Unlimited

Darina Grotto, 2017

Summer, 2013. Moscow. Just a young redhead girl. Just an amazing and unusual meeting. The meeting which thwarted plans and dreams of the young redhead girl, Victoria. And totally untypical love that got under the girl’s skin. What if she mustn’t love? Horrifying! What if she mustn’t want? Dangerous! And what if Victoria really wanted to love? How to live when suddenly as if touched with a wand everything became unusual including the redhead girl? In a Moscow beautiful summer, one beautiful day Victoria made a mess of things that led her into apocalyptic troubles.Содержит нецензурную брань.

25

^th

October 2013 (Friday)

That was the end of the second month of the girl’s unlikely love and the demon. Victoria fell in love more and more and was only glad that the man allowed to love himself, and sometimes he even very well played.

Everyday Victoria worked, trying to avoid her persevering manager, soothing her memories and imagination with recent pictures of being together with Kharon.

The demon with all his might hanged out with girls. He studied Moscow quickly and well. He had favourite places where he could have time. He had places which he hated and nothing in the world would make him be there. He sometimes was bored: Victoria worked all days long.

Kharon decided to meet a girl and contribute his energy store. He loved Vic… in the bed. He loved her madly. He believed in this love. The problem was that Victoria needed more time to recover strength. That was the reason why they didn’t sleep in bed only three times in a month. For Kharon who got from women everything he wanted and not once, to fornicate three times in a month wasn’t a few it was nothing. And if his hungry thoughts were covered by the first month of being with people then by the end of the second month his nature gained the upper hand. He gave the look at other girls more often.

It was almost afternoon when the demon opened his eyes. The sun was shining through the window, the world seemed to be so warm that the demon smiled, looking at the window.

Drinking hot flavoured coffee, the man was near the window and examining how Moscow was getting ready for lunch. He took his cell waiting to see some beautiful pictures and nice message from Victoria. Every morning on her way to work the girl took pictures of something interesting and sent it to Kharon with the next confession under. That afternoon the demon studied the smartphone but there was nothing. The absence of a picture confused him a bit but not enough to make him panic.

Kharon slowly buttoned his shirt, looking at his unshaven face in the mirror. He didn’t like shaving so much! He considered it a very serious punishment for a human and couldn’t understand what for. There could be only two days without shaving and it was not much! But there was bristle on his face again.

A music which the demon didn’t know to exist made him distract from looking, touching and rethinking of his life. Having frowned Kharon studied Victoria’s phone and an incoming call on the display.

‘Victoria’s phone!’ he took the call, listening to the answer.

‘Thanks God!’ a happy sigh and chuckle were heard. ‘I thought I’ve lost my phone. Kharon, what a happiness that I’ve left it at home.’

‘Hello, dear.’ Kharon was serious.

He was confused as usual with Victoria’s wordings. What a bag of words “Thanks God” in relation to the demon! It made him angry and he couldn’t and didn’t want to calm down.

‘What’s wrong with your voice?’ Vic immediately understood only by his intonation that something went wrong.

‘Honestly Vic, I don’t still understand why I’m supposed to listen to it.’

‘What’s it?’ the girl got confused, digging in her mind, remembering what an insult she said.

‘Heh, dear, same old Vic.’ the man smiled being upset.

‘Are you about “Thanks God”?’ Vic spluttered with laughter. ‘This is just a parenthesis. It has no meaning. All people say it independently on their being of passionate believer or atheist. You shouldn’t pay attention. If you’re upset with it, I’ll certainly exclude it out of my lexicon. Don’t worry…’

‘Where shall I meet you?’ Kharon ignored all the girl’s arguments and excuses.

‘Umph… At 7 pm at Kuznetsky Most metro station. If something changes, I’ll call you… But if you have something changed, I’ll not know about it… Oh, my god! Put down my work phone number.’

‘Don’t worry nothing’s gonna be changed. I’ll be waiting for you at Kuznetsky Most at 7. I know your work phone number.’

‘I love you…’ Victoria smiled.

There was silence in respond. As usual Kharon didn’t know what to say.

‘Fine,’ the girl grinned, ‘I’m not gonna torture you. Don’t make up what to say. I just love you.’

Victoria hanged up and looked at the window with the smile on her lips.

‘Victoria!’

The girl gave a shiver and turned around. Gregory was near her.

‘You’ve scared me.’ Vic lowered her eyes and got up.

‘Let’s go to my office. Take your laptop.’

Gregory ordered and went ahead. Vic walked behind him already hating next two hours…

Kharon fingered Victoria’s phone, looking through the photos. All her phone was full of his photos: he slept, his eyelashes, his eyes, he smiled, mysteriously looked at the window, wet after being in the rain, with tea at the kitchen. Mostly Kharon didn’t see Victoria take pictures of him. He was tired to scroll up volumes of his photos.

The display turned on with bright colours and Vasilisa’s picture appeared on it. The demon smiled and accepted the call.

‘Victoria’s phone.’

There was silence on the phone and quiet sighs of breathing of surprise.

‘Kharon?’ Vasilisa finally started speaking.

‘Good morning, Vasilisa.’

‘Hi… Is Vic there?’

‘She’s at work and has left her phone at home. What can I do for you?’ Kharon closed his eyes and the imagine of the girl came into his mind.

The wild lock or ponytail of chestnut hair, oversized sweatshirt, running down her shoulder, the strap of which was on her wrist; leggings cut up like shirts… Her eyes were filled with happiness and satisfaction.

‘Yes… I’m just gonna have a walk with her in the evening, we’ve not seen for a long time.’

‘Let’s have a walk.’

‘With you?’ she was surprised.

‘With me. Am I not too good for it?’ he said resentfully.

‘Why… not to good. Ok. Where are we to meet?’ Vasilisa was excited.

‘Do you live near 1905 metro station? Near Victoria?’

‘Yes, almost near. I live between 1905 and Barrikadnay metro stations.’

‘I see. I’ll be waiting for you near the Zoo entrance. Do you remember how I look like?’

‘Hell yes! How much time do you need to get there?’ Vasilisa was putting on her sock.

‘I’ll be there in a half of an hour.’

‘Ok, deal.’

The girl hanged up the phone and rushed to get ready. Kharon kept on looking his photos in Victoria’s phone. Finally, among those pile of his face and body he found the only one photo of Victoria. She was so… beautiful. She had eyes of olive colour and big black pupils. Her stare was senseless and studying. Despite of it was a picture there was life streaming in her eyes. Her hair was done in an evening hair style. Her mouth was pursed like if some a severe thing was about to come out of it. Kharon liked the picture definitely. He felt unclear emotions, looking through the photo. He just wanted to look at her brooding eyes, at her lips…

At the fixed time Kharon appeared at the Moscow Zoo entrance. Needless to say, that the girl was being late. He wasn’t confused with this. For two months he had been observing different relationships and he already knew if time was fixed at 3pm and it was 15 minutes past 3 it didn’t mean that the girl had forgotten and been going to come. She was just being late. It was a sign of privet convenances between women.

Kharon was standing near the off-the-job fountain when he suddenly understood Vasilisa was about to appear and he even knew from where. The girl came out of the corner and met the lone demon at once. The man took her in a rapid attentive glance and caught himself thinking that he was interested in her… certainly as in not a new friend.

‘You look amazing.’ He looked at her eyes, getting into her mind. Until now Vasilisa didn’t make him be surprised. The fact that he was handsome Kharon had already heard from her when they had met at the first time. He had also heard the question why not her but Victoria was lucky to have Kharon.

‘Hi.’ Vasilisa didn’t felt confused. ‘Thank you. Where shall we go?’

‘It’s just the same to me. I like walking everywhere. Your preferences?’

Kharon carefully trying not to provoke the girl, with light airy smile, took her hands and raised it to his lips.

‘Kharon…’ the girl astonishingly whispered, staring around and with ineffable joy watching the man.

‘Your hands are cold,’ he scorched her hands with his hot breath, trying to warm them up. ‘So pale and cold…’

She didn’t protest at all as her hands were really cold and the tender attempts to warm them up gave her some cares.

‘Let’s go down.’ Kharon kept on chaffing her hands. ‘Wait. Give me your hand.’

The man put on his mitten on her hand and smiled.

‘Put your hand into your pocket…in the mitten.’

‘Listen, I don’t know what to say. Words failed me.’ Vasilisa with a broad smile looked at the companion.

‘You can try to say what you’re really thinking but you can also lie.’

‘You’d not be able to know what I chose,’ Vasilisa looked at Kharon’s eyes.

‘Of course, I wouldn’t…’ The demon smiled, stroked his finger over her cheek. ‘I wouldn’t know.’

It was about 4 pm when Kharon caught the thought that the girl was hungry among the mess of pleasant thoughts about his person.

‘Shall we have a snack?’ the demon asked her.

‘I’ve just thought of it!’ Vasilisa exclaimed in admire.

The girl had warmed some time ago but kept on wearing the demon’s mittens, holding his hand. She was buttered up with the man’s gentlemanlike things. She grooved on listening his nice timber of his voice and the words he spoke. She liked looking at him. It was understandable. Kharon had created a unique body which was bound to grab. And Vasilisa was being grabbed stronger and stronger by that hellish hook. Kharon was bored and… interested a bit.

They were sitting at the semi-round sofa in a quiet corner under the second-floor balcony. There was nobody nearby.

Almost imperceptibly Kharon moved up closer to Vasilisa. They were chattering. The man was moving up closer and closer. The girl pretended not to be noticing anything and all that was going on was ok. That was as it should be.

Sometime later Kharon was reclining on the soft cosy leather sofa, holding Vasilisa’s hand tight. She was smiling. His fingers so beautiful, long and warm were between hers. They were giving and stroking the warmth. There was laughter and smile. Out of the corner of her eye Vasilisa was studying the man and slowly going out of her mind under the influence of the awakened lust. She insanely enjoyed his touches and stares. He sometimes looked at her in such a way that she wanted to feel his charming stare forever.

In a minute the demon of the lust heard a very clear dream about a kiss… Their lips locked in a passionate kiss and the only thing Vasilisa had time to understand was that she had never felt anything like this.

None of them thought of Victoria. The demon felt perfect. Actually, the kiss energy was insignificant but nutritious a bit. Kharon understood that he more liked kissing and making love with women in reality than in dreams. Women were so alive and energetic, so sensitive and had kindly hearts! He felt his own libido different and more powerful.

Vasilisa couldn’t think of anything in the arms of the seducer but of him. In comparison to Victoria she had many men but none of them were like Kharon. She just gave into her animal instinct and own immoral desire. She didn’t stop the cocky man. She didn’t want to stop him. Moreover, she wanted more and the only one thing she yearned for while his arms were embracing her waist under the jacket was the fact that they weren’t in bed. She’d have never rejected him.

‘I can hardly control myself not to tear these stupid clothes to tatters and not to…’ Kharon came back with the kisses again.

He was still looking at bright and audacious pictures streaming in Vasilisa’s mind. He liked those pictures and their rampageous content. But he was realistic about what was going on: not people and the atmosphere prevented him from tearing the clothes in tatters but price and pay. Vasilisa wasn’t special but was like any woman whom Kharon could indulge. He usually took lives for his services! Sooner or later he had to stop himself.

When Kharon finally did away with his passion, having let his lips rest, Vasilisa saw Victoria’s face before her eyes.

‘Kharon,’ she whispered in scare.

‘Hmm,’ he mumbled in respond, moving the girl closer to him.

‘What’re we doing?’

‘We’re doing what we both want to.’

‘What about Victoria? You love each other and you let yourself behave like this?’

The demon was slightly surprised by an unexpected pretension, but he didn’t remove his smile.

‘You, my sweet crumpet…’ he said in a low voice touching her face, ‘I just wanted to do what I did. Even more I’m sure, don’t even have an argument now, that you, even more than me, wanted me to do what I did.’

‘True!’ Vasilisa smiled, having laid her head on his shoulder.

‘I know. And I know something else, if we’d been in a quieter place, we’d have never stopped, would we?’

‘I wouldn’t… You’re not like others but I think of Victoria… She’s my friend and what we did is called betrayal. We mustn’t say her about it. Are you listening to me?’

‘Why?’ Kharon got surprised.

Vasilisa stared at the man intently with eyes almost starting out of her head. There were no limits for her surprise.

‘Are you out of your mind?’ she hissed angrily.

‘No, I’m fine. I just don’t understand what so special we’ve done? We just kissed and it’s ok for men and women. Women actually are created to be kissed.’

‘Do you live on the Earth?’ the girl asked and smiled. ‘You’ll break her heart. She’ll hate you! We’re doing bad things for her. Do you understand? Lordy, why am I speaking it to you? You’re not a child, you have to understand!’

‘I see.’

In fact, Kharon understood nothing but feeling indignation from the girl and that’s why he decided to agree with her.

‘Can I ask you and you’ll be honest with me?’ the man took her hand again.

‘Listen, you’re really strange guy,’ Vasilisa looked at his eyes. ‘You’re very handsome and strange. We’ve been kissing with about two hours and you’ve been touching my body, whispering beautiful words in my ear, I thought I’m in love with you… Now you’re asking if you can ask me something?’

‘Yes.’ Kharon answered considering. ‘I think I am. Is it bad also? Am I not supposed to behave like this?’

‘What’s your question?’ Vasilisa ignored the man’s question, having accepted it like a jerk.

‘If we turned out to be together maybe in a café or not in public, would you say me no?’

‘No. Having known what you’re capable of and you’re supposed to be capable of more, I would never reject you… I wouldn’t be able to. My conscience will eat me away. It’s doing now. I don’t even know how I will look at Vic’s eyes when we meet. I really don’t know. But I want today to happen again. I shall burn in hell for it, but I want…’

‘In hell? Burn?’ the demon grinned. ‘It’s not as bad in hell as you think and not all burn there.’

‘I’m not gonna inquire where you got this information and I do get you’re a weird dude but it’s to your advantage. Victoria mustn’t know about kisses and that we met at all. Kharon, can you hear me? She mustn’t! This is betrayal and adultery. Give me her phone, by the way.’

‘Why?’

‘I’ll delete my call not to let a suspicion creeped into her mind.’

The demon handed her the phone and got immersed into his thoughts. Betrayal and adultery. Strange people. Why did they need to complicate everything? The problem was that the demon mixed the definitions of feelings. He knew a bit of friendship and less of betrayal and nothing of adultery. He wanted to know more but any question about those topics would inevitably confuse Victoria. Kharon was really fed up with that people considered him to be strange.

Having chattered and embraced so-called friend came out of the café.

Vitoria had been in Gregory’s office the whole day. They were closing the project and the man gave the girl no mercy.

By 4 pm she had been almost dead and just stopped getting her mind right to understand what Gregory wanted from her. Fortunately, Gregory, finally, said that he approved the draft and it could be sent to be printed. Victoria sighed with relief.

‘Thank you, Vic, good job. You’ll be rewarded this month.’

‘Thank you.’ The girl answered tiredly, paying off the wires.

Gregory smiled. He looked the girl fought with the wire, trying to unscrew the wire from her laptop.

‘Let me help,’ Gregory rose up and with a subtle movement of the hand unscrewed the wire. ‘You look tired. Have I wearied you?’

‘No…although,’ the girl smiled. ‘You’ve your hands in it.’

‘I’ll wash away my guilt. Bring your laptop at your place and I’ll be waiting for you on the first floor. Take your coat. We’re gonna visit a very good place to have lunch and relax after.’

‘But it’s only 4. I gotta be at work.’

‘No, not today. Since yesterday I’m your line manager. You have no manager but me. Even more, you’ll place in your own office near mine.’

‘Hum…’ Victoria was confused. ‘Why did I get privilege?’

‘Do you think you don’t deserve?’

‘No, I do…’ the girl turned red to her hair. ‘You’re cornering me. Ok, I’ll take my coat.’

‘I’m waiting in the lobby on the first ground.’

Vic took a sigh, gave a quick smile and went, almost ran out of his office as she didn’t want to be asked something new.

She picked up her bag at her work place seeing nobody. Her colleagues envied and were angry with her. They didn’t understand for what services the country manager was so favourable to her. Victoria was reserved trying not to speak about anything with anyone. She didn’t impose her friendship. Especially she didn’t try to be close to Gregory.

While she was coming down, she called on her phone that she had left at home.

‘What’s up? I miss you…’ Victoria stood near the lifts with the smile on her face.

‘Hi, dear. I’m walking.’

‘Where? In the centre as usual?’

‘Yes. Has anything changed with your plans?’

‘No. At 7 as we agreed. Just calling to know how you’re getting on and to say that I wanna see you so much.’

‘In two hours and a half I’ll be waiting for you in the middle of the station.’ Kharon smiled too, squeezing Vasilisa’s hand.

‘Ok, I love you.’ Victoria hanged up the phone and entered the lift.

Gregory was waiting for her on the first ground near the entrance door. Vic glanced at him and took a sigh again. That solid man in the coat, patent-leather shoes, in ironed trousers wasn’t the one whom she wanted to see. But she had no right of choice till 6 pm.

Gregory opened the car door, waited for the girl to get into the car, who didn’t used to cars and sat to drive.

‘You should belt up. We’re not gonna drive far but nevertheless… By 6.30 I have to get back to the office.’

‘No problem’ Victoria started belting up and no problem turned into a problem.

Gregory smiled, having bended to the girl, took the belt and pulled it to him. Victoria clung fast to the chair. Her nose caught the scent of bourgeoisie and shaving cream. The man glanced at the feeling constrained girl and smiled.

‘You’re very nervous,’ he said in a low voice, ‘Relax, I don’t bite.’

Victoria was looking at his green eyes intently studied hers, still hanging over her although the she had been already belted up and the man could have moved away.

‘Your eyes colour is madly beautiful,’ Gregory said in a lower voice, slowly bending down to her lips.

‘I’m so sorry, my phone’s calling!’ Vic waved her hands hardly didn’t punch the man in the face.

The girl pressed the phone to her ear and started speaking with the emptiness. She clearly understood that probably she looked very stupid, but she didn’t want to kiss with her newly-made boss. Besides she didn’t like him and at that exact moment she had an aversion for him. The closer he moved to her, the more tears she had in her eyes. If he had managed to kiss her Vic wouldn’t have been able to hold her tears.

All the short way while they were driving Victoria was speaking with an invisible man not to let Gregory speak with her. Out of the eye corner she followed him, his reaction and prayed for that nobody would call her indeed.

Hardly had the car stopped Victoria said good-bye to her switched off phone and jumped out of the car like a bat out of the hell. She wanted most of all that terrible lunch to be over soon. She wished she had been a demon to control and distort time. In addition, the always followed for its son ghost of the woman started pretty annoying the girl. But she was glad that the spirit didn’t want Gregory to touch Vic.

They were sitting face to face and waiting for the waiter to bring their meals. If Gregory was under fire pseudo moaning that he was hungry as a hunter, Victoria wasn’t hungry at all. She had a lump in the throat.

‘Victoria, I invited you here to have a rest a bit and communicate about something else not about work… and here should be no subordination. Agree?’

The girl nodded and smiled a bit, sadly looking at her companion.

‘You’re not yourself today. What’s wrong with you?’

‘What are you speaking about?’

‘About frustration in your eyes. Why?’

‘I don’t know. It’s Friday, the end of the working week. I’m really tired. Haven’t you been tired at all for this week?’

‘I’ve been living in non-stop rhythm not for one day and even not for the first year. You know, our body is a machine, a computer. It will work as you program it. This week has no difference from previous ones. May I?’

The man sat at the side chair that was closer to Victoria. She was just thinking why Gregory’s “may I” didn’t sound like a question but an imperative affirmation. Trying to make no sign Vic started being nervous again. Gregory took her hand and started intently looking over her fingers.

‘Your hands create so wonderful masterpieces…’

‘There’re no masterpieces.’

‘Your self-esteem is very low. Who imposed it on you?’

The girl felt giddy and she didn’t know what it meant. While her boss was speaking Vic was seeing through a mist him burying his mother. He was alone at the cemetery. There were no relatives nor friends. Nobody. The weather was warm. It was a daytime. The sun was shining. Two workers were burying the coffin with the ground very fast. Gregory frowned. There were tears in his eyes. There was only one thought in his mind: “she hasn’t come”. He looked at the pit and didn’t want to think of anything. Victoria felt pity for him! She could feel all his grief and how deep he got over his loss. For a moment she felt his life be lost. How was he supposed to live further? He had a feeling of guilt. The deepest guilt. But even money didn’t have a possibility to get life back if it was really about to leave. His heart ached. And the last blade with the ground was thrown on the hill. Then the realizing that this was the end came. You could get back nothing. That was over.

Victoria came back to reality as soon as Gregory took his hands away from hers.

‘Oh my God…’ she whispered, brushing away tears from her cheek, trying to forget what she had seen.

‘Victoria? Are you crying?’ Gregory bended down to her and touched her hand again. ‘Have I insulted you?’

The girl shook her head and asked God not to show her anything from lives of the dead people. She didn’t want to know the pain they had got over. She didn’t want to feel it together with them again and again. She was fed up with the ghost and spirits that endlessly came to her to show their experiences. She didn’t want to see them all. The tears choked her not because she saw Gregory at the cemetery but because she was tired to see it in general. The girl had stopped asking why she could see them. She was preoccupied with another one: “what should she do not to see them at all?”

‘Speak to me, Vic. What’s going on?’

‘I’ve got something in my eye… It hurts… too much.’

‘Let me see!’ without a second the man grabbed the girl and started examining her eyes, carefully looking for a sore. He wiped her tears away, stroked her cheek and kindly stared at her and for a while Victoria felt better.

‘Is it better?’

Vic nodded her head, intently gazing into his eyes.

‘I’m glad.’ He smiled and let the girl. ‘Tell me about yourself, Victoria.’

‘What exactly do you want to know?’

‘What do you like? What don’t you like? What do you expect from your life? What about your family… everything in shorts. I’m interested in everything about you.’

‘You are first.’

‘What does it mean?’

‘It means you answer your questions first.’

‘Are you really interested, or you want to get off?’ Gregory smirked, having had a sip of a tart juice.

‘I’m interested. It’s true.’ Vic smiled.

‘Ok, I’ll give you a head start. I was born in 1979, on the 8^th of August. I have a single-parent family… I had. My father left me when we were 2.’

‘We?’

‘I have a sister… I had a sister — Polina. We quarrelled and I decided that she doesn’t exist for me. I’ve heard nothing of her for ten years already. I finished school, graduated Economical Department in MHU with honours. When I was 23, I came to our company as a financial specialist. I’ve been making my career for ten years and as a result I’m a country manager. That’s my story in shorts.’

‘What about your mum?’

‘She died ten years ago.’

‘I’m sorry.’

‘It’s ok, it was a long ago. I keep good memories of her. When my sister quarrelled with her, the thrombus tore off and you know what could happen next. Polina still thinks that she was right. She didn’t consider coming to our mum’s funeral. I’m sorry for telling all of that, it’s really boring.’

‘No, it’s not. We’re having hear-to-heart conversation, remember?’ the girl smiled.

‘Yes, you’re right. What’s your story?’

‘My? I have almost the same. My dad left us. But we see each other very rarely. My mum’s alive and kicking, fortunately. We live a cat-and-dog life. She’s impossible.’ Victoria shook her head. ‘I’m telling she’s impossible. I sometimes understand why my dad left. He couldn’t live with her. To get over her contrary disposition is impossible. That’s why he left.’

‘And you left too?’ Gregory regarded her in all seriousness.

‘Yes, I did…’

‘Did you leave her?’

‘No! Oh, dear, no! I left her because I couldn’t stay with her at one territory. It’s very complicated. You will never understand it. Your mum always stroked your head and fussed over you while mine was always looking for imperfections in me.’

‘How do you know that my mum was as exactly the same as you told?’ Gregory smiled mysteriously and squinted. At that moment Victoria understood that she had shot off her mouth. Suddenly she became worrying and felt like a cat on hot bricks.

‘I… Just…. It seems like that.’

‘You’re right! All my life my mum got easy on me. You know how deep it was madding! But she was my mum and I couldn’t afford to be rude and insult her.’

Victoria couldn’t help smiling when she got that Gregory wasn’t a stickler for detail out of the office as she had thought before. It was pleasure and interesting to speak with him.

‘What do you mean by imperfections?’ he asked her.

‘Well… it’s a long story. You know it’s generation gap which can never be solved.’

‘Your mum pushed her weight around and you resisted?’

‘Something like that. It’s like a tug-of-war game.’

‘Where do you live, Victoria? I mean where did you go from your mum?’

‘I live with my man,’ the girl went off with relief, being happy in the depth that her answer would stop any half-formed intentions from him.

Gregory could not think of any reply to what he heard. Having heard about the man he unnoticeably smirked a little bit sadly lowered his look at the plates. Suddenly Victoria understood that the silence problem wasn’t because Gregory had nothing to say but because he was choosing what to say.

‘So, do you manage it? I mean… you work recently…’

Having frowned Vic was listening to her boss without understanding what was happening to him: always self-confident, handsome and having a respectful tone man suddenly looked like a confused school leaver.

‘What’s the matter?’ the girl said.

‘I’m sorry… A sudden headache. Oh, shit, I gotta go… I’ve got a meeting. Victoria, I gotta go. May I drive you?’

‘Thank you but it’ll be faster by the metro and I don’t want make you wait. Don’t worry, Mr. Dogmanov, and you should go, ok? You shouldn’t be late.’

‘Victoria,’ the man rose up, ‘I’ve been glad you had lunch with me. I hope we have lunch again.’

‘As you wish. It’s been really interesting to be with you today.’

‘Just today?’ he winked at her.

‘You made me free from work and yes, it’s been very interesting.’

Gregory came up to her and kindness and warmth were streaming from him that made the girl feel uncomfortable.

‘See you on Monday, Victoria. I’ve paid the bill.’

Her boss went to the exit putting on his coat. Victoria watched him leaving with mysteriously squinty eyes. Hardly had she immersed into after-lunch-thoughts as she remembered to go to Kharon.

With the smile on her lips she ran to Kuznetskiy Most metro station, looking forward to meeting.

Vic left the train and immediately, streamline with the mad crowd, headed to the centre of the station, raving about seeing the demon. She smiled wildly. Nobody was waiting for her.

Victoria convulsively looked around: there was nobody. From one hand someone pushed her, from another — she was called. The step in right and she stepped on a foot, a step in left and someone winged her with a big bag. And the gentle, warm hands covered her eyes and a perfect feeling of defence appeared behind. Nobody more could neither punch nor step on, there was only peacefulness and cosiness. There was like a glass cylinder around her like incubator, constantly protected her from external influence and impact of the environment. It was something unnatural and scaring but so close and romantic.

‘My love…’ Vic said quiet, touching his hands.

She would recognize his warmth and touches out of millions of others.

‘I wanted to surprise you.’ He answered, embracing her with his arm and still covering her eyes with the second hand. ‘You’re so penetrating. I wish you didn’t pretend to have any idea who was standing behind you.’

‘I clearly know that it’s you and no one else. I don’t want anyone else but only you.’

While Kharon was hiding all around with his hand he perfectly could feel her thoughts running through his nerve impulses, eating in his mind and his joy and complacence awaking because of the thoughts content. He almost got used to the girl’s feelings and to the fact that he was like a god for her. With each passing second, he liked it more and more.

He turned the girl to his face and kissed her lips, silently whispering about love. More captivating he liked the taste of kissing that woman.

‘People are looking at us.’ Victoria drew a little away from the squeaky man. ‘It’s not good. You do know it.’

‘I do. But I can do nothing to control myself. I can hear you what you’re thinking. I can see what your lips and body desire for. Do you really think they care about people? This is your head to care about people, but they… your lips… your fingers… your arms and the warmth between your legs none of that know what people mean. They don’t care and I agree with them…’

The demon began kissing her again with fresh fire and wild passion, embracing because of which the ground and the sky got mixed up under her feet into a hydrogenous gruel of unknown consistence. Victoria was pressed against the column. She was slowly losing her mind and morality.

‘Kharon,’ she shushed him fighting against not only him but herself and her desires.

‘I see. I see, dear. At first it was romanticism in your way, now it’s people. Do you always have anything in your way? I know that when people are ok, there’s gonna be something else in your way, isn’t it, dear?’

Kharon looked up at her gravely absolutely with no understanding why people were arranged as they were that if they had nothing in their ways to do what they want then they created some sticking points in their ways. Was it funnier? More interesting?

‘It’s not the problem…’

‘No, it is, and you know it.’ The demon interrupted her. ‘I won’t touch anymore when we’re not at home, will I? Do I understand you right?’

‘No,’ Victoria shook her head anxiously, grabbing his hand.

The demon smiled not hiding the slight mockery in his eyes.

‘No, no, no,’ the girl pressed his hand to his cheek, ‘you can’t deprive me of your arms and touches.’

‘Look, you are the person who deprives you of it by speaking about people who don’t care about our kisses. They just pass by, look at us like an attribute of the station, a piece of exposition. Do you really think these people care about you? Do they think of you? You must be kidding. Just have what you want… I’m speaking not only about hands.’

Kharon carefully not to draw attention, kissed the girl again. This time the kiss was fast, usual and bleak, deprived of passion.

She followed him, held his hand, getting through the crowd, headed to the exit.

Then they were on the moving stair. She liked so much the moments of idyll when she could enjoy them fully.

‘Why are we at Kuznetsky Most?’ Kharon asked, stroking her gentle wrist.

‘I don’t know why, I just wanted to go to a bookshop. Would you mind?’ Victoria looked at him with so much enthusiasm with kindness in the eyes and hope in her voice. She was waiting for him to answer.

‘Hum… A big book. It’s about art. Of course, what else about it could be.’

‘You’ve seen it, haven’t you?’

‘Entirely by accident.’

‘So, what do you think?’

‘How can I say no to you?’

Victoria stopped trying not to smile. The man walking near her, left her no choice. She liked all about him. He had no imperfections. No disadvantages. He was ideal.

‘For a long time that man was trying to get rid of the desire to kiss your lovely lips… Would you let him do it?’

‘No.’

‘Why?’

‘I don’t love him.’

‘To love is an obligatory for kissing?’

‘Of course! How can you kiss a person whom you don’t love? I can’t even imagine someone’s mouth touching mine! Ugh! I have you to kiss.’

‘So, you mean when people date, they don’t kiss with others?’ Kharon asked, having finally understood why Vasilisa had been constantly telling about their joint bad moves.

The demon started understanding that people preferred monogamy. At least in the beginning and in reality they did. Victoria stopped and turned to pensive Kharon and looked at his eyes.

‘Is there a definition of adultery in hell?’

‘No.’

‘No?’

‘No. What does it mean for you, people?’ he kept on walking, being thoughtful about his moves.

‘If you discover any adultery it means the end. If you don’t then it means nothing. As a rule, the end means breaking up. It’s painful for both. Someone can forgive. More precisely someone is able to say that they forgive but the thing that a beloved person did is gonna be with that couple for entire life.’

‘Would you forgive?’ the demon silly asked.

‘I’d kill.’ Victoria answered with all her seriousness. ‘I’d kill her. I wouldn’t be able to kill you but her…’

‘You’re too cruel!’ Kharon opened the door of the bookshop.

‘Thank you.’ Vic gave a seductive smile to the powerful demon and jumped into the shop under his hand, holding the door open.

‘Any adultery is always a betrayal. Betrayal is miserable and loathsome, and it hurts. All human creatures are too much twisted between each other and it goes that a thing can’t be without another one. If you don’t know what love is, you will never know what adultery is.’

Kharon was behind the girl, with the emptiness in his eyes he watched her looking through the books of the same type, seeking for the needed one. He realized that he had made a great mistake in the very beginning when his unhuman mind had had opinion of people. He hadn’t taken the people could be able to feel into account. He didn’t understand most of all what to do, how to pretend that he was able to feel also.

‘Ok, let’s go.’ Vic said sadly but fast, having put the book back at the shelf.

‘Aren’t you going to buy it?’ The demon was surprised, taking back the book. ‘You’ve been dreaming about it for a month already. What’s the matter?’

Victoria looked around. He knew already that feeling.

‘Confusion? Yes, it’s confusion. Why, dear?’

‘No, no, it’s ok. There’s no confusion…’

‘It’s a lie.’ The demon stopped smiling.

Victoria knew what it meant. In a second she turned to be in his arms and his hand carefully stroked her head. From an outsiders’ viewpoint they looked like lovers giving to each other a little of unobtrusive tenderness. But Victoria perfectly knew that the demon like a black widow was lying the threads between his hand and the human mind. In a second the spider threads turned into the most powerful wires which Kharon freakily needed when he stopped understanding the girl’s speech.

In her mind Vic pleaded the man to stop and not to get into her mind. She couldn’t stop him in reality as Kharon was too sweaty fumbling in her mind.

‘The book… is a dream,’ the demon whispered, having closed the eyes. ‘Number. Big number. The number again. The 5^th of November. What’s gonna be on the 5^th of Number? Vic? Come on, dear, think about it, I must understand what’s going on… The 5^th of November… The 5^th. Here it is — your payment day. The number is 5996 roubles…. The number is on the book. This is the cost.’

The demon opened his eyes and looked at her face definitely. She was excited. Her eyes were lowered, she had rose cheeks of childhood.

‘This book is too expensive and you’re not ready to spend that kind of money but you’re waiting for your payment and you’re gonna come here again. Have I collected right your incoherent ideas?’ he asked giving the book to the girl.

She couldn’t look at his eyes. She was ashamed. She was greatly ashamed because being well-paid she all the same couldn’t spend easily almost 6000 roubles.

‘Have I understood you right, dear?’ the demon repeated his question again, gently touching her chin, trying to catch her ashamed eyes.

She silently nodded and her eyes were dim with tears. She didn’t want Kharon to see her crying again.

‘Can I buy it for you?’ he asked, without letting the girl turn away.

He was important to look at her eyes to understand how her emotions were shown. He needed her real emotions. The demon recognized, however, rather rapidly that without reading minds he could just look at the eyes and get all the necessary information out of there.

‘No, Kharon, it’s too expensive. As all the other art books. I’ll get paid and…’

‘I’ve put it in a wrong way,’ the man interrupted her, taking back the massive book, ‘I’ll buy it. No objections can be accepted.’

He turned away and went to the checkout lane. Victoria was open-mouthed staying near the bookshelves, understanding nothing how that could happen.

‘I can hear your pulse accelerating,’ Kharon said in a low voice with the smile on his lips when Victoria came up to him in the queue.

‘Kharon…’

‘I know the reason. You’re waiting for this book! You’re glad! These are emotions of happiness and joy. I’ve rather well known these because they are the brightest, strongest and purest you can ever have.’

‘Thank you!’ Vic put her head on his shoulder, hiding her the most pleased smile.

‘What for? We’re still in the queue.’

‘For what’s gonna happen in two minutes.’

As the book was bought Vic was happy. She had tried to buy it when she was a student, she graduated and even when she got a job. She madly wanted it but every time something prevented her from buying.

They were walking down the street from Kuznetsky most metro station. Kharon was carrying the massive book packed for all of life’s emergencies. Victoria’s arm linked in his and she didn’t even try to hide her happiness and smiling like a brewer’s horse. What could go wrong but she suddenly felt woozy. A waltz. A villainous loathful waltz. There were no things static before. The building started floating down like escaped from surrealistical pictures. Concrete, brick and iron objects turned into a ductile elastic band who knows who starched it. In a flash the sky and the earth switched places. Vic sorted out the darkened cumulus and the stars awaking in the distance. The earth sprinkled with the pellets of dirty from above, the asphalt threw back lumps in people. Upside down the raced giving its light to all around, blinding the eyes. The eyes what they did! Cars like sturdy immortal bacteria divided like cells. Vic saw right before her eyes the world gathered its double-ganger and they both were so disgusting! They were too damned painful look! It was possible. With its diploid abnormality it drove the girl crazy. Her eyes couldn’t focus on. They didn’t belong to her. Everything was at sixes and seven!

Victoria couldn’t take a step forward. She just didn’t understand what was going on, where the asphalt was, where to put step. She was like an astronaut tirelessly worked on the ISS, having completely forgotten what gravity and Newtonian constant of gravitation were. There was no coordination. It absented. There was confusion and surging up fear.

The girl tried to say something, to ask the standing near demon in catatonic way for help. He only heard her like as a lonely cow in the field of thistles weakly bellowing.

Her heart was beating faster and faster. It was getting scarier and scarier. The half of the body was getting heavier as if came off and flew into the abyss. No, it didn’t hurt. It scared. The body was getting covered with a layer of something soft and disgusting, something that made you remember the true belonging of the body and didn’t allow to feel more and more.

The face. It wasn’t a face it was a mask. A cold, rubbery mask made of her own skin…muscles. Repulsive. And it scared again. Victoria fell and Kharon hardly had time to catch the girl not to let her fall. He held her, the book and got through everything inside that Victoria felt.

‘What’s it, dear?’ coming aside from people, Kharon tried to find out what was going on.

The girl mumbled something unclear and incomprehensible in return. Suddenly a smell of illness clogged his nostrils. Why? Why did that young girl, who absolutely had been healthy until now, had an illness? If it had a smell it meant something serious not just ARVI…

‘I feel ache in my heart… Pain and fear. What am I supposed to do? Vic!’ Kharon called the girl. ‘Don’t close your eyes, can you hear me? It’s too dangerous! Don’t close your eyes!’

People turned, stared, were curious, someone disapproved, others had pity and wanted to help but hesitated, some just looked away.

Kharon fell on the nearest bench, holding the sick girl. The book fell near on the dirty and trampled road. Victoria couldn’t say a single word, the man was sitting near, understood nothing and what he had to do. But he clearly understood that it shouldn’t have been what was going on to Victoria. That wasn’t neither her illness nor her disease.

Her head was lying on his knees. Her eyes were closed. No moves. The breathing was quiet. The inner pain kept on its attacking. The man was stroking over her cheek, looking at her face, at her red hair awry over his knees. Her quiet but heavy sighs sounded like moans of a drug addict who was getting through terrible withdrawals. He didn’t know what to do that he could call an ambulance, to find a doctor. He didn’t know. He was just sitting and trying to calm down and taking pity on the girl.

More than an hour had passed. Then Victoria went silent. The moans suddenly ceased. The attempts to move were gone. Silence. The sepulchral silence. Something gave a shiver in the chest of the demon, it pricked in his heart more likely. It was unpleasantly and unexpectedly. The thing that had pricked him in the heart made the man bended over her face to understand if actually she breathed and her heart beat.

Hardly had he bended over her as Vic opened her eyes. Her eyes were wide-opened. She had a scared and understanding nothing stare. She didn’t still move. The demon looked at her eyes, but Victoria seemed not to see him. She just gazed at the sky covered with the black veil.

‘Hey, dear?’ Kharon called her quiet.

The silence was the answer. Victoria didn’t hear his voice. She could hear nothing at all. She just gazed at the sky. There was the same silence but more ominous. These eyes of olive colour scared him more than when they had been closed. Then she started speaking. It was as sudden as she seemed to have been numb and speechless before.

‘It’s been a sort of horror…’ she whispered getting up from the knees of the demon who understood nothing.

He was confused. Kharon had clearly felt the smell of some incurable malady. That was Victoria who smelled of it and no one else. He had heard her heart lose the beat, running down, by whisper counting the last beats and speeding up with scream “I won’t give up”. He had heard her breath come faster but weak and hopeless. But now the absolutely healthy girl, active and strong, was sitting near him. No malady threatened her now.

‘What’s going on? What’s it with me, Kharon?’ she asked the man, carefully studying his face.

‘You won’t believe, dear, but I was about to ask you the same question.’

The girl turned away and stared at the puddle, at the dirty reflection of the evening clear sky. She was thinking. She did it so aloud that the demon could hear her for several minutes and that’s why he didn’t stop her, hopping that Victoria would be describing in her mind what an attack had happened to her. Maybe she had some malady which nobody knew of… But it couldn’t be like that. The demon started to bring himself over. He was able to expose any disease faster than any doctor with the best instruments in the world.

‘I’m freaky fed up with all this bullshit!’ Vic exclaimed, raising up from the bench. ‘Let’s go to a pub?’

‘Couples of questions.’ Kharon slowly got up as if he was afraid of something and came up to the girl. ‘What is it you’re fed up with? What a pub? Do you think you’re alright?’

‘Kharon,’ Vic smiled, ‘I’m sure it’s doing of damned spirits! They periodically show me their experiences making me experience it with them again… Oh, my God, I’m speaking about it to you… Now you’re gonna think that I’m crazy. Well what can I do then? Sooner or later you’d know about it.’

Victoria got carried away. She didn’t want to tell the demon about her still existed visions, but her tongue didn’t obey her. It wanted to tell everything. It’d been tried to hide and be silent! It wanted to cry out about all those horrors which had happened to the girl.

‘It’s ok. You see I’m of good cheer and feel well. It was just another spirit… The problem is that I’m fed up with them. Terribly fed up! Maybe do you know any medicine for them? What can I do that they stop coming to me? I can’t bear to see them all, their empty eyes and mouths with moving lips. I’m fed up with feeling their emotions, crying with them, getting rid of the lost feeling, looking at their life memories which I don’t know nothing about! I’m not into it! I don’t want to!’

The girl sank back on the bench and started crying, having put her face into her hands. The demon said nothing pretending to be sad, looking at the building in front of him.

‘What about a pub?’ Vic continued, sobbing. ‘there’s a pub not far from here. It’ll help me to distract myself and forget my problems. I just wanna drink! Do you drink? About if I’m ok — actually, I’m not sure. That’s why I need to get to a pub.’

‘Do I drink?’ Kharon distracted, having looked at the sky. ‘What am I supposed to drink? Coffee? I like coffee.’

‘No, my love,’ Victoria jumped up from the bench. ‘I’m speaking about alcohol!’

‘Alcohol?’ the man asked looking at the puzzled face of the girl. ‘Ok then. Let’s go to a pub. What does pub mean?’

‘This is the place which has no difference with a café. Have you never been in pubs? Are you kidding?’

‘Maybe I have. I rarely look at the titles.’

‘Well, what about bars? Clubs?’

‘I’ve been in a bar.’

‘Perfect. So, there’s nothing new about pubs for you then. Let’s go!’ Victoria took his hand and went ahead.

Kharon followed her. He had still a slight misunderstanding. It could happen to demons that managed to get involved with witches. Ten minutes before the girl, confidently and cheerfully marched before him, pulling him along strongly, had been lying on the bench and Kharon could bet that he had heard her heart stop beating. Now she was rushing forward like a locomotive with unbelievable traction. She looked like she hadn’t had any disease attack and it had just seemed to the demon to have happened.

The faded light was in a crowded place enveloped with unobtrusive music. They hardly managed to find a free table. Fortunately, the reservation was cancelled at the same second when Kharon asked about free tables.

The man looked around and yes, definitely he had been in such kind of places. What the hell difference was how to name it pubs or bars if people did the same things there especially on Fridays and weekends.

Kharon noticed people in Moscow liked having relax on Friday evenings. People got kinder, more smiled, more friendly for a while. Some fights happened at nights and some of them the demon had watched, having fun or being bored.

Despite the traditional vivacity over Moscow Kharon liked being in public places. He had always been into publicity. He was glad that Victoria changed her rules and principles to spend cosy Friday at home, saying that she needed no one and nothing else.

‘What’s your choice?’ Vic asked.

‘I don’t know. There are so many titles which I wanna try. Here is this one — “Bloody Mary”. Why’s she bloody? Why is it Mary? Who’s she?’

‘Are you ready to order?’ a waitress appeared near the table with an old worksheet and tiredness on her face.

‘Bloody Mary,’ Vic smiled at the demon, ‘Pina colada, fried potatoes and chicken barbeque. You aren’t hungry, are you?’

Kharon shook his head. He wasn’t really hungry as he had a perfect lunch with Vasilisa. The demon, who saw Victoria have not less perfect lunch with her boss, was amazed with her appetite especially because the girl hadn’t been noticed to be voracious before.

‘Your Bloody Mary’ the waitress appeared again with a small tray. ‘Pina colada is for you. The hot dishes are later, ok?’

‘Sure, thank you, Anne.’ Kharon intently looked at the reddish drink before his nose and through it at Victoria’s distorted face.

The girl greedily got the plastic tube, swallowing the cold drink, rich with coconut taste. But her eyes fixed at the waitress with a foxy gaze Vic was looking for the name tag all over her clothes but there was no the one. She shifted her gaze at Kharon. The corners of his mouth dimpled in the beginnings of a smile and he answered her with a genial look. Then he felt inside a feeling that people usually had for their other halves.

‘Why?’ he asked, twisted the glass.

‘Drink.’ Her commanding tone confused the demon a bit, but he decided not to play this game.

Kharon pulled a long face and Vic worried a little because of it. The mood was sharply changing to dark and some external factors became a reason for it. At that moment Vic understood that she was the reason of her beloved man’s mood was changing.

Kharon lifted up the glass and emptied it at one gulp with no wince. He continued looking cloudy at the girl.

‘Why?’ he repeated his question.

‘I don’t understand what you’re speaking about.’ Victoria cast down her eyes and touched his hand. ‘You always ask something in a mysterious way…’

‘Why are you jealous?’

‘I’m not.’

‘And now you’re lying…’ Kharon smiled ironically and at once, right out of the blue, grabbed the girl passing by. ‘Anne, may I ask you to bring two more Bloody Mary?’

He held her hand, his beautiful eyes heavily burned into her. The waitress, mouth agape, looked at the hypnotizer’s eyes. With her right hand she pottered around her apron pocket looking for the worksheet and the pen.

‘Sure… Anything else?’ she asked quiet hardly audibly because of loud music.

‘That’s all now.’ The demon burned her with his eyes, reading her mind which was separated to be for and against that was happening.

The man let her hand and started studying Victoria. Anger was rising inside her and that was visible with the naked eye.

‘You’re not jealous now, are you?’ he asked spitefully. ‘Come on, dear, lie to me again and I’ll demonstrate your lie for you.’

Vic turned away. The damn waitress. Vic was annoyed with the rival’s presence and her own inabilities to control her feelings. Anne came back in 5 minutes with two cocktails. She instinctively gave the man a smiling look. That lasted for a second and probably dragged by the head and ear, but it was, and Vic saw it clearly.

Anne put the cocktails in front of the demon, took away the empty glass from Victoria and went to get the second Pina Colada.

‘Hope you blind now!’ Vic said in rage after the walking away girl.

The demon screwed up his eyes after he had heard the terrible wish and, in several minutes, a sharp scream was heard. Anne, the same waitress ran out of the kitchen, holding her hands over her face howling. All people gazed at her being in shock with no understanding what was going on. The girl kept on howling and a kitchen boy was running around her, saying sorry and justifying himself that he hadn’t seen her come up to him. The pan full of boiling oil occasioned to fall right on her face…

‘My eyes!’ the poor girl was crying.

Victoria’s heart sank as she understood the horror of happening. Kharon was serious and studying Victoria and her reaction. Her hatred vanished into thin air. But there was pity and hatred for herself. A contempt for herself.

‘It can’t be…’ Kharon heard Vic’s whisper through the deafening Anne’s screams.

Kharon was silent. He had nothing to say. He knew the secret which he had been told to keep silence of. Besides he had just seen for himself the witch work

‘Kharon, please, tell me that it’s not true,’ Vic sobbed again, dried her mouth with the back of her hand.

‘What exactly?’ the demon had nothing to do but to act innocent.

‘That wasn’t me? That’s not my telling?’ Vic looked for his support.

‘What are you speaking about, love?’

‘About the thing I’ve told her… and now she’s waiting for ambulance with scalds over her face…’

‘Ah,’ Kharon glanced at the bar where Anne and her colleagues had just been. ‘No, I don’t think so. It’s coincidence. Just it is. But anyway, you have to be careful with what you say.’

Victoria’s eyes, still filled with tears, fixed at the demon. She felt confoundedly bad and ashamed. The feeling of guilt had a personal beef against the already bedevilled flesh.

‘Actually, all people must think before they speak. You don’t want still to understand that some of your wishes can come true. Be afraid of your wishes.’

He smiled mysteriously, having flung an ominous glance at the girl. Somewhere inside of the depth of her body and soul she realized what Kharon was speaking about but neither her mind nor her heart was doing to accept the harsh truth which she didn’t want to believe in.

‘Why did you say it to her?’ Kharon put the third empty glass.

‘I don’t know.’ Vic drooped head on breast and closed her face with her hands. ‘The way she looked at you… The way you held her hand, you spoke her name… Yes, Kharon, it’s called definitely a jealousy and I’m jealous of you! That’s no big surprise! I love you and I’m jealous of you. I wanted her to die but something stopped me.’

‘It’s funny.’ The demon narrowed his eyes. ‘When you’re angry I can hear your thoughts. They are screaming about death, demanding of realization. I heard it. But honestly, I hoped they weren’t your thoughts. Until now I’ve known you as the kindest and the most sympathetic person whom I’ve ever met. What’s wrong with you? How do you connect “I love you” and mad blindly jealousy? Answer me!’

Victoria was nervous, emptying her glass. Her hands were constantly touching something, eyes were looking for something to be fixed at. She could just sit with no move. Anxiety, that had captured her body, confused her, depriving of courage.

‘I’m listening.’ Kharon remind her of himself and his question.

‘It’s so noisy here… It’s Friday. I can’t hear my own thoughts…’

‘Vic!’ the demon interrupted her. ‘I’ll help you.’

With a repulsive smile he rose up from his chair and, having took couple of steps, turned to be near the girl. He sat too close to her on the leather sofa after he clasped the nervous girl tightly.

His fingers running through her hair, suddenly stopped and like pincers started getting into her occipital region of head. Victoria tried to throw back her head to press the man’s hand. With the second hand the man moved weakly resisting girl to him closer and kissed. He had already noticed that during a voluptuous kiss her stopping power and blockade of the thoughts were getting weaker and he had little difficulty to get what Vic was thinking of.

The demon kept on mind-blowingly kissing the girl, depriving her of air and mind. All around was becoming dark and more intimate, the light was fading away, stroking burning passionate couple with its rays.

There was no one around but romantic music. There was a shining sphere under the ceiling and the kiss eternally lasted. It was so important for Vic making her heart flouter like a butterfly under the pressure of his warm and sweet lips. His embraces, so strong, passionate and warm, were important for her.

‘I’m still listening to you,’ for a second the incubus pulled back from Victoria’s lips.

She needed that fleeting second to grasp the air into her lungs and come back to the ocean of the passion to give herself fully to it.

‘Will you say it, or shall I say?’ Kharon whispered his question, more and gently and tighter slapping her waist.

She had already forgot about the waitress, her words and horrible coincidence. She had forgotten about her jealousy as Kharon belonged only to her at that moment. She felt and accept it with pleasure.

‘I see, dear,’ his hot lips fell down over her neck a little below the earlap. ‘I’ll tell… myself.’

Victoria threw back head and fell into illusive pleasure. Kharon’s arms were still embracing her quaggy body playing like a conductor of human contumelious thoughts.

‘You’re selfish,’ the man whispered with a smile on his lips. ‘Selfishness. This word is on the top of your tongue. I’m your property, aren’t I? That’s how you treat me… Like a property.’

‘No, no.’

‘Ohm, I hear other things,’ the demon stopped his mind-blowing kisses. ‘You’ve even forgotten about people’s presence and that they’re looking at us.’

Victoria opened her eyes. The demon was right, the Friday party people were still in the pub, drinking without being ashamed they looked at the incubus passion. The girl adjusted her jacket, hair and turned away from obstinate eyes.

‘Not property.’ She concluded.

‘I’ve already heard everything I need. I’m supposed to belong only to you as you love me. That’s an interesting logic. Do you want me to share my point of view?’

Vic silently nodded, hiding under her hair the red colour of shame on her cheeks. She still felt awkwardly because she had been out of line having let the demon almost make love with her in the middle of the pub.

‘I’ve been with people on earth for two months already. I don’t sit at home and wait for you to come back like your dog. I’m working on my understanding of human life psychology. I’ve read more than dozens of male and female thoughts and drawn the conclusion that many women make equal of their lovers and their properties. You do the same. In this case for some reason people deprive each other of soul, implementing the value of materialism. This is not the question of trust. You can trust but “it’s mine” isn’t gonna gone. You are selfish. You wanna be the only woman in the world who I’m allowed to touch and look at.’

‘I can’t control this feeling. You’re probably right. I really wanna be the only one in your life. But my mind understands that it’s impossible. It remembers what I had to sacrifice to be with you now. But my heart, Kharon, like a heart of any person is organized more difficult than you used to believe — four chambers of flesh. My heart will never agree with my mind. They have absolutely different ways of thinking, so different that my mind will never arrive at the conclusion which my heart does. Communicating so close to people…to me you have to take this fact into account. Because when you eavesdrop my inner fight and dialogs you have to be ready to listen to my heart testimony not to my mind. What place does jealousy take in hell?’

The man looked at the girl in bewilderment.

‘Jealousy? In hell? I wouldn’t say we’re too jealousy. We have no problems with jealousy. Our population is perfectly aware of whose property is it and nobody applies for it. It’s useless. Everything that a demon has, remains with him if he wants it to have. When he has no need of it then he gets rid of it. Others don’t usually pick up the things of naught. It’s beneath their dignity.’

‘So, you don’t really have any idea what an adultery can mean, do you?’

‘Oh, dear, you’re so funny!’ Kharon smiled. ‘Victoria, you can’t make me be jealous, you can’t change me. I don’t know what it is.’

‘Well that’s unfortunate. But I’ll try to prove that human feelings are unique and if you started feeling your life would never be the same.’

Kharon silently looked at her olive eyes, returning to life fire in them, the flame of which hoped to set a fire of universe size. Those eyes were full of selflessness and love and at the same time there was no limits for their selfishness.

Her wavy red hair, accurate cut in line with the lower line of her shoulder blade, seemed to be changing its colour. It was getting full of inauspicious colour letting it through itself, being covered with unbelievable shine, glow luminescence. Thoroughly spread flecks of sunlight made her face seem to be more exquisite and elegant, bitchy and made the demon have fun.

Yes, hell, you couldn’t say kind about the girl’s face. Before nice red hair, that had provoked Lucifer to produce two drops of sentimentalism, was like an indicator of danger at that time, like bright spots of steppe spider. Now Kharon saw clearly that her mind wasn’t aware as usual, but her heart seemed to have guessed the presence of impure, massive power inside her body, the potentials of which hadn’t been discovered and recognized by anyone yet.

‘You’re very beautiful…’ the demon was serious.

He didn’t want to charm Victoria. He well knew that she was already charmed by him. He just wanted to say it to her. He wanted to hear his opinion changed. In the very beginning of the summer she had seemed to him to be a nice-looking little fool.

‘Me?’ Vic grinned.

Her cheeks glowed like fire, her eyes twinkling. She wanted so much to hide under some shell and keep on speaking out of there.

‘It’s amazing really,’ the man whispered touching her cheek covered with red. ‘I’ve seen your body with no single thread of these stupid clothes. I’ve been inside you in every way. I’ve kissed you all, every inch of your body… And you’re still blushing.’

After said Vic got more blushed feeling her memories crawl into her mind.

‘But you’ve never told me that I’m beautiful…’

‘Ah, that’s the point.’ The demon smiled. ‘I’ll fix that.’

Victoria was startled and handed into her bag. Her phone was ringing off the hook. The girl didn’t need to look at the display. She just knew who was calling.

‘Yes, mum.’ She answered with a smile.

‘I’m at the hospital. Grandma had a blood-stroke.’