The Price of Pleasure

(Brianna)

“IN A LIFETIME made of memories, I believe in destiny. Every moment returns again in time. When I’ve got the future on my mind, know that you’ll be the only one...”

I flashed my sweetest smile while walking down the aisle. Tears ran down my cheeks when I saw the man waiting for me at the altar, the man I never thought existed and who opened my eyes about the countless beautiful things in the world. I never thought that a wedding such as ours would still be possible after everything we had gone through.

“In a lifetime, there is only love reaching for the lonely one. We are stronger when we are given love. When we put emotions on the line, know that we are the timeless ones. Meet me halfway across the sky. Make this a new beginning for another life...”

New beginning, indeed, I thought as the song continued to play. Everything was beautiful today. This day made me realize that such perfection could exist in real life, too, and not just in the novels that I write. The sea was beautiful. Even the sand, which was caressing my bare feet, the soft wind playing with my hair, and the sun rise—they were all perfect—especially my groom.

Ingram loves me and I love him, too. There should be no problem anymore. But love itself was our biggest problem…because the curse still remains.

For someone like me who lives only to die in the end, what should I do? I remembered asking myself that question before. I made a promise to Ingram that every day, we would celebrate our existence, that we would make our remaining time worth it. But how long could we do that?

As the fear and tension rushed back in my heart, the memories of all that we had been through also came back…

(Ingram)

“BE CAUTIOUS, fledgling. Avoid the doppelganger if you still desire to live longer.” That warning was from a Mage I met more than a hundred years ago. Her words had been ringing in my ears like a broken record as I walked towards Brianna.

My heart pounded. For the first time after three hundred years, I could finally see a glimmer of hope upon seeing the human doppelganger. I thought my heart had been frozen a long time ago, but warmth unexpectedly filled my chest as I watched Brianna sleep peacefully like a baby. I carefully sat on her bed.

The moment I found out about Brianna’s location, I wanted to see her right away. But the sun was already rising when I arrived in the Philippines. I had to wait for the night to come before I could visit her. These past several years, no matter how much I hated to admit it, the night had become my only friend. It was the only thing I could rely on at times like this.

I stared at Brianna’s face. The Mage’s words were true because Brianna was indeed a carbon copy of Levana, the woman I owed the most. And I could finally repay her through Brianna. It would be risky to be with her, but it did not matter to me anymore.

I softly caressed Brianna’s cheeks. I have always longed to meet her. Ever since she was born, I’ve desired to see her. I had a difficult time finding her. But it was worth it now that she was within my arm’s reach.

“After more than three hundred years of living inside a nightmare, I feel like I was finally awakened...when I saw you again.”

I indulged myself a little more and ran my fingers down Brianna’s soft and rosy lips. When I could no longer control myself, I leaned closer and claimed her lips. I had to close my eyes for a minute to savor the feeling of being this close to her. I feel like I had a glimpse of heaven with the taste of those lips.

When Brianna stirred and was about to wake up, I quickly hid in the darkness. Sadness crossed my eyes.

If we only lived back in my time, I would never waste a single second hiding here. But my time has long gone. This is your time now, Brianna.

(Brianna)

I IMMEDIATELY turned off the shower knob when I felt a cold wind behind me. Where was the wind coming from? It was giving me goosebumps. I pulled out the towel on the rack and wrapped it around my wet body.

I scanned the bathroom. There was no one else, but I couldn’t get rid of the restlessness in my chest. I felt like someone was watching me. And my intuitions were always right. I pulled the shower curtain open, but again, there was no one.

I shook my head after a while. This must be just a figment of my playful imagination as a writer. I removed the towel and hung it back on the rack. I was about to turn on the shower, but suddenly, there was a power outage. My breathing went ragged. The cold wind that I felt earlier came back. Not long after, I found myself screaming. Strong arms encircled around my waist. Someone was embracing me from behind.

I struggled to be free. Never in my life had I felt this terrified.

“W-who are you?” I asked in a trembling voice. “H-how did you get in here?” I shook my head. “N-no. Don’t answer that. I’m begging you, please leave—"

“Brianna…”

I stopped freaking out upon hearing that voice. I think it was the gentlest voice that I had ever heard. Despite the fear and anxiety in my heart, I couldn’t deny that hearing that voice appeased me.

“Don’t be scared, darling,” I heard him whisper in my ear. “I won’t hurt you.”

“H-how can I not be afraid? I don’t know who you are. I can’t even see you. You just barged in here. I didn’t even hear the door open.”

Slowly, the stranger released me. I turned towards him and tried to see him, but I just couldn’t see his face in the darkness.

“Just know that I am yours, Brianna,” he responded in a husky voice. “Just as you are mine…from the very beginning.”

The stranger wrapped his arm around my waist once more as if it was the most natural thing to do. He took my hand and brought it to his muscular chest. He was topless; that’s why I could feel his skin when he pulled me closer to his body. My mouth opened out of surprise. His minty breath and his masculine scent were intoxicating. And he was as naked as me; I could feel something huge poking my belly.

My eyes widened in disbelief when the stranger suddenly claimed my lips. His kisses drove me wild. They stirred up everything inside me. For a while, I don’t know what got into me, but I closed my eyes and indulged the stranger, letting him have his way with me. I lifted my arms and encircled them around his neck for support because I felt like his kisses were devouring me, including my energy.

Seconds later, I felt my back touch the bathroom's cold tiles. The stranger’s hands began wandering different parts of my body, teasing me and tempting me. And then his touch became as demanding as his mouth. He released my lips and kissed me on the chin down to my neck. I moaned. I wanted to touch him, too, but I felt uncertain. In the end, I just clenched my hands.

I was forced to open my eyes when I felt the stranger distance his body from mine. It was as if a big part of me had been taken away the instant our bodies were no longer close together.

“Your body craves me, Brianna. Don’t stop these hands,” he reached out to touch my hands, “from doing what they want to do. If these hands want to explore and discover new territories, just let them be.”

Once again, the stranger took my breath away when he placed my hand to his chest while he brought my other hand between his legs. I was now touching his most sensitive part.

“Life is too short to stop yourself from doing the things that you love. Always remember that.”

I quickly opened my eyes when I felt something soft and warm touch my lips. I was still catching my breath when I sat on the bed. I looked around the entire room to ensure that there was no one else there before clutching my chest.

“It’s just a dream, Brianna,” I said in a loud voice. “It’s just a dream. But God…what a dream.”

My heart raced upon remembering my dream. I instinctively touched my lips. It was my first time dreaming of something like that. The stranger’s voice, the warmth of his embrace, and his passionate kisses all felt real. Even the thing that he made me touch felt real. It was hard, warm, and huge. It had twitched and it was like I could still feel it even after waking up.

Before I knew it, my hands went from my neck down to my breasts. Those were the places he touched and kissed in my dream. When I felt a sweat building on my forehead, I opened my eyes and stopped reminiscing.

Jeez. The novel that I’m currently working on must have influenced my dream. It was my first time trying a gothic genre because my Editor requested that I write something out of the box.

And this is what happened.

“You should finish your novel as soon as possible, Brianna,” I whispered to myself. “You are now at your wit’s end because of what you’re writing.”

No matter how much I tried to convince myself that it was nothing but a dream, my body was still reacting towards the stranger. I didn’t want to admit it, but there was a part of me that was hoping that the dream was real. But then I remembered how edgy I was when he suddenly appeared in the bathroom. Well, that was scary.

But his touch and kisses…were far from being scary. I shook my head. Hopefully, I would dream about him again because he distracted me from all of my worries. And he also distracted my body. That was the disadvantage of the dream. I glanced at the alarm clock on the bedside table. It was almost one in the morning.

Even if it was still early, I stood up and removed my negligee and underwear. I needed to shower to take away this sudden heat that I felt, all thanks to that dream. I was naked and didn’t try wrapping a towel around my body anymore since I was the only one in my room. I walked towards the bathroom and didn’t close the door.

After a while, I felt a soft wind in the bathroom. The hairs on my nape and my arms rose as my forehead wrinkled. This was exactly what happened in my dream. Now fully alert, I pulled the towel from the rack and wrapped my body with it before leaving the bathroom.

The lights in my room were turned off except for the lampshade. The curtains caught my attention when I saw them move. As it turned out, the windows were open. I remembered closing them before sleeping a few hours ago. I walked towards the windows and peeked outside. Not a single soul could be seen.

I shrugged. Maybe I really didn’t close the windows last night? I just thought I did.

I closed the windows before returning to the bathroom. I still couldn’t erase the idea that someone was watching me at the moment.

I took a rough breath before turning on the shower.

“I’m going crazy. I really have to finish my novel quickly,” I said in a loud voice as I felt the cold water falling on my body. I shivered. “Ah, damn that dream!”

Damn that creepy...but sexy dream.