Back home, the house was in darkness.

Everyone must be out.

They slipped their shoes off at the door and walked silently side by side up the stair case towards her room. Charlie tried to calm her thoughts. She could feel her heart beating a little too fast in her chest. They passed the floor where Delyan's room was and kept going up the stairs. Quietly she opened her bedroom door and peeked inside. The light from the bathroom was enough to see that Bibiana's bed was empty. She pushed the door open wider.

"Want to come in?" she whispered. "B's not home yet..."

Delyan hesitated in the doorway. "Are you sure?"

He was hard to read.

Did he want her to beg?

She took his hand and gave it a gentle tug. They both stepped into the room; she closed the door behind them. Looking around, she hesitated. She had momentarily forgotten about the small size of her room. Her bed was a single, tucked against the wall. She laughed nervously.

"Maybe we should have gone to your room?"

Delyan clasped her hand. "I don't care," he said. "I'm not here to sleep."

He strode across the room, pulling her along, and switched on a bedside lamp. A soft pink glow filled the room.

His almond-shaped eyes locked onto hers, dark and filled with desire. Her heart began to race once more. The silence that followed was unsettling.

There was something about Delyan that had troubled Charlie since they first met—a darkness, a mood he tried to conceal. She was certain he was hiding something. Ignoring her intuition, she focused on his undeniable allure. He had already undressed her with his eyes, and she decided she deserved some fun.

Bringing her hands up to her hair, she pulled at the band securing her ponytail and shook her locks across her shoulders. His eyes never left hers. With the briefest nod of his head, she followed her instincts and began to remove her dress. He stood close enough for her to feel his breath on her skin. Occasionally he touched her arm or her collarbone in silent encouragement. When she was standing in her underwear, he kissed her lightly on the lips. It was the briefest touch of his lips on hers and it left her wanting more. Slowly he smoothed his hands over her bare shoulders and down her back, releasing her bra clip. When he spoke, a glint of a smile passed through his eyes but still the question shocked her.

"Shall we use Bibiana's bed?"

"Ugh no!" she responded.

"You sure?" Delyan grinned.

Charlie shook her head. She should have known he was going to say something like that. He seemed to enjoy her discomfort. Grabbing at the seam of his t-shirt, she pulled it over his head in one smooth move. His lean body glowed.

"You know I'm joking?" he questioned. "I'd never do something like that. I'm a closet people pleaser."

"Really?" Charlie teased. "That's not what I hear." She'd got the impression from the girls in the house that Delyan didn't go out of his way to make people like him.

"Okay," he laughed. "Maybe just in bed."

Charlie grinned and he kissed her again. This time with more force. Pushing her lips apart, he stroked her tongue roughly with his. She wanted more of him, all of him. When they pulled apart, he cradled her head and asked: "So, what are you into?"

She placed a hand on his bare chest and moved it down towards his belly button. His fingers locked around her wrist. "Not yet I need you to tell me what you like."

"Like...me before you?" she asked, feeling embarrassed but aroused.

"Exactly," he said, his voice a whisper. "I want to make you moan. Like genuinely."

Charlie smiled at him. Feeling bolder than she'd felt before, she stepped back onto her bed and opened her legs.

"You're not shy," he said with a grin.

"Hey—if you don't ask..." she responded.

His eyes never leaving hers, he knelt on the floor at her feet, hooked his arms around her legs and pulled her towards him, removing her panties.

Grateful she'd shaved that morning; Charlie lay back on the bed and savoured his willingness to please her. He took it slow; stroking, touching, licking, and flicking, and then as her breath quickened, he claimed her with his whole mouth. A tingling sensation flowed from her clitoris throughout her entire body, she clutched at the bed covers and gasped out loud. As her breath slowly returned to normal, she felt her pelvis throbbing with pleasure.

Oh my God!

He removed his jeans and lay on the bed in his boxers, pulling himself up to the pillow beside her. His expression unreadable. She found it difficult to look at him. Embarrassed, perhaps. She awkwardly pulled the sheets around her. Lightly, he pushed them back down and ran a hand over her belly.

"You are perfect," he whispered. "But you'd know that right?"

"No not perfect." Charlie sighed, moving his hand off her stomach. "That was perfection though."

He leaned in under the soft light to take a closer look at her stomach as if he'd noticed something. To Charlie, it felt as though he were inspecting a piece of merchandise. She knew what he was looking at. The fatal flaw pointed out to her by every casting director she ever came across.

"What is that?" he asked, stroking his index finger over her scar.

"C section," she said, "I tried to have it fixed but —."

"You can barely see it," he said.

His eyes were warm and full of admiration for her.

"Oh, they notice it in casting," she said.

He traced the edge of his thumb along her thigh. She shivered involuntarily. Then ever so slowly circled her belly button with his index finger.

"You don't seem to have an issue getting booked," he said. "I bet your diary is chock full."

She shook her head. "It's not such a problem for runway, but I used to make a lot of money out of swimwear modelling."

"I bet you did," Delyan said. He placed his lips over her scar and kissed, once, twice, before moving his lips and tongue across her belly. Looking up at her, he said: "Who wouldn't want to see what I saw tonight at the spa. Your curves in that two-piece had me so hot!"

She laughed. "I was hoping you'd make a move. I figured you weren't that into me."

"Are you kidding?" He pushed himself up in the bed and leaned back on her headboard. His expression priceless.

Charlie laughed. "Then why were you acting all aloof and like ' let's do no kissing' at the spa."

He took her hand and began to play with her fingers.

"When I like someone," he explained. "I try to delay gratification." "It's not easy but it's worth it. Besides if I had kissed you earlier, I think we'd have ended up having sex in that pool."

Charlie laughed. "We'd have been kicked out. Wouldn't we?"

"Permanently."

Charlie scrunched her face. Delyan made his way back down to her chest dropping gentle kisses across her collar bone along the way. He covered her breast with one hand and stroked her scar again absentmindedly, this time and with his thumb.

"I wish I could have wounded my mother on my way out," he said his voice barely audible.

Charlie sat up abruptly.

"Sorry!" Delyan laughed. "Ignore me. I didn't mean to voice that thought."

"So, you don't get on with your mum then?" Charlie asked. "I sensed something earlier."

"Understatement," he responded faintly.

"Did you have a tough childhood?" She sensed his body tense.

"This sort of conversation doesn't serve me well Charlie Viljoen. Forget it?" He made a move to try to kiss her.

Charlie evaded him. "You brought it up."

"Look it's nothing. Yes. I had a difficult childhood—okay?" A cloud passed over his gaze and she realised she'd touched a nerve as deep as the ocean. "Forget it. Please. It doesn't make great pillow talk. I don't want to lose my mojo tonight."

Charlie conceded her lips to his kiss. "Your mojo or your boner?"

"Both!" he laughed "I thought they were the same thing..."

"Well, there doesn't seem to be a problem here," she said running her hand over his crotch. The desire on his face was urgent. She shimmied down his body kissing his toned stomach.

His hand tangled in her hair. Slowly, she pulled his boxers off him.

"Condom?" she said.

Delyan produced a gold wrapper and ripped it open.

"I'll do it," she said taking the rubber from him.

Soon, he was pulling her up his body; she straddled him, and he slipped into her.

"You're so fucking wet," he said, his tone admiring.

"What can I say. My body needs you," she laughed arching her back.

He smiled briefly, his eyes glassy with desire. His warm hands slid all over her body, rubbing her back and her breasts. He kissed her urgently, his tongue claiming her mouth.

He is so beautiful.

She found her rhythm, rocking her body in smooth motion, one hand on his hip, until he sat up straight, clutched her close to him and they came fiercely, together. She savoured the pumping of his body for as long as she could, until they both went slack. He collapsed on the bed, drawing her to him and they kissed luxuriously, their limbs entangled. She rolled off him and he reached for her and drew her into his chest.

"Thank you. I needed that," he whispered into her hair.

She reached for the light switch and the room slipped into darkness. Her heart was racing. She lay in his arms looking over at Bibiana's empty bed and the bathroom beyond, feeling like she never wanted to move from that place. She was close to sleep before she realised Delyan was moving, his arm sliding out from under her. He kissed her on the forehead and slipped out of bed.

"Don't move,' he said in hushed tones. "I'm going to my room."

"You can stay," she said, cautious not to sound too needy.

"We don't know if B will be back tonight. We'll talk tomorrow yeah?"

She watched him in the shadows as he pulled on his jeans. He gathered his belongings from the armchair and quietly left the room, closing the door softly behind him.

The moment he was gone, she felt the absence of his warm body beside her. His presence had been so strong that his departure left a physical ache. She lay awake, replaying everything he'd said that night. Amidst the intensity, Delyan had unintentionally revealed something important: his story was not a happy one. Her regret was overwhelming.

Why hadn't she said anything when she knew so well what it was like to carry pain alone?

She wanted to call him back, to hold him and affirm that she'd heard him. Daylight couldn't come soon enough, she wanted to see him again so badly. Then she remembered Paris. She'd have to wait until the evening. Curling up in a ball, she said a quiet goodnight in her mind to her daughter as was her ritual and willed herself to sleep.