The end of the war

•••

Nelson had remained silent sitting next to Sania waiting for her to tell him something but yet, since the moment she told him to stay, she didn't open up her mouth. He couldn't stop feeling anxious due to that mysterious tension he could feel in the air while wondering what she was about to tell him. At a moment, he couldn't take it anymore and decided to initiate the discussion himself.

" If... if you want to tell me how much you loathe me you can go ahead, though I probably already know how you feel. Don't hold back I deserve whatever you will say, after all the things I have done to you ".

Until then Sania had her arms crossed around her knees while leaning her head on them, and without saying a word or turning her head, she slowly released her left hand, let it wandering a little bit until she reached Nelson's right hand and she held it timidly. " How? " she said with a little voice smothered by her forearm in front of her mouth.

" How... ? " Nelson repeated confused by her reply.

" I have some images of what happened when I was controlled and with the story you've told me those images became understandable, " Sania paused a moment to think about how to formulate what she wanted to say, " how did it feel... to be with me? "

Nelson didn't expect such a question, he was so surprised that he didn't know what to respond and so he remained silent taking his time to gather his thoughts and after he completely calmed down he said, " I didn't really try to enjoy it. As I have told you it was Konny who forced me in a way that I couldn't refuse. So knowing that it was against your free will, I tried to do it quickly so that you would feel less uncomfortable. If I dared to enjoy it would have been as if I was abusing you and I will never do such a thing ".

Sania understood that he was talking in all sincerity and for that she decided to be sincere too. " It was not... I mean, I didn't feel uncomfortable at all, " she said causing Nelson to suddenly turn the head toward her with a face total surprised.

" What did you say? "

Sania agitated herself a little bit, though she convinced herself to talk to him with sincerity, she still felt quite embarrassed opening up her heart like that to Nelson, even though it was not her first time doing that.

" When I was under Konny's control it was not like I was out of myself like a robot or something. The sensation was like I was there but someone or something else was leading me, like Jamal has said, it was like being driven by desires which were not really mine. They were becoming gradually stronger in a way that I would sometimes gradually forget my own self, and as I was blindly and helplessly following that path which was not the one I chose I slowly started to lose myself ".

As she was explaining, she held Nelson's hand tighter, " but when I remember that moment, I can feel that it was different... when I was with you, the way my heart was racing when I was touching you while you were holding me or when I was giving myself to you, I could feel that it was really I who wanted it. Even if it was for a short time, from the bottom of my heart I was enjoying it ".

She paused, letting pass a long moment of silence, maybe waiting for Nelson to say something but the latter had no idea of what to reply after such revelation, he knew what it did mean but he was scared to hope that it would be true.

" Hey, when Konny was saying that you're actually in love with me... was it true? " Nelson could feel her hand shaking while holding his, and even without looking at her, he could tell she was very serious, he knew that it was not the moment to mess things up so he took a deep breath and confessed.

" She was right. I'm actually in love with you, Sania ".

Her heart skipped a beat and her mouth was slightly open in surprise while she felt the temperature of her body rising slightly. " Since when? " she asked while trying to contain her excitement.

" Since that day in Glenn's mansion, when you opened yourself to me " he pushed his head back to lean it against the wall behind him, " I knew that it was your first time sharing your pain, your fear, or your feelings, in general, with someone and for some mysterious reasons I was so glad it was me ", he chuckled, " it's quite weird don't you think? We have known each other for just a few days, moreover, we have been constantly fighting but in a single night, you have turned my feelings for you upside down. That's why I- "

Sania suddenly moved and turned around to sit on his lap while trapping him between her naked thighs. She agitated herself, trying to be as close to him as she could, until her hips were the nearest to his, while still holding tight his hand. She bowed her head, which was higher than his, and plunged her bright brown eyes deep into his blue eyes, like the ocean, and started wondering if it could be possible to lose herself in those eyes which were staring back at her so passionately.

She passed her left arm around his strong neck before she started to slowly approach her head closer to his until their noses touched each other. " It may sound weird but I think... no I'm sure I'm in love with you like I have never loved someone else, even though we have known each other for such a short time, " she sensually whispered with her lips at less than 3 centimeters from his. She bit her lower lip while excitedly shaking her hips, and said, " I can't take it anymore... I want to kiss you ".

Right after she pronounced those words Nelson broke the short distance which was separating them and put his lips next to hers. She responded to his action almost immediately and they soon started kissing savagely each other.

" More... give me more... " Sania couldn't stop moaning between two breaths, " it's not enough... let's do it ".

As she was about to take off his shirt, Nelson gently held her hands to stop her, " not here, not now. We will have all our time for that once we will go back to Stainfall but, " he told her.

" But I want you right now. I can't hold myself until then, " she complained while continuing to kiss sensually his neck.

" I know, but we have to be patient, " he said with his eyes closed as he had great difficulties organizing his thoughts.

Sania stopped kissing him and moved a little backward to look at him, " but you are staying with me, aren't you? " she said with a soft voice which almost sounded like she was begging him.

" Of course I'm staying with you, we are together until the end, " Nelson responded before putting a kiss on her forehead.

Sania smiled satisfied, she closed her eyes and let herself falling gently on his chest.

•••

" You're both feeling better now? " Volga shouted to the couple who were walking toward them.

As she was the first one to notice them, the people, around her, stopped momentarily what they were doing to take a look at the newcomers.

" Yes, I can say that we are good now, " Sania said while glancing at Nelson with a complicit smile and the latter smiled back at him.

In front of her, people started smiling and glancing at each other as they could easily understand what she meant.

" Well, if that's so, please get in the work, the sooner we finish the better, " Jamal shouted from his corner while he was carrying a heavy box and was walking toward the exit.

" What should we do? " Nelson immediately asked with an enthusiasm which was not in his habit.

In fact, he was scared that after his betrayal people would tend to ignore him and push him apart as they could not trust him anymore and so he was determined to work hard to win their trust again. He didn't expect them to accept him so easily that's why he got such a reaction, he didn't want to mess things up.

" We are leaving here for Konny's HQ " Carla voluntarily explained, " so for now we are gathering all the useful stuff which we can find here and we carry them outside where are the cars ". She finished putting some stuff in a box and lifted it to carry it outside.

Without more instructions both Sania and Nelson moved and started collecting whatever they could find useful and they put them into boxes.

" Why are there few people here? You said to have freed all the people who were controlled by Konny so I was expecting to see a huge number of people, " Sania tried to engage the conversation after a long moment of silence.

" A great number of them have been sent to our HQ since the most important or precious goods are there, such as our personal belongings and the collection of jazz albums of my dad, " Pam responded while entering the room.

" So... this isn't your actual HQ? " She asked surprised.

Pam shook her and Nelson looked at her surprised too, he asked her about their real location and when she responded to him he said, " when Konny asked me to look for the place you were hiding I was convinced that it was this very place " he paused, " because, if I remember well, it was said that the head of your crew used to be a police officer, am I wrong? "

" Well the truth is that it used to be our first hideout but since the last attack of Konny we quickly had to change and go elsewhere, " she paused and gazed around " you know, it may be a police station but under an attack, this place is not very easy to protect, the last time we received huge damages ".

" It was that time she kidnapped you, right? " Sania asked carelessly. Only when she saw Pam lowering her sight while looking uncomfortable, that she understood that she said something that she shouldn't have. " I'm very sorry, I didn't do it on purpose, " she immediately tried to catch her up and apologize before she bit her lip and mumble, " I'm such a bitch sometimes ".

" No it's alright, you don't have to feel sorry for that, " Pam said while waving her hand as if it's was something without importance, " I should not be affected by that anymore. That experience belongs to the past now ". She smiled before resuming her work and as they were carrying the last boxes she said " anyway I'm glad that you didn't suggest her this place as she might have come again and we would have lost all these precious things ".

" Hopefully she didn't ask me to give my opinion about where you were hiding otherwise I'm sure I would have been capable to reveal it to her, " Nelson confessed while laughing.

Outside, the few people, who were in charge of cleaning up the whole station, were already loading the boxes in the cars. Nelson, Pam, and Sania reached the car which Jamal, Volga, and Carla were loading, they helped them to charge the last boxes and once they finished Jamal stepped forward.

" Alright guys, Phil called to tell me that they remain few things they have to load and for that they would need some more time, " Jamal announced to everyone, " so it would be good for us to go ahead and they shall catch up with us later ".

" We still have one or two hours left before the sunset, so it would be indeed a good idea to go ahead and use that time to prepare for the celebration party of the end of the war tonight, " Volga raised her voice and proposed.

" I plan to return to our HQ to go give a hand, they probably have many men there but there are a lot of things to transport and I think they need all the help which can be provided, " Pam let them know, " I already talk to my dad so you can go ahead ".

As she said that a few people started to propose their help and even asked to join her. And Jamal didn't put any objections.

That group took one car and they went off and so did Jamal accompanied by the remaining people.

When they arrived they directly headed for Konny's residence, the biggest and the single different house in the neighborhood. There, they started discharging the goods they would need for the party while leaving the others as they planned to leave the city the next day.

" Sania, do you remember where she stocked the provisions we have brought from Palet? " Jamal asked after they finished putting things inside.

" Actually yes, I remember that she put them together with their own provision of food in a shed in the garden behind the house, " as she responded an idea appeared in her mind, " by the way, I remember that Glenn has given us some fresh products, wouldn't be a good idea to cook those instead of using conserved food for tonight party? "

" I would have wanted but I have to call for my home and discuss important matters so I don't think I will have the time to prepare anything, " he responded while stroking the back of his head.

Volga, who was just next to him, pushed him lightly with her elbow, " she's not asking you to cook, she plans to do it herself ".

" Ah, I see, " he exclaimed while looking surprised, he glanced at Volga and then looked at Sania before he responded to her, " in this case you can do as you please ".

" Well, I will help the other guys with the other preparations and we will also save time if we start since now loading the useful things in the cars while waiting for Phil and Pam's group to come, " Volga told them.

" You won't help her to cook? " Jamal asked her with a slight tone of surprise.

" It's not because I'm a woman that I have to stay in a kitchen, " she replied to him while looking at him with an expression of challenge.

Jamal chuckled and leaned slightly toward her as he saw an occasion to tease her " tell the truth, you don't know how to cook, do you? "

" Shut up, " she pushed him before running away.

" I will help, " Carla proposed to Sania.

Everybody around her suddenly turned their heads to stare at her, surprised, even Volga who almost left the place stopped and turned around to gaze at her too.

" You will? " they all asked in the same voice.

The young woman looked at them confused, she shrugged and said " why not? I don't have anything interesting to do so it's better to give a hand, don't you think? Moreover, I'm not so bad at cooking ".

" O-OK, sure, " Sania said after a quick glance at Nelson who didn't know what to respond to that as well.

" OK guys, see you later, please come call me when the other group arrives, " Jamal said before he went off looking for a phone.

" I think I should go give Volga a hand... to coordinate. I will leave that to you, " Nelson coughed and said as an excuse to escape from that awkward situation.

Sania looked at Carla a little uncomfortable, " you can follow me to the garden, we will take all the food and ingredients we will need and will come back, " she told her.

" Yes ma'am " Carla replied in the way she used to talk before getting promoted.