A KITTY FOR A KITTY

"What the..." She found herself dumb, in the sense that her words stopped flowing, stopped at the sight shown in front of her. The scene was quite unbelievable, shocking really. Her mind was sent reeling, unable to comprehend or process the images it was being sent by her eyes. She rubbed her eyes, then looked back to see if it was still there. It was.

The first thing that greeted her sight was transparent boxes upon boxes of shoes stacked beautifully, displaying next to the mirror. She stepped forward, and carefully opened one of the boxes with her cold hands. A pair of beautiful ocean blue ankle strap high heels that might nearly break her feet in minutes welcomed her sight. She was not too good in heels.

She shifted her gaze to the rest of the boxes. Black. Orch. Peach. White. Grey. All possible colors that were displayed matched her outfit. Vilian retracted her trembling fingers to her chest, the corner of her lips intensely twitching as she looked at the boxes.

"There you are. Was waiting for you," She stood up on her feet as soon as she heard his deep voice nearing her and saw him walking toward her from the corner of her eyes. But her eyes could not waver out of the sight that was in front of her. Shaking herself out of the stupor, she glanced back at him. The astonished expression was yet to disappear back to her usual expression. She looked beautiful. Wet little golden fringes stuck to her face past her hairline.

For some reason, Astrel found her kinda breathtaking. She was too much to him. He didn't ponder on her looks for too long. He didn't want to get carried away. Neither in front of her nor from afar.

"What are these?"

"These? What do you think it is?" he questioned, folding his arms one over the other above his chest.

"I mean, what are these for? Why am I asked to get dressed?" She swatted her forehead for mixing up the question in the reverie of astonishment.

Astrel gazed at her for a while and glanced down at her bare feet. Feeling conscious of her bare feet, Vilian curled her toes, clutching the fur-carpeted floor. A side of Astrel's lips quirked up, sensing her consciousness as he walked away from her. Her gaze followed the man walking toward the classy bed. But what she saw next amazed her to no end.

"What are all these accessories doing on the bed?" she absentmindedly questioned. Her jaws slacked down. All the while, Astrel held his gaze on her, observing every change of her expression, like a fine piece of tapestry. Her every move, every expression seemed amusing to him.

Too bright and shiny, too beautiful to take her eyes away. Was she hallucinating? thought Vilian standing idol where she was.

"Come over here," she heard the deep voice, interrupting her amazing look.

"Can I know what's all these for? I can't hold back my curiosity anymore," came her tone-down voice. She stepped forward, her gaze on the jewel.

"Well... then, don't," Astrel remarked back with a hint of sarcasm. Not once did his gaze waver away from the curious little kitty. It wasn't the greedy look that he saw on her face like any other woman would have had. A mix of curiosity, amazement, and a puzzled expression. He knew the girl wasn't like any other women he had encountered. But not to this extent.

As she came near enough toward the bed, her gaze wandered over the jewels displayed over the bed and finally settled onto Astrel's blue eyes. A questioning gaze against a blank gaze.

"Are these for business or something?" A naive question slipped her lips. Astrel's loud chuckles reverberated all around the room. His head faced the ceiling as he did so. Vilian gave an annoyed look, pouting her lips.

"What are you, a maniac?" she questioned, crossing her hands over her chest, and narrowing her eyes.

"Bus- Business?" he couldn't help but laugh, "Do I look like a jeweler or a shoe salesman?" His question came mockingly. Vilian huffed and turned away. But the very next minute, she was pulled behind. She gasped louder with her eyes widened. One minute she was facing the glass windows and the next thing, she was pulled back, right onto the devil's body.

"Uff... let me go... Why are you being so clingy, lately!" she wiggled and struggled to get off of him. But the more she did so, the more she was smashed into him.

"What can I do, when you never fail to amuse me?" His questioning voice vibrated over her skin. She felt him right beside her ear, his lips, his hot breath. His voice sounded low, and his chest rumbled deeply against her back. He pulled back and made her sit on his lap. Vilian tried hard to get off him but gave up. It was of no use. But she was still on her guard. Stiff like a log.

Astrel circled his hand around her waist and rubbed her back, ever so slowly. Unbeknownst to her, her stiff body loosened further into his arms. Vilian could do nothing but close her eyes. Her whole body tingled along with his slow graces on her back. She could not fathom the reason. She clenched her teeth tight, curling her toes.

Astrel put his hand in his trouser pocket and pulled out something shiny. He gazed at the girl who had her eyes closed like a little kitty being pet by her master, and shifted his gaze back to the thing that was in his hand, twirled around his long fingers. His eyes glowered blue flares as he gazed at it and blew over it. The shiny thing shinned brighter than it already was. Astrel swiped using his thumb and brought it forward in front of her.

Not soon, her eyes flew open feeling a cold thing around her neck. A light gasp left her lips as she glanced down, and her eyes went to a saucer. Her mouth opened and closed, similar to a fish, speechlessly.

A shiny sterling necklace dangled around her neck, and a little heart pendant blue in color rested over her bosom. Vilian's eyes sparkled at the beautiful jewel as she lifted her shaky hands and ran her fingers over the eye-catching pendant. The once plain heart pendant changed its surface design and just like that, it vanished. Confused Vilian snapped her face immediately to her side, almost hitting her head with Astrel's. But she was more than confused to take it in. The pendant was the only little thing that was her sole concern. She glanced at the blue eyes that gazed down at her.

She opened her mouth to question, "Wha-" but Astrel shushed her and told her to gaze down once more.

"This- How- what," she could not form words witnessing the things.

"A kitty for a kitty. Doesn't it suit you, darling?" he questioned with a smirk. Furious about him, she pushed him away and stood up. Astrel fell on the bed chuckling amusedly. Anger bubbled in her. The blue heart that was similar to the devil's eye color had a cute little kitty on either side.

Vilian tried to take it off her neck but the neck minute, she was facing the devil in front of her.

"I would not be doing that if I were you," he clicked his tongue and ran his index finger over the necklace. She could feel his finger on her skin. She felt like the devil was leaving hot marks over her bare skin. The little gestures bought goosebumps all over her skin.

"I don't like wearing jewels," she muttered angrily as she tried to take them off once again.

"Well, I can't help it. You must wear it."

"What do you mean, I must wear it?" she yelled, "What are all these preparation for?" she pointed at the footwear as if they were nothing but useless though they weren't. Not even to her eyes.

"I adore what's mine till the extent where people might think they aren't priceless though whatever mine is always," he said as he walked toward a velvety blue box and opened it. Vilian found his words kinda riddled, for she understood none of it.

"Can you not speak in riddle?"

"Oh, do I, now?" He questioned. She saw his gaze wander over the other boxes and glanced back at her from head to toe.

Vilian stepped back as she bit her lips, "What?" she raised her eyebrows as she crossed her hands one over the other.

"I would not let my date walk barefoot. Wouldn't that be rude?"

"Why would I walk bare- DATE?!" Her voice went high-pitched. Astrel squinted his eyes. A lopsided grin broadened his lips as he continued going through the boxes.

"What do you mean date? Can you just tell me what on earth is gonna happen? Why am I dressed in these uncomfortable weird pieces of cloth?"

"Right, found it," she heard him say it as if her were fallen into a dead pit.

"Do you not hear me? What are you, gone deaf or something?" she questioned, stepping forward with her hands on her hips irritatingly.

"First of all, I assume that thing you call isn't called a weird cloth piece, but an A-line cocktail frock, is it not?" he pointed at the frock she was dressed in as he came walking toward her, one of his hands lifting a box that seemed weightless.

Vilian found herself tongue-tied at his remark. Not even she knew the exact name of the dress she was wearing. How did he know it?

"Don't be too surprised. It's not like women never wear such thing," he spoke up nonchalantly as he walked past her but dragged her along with him. She found herself dumb as she sat on the bed while Astrel took the pair of footwear out of the box and placed it on the floor. A pretty light blue block heel sandal came into her view, designed with crochet lace on it. A cute satin bow stuck to its back as its finishing line.

Astrel lifted her right foot and put on the sandals carefully. He didn't know why he did it, he felt like doing so. As soon as he buckled the sandals on her right foot, he took her left foot and was about to put the sandals onto it too. But his gestures stopped midway.

"What's this?" he questioned, quizzically as he gazed at the black thing on her ankle intently. It seemed more like a scar. A scar that probably had sunk too deep. Vilian gazed down at what had he pointed and not soon, she pulled her leg off his hands and stood up immediately.

"Nothing," she said and wore the other sandal skittishly. Astrel frowned but didn't pry into the matter as he didn't find it too important. But he knew his mind told him the other way by the way her heart picked fast all of a sudden than it already was.

There were too many things to unravel from the girl thought Astrel as he stood up and buttoned his cuff which had come off. Deep down he unintentionally vowed to unravel them one after the other.