JOSI

The world has gone insane. It's unsettling. It's baffling. Josi has yet to wrap her mind around it, not when Idris Night Verdonni is the man in question. He has feelings for her, something Josi didn't even know he was capable of until now. How did he manage to land himself there? When did it even happen?

Josi wants to know. She wants to know what moment it all began, what interaction between them may have fostered those feelings. If someone else had told her that Idris Verdonni may harbor some feelings for her, she would have laughed. But there she is, struggling to come to terms with that same truth.

There's a knock on the door, which Josi knows should be Martha, because Idris never knocks. She's there with Josi's lunch, and unlike the rest of the times when Josi would have dismissed the meal, she finds her appetite very active today. May have to do with this new development, and her mission to get to the bottom of it.

Egotistic, arrogance, pride - all words that describe Idris. Yet everything else about him remains a mystery. Was he capable of showing affection? Did he feel more for her than just lust? Josi wants answers, and she will find them one way or the other.

"Is Idris having lunch?"

Martha first pauses, perhaps trying to sink into this new version of Josi that speaks. "Yes, he's still in the dining room."

"I would like to have lunch with him."

Again, Martha pauses. "Of course."

A descent to the first floor and a couple hallway turns brings them right where they need to be. The dining room is mostly empty, save for Idris who sits at the head of the table and a maid who remains on standby.

Josi occupies the seat on the other end of the table with her lunch already set for her. Martha extends a greeting towards Idris and quickly leaves, leaving the two alone in that bubble of silence.

Idris doesn't seem to have moved past Josi's presence. In fact, he hasn't touched his meal since she arrived. Must be the shock. After all, she's his prisoner. His captive. Why would a kidnapped victim willingly entertain their kidnapper?

Josi, on the other hand, eats her lunch completely at peace - one bite at a time. "What plans do you have today?"

Like Martha, Idris pauses. The sound of Josi's voice must be that surprising. "The usual." He tells her. Then after more seconds of silence, "You haven't tried anything stupid since then, have you?"

"No, but I'm having thoughts."

Idris frowns, and internally, Josi smiles.

"Do you think this is a fucking joke?" He asks.

"It was a joke." Says Josi. "Lighten up those shadows under your eyes."

Idris doesn't reply. He looks down at his wine glass, and at first Josi is puzzled. Until it clicks. He's studying his reflection.

Another observation Josi adds to the list. His reaction only tells her a fraction of the story. She needs to probe more.

Once lunch is done, Josi slides her plate forward where Idris can see it. There's not much left, save for the sticks of asparagus that have been left untouched. She leaves her seat. "I don't like asparagus."

Then she tucks her chair in, greets only the maid goodbye, and exits the dining room. Except she doesn't leave quite yet. She stands just outside the door, ears still glued inside. Seconds go by, then minutes. Until finally, Idris grants Josi the response she was waiting for.

"Throw out all the asparagus."

~《¤》~

IDRIS

The meeting was set for an hour only, but to Idris it seemed to last for decades. He was present only physically, while his mind was some place else. And even after the meeting ended, he was still trapped in that same place with Josi.

Now it's just him and Croff in the office, sorting through paperwork. His mind begins slipping again, as it has been ever since he brought Josi into his home. He replays the memories of their dinner date three days ago, how she'd willingly joined him. How she'd willingly spoken to him.

Idris hasn't seen Josi since then. He began thinking she'd gone back to confining herself to her bedroom. After all, it's no secret that she despises him. So imagine his surprise when through the window, he sees her below by the pool.

"Is there something out there?" Croff asks behind a desk full of papers. He joins Idris by the window hoping to see what has him holed up, but sighs when his eyes pick up on Josi instead. "How long are you going to let that girl dictate your life this way?"

Idris still doesn't look away from Josi. She begins digging into her bag, searching for some trinket or the other. "I'm not letting her do anything."

Croff still doesn't believe him. "Look at you. All you've been interested in for the past month or so is that girl. You're obsessed and you haven't even realized it-"

"That's enough!" Idris exclaims. Tensions rise. Then they wither. He takes a deep breath in, calms himself, and turns his attention back to the scene outside the window. "I know what I'm doing."

Croff says nothing more. He gives Idris one last look, then grabs his coat and heads for the door. Idris sighs. These are things he can't control. The last of that same control he had vanished some time ago when those feelings developed. And now he's been subjected to such frustrating circumstances. Croff will never understand.

Below, Josi has set up the area with the gadgets she brought along. There's sunscreen, a beach towel, and a pair of sunglasses. She must be there to relax. But her idea of relaxing and Idris's own do not align, however, because Josi sets her bag down and begins undressing.

She pulls her shirt off and throws it to the ground, then does the same to her skirt. Now she's in nothing but a bikini. Idris can't pry his eyes away. At this point, she has begun coating her body in sunscreen; lathering from top to bottom, from side to side, from every which direction. Idris follows every movement, eyes so focused he picks up on even the most minute detail. He scans her feet all the way up to her thighs, completely lost in the sight, hoping to see more of the show. Hoping she doesn't put an end to it.

Then finally, he snaps out of it - not because he came to his senses, but because he's not the only one enjoying the show. Some of his men stand idly, ogling Josi as though she were a sight for sore eyes. Which, in a way, she is, giving the dark shadows under Idris's eyes.

This is where displeasure takes over. Idris leaves his office and heads for the pool where Josi is, still trying to lather her body. The rest of the guards all pretend to be busy when they see him come, but he's no longer concerned about them. It's Josi he's there for.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"I'm relaxing." Josi tells him. "What, I can't even hang out by the pool?"

Idris has no other argument. It's not like she's breaking any rules. But he can't exactly tell her he doesn't want her flaunting herself in front of his men so casually. So he keeps the discomfort in, afraid that he'll give himself away if he pushes any further. A bit useless, though, because Josi already knows about his feelings for her.

Josi offers him the bottle of sunscreen. "Can you put this on my back?"

Idris just eyes the bottle. He could accept the offer, but it would make him look too desperate. Too eager. So instead he gives her a dry laugh, one full of absurdity, which soon turns into a smug smile. "You wouldn't be able to handle my hands on your body." Then he walks away.

All calm on the outside but frustrated on the inside. That's Idris Verdonni. With these feelings that currently plague him, he's not sure how much longer his sanity will last. Perhaps locking Josi up in his own home may not have been a bright idea, because now as he struggles to recover from Josi's sunscreen act, he finds his patience running thinner by the second.

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