Bella had screwed up, worse than she’d ever done before and more than anything she was scared. Scared that Kristoph would kick her out, scared that Will might do something terrible to her. Her whole world had turned upside down and she couldn’t remember another time in her life when she’d been so heartbroken. Tonight she sat backstage, tears rolling down her face. No one wanted to come near her, not after what had happened.
“Stupid stupid stupid stupid.” Bella kept repeating to herself. Why had she been so stupid? First with Will and then with the fire. It was like she wanted to make things complicated for herself.
He was between shifts.
Caspian was wandering about looking for something to occupy the precious, free moments he had to spend and noticed a pretty woman who seemed upset not too far from where he was currently. With the furrow of a brow he approached her with caution.
“Excuse me,” he breathed, concerned. Backstage wasn’t uncommon for his type or anyone really. He moved to ease down next to her, prepared to fuck off if that was what she wanted. “This is a silly question, obviously, but are you alright?” She was crying, clearly she wasn’t, but sometimes just asking helped.
When she heard a voice speaking to her, Bella was startled and the leaves on the ground scattered around her. Her telekinesis hadn’t been hard to suppress when her emotions were running high so she tried to stay away from anything small and sharp. She wiped the tears from under her eyes, folding her legs close to herself as she tried to seem like less of a mess. She hadn’t seen this man around here before and he was very attractive. Meanwhile she looked like a blubbering whale.
“Who are you?” She asked him, curious about this new stranger. She’d completely dodged his question about if she was okay because it was evident that she wasn’t. It had been a few days since the fire and the whole place still smelled like smoke, a campfire gone wrong. It was a cruel reminder to her every single day. “No, better not get close to me. I’m dangerous.” She said though it was dripping with sarcasm.
“Dangerous is common here, love,” he replied, unafraid. “Plus that makes all of us more interesting, doesn’t it?” He was a human, there was nothing interesting about him and yet he seemed to fit in just fine as if he did have some odd quirk.
“Caspian Finn, at your service.” While it wasn’t uncommon for the customers to cry a bit for whatever reason, he’d yet to see one of the carnival employees fret or get all teary-eyed.
“Come on, now. Whatever happened couldn’t be so bad. Right?”
She let out a small chuckle, it did make things more interesting that was for sure. “I suppose it does.” She replied and hugged her knees closer to her chest. He had striking blue eyes that Bella was finding it hard to look away from. She guessed it probably got him plenty of women or men.
“My name is Isabelle, but most people around here call me Bella.” Bella Burns had more than one meaning these days.
At the question she sighed and put her chin on her knees. “Well, short story is that I burned down the chapel in the middle of a church service.” She was going to go to hell.
“But there’s a lot of complicated stuff that culminated to lead me to that part of the story.” And she didn’t want to talk about it. Somewhere deep inside her heart, she was still in love with him despite the fact that he was always leading her on but she didn’t know how to turn it off. Sometimes she just felt like giving in.
He listened, nodding.
“Pleasure to meet you, Bella,” he murmured. “Did you do that on purpose?” Burning the chapel down, that was. “Life can be complicated. It can be unfair and biased. Honestly, I don’t understand where all of the bullshit comes from sometimes, like why me, but then I remember that for the most part I’m in control of my destiny. Perhaps that’s an obtuse way to look at things but it’s quite empowering if you think about it.” He’d had the strength to break away from toxic situations, anyway.
She shook her head. “No, I only meant to scare him.” She realized that it didn’t really make that much sense. So she sighed and pushed her legs out from under her.
“I’m telekinetic.” She tried to explain, as silly as it sounded. “But I can’t control it very well and I dropped all the candles.” It was so stupid and she tried to keep her composure as she thought about it.
She smiled over at him and bit down on her lip. “You’re a very handsome man.” She said, trying her best to change the subject. She didn’t want to think about it anymore, she wanted to forget about everything that happened.
“See? Then it was an accident. No need to fret over that, love. It wasn’t necessarily in your control.” Even if she could control stuff with her mind, the intent hadn’t been to burn down the church. “Can’t blame yourself.” He had done terrible things which he knew he was guilty of, but accidents weren’t sitting on his conscience. “Besides, you’re prettier when you smile, trust me on that.”
And then she was smiling and those blue eyes shimmered. “There, see?” Her compliment wasn’t lost upon him, but then this wasn’t about him. “Thank you, I appreciate that. But this is about you, dear.”
She chuckled at him and shook her head. “Can’t take a compliment huh? You’re not the first man to tell me I’m prettier when I smile but they don’t usually get away without a slap.” That was half true though she really tried to stop doing that. Kristoph didn’t like it when the patrons complained.
“But if you’re into that sort of thing I’m certainly not against the idea.” She was deflecting and it was clear but she did it anyway. She longed to feel anything than how she’d been feeling the last couple of days.
“Oh, I can take it,” he laughed, “but it’s ungentlemanly of me to exude confidence when you seem to be the one needing the good vibes and all.” And while he might’ve been a scoundrel he would never approach a sad person with the intent of gloating unless they had wronged him.
“I think the slap would be worth it, really. If there was more going on, anyway.” He’d take it if it meant she felt better for it.
“I’d prefer to spare the face,” he replied, tracing a circle around his face as if to hone the point in a playful way, “it’s all I got going for me these days and I would hate to damage it.”
She laughed at him, it was the first time she’d laughed in weeks. “Well I like your face so I guess I can keep my slaps to myself.” She replied and leaned her shoulder over to him.
“Why don’t we just come right out and say it? I want to sleep with you and I know of a wagon that’s empty right now. I don’t have time to play this game of cat and mouse.” She didn’t like pretending to be coy, it didn’t suit her and she wasn’t into lies.
“No time like the present.”
He could appreciate the bluntness. Everyone here seemed so straightforward which was good. Though he’d picked up on her needs before she admitted to them. An arm would slide around her. “I believe I can oblige you,” he nodded. There was no doubt she was attractive. The curve of her cheeks, those large eyes.
“I shall let you lead then.” He moved to stand up, helping Bella rise as well, taking off when she was ready.
She knew it wasn’t like there was something between them, besides attraction of course and she hoped he wasn’t the kind to get all emotional after either. She grabbed his hand to lift herself up and lead him toward the wagons. It was probably the only man who’d even want to sleep with her in this place after what she’d done.
When they arrived to said wagon, she grabbed a pin from her hair to pry open the lock on the door. Once it clicked open she walked inside, tilting her head inside she signaled him to follow. Once the door was closed she smirked and began to undo the buttons on her blouse.
He did his best to be fair and gentlemanly in regards to such things but lately it had been challenging. Following after her, he kept close and when the door to the wagon hoped he let her in first and then trailed behind. The door clicked closed.
His own shirt was pulled up, over, and set aside. “Bella is quite a lovely name,” he offered, finding that conversation could make something like this a little bit less like a transaction. If that was what she’d wanted, quick and easy, the trouble of breaking into a wagon wouldn’t have been top of mind. There had been plenty of little places a couple could go for a quick shag before parting ways. This seemed more even if the words stated differently. There was no doubt she was attractive and eager.
But maybe she would feel better.
“Mom and Dad called me Isabelle. It was Kristoph who first called me Bella. Means beautiful.” Although she wasn’t sure it meant to actually represent her. She’d been bony and awkward as a child and while she had matured she wasn’t sure beautiful described anything about her still.
She untied the material that kept her pants on and slipped them off her body as she made her way toward him, placing her hands along his chest to feel it beneath her fingers. “Caspian is an interesting name too. I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone with that name. Where did it come from?” She wondered though her focus was more on his chest than on what he was actually saying.
“He wasn’t wrong,” Caspian echoed. As she approached, his hand lifted and caressed the side of her face. Those light tendrils of hair would be pushed aside with tenderness. “Surely you believe him, too?” It was obvious she didn’t, he could tell by the way she described the meaning of the name, her tone.
A shrug of a shoulder was what was returned. This wasn’t about him, after all. “Dunno, honestly. My Da never went anywhere near the water, and my Mum only watched stories on the Telly. I couldn’t tell you the story even if I wanted to.”
His hands fell away, removing the last bits of clothing from both of them in a few moments.
Her eyebrows furrowed. “What is a Telly?” She never got out into the modern world when they were there and she didn’t understand a lot of things some of the patrons went on about. This was another one of those things she didn’t understand.
It hardly mattered anyway, they were naked and she was ready to finally feel something other than the constant sadness she felt. The tender touches were nice, more tender than Will had ever been with her. She could tell that Caspian meant it.
She wound her arms around his shoulders and looked into those piercing blue eyes. He was going to make someone very happy some day and she only wished she had the desire to find love in someone else.
“Oh,” he nodded, “a television. You know the picture boxes that people have in their homes? It’s quite alright if you have no idea what I’m talking about. Probably better for it, actually. Where I’m from we have tellys in our pockets on our phones. Keeps us all connected all the time.”
As her arms wound around him, he took the opportunity to let his hands rest on her hips. Her skin was soft, supple. She truly was a gem.
Leaning forward, the end of his nose brushed hers and then his mouth met Bella’s. The kiss was slow at first, waiting for a reaction before the intensity picked up a bit. All the while his fingers roamed, memorizing her body.
Moving pictures in their pockets? Bella didn’t quite understand but it didn’t matter. This was what Zion was all about, the bizarre. As he leaned into the kiss she let her whole body melt into the sensation. It felt good to feel something else, even if it was fleeting. Her fingers played at the short hair on his neck, pressing her body close to his.
He was a very fit man and she was glad he wasn’t some traditional values sort of man she was so used to meeting. She pulled his body by the neck to pull them back onto the bed. She fell back onto it with him above her and parted her legs for him.
He moved forward as she led him. Maneuvering to the bed was easy enough. His excitement was evident. Free hand would detach from her long enough to ensure his arousal was taut and ready. Between her legs he titled his frame and guided himself in.
She felt so good. It’d been a long time since he’d been with a woman, and up until recently really anyone in any context of the physical sense.
For Bella, it had been longer than usual. Will just hadn’t been good in bed and she found herself taking care of her own needs more often than not. It felt good to be around a man who thought of someone besides himself in bed. As she felt him push his way inside out her she let out a moan of relief. She hadn’t realized how much she had needed this.
She wrapped her legs around his waist to keep him as close as she could, letting her lips wander to the joint of his neck where she noticed the faint outline of someone else having done the same. Seems like she wasn’t the only one who thought he was a looker. It didn’t matter to her, it wasn’t like she was a one-man girl herself. Never was until the Reverend.
“Fuck me.” She whispered in his ear even if he currently was. She wanted to shut off her brain and it was still yelling at her.
That request wasn’t an unusual one, and being the gentleman that he was, Caspian obliged her. His pace began to quicken. A soft grunt and he braced himself over her with a palm upon the mattress beneath them. His other hand gripped gently at her thigh and then slid up to catch a perfect breast.
“As you wish,” he murmured. His mouth caught the space at the back of her ear just beyond the lobe in a soft kiss.
As he obliged her she heard the voices in her head slowly turn off one by one. This had been exactly what she had needed and she lost herself in the sensation. Already she knew that Caspian was more satisfying in bed and she could finally get the release she had sought after for so long.
“Yes…” she moaned, fingernails digging into the tender flesh in his back. Of course it wasn’t so hard that it drew blood but it might leave a mark or two once this was all over. She allowed him to lavish that spot behind her ear by tilting her head to allow him easier access.
If she were a woman who was more in tune with her body than she was, Bella might have realized she was ovulating but that didn’t ever cross her mind. She’d slept around so much and never got pregnant so why would she now?
His lips latched onto the skin of the lobe of her ear, sucking tenderly at it. He breathed softly and then began to pepper her neck with kisses. All the while his pace remained steady. She was so moist, so easy to just push into the giving softness and once he got going it was harder to stop.
The idea that anything may come after didn’t even come to mind at all.
Muscles tightened and his stomach turned a bit. “You feel so good.”
“Oh yeah?” She replied as she writhed under him. That sweet sweet feeling of satiation was a horizon she was finally going to be able to see and it filled her with some sort of joy amidst all the darkness. Feeling her energy building up inside of her she utilized her telekinesis to roll him over so that she could be on top, lifting up her torso so she could ride him.
Maybe it was that she was a bit selfish in bed but her bedmates never seemed to mind. She bit her lip as she looked down at him, rolling her hips and running her hands along her bare chest. The sensation was so satisfying and she could feel the pleasure building up inside of her.
With a bit of prompting, he was rolling over onto his back. Looking up at her, he saw stars. God she was good at this. The momentum never ceased though a few moments were taken to readjust with the added weight. His hands found her thighs and brushed over the skin, pad of his thumb pressing against that little space he knew would bring an added bit of pleasure.
“Definitely,” he murmured, nodding. If she kept this up he was going to be exploding before too much longer. Thankfully this wasn’t his place ot have to tidy up afterward.
With his fingers touching her like that she found herself finally coming to the edge. She moaned loudly a she rode him harder, feeling everything finally come to that point and within minutes she was coming, screaming out as she did so. “Oooh Will!” She grasped his chest tightly as she rode out her orgasm, a bright smile on her face.
When she finally opened her eyes she realized her mistake. “Uh, Caspian. I mean.” She felt her face flush a bit as she said it. “Sorry.” She mumbled from above him.
As she tightened around him, he couldn’t help but come to climax too. She felt so good. He’d not been with a woman in ages and he’d forgotten just how satisfying it could be. Her faux pas had him chuckling a bit. “Darling, I hope I’m better than Will,” he teased. If he wasn’t good, she wouldn’t be here.
His body slowed, finally ceasing motion. “Don’t worry, I’ve been called much worse by less pretty ladies.”
She chuckled at him and climbed off from on top of him. Scouring the floor of the wagon for her undergarments. “Well isn’t that such an honor to be prettier than the other whores you’ve been with.” It wasn’t like Bella was a whore but she didn’t care if people thought that about her. Sometimes it was exhausting trying to hide the person she was so why would she?
“Don’t worry, it’s not like I’m much different. I spent so much of my life believing in God that I never realized I was made this way for a reason.” She began putting her clothes back on, periodically checking her hair in the mirror to right it back to where it belonged.
“Hey now,” he laughed, making a face. “I do my best to only entertain the classy ones, and I’ll have you know I’ve been avoiding things like this for quite a while. So I’m a bit out of practice, if you will.” He didn’t sleep around, or at least he hadn’t until recently. Not that it was her business.
When Bella had climbed down, Cas sat up and began to look for his own clothes. They were fairly easy to stop and he rose to claim them and dress. “What’re you talking about? All of this self-deprecation and all. Be who you are and fuck anyone else, darling. Life is too short to worry about what others think about you.”
She smirked at that, now feeling like she didn’t look like she’d just been fucked. “I wholeheartedly agree.” She replied and checked herself one more time in the mirror. For the time being, she really didn’t hate the face that was looking back at her.
Once he got his shirt back on she walked up to him and pulled him closer by the material on his shirt to press a long kiss to his lips. “Thank you.” She said once the kiss ended. “I needed that.” She finally admitted and opened the door to the wagon to see if the coast was clear. They didn’t have too much time to get out of there and someone was definitely going to come back to the smell of sex.
Not just the smell but also the chaotic mess.
After the kiss, he nodded and crept to the door to follow her out. “Anytime, love. Or if you’re ever just in need of a friend.” When she was out, he closed the door behind himself. “Until next time, then.”
With that, Caspian turned and began to scurry away from the wagon as as to put as much distance between himself and the scene.