Masked

CHAPTER 16 DUPE

Okay so I don’t know if there is God or not, but sir, if you are up there, please let me come up, like this instant!

I’m in my bathroom, looking at the most stupid and embarrassing person to ever exist in the mirror. The f**k I just did that!?

Jo is still in the hall, waiting for me to bring a towel. But I just splurted all the juice on his face, his shirt, hit suit! Towel won’t be enough. He needs to change. But he’s so big I don’t know what to give him to wear. Addy’s clothes would be like just half for his size and mine are not even to be considered.

I don’t know what –

“Jo here. Towel and this is a shirt you could change into.” I handed him the towel and Sam’s shirt. I have his belonging with me. He wasn’t as big as Joel but was tall and mostly wore loose fitting clothes.

“Thank you. Mind if I ask who’s the shirt is?” he asked me, taking the towel and shirt.

“My brother’s.” I replied. He probably saw it was not something I would like to talk about, so he just nodded in response. I showed him the guest bathroom and he went inside. I needed something to get my mind off, so I switched on the TV.

I was never a news person so I just skipped those channels and switched to my favourite ones.

“You still watch cartoons?” Jo was standing in front of my bedroom wall, leaning on it. Sam’s shirt kind of fitted him. He looked as elegant he always does. Most of the time I have seen him in only formals and dark coloured clothes. But Sam’s light blue shirt just complemented him. I always used to tease him how he looked like a skeleton hanging in a science lab in that shirt ‘cause it was just too big for him. well later I found that he had eating disorder. He denied to get diagnosed as I told him about it. I read about it in my psychology class in school and the symptoms just happen to meet that of Sam’s. I noticed how little he ate and used to stare at his body a little longer, seeing if by any chance he got any fat.

I fought with him about it and as usual he just told me not to worry and just focus on studies. I didn’t talk to him for two days straight, thinking this may change his mind and he get diagnosed. But the third day he died. I could not even say him goodbye. This is my biggest regret in life that I did not even get a chance to tell my brother how much I loved him.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn’t even notice when Jo came and sat beside me. He put his hand on my shoulder and I came to my senses.

“You okay?” he asked softly, his honey voice doing magic to my ears.

“Yes I’m great.” I replied, wiping of a tear I never knew has escaped my eyes.

“Well you really look tired. You should get some sleep, and I should leave.” He said and started getting up when I grabbed his hand.

“Wait. Can you like, just stay a bit longer, if you don’t mind?” I asked him hesitantly. I just didn’t feel like being alone at that moment.

“Ya sure.” He sat again in his place.

“Thank you.”

“Want a massage?”

“Wait. What?” I asked him, confused if I heard him correct.

“A massage. You just seem bit tensed and your shoulders are real stiff.”

“Thanks for asking but I’m really fine. I don’t want to give you anymore trouble.”

“Come on it’s not a big deal. Sit here.” He grabbed m made me sit on the floor while he sat on the couch, my head and shoulder between his legs.

This man’s whole body works like magic. I never even imagined he would be this good at massaging. My body felt like floating in just few minutes. He massaged my shoulder and neck for a while. I was already feeling as if in heaven.

“Get up.” A manly voice woke me up from my heaven journey. I was a bit annoyed.

“Why?” I asked, annoyance evident in my voice.

“Stop pouting and please listen me for once.” He said with a small smile and pleading eyes. I gave up and stood up with a sigh.

“Lie down on the couch.”

“Excuse me?” I asked with confusion.

“You agreed to listen.”

“Fine.” I lied down on my back.

“On your stomach.” He requested. I did as he said with an eye roll.

“Listen you have woke me up from my heavenly visit. This better me worth it or I’ll kill you for real.” I warned him, turning to expose my back to him. I heard a chuckle in response. I don’t know why but that bought a smile on my face. Seeing him smile is one thing, but hearing him laugh is another. One is a scenery that you don’t want to divert your eyes from, the other is like your favourite song, that you can listen on repeat. He removed my t-shirt and undone my bra buttons.

“Do you have oil?”

“You wanna cook now, leaving me like half naked on my couch?”

“No ma’am. I just want to give you a back massage so it would be good to have a lubricant.” He explained with one of his smiles that can melt even glaciers.

“Oh I see. Well in the kitchen, on the upper cupboards, on the right side there is coconut oil. You can use it if its okay with you.” I replied to him. He nodded and got into action. He opened the drawer effortlessly, poured some oil in bowl that was lying nearby and bought it to me.

“Loose your shoulders ma’am I won’t bite you.” He instructed me with humour of his own. I did as he said, and the magic show began.

Next I remember, I was in my bed, sleeping on something cushion-y but a bit hard at the same time. I didn’t open my eyes, they were too lazy to see. Ut my hands were already in action mode. They were going down, feeling something under the palm. Warm, soft, wait. Are these square shaped cookies? I was getting confused but my eyes still refused to take a look. I went down a bit more and something like hard rock came in my hand. I gripped it, trying to figure out what actually it is. Am I still in my dreams? How come a thing can be hard and soft the same time?

“Are you done feeling me? Or still some parts are unexplored that you want to feel?” This voice kinda seems familiar, and too manly. My eyes finally opened slowly and f**k-

I was holding Jo’s manly parts in my hands!

I got up in shock, jumped out the bed. I was half naked! But at least I still had shorts on. Was it something to feel relieved about or something to feel embarrassed about? Well I’ll leave this debate for my shower hours. For now I have some other things to discuss. I grabbed the blanket and covered myself from head to toe.

Jo’s eyes were fixated on me the whole time, with a smirk on his face. He was not wearing a t-shirt but still had his pants on. I thanked god for this.

“Can you explain what exactly happened?” I asked him, standing in my bedroom, with a blanket wrapped around me.

“Nothing happened.”

“Seriously? Then why the f**k were we cuddling in my bedroom.” I asked him, raising my voice a bit.

“Relax ma’am. You fell asleep on the couch while I was giving you a massage. So I carried you here.” He said, with his usual cool demure as it was f*****g normal for him to sleep in a woman’s bed, cuddling her.

“And why were you here?” I asked him, getting more irritated my his calmness.

“You told me to stay.”

“I did what?”

“You grabbed my hand and told me to not leave you alone. I had no choice so I slept next to you.”

“That is it?” I was still confused but the memories of last night came flooding in eventually.

“Yes. Why? You wanted something to happen?” And the flirty jerk returns.

“Shut up!” I could feel my cheeks getting pink.

My phone rang.

“I’ll go to the kitchen and fetch some water.” He said and left me in my bedroom.

“Yes John. Okay I’ll meet you in there. Okay at eleven.” It was already eight-thirty.

I went to kitchen, still wrapped in the blanket and found Jo drinking water with one hand and talking on phone with another.

I maintained my distance till his call was over. He turned and cut-off the line, reassuring the person on other end to be on time.

He passed me a glass of water and rinsed his own. He was wearing my brother’s shirt and his pants underneath. This all looked a little too domestic.

“Mind if I use the shower? I gotta go somewhere urgently.” He asked, putting the glass away.

“Yes you can use the guest bathroom. I’ll also shower, gotta go office.” He nodded in response. I showed him the guest bathroom and headed towards my bathroom.