Chapter 112: Chapter 112

(Avery’s Thoughts)

As I continue to sniff and sip some drinks. Dmitri looks at me in silence. He notices the changes in my mood, but he doesn’t even question me. He just lets me do what I want.

But the silence between us is suddenly shaken by the sudden roar of this man, who was awhile ago quiet at the corner.

“Aha!” he literally jumps from where he’s sitting and walks towards me.

Then he bents towards me and looks at my face in a very close distance. All I could do is blink because of shock.

“I knew it!” he once again shouts with the same energy he exerted a few seconds ago.

There’s a hundred and eighty degree turn of his personality. Now that I look at his face, he’s smiling towards me, and his face brightens. I wonder what happened to him.

I can finally witness how Dmitri intoduced him to me in the car before coming here.

Then he stands behind Dmitri and massages his shoulder while uttering the words, “You are one hell of a sly fox, you asshole!”

“And the biggest mouth returns!” Dmitri just shakes his head and moves his elbow towards Damien.

“What the hell aer you talking about, dude?” Lucian asks.

“We’ve been wondering why you are so quiet when you saw her I thought you knew her, or liked her, maybe?” Leo even adds up.

“What?! Well, she is definitely gorgeous but she’s taller than my ideal chibi,” then he laughs aloud.

“So, what do you mean you knew her?” Lucian continue to interrogates him.

Then he goes in the middle and huddle all of them, while I just sit quietly listening to what he’s about to say.

“Didn’t you remember? Doesn’t her name, Avery Anderson, ring a bell? Think! Come on, losers,” he encourages them as if he is a host in a game show.

The two of them deeply go with him, while Dmitri distances himself a bit, and for some reason, he doesn’t look happy. I wonder why, “Come on, losers! Still no?”

The two of them just look at each other, “The hell! Okay I’ll give you a clue! It has something to do with our hobby! We founded this site!”

Dmitri suddenly stands up and looks at him in a scary way, then he mutters something to him, but Damien looks so excited to listen. Dmitri then walks to the balcony and holds his grip to the bar. His body language says something is wrong.

“Just tell us, you dork!” Leo impatiently says.

“Drum roll, first,” Damien starts, and the two of them follows. Then he raises his hand and says, “SEXONITE!” he proudly announces. Then the three of them begin chattering. I don’t know what they are talking about because my heart almost stops with the word SEXONITE.

My jaw drops, and my purse falls down but I couldn’t move. I slowly stand up and approach him, “H-hey! W-what did you just say?” my voice quivers.

My mind couldn’t process what he just said. The word SEXONITE keeps on echoing my mind. I almost fall, but Damien manages to catch me.

He holds my hand and invites me to a dance like crazy. We go round and round the circle. At first, I was nervous. I was nervous he would say he was the guy that night.

So as my feet follow his guide in dancing, I open my trembling mouth and ask him, “A-are you?”

Then he stops, and he grimaces at me.

The three of them look at each other and then simultaneously ask me back,

“You didn’t know?” all of them barks at me.

When I shake my head, the three of them get some cushion and throw them to Dmitri. But Dmitri ignores all of it, and he tightens his grip on the balcony bars, suppressing whatever feeling he has right now.

“Asshole!”

“Jerk!”

“Stupid!”

Those are the words they repeatedly say to him.

And there I am standing frozen, looking at Dmitri. And when Dmitri turns, his eyes are locked on me. That moment, I finally realize, it was him, after all.

It is as if the time stops around us. All I notice is his body, his face, his whole being. His heartbeat that is now beating very fast, the sweat on his forehead despite the cold temperature inside this premises, I catch it all in my eyes.

His familiar masculine scent, minty breath, soft lips, great touch, grand gestures, it is all because of that one night.

In my mind, “It was you all along. My soulmate! My soul ties! Is this the reason why I couldn’t let you go? Is that the reason why my body can’t say no? But why? Why did you hide it? Why didn’t you tell me? Or maybe you didn’t know?”

I want to ask him all those questions, but then the three of them gather in front of me. Then they look at my face up-close.

I step back and find myself on the edge of the couch so I sit down for a while. Yet, the three of them are still staring at me.

“Her eyes, her nose, her hair, yeah, the same,” Leo says.

“You’re from Seattle, right?” Lucian guesses, and I nod.

“So, you put green hazel eyes for your reference on the SEXONITE reference list, right?” Damien inquires.

They ask me more question, bugging me with questions which they already knew the answers to.

I look at Dmitri but he is still standing there, and he somehow avoids my gaze.

I sigh and tell them to give me some space. And yet they are still close to me.

“So, how did you know?” I ask.

“The four of us are the founder of that site,” Damien casually informs me, and what else can I say. What other things can shock me more?

“And now, you are still operating? Or did you already shut it down?” I ask them, but they all look at me with mocking stares.

“Hell, no! Why would we? It’s been running great up to these days, and we are earning a lot from it, so why would we?” Lucian explains.

Now I am more confused. But at least, I’ll finally get my answer why I was banned, “Then, tell me this, why can’t I join again? Why did you ban me in your community? The only thing I lied about was my virginity!” my voice raises.

“You were a virgin?”

“Damn! I shouldn’t have agreed with Dmitri’s repulsive choice!”

They all have something to say, so I repeat my question, “I was planning to participate more, but the next day I received a red notice, saying I lied about my virginity. Was it even a violaiton?” I ask frustrated.

But instead of answering me, they all glared at Dmitri, and throw him again more cushion.

“You, cheater!”

“Selfish bastard!”

“Loser!”

Now, it is all clear. But why do I feel so happy. Did he do it to protect me?

While they are dealing with him I stand up and announce my departure, “It was nice meeting you boys, but I have to go.”

They all stare at me with disappointed look. “Already? But, it’s too early. And beside, Dmitri is still here!”

“Avery…” Dmitri finally speaks up, but the moment he does, I walk out on my own.

I know he’s been following me but I ignore his call. I walk with longer strides and faster pace. And he’s been trying to catch up.

As soon as I reach the entrance of the casino, I see the car that brought us here, and he immediately opens the door for me, so I straightly get in without looking back, and Dmitri literally run to scoot in beside me.

I didn’t talk to him nor even looked at him. I was quiet all along. He held my hand but I didn’t respond.

And the moment we stop at our hotel, I quickly get off the car.

“Avery,” he clls to me.

“Slow down, please, Avery.”

But I ignore him, although I wait for him to open the elevator door for me since his fingerprint is needed.

When we reach the top floor, I go straight to our unit and barge in.

“Am I angry? No!”

“Am I mad? Definitely not!”

As I enter the room, I take off my sandals, throw my purse elsewhere, lay down my hair, and face the glass wall pane.

I hear him just a few steps away from me.

“Then, why did I leave? Simple! To do this!”

I look around and embraces him tightly. I walk away so I could do this.

I tightly wrap my arms around his neck and cry over his shoulder. He’s probably take aback, but I am glad he welcomes me completely.

“Why didn’t you tell me? I had a feeling it was you all along, but I ignored my hunch!” I question him while still sobbing on his shoulders.

“I’m sorry, Avery,” is all he has to say.

“If only I had known, I shouldn’t have gotten engaged to Jeff. This could have changed everything Dmitri,” I utter restlessly.

“I know, I am sorry,” again with his apology.

“Did you know all along?” I ask, and I feel him nod his head without a verbal affirmation. So my eyes bawl even more.

“If I had known, I wouldn’t have easily walked away from you that day,” my eyes are completely shut and I couldn’t even feel my arms from hugging him so tight.

“But… I-I was glad, I am happy to know it was you all along, Dmitri. I love you,” I blurt out things I shouldn’t have. But it isn’t just a spur of the moment, this is me confessing what I truly feel for him.

When he hears me say it, he distances himself and he looks at me. I see his eyes filled with tears for the first time.

And he gently moves his face toward mine, and he kisses me with all his love, full of emotion, a one long kiss, without lust, but full of love. Then the next thing that happened leaves me puzzled.

“Avery, leave Jeff for me,” Dmitri’s remark surprises me. I couldn’t compose myself to answer his abrupt request.

“I’ll love you wholeheartedly, just be with me forever, and I’ll be by your side,” he promises.

“Tell me why that woman says you can’t get married first, then we’ll talk,” I answer him with a sad note.

“I’ll tell you someday but–”

“Can you marry me and give me a family like Jeff could? I’m an orphan, Dee. It’s one of my goal to have a family, something my parents surely wanted me to have,” I strike him with a question he can not answer.

And the melancholy in his eyes are damn obvious. “Avery… I…” but even before he could finish, I already complete it,

“–So what you said is impossible, I want a long time assurance, Dee. I grew up alone, and I don’t plan to die alone. Ask me again when you are ready,” I coldly say and turn my back on him.