually, she had just enough courage to give him a slap as hard as Bobby's combat boots.
'¡Te odio tanto!' she raged.
He sat up, his head and face aching. 'I think odio means hate.'
'It does! And I feel so, so much of it for you right now,' Sage said. 'How—you made me come out like this. And shout at Bobby. I hate you so much.'
'It—' He took a quick look at Sage in her towel, then another, then a quick whiff of the tropical+soap scent coming from her. He cursed deep inside him. 'It was inevitable anyway. You didn't take your clothes with you.'
''Shut up or I'll lay my hands on you. Negatively. If you get what I mean,' Sage warned.
'Jesus,' he exclaimed out loud. 'Keep calm, my dear. We should be keeping all this to ourselves.'
Getting the hint, Sage took a deep breath in and let it out. Dylan couldn't help but notice the rise and fall in her chest. Then she brought her head close to his.
'Jesus,' he exclaimed again.
'I heard what Bobby said. When I heard you fall, I thought I would act like a good partner and help,' she said in a whisper. 'Is that good?'
'The very best,' he said, his voice only a drop short of thirsty. He knew he was supposed to keep his impending erection down, but the scent of her soap relaxed him a bit too much.
'I hate you because I wouldn't have needed to do any of this if not for your money,' Sage said.
'What else would you do for money?' he blurted.
'My hands are gonna be all over you tonight,' she replied with gritted teeth. She flicked his head and headed for the wardrobe.
He laid down, but not out of pain or dented pride. He watched covered hips and mostly bare legs as she looked for what to wear. Sometimes he noticed movement in the fuller area.
'Jesus Christ of Nazareth,' he muttered when he noticed an unspeakable change in his body. He galloped to his bathroom.
The bathroom didn't help much, given the secrets he hid there, but he was relieved at last. By the time he came out, Sage had changed and was on her new Samsung.
'Uh…' She looked at him and blushed. 'Did I ever thank you properly for the phone?'
'Jesus,' he muttered for the billionth time. 'You don't need to. It would've been part of your girlfriend bonus eventually.'
'But thanks still. Thank you. Or whatever you say in England.' She pocketed her phone. 'Downstairs?'
'Downstairs,' he agreed.
They went downstairs, Dylan following her from behind because he was nothing if not a gentleman. In the dark of the staircase down to the kitchen and dining table, a demon within suggested that he pressed his body—especially its lower half—against her and held her mouth if she screamed. He told it to shut up if it didn't want her hands all over both of them.
They took their respective meals—Dylan to the chicken marsala and Sage to the paella—and sat at opposite sides of the table.
'So, acquaintance—' He had started to strongly despise the word. '—why are you vegan?'
'I've been experimenting with humanitarian religions, so I don't eat animals.' She laughed without humor. 'The real reason's sad. I don't want to pull your heartstrings.'
'Sage, I beg you,' he begged. 'We have to know each other better to make our—relationship work. we should learn these little things.'
She played with her food. 'I grew up poor. Like, really poor. My mom couldn't afford to buy us meat and stuff like that. She wouldn't even buy chocolate for me. To make sure I grew, though, she fed me minute amounts of eggs and lots and lots of vegetables. I remember being punished severely if I ever protested or cried. I had to get used to it.'
That actually did pull his heartstrings. He always felt guilty when he heard such stories. Sage's account almost made him straight-up sympathetic.
'Did it ever get better?' he asked.
'For her,' Sage said. 'Someone was so dumb to accidentally send a ton of money into her account—almost a million dollars—and she started eating better. Me? She said I should've stopped growing by then, so I didn't need it. I was sixteen.'
'You always need proteins. Cell development and—all that stuff.' He caught himself at the beginning of a rant. 'Now me. What do you want to know?'
'Why do you keep taking your Lord's name in vain?' she asked. 'You told me the exact reason yesterday, but couldn't you come up with something else?'
'It's a habit of mine I picked up as a seventeener—er, at seventeen,' he said. 'I had gotten my heart broken by my crush after confessing to him. I told him it would be hard to get over him, more so because I saw everything he did as flawless and enticing. He said I should call upon the name of The Lord each time I felt enticed. I took it as a law.'
'Okay.' She took a spoon of her food. 'I wear green a lot because of the vegan thing. I told her I would turn into a plant with all the greens I ate. She laughed at me, and then my rebellion started.'
'And I…I date a lot of people. Not ordinary dating, by the way. I call it dating, but I don't consider them my partners. So, out of the one hundred and twenty-seven people I've dated, I've had genuine interest in just one. The rest were one-night stands, one-day coffee and bar dates, people who taught me things…you know.'
'I don't.'
'Why's that?'
'I've never had a—a partner, whether male or otherwise. I've never been kissed or anything like that except—no, that's not important. That's really all I can say.'
Which brought about the question he was dying to ask: 'Do you want to?'
'No,' she answered quickly.
'You're ace, then,' he said, 'or a nun. Yes, a nun. Aces can still have relationships, be they without sex or romance.'
'I'm atheist, so nunning is out,' she said. 'I don't want to because…'
But she said nothing more. She took more food until the plate was half empty. Not even his intent look got her talking.
'Heartbreak is normal,' he said like she'd said something. 'You have to get it wrong a few times to get it right, am I right?'
'You're the dating expert,' she muttered acerbically. 'What benefit do you get from dating all those people? Is that also getting right? Is there a specific quality that they all have in common that makes you start with them at first but lose hope along the way?'
It was Dylan's turn to mellow out.
'That's a friend question,' he replied.
'Hmph,' she grunted.
'Hmph,' he replied.
Sage didn't finish her food, but didn't leave a huge portion either.
His concern outweighed the burden of lust he felt earlier. Did she think he was a bad person now? Could she see through him?
'Sage,' he called, 'we're spending the night together today. Is that okay?'
'Sure,' she replied. She looked around for eavesdroppers. 'No funny business. Agreed?'
'Define funny business,' he said. 'If you mean touching, we need to.'
'Wherever you're mandated to touch me, you'll have to keep your hands in that exact spot.'
'Assuming that I had a reason to touch your chest, for example?'
'Fine; you're not allowed to touch me from the neck down or the waist up exclusive of my arms and head.'
'Which means I can keep my hands on your hips?'
'Only if the case demands it.
'Does the case demand it if I feel like dying and the only way to save my life would be to touch you there?'
'I'd rather kill you myself.'
Dylan thought long and hard. 'But you'll touch me. Your hands will be all over me, I know. It's quite unfair.'
'What makes you think I'd want to touch you?' she asked.
'I'm thinking about what would happen if you did. What if you…' It was hard to water down the crudeness of what he wanted to say, but he had to try. 'Supposing you want me one day, hm? Supposing that we're all alone and, because you feel like losing your virginity, you kiss me all that. What do I do then?'
'Push me off,' she offered.
'What kind of man would I be to reject the lustful advances of a virgin?' he asked.
'You keep calling me a virgin when I stopped being one because of you,' she said. 'Why?'
'Your virginity was taken without your knowledge or consent. You didn't consciously engage in your first sexual experience, so you're still a virgin. A mind virgin,' he explained. 'Doing what I just said and going through with it with your whole mind, body, and soul will make you a true woman. And every other girl wants to be a woman, right?'
'I'd rather have Peter Pan complex.' She stood, took her plate, then his, then made for the kitchen.
He beelined after her and found her washing their dishes and utensils. She looked focused and determined, yet absent-minded. She was also very comely.
Again, his demons whispered in his ears, fogging his reasoning like Sage's soap. His body burned with need.
Yet he couldn't move. Another voice—small but stronger than all the demons—stopped him in his tracks. He was used to the voice. It was always there to save Sage from his bad habit.
He turned and went to the bedroom. Moments later, she joined him.
'It was dark without you,' she said. 'Not like I'm afraid of the dark or needed you, but…'
'Jesus,' he said quietly.
They slept, but sometime later—a minute past five in the morning, according to his phone—he woke up for a short time. In that short time, he checked the time, drank a cup of water, and pulled Sage as close as morally acceptable.