Season: Autumn
Weather: Partly cloudy
Day of the week: Tuesday
Date: 2nd April, 2024
As soon as business hours opened, Deaglan and I checked our bank accounts. There it was. A huge sum from our own company and extra compensation from another source. One named Umbra Consortium with the subject: consortupkeep. If this was from Umbrey, I was not amused. Wasn't his company named something else? Some syndicate? Or did he have multiple businesses? Since I had his mobile number, I returned that money to him via his PayID.
Moments later, I received a larger sum of money in my bank account with the subject: yourstokeep.
Of course, I sent it back to him again, following which I received a phone call.
"Little girl, I'm not interested in playing this game with you. That money is to pay you for sleeping with me. There's no other meaning."
His voice was loud, sharp, irritated and huffing. Deaglan paused his game to look at me with narrowed eyes. It seemed that although my phone wasn't on loudspeaker, Umbrey's voice could be heard from where he was sitting.
"I didn't sleep with you. We didn't do anything," I growled.
"Little darling, we snuggled and slept naked on the same bed. What do you mean we didn't do anything?"
"You didn't touch me?"
"Of course I touched you. You were so cute and droopy while you were drunk. Utterly delicious. Completely hilarious. You told me that you liked me. You liked your big boss. You even like Stony, but only a little bit because he was too mean and forceful. You like Llewyn. You like the checkout guy at the convenience store you frequent because you think he looks like an entertainment star. Little girl, it seems you like quite a few men. Of course, you like your little dinky-di the best. I'm not even complaining how many men you've got on the side. You even seduced me with your cutesy charms. Do you know how hard it was to resist? You were so obedient that you took off your clothes when I told you to and let me touch you."
I heard the sound of grinding teeth and turned my head to find Deaglan now sitting by my side, nostrils flaring and eyes blazing. It took me back for a moment.
"I didn't!" I cried in alarm.
"Oh, little darling, you were such a good girl that I couldn't bear to ruin your purity, just in case you were hoping to save yourself for your dinky-di, so we didn't go the whole way. I made you scream for me with my fingers and then had to take a cold shower. It was unbearable. You really made me suffer. Surprisingly though, after that, you sleeping in my arms cured me of insomnia for the night. I have to thank you for that sound sleep. That's what the money is for. There is no true price for a good night of good quality sleep, so take the money. You earned it with your body by sleeping with me."
"You could word things in a more appropriate way and not in such a way that could cause misunderstandings," Deaglan growled from by my side.
"Oh. Little Dinky-di, you're there too? You heard everything? You didn't give my little darling a hard time, did you? You two haven't confirmed any kind of relationship yet, have you? So I shouldn't be encroaching on your territory, right?"
"You purposely got her drunk knowing that she can't drink. She can't remember anything from last night," Deaglan said in a heated voice.
"Really? Nothing? It was such a sweet and wonderful night and she hasn't remembered anything? Does this mean that I should find a time to get together with her and do it a-"
Deaglan reached out and pressed the red hang up button on my phone. He called the dark shadow lord all sorts of muttered bad names.
Money was once more sent to my bank account from the Umbra Consortium, this time twice the previous amount. The transaction subject read: thank you gift
I didn't return it this time.
The man was irritating but he had at least explained what had happened last night. Probably with a fair amount of exaggeration.
Turning my head to see what Deaglan was doing after closing my bank account, I was taken back to find his face so close to mine. His hand gently caught and held my back before I could fall backwards. Freezing there, I looked into his eyes and he looked into mine with an unreadable expression.
His hand reached out toward my face, as if he wanted to touch my cheek but then stopped. His open hand turned into a clenched fist that he retracted after a long moment.
Deaglan took a deep breath and closed his eyes, tensing up.
Not long later, he got up, returned to his own couch and resumed his video game. He didn't look at me.
"You can watch TV if you want to," he said. "Don't worry about the electricity. We can afford it. Don't just look at the blank screen anymore."
After a very long moment, I did as he suggested and we spent the rest of the afternoon like that. Him playing his games and me watching TV while writing in my journal.
I didn't understand what he meant or what he was thinking. Maybe he thought me dirty and just didn't want to interact with me anymore. After all, even if the dark lord had not gone the whole way with me, he had still played with my body. Or had he? Perhaps he was just making himself out to being a bigger villain than he actually was? I didn't know why, but I didn't have that sense of disgust and rejection like I had to that short tattooed man. It was weird, but I even trusted him a bit, even though I knew I should keep my distance and stay away from the dangerous man.
Then what about Deaglan? Did I like him? What about all those other men I had conflicting and complicated feelings for?
What kind of relationship did we have? It was true. We had not defined any other relationship with each other other than being flatmates and colleagues at work.
Why was I so confused? Whenever it came to anything romance related or a man pursuing me, it was as if my brain turned off. I turned stupid and confused. I couldn't think straight. What was I thinking and feeling? Even I didn't know.
I thought I was the simple and direct type of girl? What was wrong with me?
It seems that this knot will not be unravelled any time soon.
In other news, I got hit on by the delivery guy who came to deliver our takeaway dinner last night. The delivery guy was so disgustingly flirty. Deaglan had snatched the bags from the delivery guy's hands while the delivery guy had teased me, playfully refusing to let me take the bag. And then Deaglan had slammed the door in the delivery guy's face, resulting in the delivery guy swearing when he was almost hit in the face. Deaglan gave him a zero star review, leaving a comment for the man to not go out looking for trouble by flirting with other people's girlfriends in front of their significant other.
"Jealous?" I asked Deaglan, helping to grab us some drinks while we sat back down on our respective couches. "Why? Am I your girlfriend?"
"Guess," Deaglan had snorted, spreading a cloth placemat on my lap just in case I dropped food on myself.
"You like me?"
There was a pause. He didn't look at me when he answered.
"Do you have to be so blunt? Of course I like you. But would you like me after being dirtied by those men?"
"What about me? Would you like me after being dirtied by those men?" I returned the question. "Truly? I doubt it. Most guys I know never would. They'd be disgusted. Most people who really get to know me usually reject me not long after. There's no need to start a relationship when it will only end quickly. No need for any emotions or heartbreak this way. Once you're tired of me and my company, just let me know. I'll leave as soon as I find other accommodation. I'm just happy that we can give each other mutual support for now."
"Cold."
Deaglan pursed his lips but didn't say anything more. After all, he was fighting a dungeon boss in his game and needed to concentrate. After beating the boss, he didn't say anything to me or even look at me. He just sat back and silently ate his food while watching the imperial palace drama on my television screen.
Who knows what he was thinking?
Last night, I woke up shouting and crying in terror. It was a relief to know there was someone safe that I could trust in the apartment with me. Deaglan burst into my bedroom wielding a cricket bat, wearing only his boxers. After seeing there was no danger, he left the cricket bat by the door and after obtaining consent, gave me a firm hug.
His body was cold. Icy cold.
It was likely that he had been having nightmares of his own.
After those nightmares, I didn't want to let him go, but was worried he would get cold wearing so little. In the end, he got my permission to climb into my bed with me. We hugged each other to sleep and didn't have anymore nightmares.