Unlimited

25

^th

October 2013 (Friday)

That was the end of the second month of the girl’s unlikely love and the demon. Victoria fell in love more and more and was only glad that the man allowed to love himself, and sometimes he even very well played.

Everyday Victoria worked, trying to avoid her persevering manager, soothing her memories and imagination with recent pictures of being together with Kharon.

The demon with all his might hanged out with girls. He studied Moscow quickly and well. He had favourite places where he could have time. He had places which he hated and nothing in the world would make him be there. He sometimes was bored: Victoria worked all days long.

Kharon decided to meet a girl and contribute his energy store. He loved Vic… in the bed. He loved her madly. He believed in this love. The problem was that Victoria needed more time to recover strength. That was the reason why they didn’t sleep in bed only three times in a month. For Kharon who got from women everything he wanted and not once, to fornicate three times in a month wasn’t a few it was nothing. And if his hungry thoughts were covered by the first month of being with people then by the end of the second month his nature gained the upper hand. He gave the look at other girls more often.

It was almost afternoon when the demon opened his eyes. The sun was shining through the window, the world seemed to be so warm that the demon smiled, looking at the window.

Drinking hot flavoured coffee, the man was near the window and examining how Moscow was getting ready for lunch. He took his cell waiting to see some beautiful pictures and nice message from Victoria. Every morning on her way to work the girl took pictures of something interesting and sent it to Kharon with the next confession under. That afternoon the demon studied the smartphone but there was nothing. The absence of a picture confused him a bit but not enough to make him panic.

Kharon slowly buttoned his shirt, looking at his unshaven face in the mirror. He didn’t like shaving so much! He considered it a very serious punishment for a human and couldn’t understand what for. There could be only two days without shaving and it was not much! But there was bristle on his face again.

A music which the demon didn’t know to exist made him distract from looking, touching and rethinking of his life. Having frowned Kharon studied Victoria’s phone and an incoming call on the display.

‘Victoria’s phone!’ he took the call, listening to the answer.

‘Thanks God!’ a happy sigh and chuckle were heard. ‘I thought I’ve lost my phone. Kharon, what a happiness that I’ve left it at home.’

‘Hello, dear.’ Kharon was serious.

He was confused as usual with Victoria’s wordings. What a bag of words “Thanks God” in relation to the demon! It made him angry and he couldn’t and didn’t want to calm down.

‘What’s wrong with your voice?’ Vic immediately understood only by his intonation that something went wrong.

‘Honestly Vic, I don’t still understand why I’m supposed to listen to it.’

‘What’s it?’ the girl got confused, digging in her mind, remembering what an insult she said.

‘Heh, dear, same old Vic.’ the man smiled being upset.

‘Are you about “Thanks God”?’ Vic spluttered with laughter. ‘This is just a parenthesis. It has no meaning. All people say it independently on their being of passionate believer or atheist. You shouldn’t pay attention. If you’re upset with it, I’ll certainly exclude it out of my lexicon. Don’t worry…’

‘Where shall I meet you?’ Kharon ignored all the girl’s arguments and excuses.

‘Umph… At 7 pm at Kuznetsky Most metro station. If something changes, I’ll call you… But if you have something changed, I’ll not know about it… Oh, my god! Put down my work phone number.’

‘Don’t worry nothing’s gonna be changed. I’ll be waiting for you at Kuznetsky Most at 7. I know your work phone number.’

‘I love you…’ Victoria smiled.

There was silence in respond. As usual Kharon didn’t know what to say.

‘Fine,’ the girl grinned, ‘I’m not gonna torture you. Don’t make up what to say. I just love you.’

Victoria hanged up and looked at the window with the smile on her lips.

‘Victoria!’

The girl gave a shiver and turned around. Gregory was near her.

‘You’ve scared me.’ Vic lowered her eyes and got up.

‘Let’s go to my office. Take your laptop.’

Gregory ordered and went ahead. Vic walked behind him already hating next two hours…

Kharon fingered Victoria’s phone, looking through the photos. All her phone was full of his photos: he slept, his eyelashes, his eyes, he smiled, mysteriously looked at the window, wet after being in the rain, with tea at the kitchen. Mostly Kharon didn’t see Victoria take pictures of him. He was tired to scroll up volumes of his photos.

The display turned on with bright colours and Vasilisa’s picture appeared on it. The demon smiled and accepted the call.

‘Victoria’s phone.’

There was silence on the phone and quiet sighs of breathing of surprise.

‘Kharon?’ Vasilisa finally started speaking.

‘Good morning, Vasilisa.’

‘Hi… Is Vic there?’

‘She’s at work and has left her phone at home. What can I do for you?’ Kharon closed his eyes and the imagine of the girl came into his mind.

The wild lock or ponytail of chestnut hair, oversized sweatshirt, running down her shoulder, the strap of which was on her wrist; leggings cut up like shirts… Her eyes were filled with happiness and satisfaction.

‘Yes… I’m just gonna have a walk with her in the evening, we’ve not seen for a long time.’

‘Let’s have a walk.’

‘With you?’ she was surprised.

‘With me. Am I not too good for it?’ he said resentfully.

‘Why… not to good. Ok. Where are we to meet?’ Vasilisa was excited.

‘Do you live near 1905 metro station? Near Victoria?’

‘Yes, almost near. I live between 1905 and Barrikadnay metro stations.’

‘I see. I’ll be waiting for you near the Zoo entrance. Do you remember how I look like?’

‘Hell yes! How much time do you need to get there?’ Vasilisa was putting on her sock.

‘I’ll be there in a half of an hour.’

‘Ok, deal.’

The girl hanged up the phone and rushed to get ready. Kharon kept on looking his photos in Victoria’s phone. Finally, among those pile of his face and body he found the only one photo of Victoria. She was so… beautiful. She had eyes of olive colour and big black pupils. Her stare was senseless and studying. Despite of it was a picture there was life streaming in her eyes. Her hair was done in an evening hair style. Her mouth was pursed like if some a severe thing was about to come out of it. Kharon liked the picture definitely. He felt unclear emotions, looking through the photo. He just wanted to look at her brooding eyes, at her lips…

At the fixed time Kharon appeared at the Moscow Zoo entrance. Needless to say, that the girl was being late. He wasn’t confused with this. For two months he had been observing different relationships and he already knew if time was fixed at 3pm and it was 15 minutes past 3 it didn’t mean that the girl had forgotten and been going to come. She was just being late. It was a sign of privet convenances between women.

Kharon was standing near the off-the-job fountain when he suddenly understood Vasilisa was about to appear and he even knew from where. The girl came out of the corner and met the lone demon at once. The man took her in a rapid attentive glance and caught himself thinking that he was interested in her… certainly as in not a new friend.

‘You look amazing.’ He looked at her eyes, getting into her mind. Until now Vasilisa didn’t make him be surprised. The fact that he was handsome Kharon had already heard from her when they had met at the first time. He had also heard the question why not her but Victoria was lucky to have Kharon.

‘Hi.’ Vasilisa didn’t felt confused. ‘Thank you. Where shall we go?’

‘It’s just the same to me. I like walking everywhere. Your preferences?’

Kharon carefully trying not to provoke the girl, with light airy smile, took her hands and raised it to his lips.

‘Kharon…’ the girl astonishingly whispered, staring around and with ineffable joy watching the man.

‘Your hands are cold,’ he scorched her hands with his hot breath, trying to warm them up. ‘So pale and cold…’

She didn’t protest at all as her hands were really cold and the tender attempts to warm them up gave her some cares.

‘Let’s go down.’ Kharon kept on chaffing her hands. ‘Wait. Give me your hand.’

The man put on his mitten on her hand and smiled.

‘Put your hand into your pocket…in the mitten.’

‘Listen, I don’t know what to say. Words failed me.’ Vasilisa with a broad smile looked at the companion.

‘You can try to say what you’re really thinking but you can also lie.’

‘You’d not be able to know what I chose,’ Vasilisa looked at Kharon’s eyes.

‘Of course, I wouldn’t…’ The demon smiled, stroked his finger over her cheek. ‘I wouldn’t know.’

It was about 4 pm when Kharon caught the thought that the girl was hungry among the mess of pleasant thoughts about his person.

‘Shall we have a snack?’ the demon asked her.

‘I’ve just thought of it!’ Vasilisa exclaimed in admire.

The girl had warmed some time ago but kept on wearing the demon’s mittens, holding his hand. She was buttered up with the man’s gentlemanlike things. She grooved on listening his nice timber of his voice and the words he spoke. She liked looking at him. It was understandable. Kharon had created a unique body which was bound to grab. And Vasilisa was being grabbed stronger and stronger by that hellish hook. Kharon was bored and… interested a bit.

They were sitting at the semi-round sofa in a quiet corner under the second-floor balcony. There was nobody nearby.

Almost imperceptibly Kharon moved up closer to Vasilisa. They were chattering. The man was moving up closer and closer. The girl pretended not to be noticing anything and all that was going on was ok. That was as it should be.

Sometime later Kharon was reclining on the soft cosy leather sofa, holding Vasilisa’s hand tight. She was smiling. His fingers so beautiful, long and warm were between hers. They were giving and stroking the warmth. There was laughter and smile. Out of the corner of her eye Vasilisa was studying the man and slowly going out of her mind under the influence of the awakened lust. She insanely enjoyed his touches and stares. He sometimes looked at her in such a way that she wanted to feel his charming stare forever.

In a minute the demon of the lust heard a very clear dream about a kiss… Their lips locked in a passionate kiss and the only thing Vasilisa had time to understand was that she had never felt anything like this.

None of them thought of Victoria. The demon felt perfect. Actually, the kiss energy was insignificant but nutritious a bit. Kharon understood that he more liked kissing and making love with women in reality than in dreams. Women were so alive and energetic, so sensitive and had kindly hearts! He felt his own libido different and more powerful.

Vasilisa couldn’t think of anything in the arms of the seducer but of him. In comparison to Victoria she had many men but none of them were like Kharon. She just gave into her animal instinct and own immoral desire. She didn’t stop the cocky man. She didn’t want to stop him. Moreover, she wanted more and the only one thing she yearned for while his arms were embracing her waist under the jacket was the fact that they weren’t in bed. She’d have never rejected him.

‘I can hardly control myself not to tear these stupid clothes to tatters and not to…’ Kharon came back with the kisses again.

He was still looking at bright and audacious pictures streaming in Vasilisa’s mind. He liked those pictures and their rampageous content. But he was realistic about what was going on: not people and the atmosphere prevented him from tearing the clothes in tatters but price and pay. Vasilisa wasn’t special but was like any woman whom Kharon could indulge. He usually took lives for his services! Sooner or later he had to stop himself.

When Kharon finally did away with his passion, having let his lips rest, Vasilisa saw Victoria’s face before her eyes.

‘Kharon,’ she whispered in scare.

‘Hmm,’ he mumbled in respond, moving the girl closer to him.

‘What’re we doing?’

‘We’re doing what we both want to.’

‘What about Victoria? You love each other and you let yourself behave like this?’

The demon was slightly surprised by an unexpected pretension, but he didn’t remove his smile.

‘You, my sweet crumpet…’ he said in a low voice touching her face, ‘I just wanted to do what I did. Even more I’m sure, don’t even have an argument now, that you, even more than me, wanted me to do what I did.’

‘True!’ Vasilisa smiled, having laid her head on his shoulder.

‘I know. And I know something else, if we’d been in a quieter place, we’d have never stopped, would we?’

‘I wouldn’t… You’re not like others but I think of Victoria… She’s my friend and what we did is called betrayal. We mustn’t say her about it. Are you listening to me?’

‘Why?’ Kharon got surprised.

Vasilisa stared at the man intently with eyes almost starting out of her head. There were no limits for her surprise.

‘Are you out of your mind?’ she hissed angrily.

‘No, I’m fine. I just don’t understand what so special we’ve done? We just kissed and it’s ok for men and women. Women actually are created to be kissed.’

‘Do you live on the Earth?’ the girl asked and smiled. ‘You’ll break her heart. She’ll hate you! We’re doing bad things for her. Do you understand? Lordy, why am I speaking it to you? You’re not a child, you have to understand!’

‘I see.’

In fact, Kharon understood nothing but feeling indignation from the girl and that’s why he decided to agree with her.

‘Can I ask you and you’ll be honest with me?’ the man took her hand again.

‘Listen, you’re really strange guy,’ Vasilisa looked at his eyes. ‘You’re very handsome and strange. We’ve been kissing with about two hours and you’ve been touching my body, whispering beautiful words in my ear, I thought I’m in love with you… Now you’re asking if you can ask me something?’

‘Yes.’ Kharon answered considering. ‘I think I am. Is it bad also? Am I not supposed to behave like this?’

‘What’s your question?’ Vasilisa ignored the man’s question, having accepted it like a jerk.

‘If we turned out to be together maybe in a café or not in public, would you say me no?’

‘No. Having known what you’re capable of and you’re supposed to be capable of more, I would never reject you… I wouldn’t be able to. My conscience will eat me away. It’s doing now. I don’t even know how I will look at Vic’s eyes when we meet. I really don’t know. But I want today to happen again. I shall burn in hell for it, but I want…’

‘In hell? Burn?’ the demon grinned. ‘It’s not as bad in hell as you think and not all burn there.’

‘I’m not gonna inquire where you got this information and I do get you’re a weird dude but it’s to your advantage. Victoria mustn’t know about kisses and that we met at all. Kharon, can you hear me? She mustn’t! This is betrayal and adultery. Give me her phone, by the way.’

‘Why?’

‘I’ll delete my call not to let a suspicion creeped into her mind.’

The demon handed her the phone and got immersed into his thoughts. Betrayal and adultery. Strange people. Why did they need to complicate everything? The problem was that the demon mixed the definitions of feelings. He knew a bit of friendship and less of betrayal and nothing of adultery. He wanted to know more but any question about those topics would inevitably confuse Victoria. Kharon was really fed up with that people considered him to be strange.

Having chattered and embraced so-called friend came out of the café.

Vitoria had been in Gregory’s office the whole day. They were closing the project and the man gave the girl no mercy.

By 4 pm she had been almost dead and just stopped getting her mind right to understand what Gregory wanted from her. Fortunately, Gregory, finally, said that he approved the draft and it could be sent to be printed. Victoria sighed with relief.

‘Thank you, Vic, good job. You’ll be rewarded this month.’

‘Thank you.’ The girl answered tiredly, paying off the wires.

Gregory smiled. He looked the girl fought with the wire, trying to unscrew the wire from her laptop.

‘Let me help,’ Gregory rose up and with a subtle movement of the hand unscrewed the wire. ‘You look tired. Have I wearied you?’

‘No…although,’ the girl smiled. ‘You’ve your hands in it.’

‘I’ll wash away my guilt. Bring your laptop at your place and I’ll be waiting for you on the first floor. Take your coat. We’re gonna visit a very good place to have lunch and relax after.’

‘But it’s only 4. I gotta be at work.’

‘No, not today. Since yesterday I’m your line manager. You have no manager but me. Even more, you’ll place in your own office near mine.’

‘Hum…’ Victoria was confused. ‘Why did I get privilege?’

‘Do you think you don’t deserve?’

‘No, I do…’ the girl turned red to her hair. ‘You’re cornering me. Ok, I’ll take my coat.’

‘I’m waiting in the lobby on the first ground.’

Vic took a sigh, gave a quick smile and went, almost ran out of his office as she didn’t want to be asked something new.

She picked up her bag at her work place seeing nobody. Her colleagues envied and were angry with her. They didn’t understand for what services the country manager was so favourable to her. Victoria was reserved trying not to speak about anything with anyone. She didn’t impose her friendship. Especially she didn’t try to be close to Gregory.

While she was coming down, she called on her phone that she had left at home.

‘What’s up? I miss you…’ Victoria stood near the lifts with the smile on her face.

‘Hi, dear. I’m walking.’

‘Where? In the centre as usual?’

‘Yes. Has anything changed with your plans?’

‘No. At 7 as we agreed. Just calling to know how you’re getting on and to say that I wanna see you so much.’

‘In two hours and a half I’ll be waiting for you in the middle of the station.’ Kharon smiled too, squeezing Vasilisa’s hand.

‘Ok, I love you.’ Victoria hanged up the phone and entered the lift.

Gregory was waiting for her on the first ground near the entrance door. Vic glanced at him and took a sigh again. That solid man in the coat, patent-leather shoes, in ironed trousers wasn’t the one whom she wanted to see. But she had no right of choice till 6 pm.

Gregory opened the car door, waited for the girl to get into the car, who didn’t used to cars and sat to drive.

‘You should belt up. We’re not gonna drive far but nevertheless… By 6.30 I have to get back to the office.’

‘No problem’ Victoria started belting up and no problem turned into a problem.

Gregory smiled, having bended to the girl, took the belt and pulled it to him. Victoria clung fast to the chair. Her nose caught the scent of bourgeoisie and shaving cream. The man glanced at the feeling constrained girl and smiled.

‘You’re very nervous,’ he said in a low voice, ‘Relax, I don’t bite.’

Victoria was looking at his green eyes intently studied hers, still hanging over her although the she had been already belted up and the man could have moved away.

‘Your eyes colour is madly beautiful,’ Gregory said in a lower voice, slowly bending down to her lips.

‘I’m so sorry, my phone’s calling!’ Vic waved her hands hardly didn’t punch the man in the face.

The girl pressed the phone to her ear and started speaking with the emptiness. She clearly understood that probably she looked very stupid, but she didn’t want to kiss with her newly-made boss. Besides she didn’t like him and at that exact moment she had an aversion for him. The closer he moved to her, the more tears she had in her eyes. If he had managed to kiss her Vic wouldn’t have been able to hold her tears.

All the short way while they were driving Victoria was speaking with an invisible man not to let Gregory speak with her. Out of the eye corner she followed him, his reaction and prayed for that nobody would call her indeed.

Hardly had the car stopped Victoria said good-bye to her switched off phone and jumped out of the car like a bat out of the hell. She wanted most of all that terrible lunch to be over soon. She wished she had been a demon to control and distort time. In addition, the always followed for its son ghost of the woman started pretty annoying the girl. But she was glad that the spirit didn’t want Gregory to touch Vic.

They were sitting face to face and waiting for the waiter to bring their meals. If Gregory was under fire pseudo moaning that he was hungry as a hunter, Victoria wasn’t hungry at all. She had a lump in the throat.

‘Victoria, I invited you here to have a rest a bit and communicate about something else not about work… and here should be no subordination. Agree?’

The girl nodded and smiled a bit, sadly looking at her companion.

‘You’re not yourself today. What’s wrong with you?’

‘What are you speaking about?’

‘About frustration in your eyes. Why?’

‘I don’t know. It’s Friday, the end of the working week. I’m really tired. Haven’t you been tired at all for this week?’

‘I’ve been living in non-stop rhythm not for one day and even not for the first year. You know, our body is a machine, a computer. It will work as you program it. This week has no difference from previous ones. May I?’

The man sat at the side chair that was closer to Victoria. She was just thinking why Gregory’s “may I” didn’t sound like a question but an imperative affirmation. Trying to make no sign Vic started being nervous again. Gregory took her hand and started intently looking over her fingers.

‘Your hands create so wonderful masterpieces…’

‘There’re no masterpieces.’

‘Your self-esteem is very low. Who imposed it on you?’

The girl felt giddy and she didn’t know what it meant. While her boss was speaking Vic was seeing through a mist him burying his mother. He was alone at the cemetery. There were no relatives nor friends. Nobody. The weather was warm. It was a daytime. The sun was shining. Two workers were burying the coffin with the ground very fast. Gregory frowned. There were tears in his eyes. There was only one thought in his mind: “she hasn’t come”. He looked at the pit and didn’t want to think of anything. Victoria felt pity for him! She could feel all his grief and how deep he got over his loss. For a moment she felt his life be lost. How was he supposed to live further? He had a feeling of guilt. The deepest guilt. But even money didn’t have a possibility to get life back if it was really about to leave. His heart ached. And the last blade with the ground was thrown on the hill. Then the realizing that this was the end came. You could get back nothing. That was over.

Victoria came back to reality as soon as Gregory took his hands away from hers.

‘Oh my God…’ she whispered, brushing away tears from her cheek, trying to forget what she had seen.

‘Victoria? Are you crying?’ Gregory bended down to her and touched her hand again. ‘Have I insulted you?’

The girl shook her head and asked God not to show her anything from lives of the dead people. She didn’t want to know the pain they had got over. She didn’t want to feel it together with them again and again. She was fed up with the ghost and spirits that endlessly came to her to show their experiences. She didn’t want to see them all. The tears choked her not because she saw Gregory at the cemetery but because she was tired to see it in general. The girl had stopped asking why she could see them. She was preoccupied with another one: “what should she do not to see them at all?”

‘Speak to me, Vic. What’s going on?’

‘I’ve got something in my eye… It hurts… too much.’

‘Let me see!’ without a second the man grabbed the girl and started examining her eyes, carefully looking for a sore. He wiped her tears away, stroked her cheek and kindly stared at her and for a while Victoria felt better.

‘Is it better?’

Vic nodded her head, intently gazing into his eyes.

‘I’m glad.’ He smiled and let the girl. ‘Tell me about yourself, Victoria.’

‘What exactly do you want to know?’

‘What do you like? What don’t you like? What do you expect from your life? What about your family… everything in shorts. I’m interested in everything about you.’

‘You are first.’

‘What does it mean?’

‘It means you answer your questions first.’

‘Are you really interested, or you want to get off?’ Gregory smirked, having had a sip of a tart juice.

‘I’m interested. It’s true.’ Vic smiled.

‘Ok, I’ll give you a head start. I was born in 1979, on the 8^th of August. I have a single-parent family… I had. My father left me when we were 2.’

‘We?’

‘I have a sister… I had a sister – Polina. We quarrelled and I decided that she doesn’t exist for me. I’ve heard nothing of her for ten years already. I finished school, graduated Economical Department in MHU with honours. When I was 23, I came to our company as a financial specialist. I’ve been making my career for ten years and as a result I’m a country manager. That’s my story in shorts.’

‘What about your mum?’

‘She died ten years ago.’

‘I’m sorry.’

‘It’s ok, it was a long ago. I keep good memories of her. When my sister quarrelled with her, the thrombus tore off and you know what could happen next. Polina still thinks that she was right. She didn’t consider coming to our mum’s funeral. I’m sorry for telling all of that, it’s really boring.’

‘No, it’s not. We’re having hear-to-heart conversation, remember?’ the girl smiled.

‘Yes, you’re right. What’s your story?’

‘My? I have almost the same. My dad left us. But we see each other very rarely. My mum’s alive and kicking, fortunately. We live a cat-and-dog life. She’s impossible.’ Victoria shook her head. ‘I’m telling she’s impossible. I sometimes understand why my dad left. He couldn’t live with her. To get over her contrary disposition is impossible. That’s why he left.’

‘And you left too?’ Gregory regarded her in all seriousness.

‘Yes, I did…’

‘Did you leave her?’

‘No! Oh, dear, no! I left her because I couldn’t stay with her at one territory. It’s very complicated. You will never understand it. Your mum always stroked your head and fussed over you while mine was always looking for imperfections in me.’

‘How do you know that my mum was as exactly the same as you told?’ Gregory smiled mysteriously and squinted. At that moment Victoria understood that she had shot off her mouth. Suddenly she became worrying and felt like a cat on hot bricks.

‘I… Just…. It seems like that.’

‘You’re right! All my life my mum got easy on me. You know how deep it was madding! But she was my mum and I couldn’t afford to be rude and insult her.’

Victoria couldn’t help smiling when she got that Gregory wasn’t a stickler for detail out of the office as she had thought before. It was pleasure and interesting to speak with him.

‘What do you mean by imperfections?’ he asked her.

‘Well… it’s a long story. You know it’s generation gap which can never be solved.’

‘Your mum pushed her weight around and you resisted?’

‘Something like that. It’s like a tug-of-war game.’

‘Where do you live, Victoria? I mean where did you go from your mum?’

‘I live with my man,’ the girl went off with relief, being happy in the depth that her answer would stop any half-formed intentions from him.

Gregory could not think of any reply to what he heard. Having heard about the man he unnoticeably smirked a little bit sadly lowered his look at the plates. Suddenly Victoria understood that the silence problem wasn’t because Gregory had nothing to say but because he was choosing what to say.

‘So, do you manage it? I mean… you work recently…’

Having frowned Vic was listening to her boss without understanding what was happening to him: always self-confident, handsome and having a respectful tone man suddenly looked like a confused school leaver.

‘What’s the matter?’ the girl said.

‘I’m sorry… A sudden headache. Oh, shit, I gotta go… I’ve got a meeting. Victoria, I gotta go. May I drive you?’

‘Thank you but it’ll be faster by the metro and I don’t want make you wait. Don’t worry, Mr. Dogmanov, and you should go, ok? You shouldn’t be late.’

‘Victoria,’ the man rose up, ‘I’ve been glad you had lunch with me. I hope we have lunch again.’

‘As you wish. It’s been really interesting to be with you today.’

‘Just today?’ he winked at her.

‘You made me free from work and yes, it’s been very interesting.’

Gregory came up to her and kindness and warmth were streaming from him that made the girl feel uncomfortable.

‘See you on Monday, Victoria. I’ve paid the bill.’

Her boss went to the exit putting on his coat. Victoria watched him leaving with mysteriously squinty eyes. Hardly had she immersed into after-lunch-thoughts as she remembered to go to Kharon.

With the smile on her lips she ran to Kuznetskiy Most metro station, looking forward to meeting.

Vic left the train and immediately, streamline with the mad crowd, headed to the centre of the station, raving about seeing the demon. She smiled wildly. Nobody was waiting for her.

Victoria convulsively looked around: there was nobody. From one hand someone pushed her, from another – she was called. The step in right and she stepped on a foot, a step in left and someone winged her with a big bag. And the gentle, warm hands covered her eyes and a perfect feeling of defence appeared behind. Nobody more could neither punch nor step on, there was only peacefulness and cosiness. There was like a glass cylinder around her like incubator, constantly protected her from external influence and impact of the environment. It was something unnatural and scaring but so close and romantic.

‘My love…’ Vic said quiet, touching his hands.

She would recognize his warmth and touches out of millions of others.

‘I wanted to surprise you.’ He answered, embracing her with his arm and still covering her eyes with the second hand. ‘You’re so penetrating. I wish you didn’t pretend to have any idea who was standing behind you.’

‘I clearly know that it’s you and no one else. I don’t want anyone else but only you.’

While Kharon was hiding all around with his hand he perfectly could feel her thoughts running through his nerve impulses, eating in his mind and his joy and complacence awaking because of the thoughts content. He almost got used to the girl’s feelings and to the fact that he was like a god for her. With each passing second, he liked it more and more.