111 Three Truths (1/2)

I waited at the corner of the hotel room once again, waiting for Luna to get dressed in her nightgown. In my mind, I played back what had just happened, feeling an overwhelming guilt that seemed to oppress my very spirit, forcing it to remain in the dark abyss of melancholy.

When she had finished changing, I turned around to face the darkroom that was only illuminated by the moonlight that spilled in through the windows. She was sitting on her bed with her head hanging low and eyes gazing blankly at the floor where the moonlight shined on. On her face, was a mysterious expression, one that perplexed me. However, I know for a fact that she was still suffering from the pain that I dealt to her...

However, I know for a fact that she was still suffering from the pain that I dealt to her

I remained silent as I observed her. In my eyes, there was guilt. However, there was also the desire to remain by her side. She basked in my silent gaze, not saying anything. She just sat there in silence, probably going through a mental conflict with herself that she had kept suppressed within her, similar to how she kept her true condition hidden away.

”Thank you for staying with me,” she whispered.

Then, with a deep breath, she turned her head to face me and smiled. This smile of her's... it was a look that resembled how she usually smiled. However, I was suspicious as to whether or not she was truly fine.

Slowly, she got up from her bed and walked over to the minibar in her hotel room. She knelt down and opened the cabinet door, reaching in and taking out a wine bottle. Then, she reached for the two wine glass that was placed on the surface of the cabinet. She rose to her full height with the wine bottle in her left hand while she held onto the two wine glass in her right, smiling as she looked over at me.

Slowly, she walked over to the coffee table in the corner of the room, setting the wine bottle and wine glasses on the coffee table before she sat down in one of the cushioned chairs surrounding the table. The bottle appeared to have been opened before, so the cork was easily removable by Luna. After removing the cork, she poured the fluid into each of the two wine glass. Then, she picked up one of the two, swirled the red fluid about in the glass and smelled it before taking a small sip.

As she did so, I stood there and watched her in silence. I merely observed as the once cheerful girl now gazed at the wine glass in her hand with a mysterious smile that seemed to conceal the emotions that she felt within her.

”Care to join?” she then asked, holding up her wine glass and gesturing for me to join her.

I slowly walked over to the coffee table and took the seat that was opposite to her's. After sitting down, I gazed at the glass of wine that was set on the table before me. Without much thought, I reached my hand for it.

”It's 30 years old,” Luna chuckled as she swirled the red fluid in the wine glass about. ”Made from the best grapes here in Saroff...”

”You often drink?” I asked her after taking a sip from the wine glass. I tried to suppress my reaction to the bitterness of the drink, but I wasn't very successful, resulting in a soft laugh from Luna.

”Sometimes,” she said. ”It calms me...”

”...” I sat there and observed the girl who sat before me as she gazed out the window. She seemed to have a mysteriously mature aura around her, an aura that seemed to belong only to people who were determined and held onto a strong resolve. It would appear as if she was extremely tranquil and calm, something that I didn't expect from her after what had just happened.

I frowned as I gazed at the red wine, staring at my reflection in the wine glass. Once again, a bitter taste filled my mouth, but it wasn't from the result of the wine. Rather, it was from my melancholy. This gloominess seemed to have changed who I am, causing me to constantly be moody as I sat here. Maybe the overwhelming amount of guilt that I had experienced played a major part to it as well.

”You're not going to drink?” she asked as she finished her glass. ”Don't worry. I'm not trying to get you drunk and do anything weird...”

I stared at the wine before me once again and made up my mind. Slowly, I brought my hand to the wine glass, picked it up, and downed the drink until the glass was empty. Luna smiled and chuckled when she saw me finish my drink. In a leisurely manner, she reached for the wine bottle and poured both her and us some more of the drink.

I watched as my wine glass filled with the red drink once again. In my mouth, the lingering bitterness of the wine continued to aggravate the already existing bitterness existing within me. I didn't feel any bit relaxed. Rather, I felt as if my melancholy was amplified by this solution.

”Why're you so gloomy?” she suddenly said as her voice regained the earlier vigor and vitality. A large smile existed on her face as she watched me. Her large amber eyes seemed to shine under the moonlight.

”I...” I wasn't able to say anything. The heavy atmosphere from earlier had suffocated me, making me almost lifeless in spirit. Thus, I wasn't able to process or think of anything to say in situations as this. Besides... I was never the best at talking with people. Even if I was in my normal state of mind, I doubt I would be able to speak to her normally.

”Cheer up,” she smiled gently as she rested her face in her right hand. ”I told you we'll forget about what happened earlier. It's my fault for being so sudden. Not yours.”

”...” I looked away, knowing that I must have a bitter expression on my face.

”You can't even take a joke?” she sighed, shaking her head.

I glanced over at her, catching a glimpse of her as she shook her head. It was as if she had shaken off the memory of her weeping. As if she had once again became someone else. Who is the true Luna? Is it the her that sat before me now? The her that was weeping earlier?

”You're making the situation so awkward,” she sighed. ”Let's play a game and lighten the situation up.”

”Game?”

”Let me see...” she closed her eyes and started thinking. ”What can we play right now...”

I stared at her as she busied herself with coming up with a game we could play. On her face was an mysterious smile as she thought, almost as if she was enjoying the process of thinking up a game.

”I know!” She opened her eyes that seemed to gleam under the moon and leaned forward playfully. ”How about we each ask the other person three questions and the other person must answer truthfully. If you don't want to answer,” she said, jumping up from her seat, running over to the minibar and returning with another bottle and some shot glasses. ”You have to take a shot.”

”That's a game?”

”I just came up with it.”

”...” I gazed at her excited countenance, and because of that, I couldn't bring myself to decline her. I've already done her enough harm... This is the least I could do for her now. ”Sure.”

”Alright,” she said, smiling happily.

She then unscrewed the new bottle that she brought back, and immediately, my nose was hit with the smell of strong alcohol. She then poured the clear fluid into the many shot glasses and laid them out in an evenly spaced manner in the middle of the round coffee table.