Bab 26: Fading tattoos

Tristan spent the whole night out. By dawn, Liliana left for work, and as if waiting for her to leave, Tristan arrived and headed straight to his room. He fell to his bed and stared at the ceiling.

Last night was like every other night to him. Now, that he was home what was he going to do? Tristan stared at the ceiling until he fell asleep. Tristan woke up when it was dusk.

He stood up and raked his fingers through his hair, this was strange, was he that exhausted to sleep for hours? Well, that wasn't something to wander about.

Tristan walked past his mirror and the thought of staring at his reflection came to his mind. He then, stood still across the mirror, staring. Tristan noticed something strange. After straightening his artificial hair, he noticed something on his arm.

Tristan's eyebrows creased, he glanced at the mirror and then took off his shirt. In haste, his T-shirt was off him, and then Tristan tossed it away, staring at his tattoos. He scrutinized them clearly and closely. His tattoo ink was very dark, though they weren't drawn but the one under his wrist looked like it was fading away. It had lost its appearance or something.

It was still clear but wasn't so dark. Why? He was never told that tattoos could fade away. Tristan decided to dive into very deep thought on why his tattoos looked like it was fading.

Just then, he had his doorbell ring. To his surprise, he felt Liliana's presence, Yes, his distraction. She always arrives at the wrong time. To not frighten her with his damn tattoos, he wore his black shirt back and led his legs to his door.

Tristan beheld his Landlady with the white teddy bear he dropped in her room. Wait...the little boy's idea really did work. Oh, that boy would be a womanizer in the future, at his age he could think of a way to impress a lady. What will he turn out to be when he gets older?

But, Tristan was happy that he listened to the little boy's advice and did just what he asked him to do and say. Saying those words were so very hard for him. He hadn't called himself those words for anyone's sake and he hadn't apologized this way to anyone. Liliana, you owed him big time you know.

Liliana bit the inside of her lips to prevent her from smiling but hell! She failed. "Aren't you going to let me in?" She asked.

Tristan smiled and extended the door to let her come in. He immediately went to switch on the light and to her shock or surprise, his house looked empty. There weren't any flowers anywhere, he only had chairs and a table and a television. She raked the room with her eyes, just like her house. The stairs were by her right and the living room, her front but his house wasn't fancy at all. It was more like a dark abandoned house.

"What brings you here Landlady?" He asked and also bought her attention.

"When did you start to speak this..." Liliana rolled her eyes, still wrapping the teddy bear. "...casual and nice?"

To avoid that question, Tristan brought her to sit on his chair with the colors red and black. Liliana already knew his life revolves around red and black so, she wasn't so surprised about that. Just that his surroundings had changed.

"Not offering any refreshments, I'm a guest you know and you are still on the goal of being nice," she told him with that smile as she looked up at him holding the teddy.

"I only have alcohol, I don't have soft drinks," he informed her. "And the last thing I'd do now is getting you drunk"

Liliana laughed. "Shut up," she shook her head and looked at the bear. "I got your message,"

Tristan nodded and sat next to her, Liliana glanced at him. "Where did you buy the idea from? I know you can never come up with such an idea."

Tristan groaned. "C'mon, Liliana. I came up with the idea. I wanted you to know how sorry I am."

Liliana just gazed at him in thought wondering how he could lie knowing well that she knew the truth. "What?" He met her astray gaze. Liliana shook her head.

"Professional liar," she murmured.

"Alright, I got the idea from a little boy."

"Liar," Liliana didn't believe him, a little boy? Tristan wasn't even friendly to adults like him talk less of a little boy.

"I'm not lying, I helped him to stay at the or... " Tristan then realized something. "...Orphanage, he was a street child so I helped him," he explained.

"Hmm, that's not you Tristan, you barely help. What got into you?"

Yeah, what got into him? He had creased eyebrows as he thoughtfully stared at Liliana. His eyes were on her but his thoughts were far from her.

Now, he realized why his tattoos lost appearance and dark ink. It was because he did good. In the past, he'd left many people helpless and sometimes add to their problems but now he solved the problem. That means the more he does good things the more he becomes less of a strong demon.

Tristan wasn't happy about it, it wasn't something he should be ecstatic about. All his life, he had this one goal, to be stronger than the strongest. To be the devil's right-hand demon but now everything he'd ever worked for was slowly turning into vain because he associated himself with Liliana.

"You caused it," he whispered, still in thoughts. What should he do? He couldn't kill her. Killing her would make every connection he had with her break. Would it? Oh, he doesn't know too much. Tristan couldn't go to his Dad and tell him this. It would increase the pace of his plan to kill her.

"How?" Liliana asked, she stared at him for a moment waiting for his reply but Tristan was in thought. He swallowed in thoughts. "Huh, Tristan?" She brought his attention and he shook his head.

Liliana saw in his eyes that he was struggling and thinking about something too deep but what was it about? No, now wasn't the time to figure out things about him. Once their relationship graduates, she might try to know more about him. For now, they should just be acquaintances.

"I saw the little boy, he saw me first and then begged me to help him and I did"

Liliana laughed. "You really take me for a fool," she glared at him which was an emotionless glare. "Say the truth."

Tristan stared at her, wondering how she knew he was lying and his behaviors. Gosh, he'd shown her too much about himself. "Alright," he relented. "I ignored the boy and then I asked myself..." He looked into her hazel eyes. He had never studied her face but now that he was. Liliana had this Barbie-looking face. Her eyes were big, with her brown eyes glinting in the dim light of his room, it was so easy to manipulate him and cause chaos in his mind. She looked so innocent and kind.

As he stared at her, he recalled the pain he'd caused her, and then for some weird reason he cursed himself. Liliana didn't deserve pain at all. Her eyes were all that could explain who she was. Eyes were the window to our souls. And as he looked through the window of her soul. She was an innocent lady. Her heart was pure, her body too was pure. Liliana was entirely an explainable different version of him.

Her cheeks were pink but not high. Her face was gloriously beautiful. She was like a beautiful different flower in a garden with only sunflowers.

"...what would Liliana do?"