Chapitre 111: Three Truths
I waited at the corner of the hotel room once again, waiting for Luna to get dressed in her nightgown. In my mind, I played back what had just happened, feeling an overwhelming guilt that seemed to oppress my very spirit, forcing it to remain in the dark abyss of melancholy.
When she had finished changing, I turned around to face the darkroom that was only illuminated by the moonlight that spilled in through the windows. She was sitting on her bed with her head hanging low and eyes gazing blankly at the floor where the moonlight shined on. On her face, was a mysterious expression, one that perplexed me. However, I know for a fact that she was still suffering from the pain that I dealt to her...
However, I know for a fact that she was still suffering from the pain that I dealt to her
I remained silent as I observed her. In my eyes, there was guilt. However, there was also the desire to remain by her side. She basked in my silent gaze, not saying anything. She just sat there in silence, probably going through a mental conflict with herself that she had kept suppressed within her, similar to how she kept her true condition hidden away.
"Thank you for staying with me," she whispered.
Then, with a deep breath, she turned her head to face me and smiled. This smile of her's... it was a look that resembled how she usually smiled. However, I was suspicious as to whether or not she was truly fine.
Slowly, she got up from her bed and walked over to the minibar in her hotel room. She knelt down and opened the cabinet door, reaching in and taking out a wine bottle. Then, she reached for the two wine glass that was placed on the surface of the cabinet. She rose to her full height with the wine bottle in her left hand while she held onto the two wine glass in her right, smiling as she looked over at me.
Slowly, she walked over to the coffee table in the corner of the room, setting the wine bottle and wine glasses on the coffee table before she sat down in one of the cushioned chairs surrounding the table. The bottle appeared to have been opened before, so the cork was easily removable by Luna. After removing the cork, she poured the fluid into each of the two wine glass. Then, she picked up one of the two, swirled the red fluid about in the glass and smelled it before taking a small sip.
As she did so, I stood there and watched her in silence. I merely observed as the once cheerful girl now gazed at the wine glass in her hand with a mysterious smile that seemed to conceal the emotions that she felt within her.
"Care to join?" she then asked, holding up her wine glass and gesturing for me to join her.
I slowly walked over to the coffee table and took the seat that was opposite to her's. After sitting down, I gazed at the glass of wine that was set on the table before me. Without much thought, I reached my hand for it.
"It's 30 years old," Luna chuckled as she swirled the red fluid in the wine glass about. "Made from the best grapes here in Saroff..."
"You often drink?" I asked her after taking a sip from the wine glass. I tried to suppress my reaction to the bitterness of the drink, but I wasn't very successful, resulting in a soft laugh from Luna.
"Sometimes," she said. "It calms me..."
"..." I sat there and observed the girl who sat before me as she gazed out the window. She seemed to have a mysteriously mature aura around her, an aura that seemed to belong only to people who were determined and held onto a strong resolve. It would appear as if she was extremely tranquil and calm, something that I didn't expect from her after what had just happened.
I frowned as I gazed at the red wine, staring at my reflection in the wine glass. Once again, a bitter taste filled my mouth, but it wasn't from the result of the wine. Rather, it was from my melancholy. This gloominess seemed to have changed who I am, causing me to constantly be moody as I sat here. Maybe the overwhelming amount of guilt that I had experienced played a major part to it as well.
"You're not going to drink?" she asked as she finished her glass. "Don't worry. I'm not trying to get you drunk and do anything weird..."
I stared at the wine before me once again and made up my mind. Slowly, I brought my hand to the wine glass, picked it up, and downed the drink until the glass was empty. Luna smiled and chuckled when she saw me finish my drink. In a leisurely manner, she reached for the wine bottle and poured both her and us some more of the drink.
I watched as my wine glass filled with the red drink once again. In my mouth, the lingering bitterness of the wine continued to aggravate the already existing bitterness existing within me. I didn't feel any bit relaxed. Rather, I felt as if my melancholy was amplified by this solution.
"Why're you so gloomy?" she suddenly said as her voice regained the earlier vigor and vitality. A large smile existed on her face as she watched me. Her large amber eyes seemed to shine under the moonlight.
"I..." I wasn't able to say anything. The heavy atmosphere from earlier had suffocated me, making me almost lifeless in spirit. Thus, I wasn't able to process or think of anything to say in situations as this. Besides... I was never the best at talking with people. Even if I was in my normal state of mind, I doubt I would be able to speak to her normally.
"Cheer up," she smiled gently as she rested her face in her right hand. "I told you we'll forget about what happened earlier. It's my fault for being so sudden. Not yours."
"..." I looked away, knowing that I must have a bitter expression on my face.
"You can't even take a joke?" she sighed, shaking her head.
I glanced over at her, catching a glimpse of her as she shook her head. It was as if she had shaken off the memory of her weeping. As if she had once again became someone else. Who is the true Luna? Is it the her that sat before me now? The her that was weeping earlier?
"You're making the situation so awkward," she sighed. "Let's play a game and lighten the situation up."
"Game?"
"Let me see..." she closed her eyes and started thinking. "What can we play right now..."
I stared at her as she busied herself with coming up with a game we could play. On her face was an mysterious smile as she thought, almost as if she was enjoying the process of thinking up a game.
"I know!" She opened her eyes that seemed to gleam under the moon and leaned forward playfully. "How about we each ask the other person three questions and the other person must answer truthfully. If you don't want to answer," she said, jumping up from her seat, running over to the minibar and returning with another bottle and some shot glasses. "You have to take a shot."
"That's a game?"
"I just came up with it."
"..." I gazed at her excited countenance, and because of that, I couldn't bring myself to decline her. I've already done her enough harm... This is the least I could do for her now. "Sure."
"Alright," she said, smiling happily.
She then unscrewed the new bottle that she brought back, and immediately, my nose was hit with the smell of strong alcohol. She then poured the clear fluid into the many shot glasses and laid them out in an evenly spaced manner in the middle of the round coffee table.
"I'll go first," she smiled happily as she finished filling up the shot glasses. "Question one. Have you ever sexually fantasized about me and explain why or why not."
"...No," I answered truthfully. "If I did... then... I would be a terrible person."
"So you've never?" she frowned in a disappointed manner.
"Yeah..." I responded.
"That's lame," she sighed. "Second question. What do you think of me?"
I looked up and met her eyes. Her gaze seemed to have restored to its former energetic state. I then looked down at the surface of the coffee table, searching through my brain for my answer. What do I think of Luna? Like I've stated before, I viewed her as someone that I wanted to be around, a companion until the day she died. However... I'm not a hundred percent certain anymore. I no longer know how I viewed this odd feeling I had for her and how to describe it.
I reached a hand to the center of the table, picked up a shot glass, and downed it in one smooth motion. The liquor seemed to burn when it came into contact with my tongue and leaving behind a scorching path of heat as it ripped through my throat and down my esophagus. The strength of the liquor... it was as if I had consumed fire...
"Hmm, not gonna answer that?" she whined in a bored voice. "New rule. If you're not going to answer another question, you must double the number of shots you take. Now question number three. Why did you push me away earlier?"
I sighed once again as she spoke of that earlier incident. Without any hesitation, I reached for a second shot glass, downing the liquor once again. I closed my eyes and winced as I suffered once again the burning sensation as the fluid seemed to combust the inside of my body. Then, without a single word of complaint, I reached for a second shot glass and downed that as well.
"..." Luna sighed, smiled, and shook her head. It was as if she had anticipated this behavior from me since there wasn't much further reaction from her other than that initial one of disappointment. "Your turn."
"Question one..." I said. "Why did you do what you did earlier?"
She chuckled softly and reached her hand for a shot glass, downing the burning liquor. She winced from the aftershock of the fiery drink, but she soon recovered about half a minute later. However, her eyes appeared quite red as tears formed from the pain and she gasped for breath as her face turned slightly red.
Seeing her like this, it made my heart drip blood. It was extremely agonizing to see her suffer like this. Her body was already weak from the start so her frail frame cannot handle such burning liquor as well as I did. I was certain that she was doing her best to act as if she was fine. However, I know that she's not. She's doing her best, forcing herself to conceal the intent of that earlier incident.
"Question two," I sighed. I felt great sympathy for her sufferings and couldn't bring myself to risk having her drink even more of that strong liquor. Therefore, I asked a generally harmless question. "Are you afraid to die?"
"Well..." she whispered as she stared dreamily at the coffee table. "I can't say I'm not," she answered with a sigh. "But... I try not to be. Living in fear would be such a waste of the precious time I have left, so I try not to let myself be distracted and treasure every second that I'm alive."
"Are you really going to die?" I uncontrollably blurted out, speaking in a begging tone, almost as if I was begging her to say no and that she will live. But... I knew the answer before she even answered me.
"Yeah..." She responded in a quiet voice that echoed throughout the silent hotel room, similar to last time. There appeared to be a suffocating atmosphere of melancholy surrounding us, making me weep in my heart.
"That's your three questions," Luna then said with her energetic voice that dispelled the melancholy. On her face, there was a lovely, charming smile that seemed to soothe my weeping heart.
"T-that didn't count," I insisted. "I-I just blurted that out."
"Fine, fine," Luna nodded and sighed. "Now, ask your third question."
I gotta say, I am impressed by Luna's ability to cheer up the situation because for a moment there, I seemed to have forgotten that deathly silence from earlier.
"Question three," I said, frowning as the question brought back the awful memories. "Which one is the real you?"
Luna maintained a smile on her face. However, she didn't answer the question. Rather, she reached for the shot glass and quickly downing one. From the wincing of her body and that sudden jerking motion, I could tell that the strong liquor had done her plenty of damage. Yet, she forced herself to continue.
Slowly, she reached for the second shot glass, her hand trembling as she did so. Seeing her like this, I could no longer contain myself. I reached out a hand and grabbed her by her wrist stopping her.
"Let go," she whispered in a calm voice while forcing an eerie smile on her face.
"Stop," I whispered to her with a trembling voice. "Please..."
"..."
She seemed to have listened to my advice, slowly allowing her outreached hand to become limp as it slowly gave way and was only held up by my hand. Her entire body seemed to have gone limp, losing its strength as she slowly fell forward. However, I was there to support her limp body with my own. I then brought her into my arms and carried her over to the large bed in her room.
I then brought her into my arms and carried her over to the large bed in her room
I looked down and gazed at her teary countenance. A complicated feeling swelled up within me, a feeling that I do not understand how to describe. However, all that I can say is that it's extremely painful... It's similar to sadness, but something way worse than that.
"Don't leave me," she muttered.
"I won't," I responded. I did my best to relax my facial expression, but since I couldn't see my own face, I wasn't sure how effective it was. "I'll stay the night here on that couch."
Then, with a sigh, I walked over to the couch by the window and took a seat. I gently patted the cushions on the couch, determined that it was comfortable enough to sleep on. Then, I unbuttoned my shirt and laid down on the couch. From here, I could see that Luna had her back turned towards me as she slept on her side. Because of this, I didn't know what countenance she had on her face. The most I could do was imagine, but... I don't think I'll ever know exactly what her facial expression was that night.
I don't think I'll ever know exactly what her facial expression was that night
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone