Glimpse Of Humiliation

The weather is chilly, but Samantha got sweaty palms. Andrius opened the door on her side and reaches for her hand. Her heart thumps fast as they walk right in front of the main door.

“Andrius?” a girl who's a little bit older or younger than Andrius approached them.

“She’s my older sister. Second to the last,” said Andrius and let out a smile at the girl.

“Gosh!” the girl gasped. “What’s the name of the gorgeous girl behind you?” she asked.

“Samantha.” He looked at Sam before he looked at his sister. “She’s Samantha, my girlfriend.”

The girl extended her right hand, “Hi, I’m Athena.”

She then reached for the girl’s hand and shook hands.

“Come in,” Athena said.

Andrius held her waist and lead the way inside.

“Where’s mom?” he asked.

“She went to the designer and tackle things about her birthday party tomorrow,” Athena replied.

Samantha’s eyes roamed around the house, and she was amazed by the interiors. Then what caught her attention were the photographs of different sceneries.

“They’re my masterpieces,” Andrius said. Thus, answer her thoughts.

“They’re amazing. It will cost a lot in the market.”

Athena laughed which made her turn in the girl’s direction. “Oh, please. I would be a billionaire by now if I sell those, but this boyfriend of yours,” she tapped Andrius’s shoulder, “doesn’t want it. Dylan too might be a millionaire or billionaire when we sell those, but they’re my younger brother’s babies.”

Andrius shook his head and grabbed her hand as they walked towards the stair.

“We’ll just going to unload our things,” he said.

“How long do you plan to stay?” Athena asked.

“Three—”

“Three months? Whoa!” Athena exclaimed.

Andrius frowned. “It’s days, stupid.”

She then hit the man’s arm. “You’re rude,” she said. And they heard Athena’s laughter.

Andrius shook his head again and they continue to climb upstairs. When they got inside, Andrius put down their bags and he grabbed her by the waist. She laughed.

“Don’t get naughty,” she warned.

Andrius chuckled and let her go. “Whatever my wife says, I obey,” he said.

She laughed. “Stop saying those, it’s creeping me out.” She sat on the bed and roamed around. The room was painted black and white. His bed is black, his leather sofa is black. Seems she knew already what his favorite color was—It’s black.

“Why don’t you display here your frames?” she asked.

The man sat beside her and put his hands on her back and leaned on her. “I don’t feel putting it here. When we’re going to buy a house, I want to have a storeroom for all of it and put your huge frame right on the center of everything,” he said and looked at her. She then stared back.

He’s being serious.

He slowly laid his back on the soft bed and stared at her. “Don’t you want to get settled?” he asked.

She then lay down beside him and looked at the white ceiling. “It once crossed my mind but when I started to make a living here, and with the kind of job I have, I never thought that there’s a man who will love me and value me as a woman.” She looked at him. “It’s hard for me to do it but I need to. If not, I will not eat bread and jam a day. God knows, how I tried to let go of it, but I was born as a performer. I usually sing but Peregrine already had a lot of it and the only slot available was a dancer. And Helen, my only friend here, she works there for a long time and she’s the one guiding me. You knew that I dance over that cold cylindrical pole—”

“Do you usually do the lap dancing?” he interfered.

She shook her head and turned back her gaze to the ceiling. “No. Even if many customers have been requesting it, I never did it, not until Bob went inside the dressing room and told me that one customer paid double and we had rules that ‘I can touch you, but you can’t touch me,' so, I grabbed it, but it turned out that—”

“I’m sorry,” he said and caressed her cheek. “God knows, how I regretted it.”

She smiled. “I know.”

“But your slap was hard that even my jaw numbed.”

“It’s your fault.”

Andrius chuckled and pulled her closer to him. “You’re adorable when you winced and when you try to throw tantrums over small things—”

She moved away, “when did I do that?”

“Do you want me to say them one by one?” he teased, forming a sly smirk on his lips.

She got up. “Heh!”

He chuckled. “See, you’re doing it again.”

Her forehead furrowed. “So, when do you plan to stop making fun of me?”

Andrius puffed his cheeks. Preventing not bursting into laughter.

She raised her left brow and crossed her arms as she stood up and face him. The man got up and grinned at her. “Kiss me. Then, I’ll stop.”

“What?”

He shrugged. “You don’t want to? Then—”

“Fine! You know too much stupidity. You’re calling your sister stupid, then how about you?”

“Meant for you,” he replied.

She rolled her eyes and marched towards the bathroom. Damnit! How can she stop herself from having chills and thrills in her body? Until when she feels hoity-toity?

Andrius knocked on the bathroom door. “Babe, come out now. My parents have already arrived,” he said.

“One more minute,” Samantha said.

“Move quickly, babe,” he said, and the door opened.

“Can’t you just wait?” she said, still seeming pissed.

He reached for her hand and grabbed her. He hugged her tightly and planted a soft kiss on her head. “You’re grumpy.” He cupped her face and pressed his lips into hers. It was just a quickie, but it seems like the beast inside his scorch awakened, thus he needs to let her go and just hold her hand before exiting the room.

He noticed that Sam feels uneasy as they climb down the stairs. He clasped her hand, “just be yourself,” he muttered and smiled at her. Sam then nodded.

When they got down, laughter-filled in the whole living area from his parents and siblings.

They just stopped when they saw them.

“Andrius, honey. You came,” his mother said as she stood up and approached them. “Such a lovely lady.” The old woman scanned Samantha from head to foot.

“She’s my girlfriend, mom,” he said and pulled Samantha closer to him.

“The stripper?” said the voice, which he knew came from his older brother, Dylan.

He clenched his left fist. “Shut up, fucker!” he said in his thick voice.

Samantha looked away to hold back her tears.

Dylan walked closer to them and grinned. “What? According to Beatrice, you met her in a—”

“For once, you shut the fuck up!”

“Boys, enough! We have an important visitor and you’re showing how disrespectful you are?” his father said.

“But dad…”

“Enough, Dylan,” His father turned to his older brother. When their eyes met, he glared at him, seemed deadly. Dylan just smirked and went back to his place. “Take a rest first, Andrius. We knew that you guys were tired,” the old man added.

Andrius grabbed the opportunity and lead Samantha again upstairs. They stopped when Dylan spoke again, “how much for one lap dance—”

“For goodman’s sake, Dylan! Stop it,” it’s his mom this time.

At that moment, a tear fell from Samantha’s left eye as she felt humiliated.