Under the cover of silk blankets and pillows as white as snow, two bodies lay intertwined. Like branches in the wind, they shared the warmth of their closeness. The sun, high in the sky, cast golden glints through the window, caressing their skins like a silent witness. Time seemed to have stopped, lost in the passion of an encounter that defied the monotony of the hours.
"Did it please you?" he asked in a measured tone, one that carried a trace of vanity and a need for affirmation.
She, her lips slightly parted from the recent exertion, didn't respond immediately. Instead, she turned her face toward him, letting her hair tumble in unruly waves over the pillow. Her eyes, shining with a mix of satisfaction and tenderness, sought his.
"If you need to ask, perhaps you weren't as good as you think," she finally replied, a playful smile breaking the seriousness of her tone.
He let out a low, deep chuckle, extending his hand to caress her delicate face. His fingers, accustomed to navigating the hardness of the world and the softness of moments like this, traced the line of her jaw.
"You're as cruel as you are beautiful, but your eyes betray you. They say more than your lips ever could."
She didn't reply. Instead, she let the weight of her head rest against his chest, finding solace in the breadth of his embrace. Their closeness was a language in itself, one that needed no words.
"You should leave now," she murmured after a while, her voice barely audible but tinged with a sweetness that masked a vague discomfort.
Her words seemed a reminder that the worlds they inhabited were parallel, destined to intersect briefly but never fully entwine.
The man raised his gaze to the window. The sun's intensity reminded him that midday was near and that he had left his responsibilities unattended for too long. Carefully, he slid his arms away, lifting her from his lap, and stood. As he dressed with deliberate calm, the sound of his clothing brushing against the bed filled the room's silence.
Before putting on his shoes, he felt her hand encircle his wrist. Her touch was light, as if she feared pressing too hard might break something delicate.
-Tell me, will you be back soon? -she asked, this time there was no room for play in her voice.
He didn't answer immediately. He finished adjusting his shoes and leaned toward her, placing a light kiss on her forehead.
-Soon," he said, letting the word hang in the air, ambiguous, open to interpretation.
The young woman watched him as he headed for the door, shrouded in the shadow of his own mystery. Just before crossing the threshold, she whispered:
- See you later, Elmer.