BLAZING INFERNO: Step Dad's Mine

At this point, their desires can't be tamed.

It rained an ocean that night, and there were thunder-claps the sound of a disaster. As usual, it was the two of them at home, and with the fear that they might get swept away before morning, he was literally in front of her door to check up on her -- or so he made himself believe. Or was he suppose to admit that he's had her on his mind all through the day?

And he's been on her mind as well, so the sound of his knuckles on the door sprung her up from the bed as if she was called to receive the best gift nature has ever offered. By now she knew how he smelled, and she could perceive his scent even with the door between them.

She opened the door with bright eyes, like the moon that seldom graced them that night, putting on her best smile, and he was mesmerized for oblivion.

He looked deeply into her blue eyes as his breath swelled in his chest. She'd washed her hair and had it dried, and he loved that they were moist and dark. When she blinked, she looked like a doll, and he considered her adorable, like something he could look at all day without getting tired.

A bead of sweat streamed down her forehead, and strangely, he desired to sweep it off with his tongue. To kiss her on everywhere that mattered, but he held still, staring like a man whose purpose was yet to be defined. But he watched as it dropped onto the slope of her breast and crawled down under her dress.

She was in a red night dress, and he could see all that she held private behind the reflection of her dress. Her breasts were small and desirable. Her nipples stood erect as if calling for his hands. But at that moment, he knew to keep them in his side pockets, only to bite his thighs deeply in them.

She swallowed hard, disappointedly. She could feel that he wanted her, but she couldn't figure out why he had to go through the stress of denying his feelings when he could just take her right there and then. And what if he was her stepfather? Isn't all fair in war and love?

"You're still awake," he said, determined to have a conversation, obviously to keep his eyes away from lusting over her luscious body.

"It's barely 8 pm."

"Really?" He said and chuckled forcefully. He was looking everywhere but her face.

She sighed exasperatedly. "Look, Ethan, if you're not going to fuck me, then just leave my room."

The utterance from her came as a dazzle and it left him speechless. He knew he wanted her. Gosh, even the way she said those words aroused his carnal desires, but if he were to succumb to this, then defining their relationship afterward would be harder to do.

"Alethia, I'm...I'm..."

"Are you going to do it or not?"

"You know this is not right. You're not even meant to be asking me for that."

"Why are you even here, Ethan?"

"Aleth! I'm your stepfather, yeah?"

"Oh, scratch that. You can keep telling yourself that if it helps you sleep better at night."

He sighed deeply. "I'm just looking out for you."

She shrugged. "Well, as you can see, I'm fine. So if you'll please leave."

She opened the door and saw him out with her eyes staring at his face, but he dared not reciprocate the gaze, lest he get pulled into her arms and do as she desired for them. That he had feelings for her, he already considered abominable, and he knew he might not forgive himself if he took another step further toward her. But fighting his feelings was a lot harder than he'd planned.

He traipsed out of the room and Daisy slammed the door in his face immediately. She leaned on the door and took a deep breath. She couldn't believe she had just asked his stepfather for sex, but it was high time she made her desire known anyway.

But beyond her desire, she didn't want anything to come between them. He was her companion, the only person who's ever listened to her since her father died, and the only person who's ever offered a shoulder she could cry on. Unlike her mother who was hardly ever around.

She should make amends with him tonight, she thought. Leaving the issue till the next day would mean an awkward morning around him, and she wasn't sure she could bear that burden.

On opening the door, she was startled by his presence, still standing right where she slammed the door in his face. His blue eyes had become relatively clear, and his face looked eager. With the rising and falling level of his chest, as he breathed with urgency, she could feel something was up with him, and it rather made her worried.

"Ethan, are you okay? She said, stepping towards him. On an impulse, he grabbed her and smashed his lips on hers as if he had to do that before he could change his mind.

She didn't resist. It was what she had always desired. So she opened her mouth and let him explore her, matching their desires on the same ground. And when he grabbed her further to himself and carried her into the room, she let her body loose and wrapped her legs around him...

But they didn't have sex that night.

Emily sighed heavily with restless effort as she entered the house. She could leave the house for a whole day and by the time she returned, her daughter would have deafened the neighborhood with her loud music. There had been constant complaints about the way she played the music so loud, whereas Alethia didn't think there was anything wrong with that, so long as she was playing the music in her own house.

"This weasel!" Emily said as she dropped her bag on the couch and made to head up the parallel concrete stairs, but she rather hit an empty beverage can and halted at the faint sound amidst the sound of the music blaring from her daughter's room.

She sighed heavily and looked around, and only then did she realize that the house was in a total mess. There was a great deal of odor wafting from the kitchen, and Emily knew it could only mean that Alethia didn't do the dishes from last night's dinner.

"What should I do with this girl?" She asked no one but herself. Alethia had changed drastically after her father died, and coupled with that, she was at the age where every parent had to be careful with handling their wards because they could be unpredictable and revolt unnecessarily only because they feel they're at the age where they could be let off from taking responsibilities. But Alethia was 22 years old already, and Emily decided it was high time she started taking responsibility for her irresponsibility.

So she ignored the mess in the living room and headed up the stairs. On opening the door, she was greeted by the smoke that had filled the room, and the frustrating smell of cigarettes. By then Alethia had burnt seven sticks of cigarette and was on her eight.

"What the..." Emily guided her nose with her palm immediately. Then she looked for the remote and fetched it to turn off the woofer.

"What is going on here, Aleth? You're smoking?"

Alethia sighed exasperatedly. "Mom, could you please give me back the remote?"

"You will not speak to me in that manner, okay?"

"In what manner, Mom? You think you can just come in here and tell me what to do?"

"Oh yes, this is my house. And I might take it lightly with you for the loud music, but I won't sit around while you burn it down."

Alethia chuckled. "You make it sound as if this is not my house as well. And I was only smoking, not setting fire to the curtains."

"What has come over you, Aleth? Why would you choose to ruin your life?"

"It's called smoking, mom. Not ruining lives. And I'm old enough to put a cigarette on my lips. I'm twenty-two for Christ's sake."

"And I'm forty-five. Do you think being old means being eligible to smoke and drink? I'd like to think that your father and I raised you better than that."

"Don't you dare mention him!" She flared. "You lost the right to mention him when you chose to roam around with other men barely six months after his death."

Emily sighed deeply. They were both grieving at the moment, although in different ways. And whether Alethia believed her or not, she loved her husband dearly. But he was gone, and she knew to let go of the dead and live her life.

"Nathan was my husband before he was your father. I loved him just as much as you do."

Alethia chortled. She rose and approached her mother, standing at her face. "Then the difference here is that I still love and miss him, while he's already a past to you."

Emily could feel the back of her eyes burning, but she'd decided she had cried enough after her husband died. She knew the only way she could move on was to keep telling herself that he was gone and would never come back to them, and to do that, she had to keep every feeling she'd had for him at bay. Life continues anyway, and she didn't want to tie herself down with the thought of the dead.

"Nathan is gone, Aleth. This is our reality now, and we must learn to live with it."

The girl had begun to shed a few tears, but Emily couldn't even hold her for consolation. She had to come to terms with the present and focus on the future rather than constantly dragging herself to the past, and Emily knew this Alethia could only achieve on her own. But for how long?

"Aleth..." Emily made to place a hand on her shoulder but she pushed it away and walked back to the bed. Then she sat on the edge. Emily moved closer to her.

"Baby..." she said and sat beside her. Alethia stood up and went to sit in the armchair.

"Mom, please I'll need my privacy. You must be tired from your long day at work, you need your rest."

Emily inhaled deeply. The room reeked too much for her liking, but she feared she might raise the dead issue if she comments on that again.

"Okay, but I'll leave after I clean this place."

"It's my mess, I'll take care of it."

"We could do it together..." She sounded positive, but Alethia wasn't impressed.

"Please, Mom. Leave my room."

Now it sounded as if Alethia didn't want her around any more than Emily wanted to stay. She rose and traipsed out of the room, then Alethia slammed the door behind her.

Emily took a few seconds at the door to catch a breath of fresh air. Alethia was getting worse by the day and she wondered how she was supposed to handle her child at her worst. They were what was left of their family now. She wished she could heal the child of her pain somehow. At least she hoped Alethia wouldn't hurt herself more while trying to heal in her own way.

She turned towards the door and grabbed the knob, but she halted from pushing. That wasn't the right time for furthering any conversation with her daughter, so she knew to leave her be.

Meanwhile, Alethia was looking for her pack of cigarettes when it came to her reasoning that her mother might have siphoned it out of her room. She flared. She could feel her head burning through the heat of untamed anger as if all she had restrained were now about to burst. She dashed out of the room immediately and headed down the stairs, meeting her mother where she was packing the mess in the living room into a waste bin.

Emily was surprised to see Alethia. She thought she'd come down with the motive of joining her, but when she looked at her face, she feared something was wrong with her.

"Mom, where is my pack of cigarettes?"

Emily recoiled, squeezing her brows in wonder. "What?"

Alethia sighed deeply to calm herself a bit. "Where is my pack of cigarettes? I know you took it."

"What in Christ's name are you talking about? Were you going to smoke again after what we discussed?"

She chuckled. "We discussed nothing. That was you barging into my space and saying your mind."

Emily looked at her daughter. She was very well her height, but she shouldn't make the mistake of thinking that they were mates.

"Hey, young girl. You will speak to me with respect."

"Just give me what I asked for."

"I didn't take anything from your room, and even if I did. I will never give it back. I won't sit around while you ruin your life and cause me yet another pain."

Alethia laughed sarcastically. "Oh, Mom...don't even try to make me believe that Dad's death caused you any pain. We both know you never treated him the way he should be treated, which is why it was easy for you to move on after his death."

"He was my husband, we had our ups and downs, but that doesn't mean I didn't love him. That's something you'll never understand, at least not yet."

"You can keep telling yourself that if it helps you sleep well at night," Alethia said and turned towards the stairs. A few steps away she halted and turned back.

"You feared I might burn down the house? Maybe I will do it before dawn if I don't get my pack of cigarettes by then." With that, she hurried up the stairs and the last thing Emily heard of her was the heavy sound of the door slammed shut.

Emily dropped the waste bin in her hand and sat weakly on the couch. She could feel the tears pushing more strongly now, but she raised her head to keep them at bay. She wasn't going to shed any more tears, she thought with determination. But it seemed that the more she tried to prevent herself from letting her heart loose, the more her heart was becoming heavy.

After cleaning up Alethia's mess, she made dinner and waited for Alethia to come down, but there was a relative quietness in her room. At one point Emily was conflicted about whether to go to her or let her be and just enjoy the little peace for a while. Nonetheless, she was worried for her.

And she couldn't sleep well that night. Alethia had threatened to burn down the house. She could do it.

***

By the time Emily thought to have a little sleep, it was already 5 am, and she had to get up to do her usual chores before going to work. She runs an advertising agency, and although it was average, it was a company she built with her late husband, and she had been determined to make it more successful than it had been in the past years.

She hasn't been having enough sleep lately. She feared her health might deteriorate at this point, but getting Alethia to help her out with some chores wasn't an option. Maybe it was time to bring Ethan in. Other than his companion as a man, she would need his presence in the house, at least to make it less deserted than it already was.

Last night, Alethia had looked for her pack of cigarettes again when she got back to her room, but she couldn't find it. And she couldn't have adhered to the threat she made because she fell asleep earlier than she could stay awake. By the time she felt a touch of dawn, it was already 7 am and the sun was already seeping in from the blinds she forgot to draw down before going to bed.

Her head hurt a great deal. The sun was a bit blinding and it made her squinting her eyes. She was feeling a hangover, and she could barely remember everything that had gone down the other day. But she remembered her bickering with her mother, and she knew to look for water. There was a half drink of bottled water on the bedside table. So she grabbed it with urgency and empty it into her mouth. But her forehead hurt more from raising her head, so the pain left her face in squeezes.

Her bedspread had crumpled, and the blanket lay abandoned on the floor. It was obvious that she'd tossed and turned a lot in her sleep, but she couldn't remember having any nightmares. But it didn't mean that she had a sound sleep and a great night.

She got out of bed and headed down the stairs. Her stomach wouldn't stop growling as if the worms in her stomach were protesting to feed on her intestines if he refused to feed them soon. The last she had the other day was whiskey, and she hadn't remembered to eat dinner.

On stepping across the dinner table, she could see that her mother had fried some eggs and arranged slices of bread in a dish. It must be for her, she thought. But she was a bit reluctant to claim them, as she could still remember all she'd said to her mother the other day.

So her mom's words startled her when she said "Hi, love..." when she appeared from her room.

Alethia turned 360 degrees without uttering a greeting. She was embarrassed of herself, but she couldn't in her defense claim that all she'd said the other day was under the influence of alcohol. She couldn't even remember why she had smoked or how it tasted. She'd hated the smell from the start. And maybe she'd thought that accepting everything she hated could be a way to relieve herself of the pain weighing on her heart.

"Come, love. Come and have breakfast." Emily said, roaming around positively.

Alethia struggled with her feet until they eventually took her to the chair where she sat and made an attempt to start eating. But once her mom came around to sit opposite to her, her hands became reluctant as if they had lost the way to her mouth.

"Mom, I--" Emily interrupted.

"So, how was your night? It was good?"

Alethia nodded.

"That's good to know."

The atmosphere resumed its awkwardness once more. Alethia decided to concentrate on filling her stomach, while Emily was looking for the right time to say what was on her mind. Once she was sure that Alethia had had enough to eat, she raised her head and looked outright at her, although Alethia has her head bent.

"Baby, can we talk?"

Alethia felt frightful. Her mother was finally going to discuss their bickering from the other day, but Alethia hadn't come to terms with how to apologize. She swallowed a lump and choked. Emily handed her a cup of milk immediately and she drank.

"Thank you," she said and coughed the last of the discomfort in her throat. Then she cleared her throat.

"Are you okay now?" Emily said.

Alethia nodded. She finally seemed ready to have the discussion. And she knew she was wrong to have addressed her mother the way she did the other day, so it would be the right thing to do to apologize.

"I'm bringing Ethan."

Alethia recoiled, trying to catch a breath of who Ethan was, and while this person mattered more than discussing what went on the other day. She breathed deeply and sat right.

"Mom, who's Ethan."

Emily catches her breath and exhales sharply. She could feel a shiver within her, but she couldn't stop herself from making the declaration now.

"Ethan is my friend. I think things will be easier on us if we have one more person in this house."

"Ethan is your house boy then, I surmise?"

Emily cleared her throat and sat properly. "No, love. Ethan is my friend."

Alethia looked around before looking at her mother. "Your friend?"

Emily shrugged. "Well, he's more than a friend."

Alethia chuckled. "You mean your boyfriend?"

Emily tried to hide her embarrassment. She avoided looking straight at her daughter while she admitted the obvious.

Alethia wasn't going to take it lightly anyway. She rose with a scoff and sat down. Then she rose again and began to mark every space in the room with her pace.

"Are you already trying to give me a stepfather? Are you planning to marry this Ethan?"

"Aleth, hear me out."

"Of course, you're going to marry him." She looked at her mother for a moment. That Emily wasn't denying it meant Alethia was right. She chuckled in disbelief.

"Aleth, I need to move on. And we need someone else in this house. The chores are taking a toll on me and I fear I might break down soon enough."

"Then get a house boy. A fucking house boy."

"Language, girl..." Emily cautioned.

"I need an emotional companion, not a house boy."

"I don't care how many men you chose to have sex with outside of these walls. But I won't allow you to bring them home."

Emily bolted out of the chair. "This is not going to be on your terms, my dear. I'm merely informing you, not seeking your permission."

"That's where you're wrong, mom. There's no way you're going to bring a man into this house without my permission."

"You joke, young girl."

Alethia laughed out loud. "This is so unbelievable. It's not even up to a year since Dad died."

"I won't waste away, my dear. Or what exactly do you want from me? I've given you everything since your father died, and now I can't even have a companion?"

"You don't get to replace my father."

"Nathan can never be replaced. But I'm allowed to seek comfort and a companion."

"Then you can do that outside. I believe this Ethan of yours isn't homeless. You both can have as many rounds of sex as you want, so long as it's not in this house."

Emily walked closer. "Watch your tone, girl. I won't take anymore from you."

"I won't watch my tone so long as you decide to stoop so low. If you want to be a whore, it won't be in this--" Alethia failed to complete the sentence -- she was made to grab her face after her mother had smashed her hand on it.

Emily was rather dazed. She wouldn't have believed she could ever lay a hand on her daughter, but she'd slapped her. And the sound of it shook her for a moment.

"Aleth, I'm sorry..." She said and made an attempt towards her, but Alethia pulled away still grabbing the left side of her face. The shock seemed to have shook her more than the slap, and the hurt from getting slapped by her mother was more than the pain she felt in her face.

Her eyes had begun to run down a few tears. She was heartbroken and speechless.

Emily was remorseful. But all attempts to make things right at the moment proved abortive.

"I'll never forgive you for this," Alethia said. Then she hurried up the stairs. Emily dropped her bag immediately and ran after her. But the door had slammed before she got to the last step, and Alethia wouldn't open the door for her.

"Baby, I'm sorry..." she said as she banged on the door.

Unknown to her, Alethia was already packing a few of her clothes, waiting for her mom to leave for work so that she could vacate the house.

Emily pulled the door with a creeping feeling. She couldn't place her hands on what was wrong, but she could feel a steering premonition under her clothes, and it left her with goosebumps and her head swelling from overthinking. It was a few minutes past 5 pm by that time and that was approximately an hour earlier. She'd decided on an early closing so that she could find enough time to make amends with her daughter.

She stepped into the living room as quietly as the atmosphere permitted that evening. Although she could feel a strange peace, it hit her somehow that such peace had not come without a price. Maybe this was why the neighbors had smiled more widely towards her on her return today.

She made to drop her bag without looking, so the sound of its thud on the floor startled her rather from within.

"Please, God. Let this not be what I'm thinking." She said and moved around a bit, trying to find a positive ground around the world that had begun to spin beneath her feet.

"Aleth...baby, I'm home..."

She looked around. The house was as she left it. There was no mess made, and for the first time, it seemed to be a bother. She called on Alethia again and listened in, not quite for her response but for any movement in her room, but there was nothing in response.

"Baby..." she said for the last time before thundering up the stairs. She halted to catch her breath when she got to Alethia's door.

"Aleth..." she held the knob and as gently and slowly, placed the side of her head on the door to listen in again.

"Aleth..."

Emily pushed the door in and crashed on the floor from the force she'd employed. The room was clean and well-ordered. Alethia had spread her bed as if it was the last time she would be sleeping on it. When Emily checked her closet, she discovered that Alethia had few clothes left, and her dressing table had been wiped clean.

She turned around to look for any other signs that Emily could still be around. But it left her feeling like a crazy woman, and it was then that she couldn't keep her tears at bay anymore. They came with full force, and she crashed on the bed to drown it.

But she didn't stay there. She rose immediately and headed back to the living room. On a thought she wanted to report her daughter missing, but she decided that Alethia could still be around.

It was dusk now. The only thing that gave her a shadow was the street light. There were four directions she could head to, but choosing the right direction was taking a toll on her. She inhaled deeply and held her forehead instinctively. Her head hurt so much she could feel a timer ticking in it, ready to blow off her reasoning.

Anything other than leaving the house would have been better, she admitted. Now she had to look for her daughter without a definite direction in mind.

***

"I'd like a sandwich, please," Alethia ordered. All she had at the counter were her luggage and a small purse. And her order had already been brought before she realized that she doesn't even have a dollar to pay for what she had ordered. But she embarked on a fruitless search anyway.

"Is everything okay?" the waiter asked.

Alethia smiled awkwardly. Of everything she made sure of before leaving the house, she couldn't believe that she forgot to bring some cash. Her credit card would have done the magic, but she didn't have that as well.

She sighed deeply and straightened up. "I'm sorry, I think I'm cashless."

The waiter drew the tray carrying the order back to herself and guided it still.

"I'm sorry, miss."

"Please, can I pay you later?"

"I'm sorry. As much as I'd like to help you, I can't."

Alethia swallowed hard and regretted it immediately. The much she'd swallowed seemed to have reminded her stomach of the hunger, and it rather became more discomforting to bear. She wanted to plead with the waiter, but she didn't know how to do that and still keep her pride.

She'd just grabbed her luggage and turned reluctantly to walk away when she heard a man approach the counter and ask how much was her order. She turned immediately, only to meet a rather dashing man.

The hunger didn't prevent her from admitting that this man was her type. He was tall and manly with broad shoulders. She surmised he visits the gym regularly -- that must be the secret behind his well-built body.

Alethia watched his blue eyes as he fixed it on the waiter who was blushing instead as if she'd never seen a man as handsome as that. Well, that made sense. Even Alethia hadn't seen a man as handsome as that as well. His face was purposeful, like a man who could only get one thing done at a time, so he wasn't looking at Alethia. And he only smiled at her briefly once he sorted her bills. Then he moved away and went back to a table by the expanse of glass that made the window.

Alethia took her tray with a lingering embarrassment. But she'd decided that filling her stomach was more important than any shame. She admitted it was kind of the man to have helped her out, but he rather appeared to her as stoic and a snob.

Alethia ignored him anyway. She would thank him later if she ever had the chance, and by then she would have had the energy to throw it in his face that he wasn't a god just because he sorted a girl's bills. The more she thought about his reaction towards her, the more she got furious. There was something about him that pissed her off. She could feel herself being pulled to him the way she had never felt with anyone before, and she knew it wasn't only because he snubbed her. Whatever it was, she couldn't wait to find out. So she carried her tray and went to sit in front of him.

"Thank you," she said, staring at him. He smiled condescendingly, and that pissed Alethia off more.

"Paying my bills doesn't make you a god, I hope you know that?" she watched his face as he squeezed it. She could feel she had gotten to him, but he looked...

Alethia couldn't read his countenance. While his face came with a squeeze, a little smile was dancing on his lips. And those lips were very attractive. He smiled so well that Alethia felt seeing him smile could make anyone have a good day. And apparently, it made her feel guilty for coming hard at him when he had just helped her.

"Would you like anything to drink?" he asked.

Alethia choked. He immediately offered her his juice and she drank from it.

"I'm sorry," he said.

Alethia looked outright at him. "For what?"

"I shouldn't have snubbed you the way I did."

Alethia reclined in her chair. So he knew what he did wrong? He must have done that on purpose then.

"For what purpose?"

"Pardon?"

"Did you snub me hoping I'd approach you instead? That must have worked countless times."

He smiled. "Oh, I do have other ways to charm a beautiful woman."

Aethia tried to hold a smile. This man talked with such gentleness that kept on reaching out to her. She could feel how easy it was to talk to him and to connect with him. She was sure he didn't have to make any effort to charm a woman, but she wouldn't let him think that way.

"You must think yourself attractive," Alethia said.

He smiled widely. "That was you admitting that I'm attractive. So, why don't you let me show you the other way I have to charm a woman? Who knows, I might just be able to change your mind from making the biggest mistake of your life."

Alethia looked at him straight across the table. Was she really about to make the biggest mistake of her life? He was offering a hand, and for some reasons unknown to her, she couldn't resist taking it. So she grabbed his hand and when he pulled her up, she crashed into his chest.

It was awkward for a moment with her hand on his chest. She could perceive the faint smell of his rich aftershave, and he smelled ridiculously nice as well. His chest was firm and offered comfort. She didn't know when her head moved forward, but she knew when she placed her head on his chest, the warmth strangely felt like home. The last she'd felt this comfort was with her father because she trusted him and always felt protected within his arms. For some reason, she felt protected by this man as well, but she didn't even know his name yet.

But she didn't have the chance to ask at the moment. Once reality hits her, she jumps away from him immediately, trying to gather herself together.

"Are you okay?"

Alethia looked at him with frustration. It seemed he knew he had some effect over her and was head bent on utilizing it at every chance. Even she knew this, and it drew her to more annoyance. She grabbed her luggage and dragged it along as she headed for the door.

"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked as he followed suit.

Alethia dashed out the door and refused to stop even though he was asking her to. She didn't know why she was behaving this way. Why she would

feel angry because of this man that she just met and barely knew. So maybe she was running away, away from home and from anything that would remind her of what it felt to be in one.

She had walked quite a distance from the dinner when she heard the sound of an empty beverage ricocheting across her. She halted and turned back.

"Shit, I missed." He said.

"What?"

He threw another and before Alethia could think to duck, the can landed on her head. While she was confused about what he was trying to do, he was laughing.

"That must have hurt," he said out loud.

Alethia sighed exasperatedly. "You must be kidding me."

"You ain't gonna watch me, are you?" He picked another can and threw it at her. This time she was able to duck. Then she picked a can as well and threw it at him. It landed on his forehead, forcing a wince out of him. Alethia laughed out loud.

"Feel my wrath now?" she said loudly.

He approached her now, and she began to run while he chased her. This lasted for a few seconds until they were both tired. Then while she sat on a wooden bench at a park close by, he went to get ice cream for them.

He joined her a few minutes later and sat firmly beside her after offering her the ice cream. She couldn't figure out how he knew that she loved the strawberry flavor, but she appreciated him anyway.

"So, why did you run away?" He asked abruptly.

Alethia turned to look at him. Is he a seer or did have some kind of powers that she was yet to be aware of?

"H-how?"

He relaxed and smiled at her. "Your luggage says everything. It was obvious that you ain't a traveler, and you not being able to pay for your meal meant you left in a hurry. Probably without thinking this through."

Alethia sighed deeply. Maybe she could tell this man everything and at least let off the baggage weighing her heart down. He peered his eyes to be sure that he was concerned about her, but the longer she maintained, the more she felt stuffy inside. So she turned away and sucked her tongue.

"My mom was head bent on replacing my dad, so I had to leave."

"And your dad, what did he have to say about that?"

"Well, he wouldn't be able to..."

He looked at her for a few seconds to read her countenance. Once he'd caught up, he knew condolences were required.

"I'm sorry, I didn't..." She interrupted him.

"That's fine."

He could see that she wasn't fine. Her face was that of a person trying to make amends with whatever regrets she'd had, but because they were things of the past that can't be fixed into the future, it tends to stick a person in the present. She must be finding it a task to move away from this timeline.

"You know, it's barely seven months, and she's already planning to remarry."

He thought to approach with caution now. "Maybe you should hear her out?"

She turned sharply to face him, and he cringed a bit.

"I mean, she must have her reasons."

"There's nothing more to this other than that she'd been seeing this new man long before Dad died. She must be happy that she was finally having her chance."

He tried to hold himself back from smiling. She might be talking with face and hatred, but underneath everything, he could feel the love she had for her mother. And maybe she was afraid that another was about to share that love with Alethia.

"She's your mother. I'm sure she still loves you. And trust me, it must be really hard on her right now. She wouldn't have planned for losing your dad, and now she had to be there for you while being there for herself at the same time. The least you can do is try as much as she's doing. You both are what's left of each other, yeah?"

Alethia took a few minutes to think about his words. The more they sink in the more she could feel the relief that was sweeping over her. By the time she could breathe deeply with a light chest, a small smile surfaced on her face.

"You should do that," he said.

"Do what often?" she was still smiling.

"You look more beautiful when you smile."

She blushed. She could feel a wave inside her, and it was that of great relief and comfort.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome," he said and leaned sideways to bump shoulders with her.

"You're so playful," she said.

He laughed lightly. "Life's not that serious, my dear. We live longer by chance. The best we can do is try to make the most of the little time we have."

She nodded in agreement. "Have I told you you're such a motivational talker?"

He giggled. "Wouldn't be the first time I've heard that."

They talked for half an hour before Alethia agreed to return home. And he had to leave as well. She would have said no to him offering her some cash for her bus fares, but she considered them friends now, and he wouldn't take 'no' for an answer.

"Will I see you again?" She asked. There was no way she could make him stay, and darn her self dignity that she couldn't tell him outright that she didn't want him to leave yet. That she would very much love to spend time with him again.

He came closer, and when she wasn't expecting, hugged her tightly.

"Everything will be fine, okay?

She inhaled his scent deeply, literally for remembrance, but she only had to exhale deeply to forget it immediately. She could already feel that their encounter wasn't meant to last, and she didn't know how long she could hold him where they stood.

"I'm Alethia, by the way." She said,

He smiled. "Ethan."

She raised her eyes immediately and recoiled from him, which surprised him. That was the second time she would be hearing that name the same day. But this Ethan didn't strike her as her would-be stepfather. He was rather younger and more handsome than the picture she'd painted of the person her mom had mentioned.

"He's not the only Ethan in the world anyway," she said to herself. By then he was gone, and she realized she'd zoned off for a few seconds.

She looked everywhere for him with such agitation that made her feel unrest. He was nowhere to be found, and now she wondered if he did exist. He'd been too good a person to be a mere human. Maybe he was an angel?

And maybe he'll always be around...