o4. Because the Laws of Attraction
The rope burned against my skin as the bag slipped off my shoulder and landed with a hard thud into the sand. With a sigh, I leaned down to grab it, wincing when I felt a sting emerge from the burn. As if my body weren't radiating with enough heat, now I had a red and itchy shoulder too. But there wasn't anyone I could blame, really. It'd been my idea to leap out of bed and go for an early morning swim. Really early in the morning. The thought of cool water washing over my body seemed like such a refreshing way to get my mind off of… certain things that needed not be mentioned. I couldn't sleep… for whatever reason. I kept tossing and turning in bed as if it were made of Cactuar skin, and my mind just wouldn't be put to rest. It wasn't enough to just sit up and stretch a little. Nor was it enough to go into the kitchen or out on the front porch. I had an insatiable desire to sink into something deep, cold, and dark. A desire that still rang loud and overbearing even when my feet finally stepped into the oasis.
I took a quick scan of my surroundings. Fiends didn't usually inhabit this part of the desert when it was dark, but that was only because Bikanel nights were usually cool. Humid weather like this could easily attract fiends to the water, and I had to be careful. When I was satisfied with the safety of the area, I undressed and flung myself into the water as if I were jumping ship. The surface slapped me hard against the cheek before swallowing me greedily into the murky depths. I smiled. Every inch of my body was being massaged by the vibrations of the water. I felt it gently radiate down the slope of my abdomen. I felt it roll over my legs with such force that it kept them tangled in the undulation. Finally, I broke surface, arching back in the dim moonlight that was my spotlight.
And then I heard a rustle.
Whipping my head around to the surrounding bushes, I searched for a hidden fiend or a peeping Tom… But not to my surprise, I saw both: Gippal.
He was hidden well behind the overgrowth, but I recognized him with ease. Without another second, I dove right back underneath as if I had just gotten up, looked around, saw nothing, and resumed swimming. I didn't want him knowing I knew he was watching me; it was more exciting that way. It didn't interest me how he had managed to follow me here without my detection. Nor did I hesitate at the thought of why he wasn't with the woman from the tavern. The fact of the matter was that he was here. Watching me. Wanting me. Craving for me but trying to save his dignity. The fact that he was hiding made it all the better, because that meant he was ashamed. He wanted me, and he was ashamed to admit that I could tempt him so easily.
With a sinister thrill, I reached behind my back and tugged at the string holding up my top. I couldn't explain the enjoyment I got from teasing him like this. The fact that a reputable man like him was so close to falling helplessly under my direction was vastly entertaining and made everything I did worth it. Breaking the surface once more, I tossed my top by my bag, shortly followed by my bikini bottom. I then rooted my feet into the sand underneath the water and stood. I stood with my back to him and faced the moonlight with closed eyes and an amused smile. I could feel him going crazy just staring at my silhouette. I could hear his heart pounding in his chest as I gently shifted my hips side to side. I could tell he was going to give in and tackle me the instant I turned around. So I bent down, and let myself dip right back into the inky water. I knew that when I resurfaced, he would be standing in front of me. I knew he would have a look of hunger on his face, and he would be all over me before I could even get a word out. And I knew that this morning, I'd learn how it feels to be underneath him and tangled in the sheets.
But all my expectations disappeared when I lifted my head out of the water and noticed instead that all my belongings – my bag and my bikini – were gone. In their place was a lone grey shirt. A man's shirt that was neatly folded up and sitting innocently in the sand. There was no more rustling of the leaves. I growled underneath my breath as I fixed my gaze out on the flat horizon… Somewhere out there... a half naked Gippal was smirking...