"Eek!" Julia screeched as John groped her.
"Julia? What's going on?" Martin asked, puzzled by her little screech.
"Eh, nothing it's ok-AHH," a moan interrupted her words, causing Martin to furrow his eyebrows.
"You okay, Julia?" John asked, a cheeky smirk plastered on his face. Her expression turned ugly as her gaze met John's.
Julia was not happy to be groped like this by a man who isn't her husband, and if that man is her former student? That's much worse in her eyes. However, Julia was a forgiving person and she thought John might've done it on impulse.
"Yeah..." Julia replied dryly, unimpressed by John's audacity. She fixed herself up and inspected John's body.
"Did you get hurt anywhere?" She asked, searching for injuries.
"Yeah, here," John answered. He stood up to remove his tattered shirt. As his toned body and bulging muscles came into display, Julia and Dalia's eyes widened.
His muscles were much more defined than they expected, their gazes lingered for a second too long.
Noticing their stares, John flashed a smug smirk and cleared his throat loudly. "The bruising is pretty bad back here though," he added, turning to show them his back.
"Oh my - those are massive!" Julia exclaimed, snapping back to the task at hand. Dalia nodded in agreement. Professionalism regained, Julia set to work examining John's contusions. There would be time to address their precarious situation later. For now, tending wounds took priority.
Julia leaned in, inspecting the dark, swollen bruises along John's back. It stretched like a field of lavender, purple stretching all over, with dark red spots. Dalia handed Julia a first aid kit they had scavenged, concern striking her features.
Julia grabbed an antiseptic wipe and brushed gently around the contusions, a soft apology would leave her lips each time John winced. "That beast really did a number on you," she murmured. With care, she checked his ribs and spine for fractures, letting out a relieved breath when she found none.
Dalia's hands trembled as she handed bandages to Julia when needed. Julia wrapped John's torso tightly with bandages, her hands moving with confidence.
"You didn't break anything and the bleeding isn't too severe, thank god," Julia finally said as she secured the dressings. "But it's going to take a few days to heal. Be careful, John, please."
John nodded, although he wasn't worried. The existence of the shop made things much easier. He just needed to kill more and get himself some Health Potions if needed.
He thanked Julia and rolled his shoulders as he put his shirt back on. "I've had worse," he grunted, but he was thankful for Julia's care and concern.
"Let's take anything useful from here and go," John said, his voice echoing off the eerie market.
As John and Dalia sauntered off deeper into the market, Martin glared at Julia. Unconsciously, she took a step back, her heart hammering. She knew that face, he was fabricating some elaborate story in his mind and Julia was the main villain. She braced, shoulders hunching, she could feel a headache already. Was it just her imagination? She didn't know, but she certainly wasn't pleased to go through this again.
Martin always came in like a storm, she knew it was coming, but there was nothing she could do and there was never an umbrella nearby.
"What was that about?" Martin's hushed groan sent a shiver down her spine. He clenched his jaw as he leaned in, placing his hand on her shoulder. His grip didn't hurt her, but there was force in that grip, reminding her of their past fights.
Julia hesitated to reply, things were never simple. With Martin, she had to know the exact narrative he had cooked up and play her part, or face punishment. Who knew what he would do if she guessed wrongly.
"Answer me!" Martin roared, his fingers slowly digging into her shoulder. Tears welled up in her eyes, she should push him away, scream, fight... but years of abuse had carved fear on her bones.
As the tears threatened to spill over, an annoyed voice interrupted them, "what the hell are you doing?" The couple turned around and saw John and Dalia. John's nose was scrunched up as he stared down at both of them.
"Have you just been chatting here leisurely while we look for supplies?" John's voice pierced the tension, momentarily bring life back to Julia's face.
Martin's persona transformed in a second. A smile on his face and his usual cheerful demeanour, as if nothing had ever happened. "Sorry about that, John. We were discussing something important."
John clicked his tongue and walked closer to the couple. As he passed by Julia, he caught a glimpse of her sweaty face and swollen eyelids.
"Martin, you go with Dalia. Julia and I will look over here," John said. His order brought a smile to Martin's face and relief washed over Julia.
John and Julia walked side by side, a momentary silence enveloped them. John turned his gaze towards Julia, his eyes scanning her up and down. He couldn't deny what a beautiful woman she was. Every part of her body was magnificent, but John focused on her hips and her big, round buttocks.
'I have to admit, that's one fine piece of ass,' John thought, his lust surging. Feeling uncomfortable by the silence, Julia turned towards John and noticed his gaze.
"Where are you looking at, mister?" she asked, feigning anger. Maybe she should be angry, she thought, but alas, she was a woman. A woman who has been deprived of kindness or a compliment for far too long, she couldn't help but feel appreciated, even by a lecherous gaze. Her perception of what was right and wrong had warped.
John smirked and locked his gaze with his former teacher, "I'm sorry Julia, you're just that beautiful." John's gaze fixed on hers and while she tried to continue feigning anger, she couldn't help the genuine smile tugging at her lips. That's when the system's notification chimed...