H.U.R.T
I'm Starting to Get Greedy

With Zenia spirit walking towards the window. The girl's hand was already in the curtain, preparing to reveal it. While Steve was petrified two meters away. The man even felt his legs go numb. Just to gulp it has no energy. Nervous, tense, scared, curious, all mixed into one.

When Zenia turned to him with a big smile, Steve still shook his head. The girl's forehead frowned at the tension that radiated clearly on Steve's face.

"You okay, Steve?"

Steve could not answer. It's mortifying. So embarrasing. Is there a man in this world who cannot see his own face?

"Steve?"

Now what should he answer? Revealing her fear means explaining the cause. If Steve was just disgusted, what about the people who would listen to him? The contemptible look of his woman was the last thing Steve wanted in his life or perhaps never wanted.

However, he knew that now was not the time to retreat. He gave permission.

"Hey," Zenia touched his arm and managed to make it back to the present.

"You daydreaming? Your face is very pale. What's wrong?" Jemari Zenia sums up both of her cheeks. "Tell me, share with me, Steve."

Steve shook his head, the anxiety on the girl's face gradually made her nervousness disappear. Zinia seemed to suck out her fear.

"I'm fine."

Steve guided Zenia back to the window. "Open up" gave the order to Zeniah. Zinia looked doubtful as the tension on Steve's face had not disappeared completely.

"You sure?"

"No."

"Then?"

"I'm curious too. Maybe I'll get sick and throw up. Are you gonna feel disgusted?"

Zenia looks confused. Why did Steve get sick and vomit just because the curtains were opened. What's the story behind Steve's hostility and the mirror? Zenia wondered in her heart.

"Why look disgusted at the person who is suffering."

Steve smiled at the girl's answer. He took a position directly behind Zinia, wrapped his hands around her stomach, then propped his chin above the top of Zenia's head.

"Open up and enjoy your weapons." Steve led Zenia's hand to reveal the curtains. In one pull, the curtains are wide open.

Steve choked, his focus straight into the glass window, a reflection of himself and Zenia visible there. Not clear, just a reflection of a shadow.

"You shaking?"

Steve shook his head, but his hands increasingly hugged Zenia's stomach firmly.

"I-I'm fine. The sky is orange."

"Yes. You feeling nauseous?"

"Little bit. But I like to see our position like this."

"Not to be arrested. Just spit it out to make you feel more comfortable." Zenia placed her hand on the hand of Steve that was coiled around her stomach. He slowly rubbed the man's arm.

"I'm comfortable, very comfortable. Did I ever say that I really like your long wavy hair."

"You just said it. Your body is calmer. No more shaking, but I can still feel the pounding of your heart on my back. You scared?"

"Hm."

"You can tell me. I'm listening."

"Enjoy your weapons."

"I'm more interested in your story."

"It's not an interesting story."

"I'll listen."

Steve took a slow breath, he did it repeatedly for the sake of stalling. Gather strength and courage, revealing the disgrace that was his greatest fear.

"I'm an ex-con," Steve started his story and it all just flowed. How could he be an inmate at the age of 17. A scapegoat by the rulers. There is nothing he is hiding. All he said, for the first time his suffering while in prison he told straight from his mouth to someone. How he served Riston and her friends.

"I-I.." his voice was choked by the nausea that suddenly attacked.

Steve let go of his embrace, he turned around and ran into the toilet, spewing out his entrails into a closed.

Zenia followed, crouching down on the man's side while rubbing his back.

"Don't come here, go, it's disgusting."

"No, I'm not leaving you."

Steve did not reply again, the man regurgitated his entrails. The ears and the entire face of the man were red and even his eyes let out tears.

"You've suffered, you've suffered. They're evil, they're outrageous. You're a poor good man. Please don't look down on yourself, Steve. You're innocent, you're a victim, don't forgive them, but please forget about that horrible thing. You're great, you're amazing, you get through it all and grow into an amazing man. Don't forgive them. They don't deserve your forgiveness. Stay angry, keep hating them and be a better man."

Steve shook his head, looking at the crying face of Zenia, anger was visible on the girl's face. Zenia's words also gave comfort to him. Instead of asking Steve to accept everything, Zinia instead asked him to remain angry, still hate and not forgive.

"My mouth... My mouth is disgusting..."

Zinia shook her head, she summarized the man's face. Then put his lips there, briefly, but managed to keep Steve glued.

"Sstt... Don't say anything else." Zenia looked at Steve's lips, rubbing them slowly with her thumb.

"Now I know why you're antagonizing the mirror. You feel disgusted. Come on, Steve, look at your reflection. You're very handsome, handsome and admirable. Jakunmu, I like it a lot. Come on, Steve, dare yourself to look at your image that really makes girls crazy. Lord, grant you such a perfect image. There will only be gratitude once you see it. Trust me, after this there will be no more nightmares." Zinia stood up, leading Steve to stand up immediately. He took the water and gave it to Steve to get the man to drink.

"There's no mirror here, we'd better get to my house."

Steve did not say anything, he obeyed what Zinia had said. The girl continued to hold her hand like a mother guiding her child.

They passed Malvyn and his friends who were playing volleyball. They called for Zenia to join in and Zenia simply waved her hand in response.

They had reached the porch, Steve was still in silence and Zinia was not stalling at all to show Steve that Steve was a very handsome man. The girl took him into the room she was in with her two younger siblings. Some of Zetta's clothes are on the bed. The girl did have a bad habit of dismantling all her collections after every shower.

Only then did Zenia remove her hand from Steven and run to the bed.

"Don't say anything,"

"I'm sure it's not yours."

Zinia turned around quickly, looking at Steve full of inquiring. "How do you know this isn't mine?"

"Your size is smaller, one or two numbers."

"You don't look like a man who just regurgitated his stomach."

"Ehmm," Steve was misbehaving. "I'm sorry."

Zenia pulled out a blanket to cover the interior.

"Come here, Zetta has a big mirror that can display your overall reflection."

Zenia pulled Steve's hand to stand in front of the mirror. The man did not move, instead holding Zinia's hand.

"Hug me like that. You like to see it, don't you?" Zenia took a position in front of Steve, pulling the man's hands together to circle around his stomach. "I like your heavy hands. I felt safe as you held me like this," the girl looked up, pulling the two corners of her lips together forming a sweet soothing smile.

"Let's just say we're playing a long dragon snake. A tight hug. I've opened the toilet door if you suddenly have nausea."

Zinia stepped slowly, Steve followed.

"How old are you, Steve?"

"Thirty years."

"Well, it's mature enough. I'm 29 to 30."

"Hm."

"In addition to being hostile to glass, don't you like commitment, I mean marriage."

"No. I have a dream about marriage. It's just, the woman I want to marry chooses to marry another man."

Zinia stopped, looked back. "Lexi?"

"Lexy."

Zinia fell silent, her look turned sad. Steve looked down, peeking at the girl's nose.

"Is your other nightmare about her marriage?"

Steve shook his head, "More terrible than that. He had an accident in front of my own eyes. It was the most horrible, the most frightening thing. I couldn't convince her that I loved her so much. He doesn't trust me."

"What to say, Steve, I'm jealous. I can't comfort you."

"Say you believe me."

"Will your heart feel calmer?"

"Yes." Yeah."

"I believe in you. We, we have reached our destination. Look ahead."

Steve raised his head, after 13 years, he could see his face clearly. Steve felt his knees tremble, his heart trembling unnoticed. His hands are sweating. If Zenia did not hold her hand tightly, perhaps she would have decayed to the floor.

"You're very handsome, aren't you? I envy your long, wiry eyelashes."

"I also like this pose. Would you give your heart to me if I asked, Steve? I'm getting greedy. Can I take Lexi's place in your heart?"