• Chapter Three

    “I would give everything I have for a moment of your life.”
    Livius walked over to the couch and sat down heavily. He rested his arm on the couch’s and positioned his hand over his face. He looked like a small child hiding his tear-stricken face. I wanted to hold him close, to feel his warmth but I wavered. What if he didn’t want that? What if he wanted to be alone? My attempt of trying to kill myself was the only basis as to why I was here. He must have only taken me in since I was in need. It made me fell all the more wretched.
    Livius was still posed in that childlike manner. I rose to leave him and scurried to the door I came out of. My hand was only on the knob as I felt arms wrap around my shoulders. I gasped as Livius put his head near my neck.
    “Please stay here with me, Sorha. You are my first visitor in ages. Be mine, please?”
    I would generally think it was sad to hear an older man plead like so but with Livius, it made me want to shed tears. He was broken that much I could tell. He was in dire need of a companion, like I, but what could I give to anybody but agony? What was I so unique for that it made this man cry and plead as he had? His arms unwrapped around my shoulders but curled themselves around my waist instead. He was so warm and had that smell of fresh roses. I wanted to breathe him in, to cuddle up with him forever.
    He was no longer the child I thought he looked like. Now he was a man I could fall in love with. He was the first person who ever said they truly needed me. His lips were now on my neck and I quivered. A vision or a memory came back to me. It was accompanied by the emotion of deep desire. I was in a man’s arms and he kissed me like no other had. Kissed my body like no other had. I wanted to give in to this memory but Livius was diverting me. I saw the man’s face this time. He was Livius! Livius was the man I saw that day. My Death.
    I came back to reality and Livius was no longer around me. He was standing in front of me blocking the door. I closed my mouth. I looked at his face now noticing that he was several inches taller than me yet didn’t look a day over twenty. I smiled at him.
    My Death, I played over and over in my mind.
    He seemed puzzled. His eyes also showed this bafflement. I smirked at him now being able to see that his eyes could show human emotion. I reached up and traced his jaw. His confusion left him and he held my hand against his face.
    “Will you stay at least another day? I would be content if you do so.”
    I nodded, knowing that I really didn’t have a choice and that I honestly wanted to stay.
    “Then let me read you to sleep like I did before.”
    I nodded again. Sleepiness wafting by me suddenly though my eyes refused to close. I looked around then gestured that I wanted to stay in this room. I mused over which book he would pick.
    “Yes of course. It would be better. I will let you pick the book this time, beloved.”
    I walked over to the bookcase and pulled a book out. I handed it to Livius and he grinned. Obvious it was one of his favorites. He ushered me over to the couch and sat alongside me.
    He began in a spellbinding voice reading the book. I didn’t, by any means, feel sleepy. I rested my head against the couch’s back and listened. Livius read with such enthusiasm that I thought that he had lived through the times the book was set. His voice was soothing like silk and I felt at ease. He did stop occasionally to see if I had fallen asleep, but once he knew I wasn’t, he continued without delay. When I did grow tired, I asked if I could read the book to him. He was ecstatic and handed the book over obediently. I sat up like he had and tried to read with the eagerness he had. Livius was listening keenly and beaming. He was like a child to me again. A child craving the attention of others. I wanted to kiss him but I didn’t.
    I continued to read, captivated by the book. When I finished it, Livius was asleep. His head was resting on my shoulder causing it to dull and grow hotter. I smiled and gave him a minor kiss on the forehead. He stirred a little but didn’t wake up. I gently lifted his head and placed it on my lap. It was now that I stroked his hair. It was indeed soft and smooth. I pushed little strands out of his eyes and tucked them behind his ears. His sleeping face was tranquil and seeing his chest rise and fall made me yawn. I wiped my eyes and placed the book on the small table. I was asleep as soon as the book left my hand.
    I awoke in another room. This room wasn’t concrete. It was wooden like a logged cabin. There weren’t windows again. I sat up in the queen-sized bed and took the cotton quilt off me. I slipped out of the bed and saw a pile of clothes on a small chair. I moved over to it and took it. I pulled on the red, v-necked dress that came down to my knees. I tugged the woolen socks on my feet and crept out of the room. The hallways were enjoyable to the eyes. Wooden walls like the room and a warmth that the concrete room could never attain. There were paintings on some walls. An elaborate way to get me to stay, I guessed. I followed the walls to an open room. It had newer furniture than the other room but the same number of items. The fireplace here was blazing.
    The man was sitting on the bare floor, reading a book. I walked over to him and crouched behind him. He was reading poetry. I looked at him. He was neatly dressed in a blue, sleeveless shirt this time with black jeans that weren’t torn. His hair was in another ponytail. Livius had a serious aura around him that I didn’t want to disturb. I got up and sat down softly on the couch. I thought about how long I was actually with Livius before I gained full awareness. I speculated what actually happened on the day I shot myself. Did I even shoot myself or did Livius pull the gun away as I fired it? Why was he out there with me when I made sure no one was? Why me? Why did it have to be me he saved? Why was I important to him if I was? Was I? Who was this man? This man who didn’t seem to carry a care in the world yet had many problems?
    Livius chuckled. Had he heard my thoughts or was he laughing at the book? He didn’t see me come in nor had he given off that he was known of my presence.
    “Yes I know the exact moment when you came in, beloved. You are thinking too much. Please just be at ease this one day. Or. Would you rather I tell you all that you wish to know?”
    He turned on the floor so he was still stretched out but facing me. I nodded at him as I saw his eyes flicker down my body. I shuddered as he took a deep breath.