Alive

by Janice L Wick

  The heat inside the room mixed with the colder temperatures outside made the windows condensate and fog lightly. Once he woke he got out the bed and went to his notepad in the other room. He began drawing a blueprint of some kind and listened to classical like Bach or Chopin in his headphones at the desk loud enough to where he wouldn’t notice you sneaking up on him. When she woke, she went to him. He noticed her, but kept on listening to music till she placed her hand on his shoulder. He clenched her hands and pulled her in, She climbed on top of his lap there naked bodies warm each other’s. Their lip met, and he grabbed her thighs.

  ”Not now,” Seto sighed.

  She whispered in his ear in response to persuade him

  “Ok,” he said, “But just remembered this moment.” He closed up his work and carried her back into the room.

  Chapter 7

  Alive

  Thursday

  A delayed flight placed them in Thailand, two days later than expected, early in the morning. Seto rode in the passenger seat, adjusting radio stations, while Mara and Lise commented on the surroundings from the back seat. Their car dropped them off at their beach resort with a beautiful ocean view of sands and sky.

  "Yes,” Seto let out a long sigh.

  “This will be home for the next week or 2."

  “You guys take the bed.” Seto said as he falls into the couch reclining. “Even there couches are more comfortable.”

  “I’ll get another room,” Lise said.

  “What you guys have slept together before.”

  “Omg,” Mara gasped.

  “What?”

  “You two are fucking aren’t you?” she was standing, studying there expressions.

  “I . . . we.”

  “We,” Seto started.

  “I knew it,” Lises interrupted.

  “For how long?”

  “Ok.” Seto said in open admission.

  “Last week was our first time.”

  “It’s not like we haven’t,” Lise said, the tone of her voice got lower. “I knew it.” She said walking over to the bed and laying horizontally.

  “Well yea . . . let’s forget about everything for a while and the next few days let’s just enjoy ourselves, live like kings and queens.”

  “I’ll drink to that.” Mara raised her hand in salute.

  The phone read “Incoming call... From: Me.

  “Yes hello. Hi, this is me.” Or you. Or whatever.”

  “Is this....”

  “No let me stop you there this isn't your friend up the street or some girl you ran into last week with a metallic t shirt.” The voice on the other end of the line stated. “This is you. “And if I have anything to tell you or would just be cheer up scamp.”

  The phone clicked. He stared at his phone and tried to call back. "Please leave your message for."

  Dammit. He threw his phone on the bed, stood up and glared at the window. Then turned to the door and a black Bombay cat jumped at him to attack.

  He woke up and stared at the ceiling. He thought- A bad dream

  Vamp Vamp his phone vibrated. It was Miranda calling. He knew he would see her again from the last time they were together.

  “Hey.”

  “Hi Seto.” her voice warm

  “I'm listening.”

  “Yes, good”

  “Miranda it's over”

  “I'm not even in the country, I may never come back,”

  “Where are you?” he was shocked from her voice. It had the tone of a seasoned friendship.

  “It didn't matter. It was great while it lasted. Maybe I'll come back and see you,” he said evenly.

  “Stop. Why you don't have to tell me like I'm some little girl Seto I get it.”

  “Don’t be mad.”

  “I wanted to talk.”

  “Were talking.”

  “About business.”

  “Go on.”

  “In person.”

  “Ok, I’m interested.”

  “Should I come to you or,”

  “No, I’ll call you first thing when I get back,”

  “I guess you don’t hate me after all.”

  “Miranda don't.”

  “No Seto if you’re just going to up and leave, it is not my place to stop you, I’ll wait.”

  “I'll see you soon.”

  “Please do.”

  The call ended as she let her lifeless hand fall from her ear and rest along her thigh. A thought came across her mind so feint she forgot it minutes later, "I'm in love." Oh my god this felt great, this feeling, she smiled as she looked down at her phone then fell back into her bed. The silk sheets caressed her cheeks.

  Her husband walked into the room unexpectedly. She noticed the wrinkles in his face from years of work and smiling. He noticed her laying on the bed with a smile.

  She voiced, “Yes?” as if he was going to ask a question.

  “I was just combing, looking for Boris. And I wanted to say goodnight,” he answered.

  “Boris should be on his way back from the market, and goodnight Nathan.”

  “And what are you so smiley about,” he said.

  “Well I’m glad that your back.”

  He was walking towards the door but this made him stop, and turn back towards her. “Really?”

  He said, “We hardly ever talk.” I signed the papers, take what you want.” They had been married for 3 years now. But it seemed to them 25 to life. Their marriage was long and grey opposite to the colorful and radiant house. They didn’t marry each other for money because they both had come from money. They married each other because it had made sense at the time. Henry stood looking at his wife. He thought: god she is beautiful, did I get her? This thought vanished instantly with him being reminded of a business breakfast earlier in the morning. He looked at her, he began thinking of the other women he had been with in the past 3 years and then he thought she would never do that to me. For a moment he thought of coming clean and trying to save the whole marriage from a clean slate. Then he realized he couldn’t physically address the issue, as if self-reflection had been banned.

  Instead he said, “Goodnight I’ll see you tomorrow night I have a meeting for breakfast tomorrow.” She leaned up, her white gown broke off her shoulder and said, “Goodnight George.” Miranda did not move her head she let the words flow effortlessly from her mouth. They both knew this was the end.

  Her voice was warm hoping to shock him into walking over and kissing or touching her. How could two people be so close and yet so far away? He walked out and closed the door behind him.

  Tired from swimming and the alcohol, they all got upstairs, rushed to the bed and lay there catching their breaths from running up the stairs.

  They lay there breathing heavily.

  “Why are we such animals?” Mara let out a groan.

  “Because of smoke,” Seto said leaned over and set a bottle of sake aside.

  “What?”

  “I’m serious.”

  “Smoke, “We are the only thing on this planet that smokes. Intentionally harming our bodies just for temporary relief of letting off steam. . .

  So when we fuck its worse than rabbits u see because we love something that no other animal loves.”

  “Pain,” they both say at the same time. Seto leaned his head into her bosom. Then slowly dropped it lower and lower. She leaned back with a joint in her hand, they had got the green substance from their cab driver and had rolled it all into joints earlier that day. She handed it to Lise who was now leaning against the headboard, with one arm thrown across her body. Mara, braced herself by putting her hand on the wall. ”Does this hurt,”

  “No.”

  “Mmmmhmm . . . this hurt?” as he licked his finger before sticking them inside of her.

  “No,” she said as she began to blush.

  “We shouldn’tbe doing this,” Mara let her head fall against the bed looking up towards Lise. The look on her face wasn’t happiness, it was that expression of can we get
away with this. When she seen Seto’s face she knew that they all wore the same knowing seductiveness in their eyes.

  Seto put his mouth on Maras’s vagina lips kissing them, “You’re right,” he muttered, then grabbed Lise ankle pulling her towards him. He climbed on top of Lise and stared in her eyes. She was looking away towards the door ignoring them. He hovered there before kissing her. He turned her head towards them with his nose kissing down her neck. Mara lay there watching, covering her vagina with her hand. Seto leaned back standing on his knees, moved her hand, and then told them to kiss. Seto finished undressing Lise.

  They woke the next morning early, they had all slept awkwardly on the damp bed. Seto rose first, and headed for the beach where he stood with the feet in the water rising almost to his knees. The water was blue and transparent, he stared at his feet. As he noticed the girls approach him.

  “Good morning.” He said with a smirk, then paused. “We have a busy day ahead of us.”

  Their guide showed them around on elephants, and they also scuba dove in the clear waters that day. Over the next 2 weeks they ate and drink lavishly. They swam in the mornings and nights. Rode bikes through town. Visited other cities. And they had sex with each other freely. They even attended Buddhist temples. And began practicing martial art basics. They joked about how familiar they had become. Lise had left the evening before heading back to New York. They had only 2 days left until there flight.

  Mara and Seto sat inside their hotel. Seto leaned back half asleep on the balcony after a long day. When Mara came to sit by his side.

  “What Mara, what?” Seto jarred.

  She looked at him and said, “Oh, nothing.”

  “Very funny.” Let’s get going.”

  “Where are we going?”

  “Come on sweeney?”

  “Very funny.”

  “Yea?”

  “Yea.”

  “Hey, come here,” Seto said. She leaned back on the bed looking at him seductively. He then laid next to her.

  “I feel.” He paused and looked to the ground before looking up. “I feel that you get me. Like. Yea Lise and I are great,” He stopped leaned back against the wall, zipped up his jacket then reached inside to pull out a joint. He played with it in his fingers preparing to light it.

  He lit the joint staring at her. “I feel like you just get me, I don’t say this to a lot of people. I’ve only ever told 3 people in my life that I love them.” She reached over and held him.

  “I know. . . I’m here for you,” she said. He looked into her eyes and realized everything would be ok. They lay in the bed with their feet interlaced staring into each other eyes without blanking. The breeze moved the curtain from the window before resting then again.

  Conclusion

  Seto and Mara arrived back on Jan 20. Lise had left 3 days earlier, and with reason her wedding was in less than 2 weeks.

  They grabbed their luggage and walked off the plane in silence.

  “We can just take one of these cabs out front it will be faster.”

  “That’s weird,” Mara said, pointing at the sign.

  “You were saying about a cab.”

  “Yea,” Seto muttered, surprised but his face showed no sign. They saw a white sign, written on it: Seto Venn.

  “Maybe it’s a different Seto Venn,” he said unassured, then noticed the white beady mustache of the man, and a bulge in his back pocket which was his brown leather driving gloves. It was Boris, Miranda’s driver. Seto recognized his face before Boris noticed him. Seto looked at Mara and noticed her eyes watching his, they walked to the driver with the beady mustache.

  “Hello Boris,”

  “Hello Mr. Venn how do you do . . . mam,” he said, to Seto with cutting pronunciation, then bowed to Mara.

  “Is this your dad,” Mara blurted out. Boris wore driving shoes, grey slacks, and a tighter fitting ocean blue, 3 buttoned collared shirt. His face was wearing a new found happiness.

  “No, he’s a friend . . . So where is she?” Seto snapped.

  “She’s waiting at her new home and you and your guest are welcomed.”

  “Of course she is.”

  “To your mother’s house?”

  “No, but she is controlling like a mother.”

  “Alright Boris, let’s go see your lady,”

  “Right this way,”

  Mara laughed, and said, “Yea, let’s go,” questioningly.

  Seto answered, “Fine.”

  Boris helped them with their luggage, they followed the bushy eye browed man to the all-black town car. The bar inside was stocked with champagne and brews.

  Seto reached for a bottle and 2 glasses, filled them up and that was all they drink, as they rode to their destination behind the tinted divider.

  “You never told me you had any rich friends,” Mara voiced.

  “She wasn’t always a friend, she’s an ex client,” he said clinching his jaw.

  “Are you serious?”

  “Her name is Miranda.”

  “Seto are you serious? We can walk away from this.”

  “No, its fine I’m curious to see what she has to offer, it will be fun I promise.”

  He said turning toward her and looking into her eyes.

  When they had a question they would use the buzzer to ask the driver.

  “How long will it be?”

  “It will be about 5 minutes . . . but really were here, turn around and look over the hill. You will start to see an all- white jaded house that’s where were going.”

  There was an all- white building which the architecture must have had a rendition of the white house in mind. They glanced over the receding hill as the house came into sight; the moving image looked like that of the moon rising.

  They pulled up to a woman dancing on the balcony with a glass in her hand.

  She didn’t mind waiting on them. When she noticed the car pull up, she continued dancing for a moment. Then looked down, greeting her guest with her eyes and said, “Hello” wide and cheerfully.

  “I think I know her.”

  “You do? That’s weird.”

  Seto leaned against the town car smoking a blunt of green substance, which he got from his apartment, as being the only condition that he would come. “Wow,” Mara said dryly in awe of the structure before her, she waved and sent a big hello back.

  “Wait there I’m coming down,” Miranda yelled in a warm voice. The doors opened to a small pool in the living room with 2 spiral stair cases leading upstairs. She walked down the stairs and looked at the happy couple. They looked back in her blue eyes.

  “Seto,” she said smiling, and then extended her hand for his. When their hands touched, she held his above her head and spun herself around. She then turned to Mara.

  “And if I remember correctly Mara.”

  “Yes, Ms. Powers . . . did u ever get that taken care of,”

  “No Mrs. “Well now its Ms. Waters” You can call me Miranda,” she said grabbing Mara’s hand with both of hers. “And yes it’s all taken care of . . . it bought me this house.” She said, and lifted her arms as if to support the house.

  “Do you like it? It was made by a Spanish architect, someone gave it the name spaceship home . . . enough about me, I want to hear all about your trip, there’s a lounge upstairs packed with refreshments. Come. “And Seto must you smoke everywhere.”

  They followed her blue eyes as they glanced up at the balcony.

  “The view,” she said, looking at Seto “Is why I come here.” She first opened the champagne which in itself declared celebration.

  Looking at her he said, “Yes it is nice.” The first words he had said to her, acting as if this was his home and he had been here a hundred times before. Then she took her eyes over to Mara, “The breeze is why I love it,” she said, stepping in close to Mara, Seto watched.

  “I didn’t do too badly for myself did I,” Miranda murmured as her eyes focused on Seto, she noticed how relaxed he had been this whole time, an
d that he had opened a bottle of wine.

  Seto said, “How much? . . . I’m just curious. “

  Miranda looked at him, “If you must know my husband or ex-husband was worth over 60 mil. So I’m sitting at around 30 well 25 because of this house.”

  “You too know each other?” he asked, pointing at them wagging his finger between the 2 of them with the bottle in hand.

  “I used to know her as that lady in the dress from work.”

  “Yes that’s true, I used her law firm for my divorce papers.”

  “And how well do you two know each other?” Mara glared at Seto, then her eyes jumped back in forth between the two.

  “It’s a long story,” Miranda said.

  “Enlighten me,” Mara snapped.

  “Are you sure you want to know?” Seto said mockingly.

  “I’ll tell you Mara, I’ll tell you anything you want to know,” Miranda said openly, “And wow Seto.” Miranda snared.

  “When was the last time you had sex?”

  “ a week before we left. . . but it wasn’t anything like that, it was more business, however I was, and still am attracted to her,” But It was nothing like that.” Seto said sternly.

  “He’s right it was nothing like that, it was pure animalistic sex, but I wanted to repay him, because he truly is a cocksmen, and honestly if you weren’t with him, I would jump on him in a second.” Now that we got everything out in the open, we are all good, my chef is preparing a meal for us, and it will be ready in an hour. You too make yourselves at home, I’ll see you at dinner. If you excuse me I’m going to go pleasure myself.” Miranda left the room as soon as her lips stopped moving. Seto watched her walk through the open door and disappear into the unknown corridor.

  Mara looked down at the floor for a while as they stood there in silence. She eventually looked up towards Seto and whirled into his arms. He set the bottle of wine on the table and soon after that it was knocked over as they went to the floor and bumped against the table.