World After Worlds

"What are you saying?" Yanarym asked, she pushed his chest, and that made distance for them. "Are you being like this because of Marcus?" She observed Kraig's problematic eyes that were brewing some mixed emotions she could name. He's at his limit, did I finally get into the second defense? She wondered.

There were two reasons why she let Matteo stay in the town with her. One, she wanted to figure out that puzzling dream she was having that Matteo appeared in. Two had to make Kraig feel threatened by Matteo's presence.

A week after she started dating Kraig, she had found out, as she had suspected, Kraig had not fallen for her completely. It was an impulse decision he made to keep her. Meaning any moment, Kraig could regret bringing her into a relationship and they could break up. That would be fine but Yanarym needed him to stay, she had to make him fall in love, without in any way getting back on his feet. Since she already managed to get through his first defense, all she had to do was get into the second, third and final wall.

Typically, there are three steps of 'having' that person you wanted. That was the most common trick Yanarym utilized. In Kraig's case, she prepared a backup plan, or what she called the final stage.

The first step to conquering a person is attraction. Above all else, she must have that attention, whether it was a bad attraction or a good attraction, it depends on what was her goal to that person. So far, all she had was a good attraction. She must entice them with a good impression.

The second is lust, there is no other better tool or term she could propose to exploit a man or any person. Sex was the most common thing humans can't live without, although it was not essential as a daily routine. It was vital to the human population or any other species. Everybody was cognizant that sex was a must to reproduce. In human nature, they have a sex drive and erogenous zones that stimulates their body to mate.

Which leads her to the third step, attachment. There are many forms and types of attachment, she could associate this term with love. But mostly, attachment happens once the person has fed the attraction they had to the assailant.

For a simple explanation, Kraig was initially attracted to her. That was why it was easy for her to seduce him. Now, they were in the stage of lust, Kraig was only here because he felt good around her. She was satisfying his needs as a man. However, once that was over, he would be gone as well. Because lust is temporary, it will always fade away. What she wanted was that type of attachment, dependable attachment. During this second step, she was feeding his feelings, not just by sexual fulfillment but with other emotions as well. Happiness, excitement, hopeful, expectant, many more, this she would have to wait until he had the fill—that confounding feeling and then… she would starve him. That was the final stage. It was cruel but very effective and people like Kraig didn't need mercy.

Luckily, for two months of that charade, Kraig was exhibiting results she had been working to see. "He kissed you," his voice was low as if he was not sure that he should be saying this. Yanarym gazed at him with a fervent of eyes.

Kraig was a possessive man, he sees her as nothing more or less but his 'possession'. The goal was to level up from being his thing to becoming his person. Yanarym wanted him to distinguish her as his woman. Taking note on that matter, she would merrily wield that possessive trait of him to her disposal. And who would expect that Matteo was as useful as he initially was?

"Yes, on the cheek. He kissed me on the cheek, what is wrong with that?" She uttered in a gloomy tone. Kraig creased his brows on her, what's wrong with that? He grumbled. Everything about it is wrong! Wrong!

"Rym, he likes you! Don't you know that? Marcus is into you! That kiss… that kiss is not… innocent!" He was spouting the first word that would come to his mind. He was not prepared for this conversation since they had already tackled it. He can't stop saying his piled-up concerns.

"Innocent? Marcus is into me? What are you saying?" Her face wrinkled and Kraig held both of her arms, "Love—"

"Marcus likes you, that is what I am saying." She wasn't shocked, instead, she looked at him with an expression that was screaming as if he was being absurd. "Don't you believe me? Are you dense? Don't you feel—"

"Love—"

"— the way he looked at you? Does he always do that? He kisses you whenever he wants to?"

"Love—"

"Did you let him do things other than kissing your cheeks? Did he ever kiss your lips? Do you allow him to hold you too? Hug you—"

"Kraig," her voice was shaky, her eyes were grim, it was getting red and watery, Kraig was stunned. "You're not making sense," she stuttered and gulped, she pressed her lips tightly as it trembled while she fought her tears not to fall. "I'm sorry that I asked you for things I should not involve myself with. But… How could you accuse me like that? Do I look like a whore to you?"

"What?" Kraig felt his voice leave him. He was bewildered that this escalated to this.

"Because I offered myself to you, do you think I offer my body to just any man?" She closed her eyes and sobbed. "I shouldn't have shown you that I was concerned. I should have behaved and pretend not to care. In that way, you will never abandon me."

"Rym, Rym, listen to me, Love." Kraig panicked, he let go of her arms and caged her cheeks to his palms. "I didn't mean to… make you think of yourself… like that.

I'm jealous, Rym. I hate it, I hate feeling jealous, I don't like this irritating feeling on my chest. And I burst out, I've been keeping this to myself and I just can't hold it in anymore. That's why I said those horrendous things. You did nothing wrong, you are not a… whore."

"Jealous?" She sobbed, Kraig wiped away her tears but it just kept on falling, she was so fragile. When was the last time he saw her cry? Right… on their first night. "Jealous of Marcus? Why? He's my family. How could you be jealous of him?" Kraig felt complicated with the question, he can't say the same thing he said earlier or she would weep once more. "Even if what you say was the truth, you can't be jealous of him, Kraig. I'm in love with you, I am only capable of loving you."

Guide-sama: "How can you lie without blinking?"

Kraig paused, he knew that. Of course, he knew she loved him. He heard that confession not just once but many times. She would say it in every chance she got. Moreover, she would always make him feel loved by her actions. She not once looked at another man, her eyes were solely attending to him. Whenever they would have sex, she would comply with his wishes. Never declined his request.

"I love you too," he said, but it felt strange hearing him reply. He was so used to saying this phrase to her a few times, without emotion on it, he could spout it like a casual fib. A fiction of feelings he invented to appease her. He didn't love her, he liked her but he never loved her. Even now, Kraig didn't think he was in love with her, however, somehow, he was guilty of lying to her?

Yanarym stared at Kraig. It always takes two to tango, Guide-sama. I'm not the only person who is good at deception. "I'm sorry for intruding on you, I am not supposed to do that." She said and looked on the ground because Kraig was still holding her face, she couldn't entirely drop her eyes.

Kraig couldn't say anything for a moment, he replayed the part where she said that she should not have expressed her interests or he would abandon her. She was straight on it, nailed the fact. If she ever did try to arbitrate with his business or if she ever pondered him with annoying questions… there was a chance that he would get tired of her. That was what he assumed when he asked her to be his girlfriend, that that would be the basis why they would have their relationship collapse. She isn't dense after all, she knows what my true feelings are?

Kraig chose to say nothing, he caressed her cheeks and rested his forehead on hers. They stayed in that position for a while; he had learned this from her, she would just sometimes rest her forehead on his, and surprisingly, it was comforting. Unfortunately, that comfort was starting to agonize him.