As he stroked my skin my heart stilled. It felt safe in such a hopeless situation and I prayed I would make it home somehow. He pulled me back to look at me.

"I am very sorry, but you may stay here if you feel comfortable for the night whilst we organise a flight for you."

I blinked surprised.
"Why?"
He smiled softly.

"Why would you ask a thing?" he said.

"I don't even know you and yet you care so much about what would happen to me. How can I not wonder?"

He smiled, unphased.

"I am simply correcting a wrong caused by us, indirectly, yes but still by us."

I looked at him, silent. He did not make any sense; why did he care....unless he liked me?

Marcus left me and I longed to be wrapped in his arms again. I snapped out of the urge quickly before I could think on it long.

He walked to Demetri and he told him to tell his brothers not to disturb him in his chambers. We ambled to his bedroom.

He kept a good distance between us this time. I wanted to scream out that l wanted him to hold me and the sensible part of me said he was a stranger!

It was unspeakably awkward. He sat on the chaise staring at the picture of a woman on the table in the corner. Only this time the candles were burnt out stubs of stygian. I took this time to pull out my personalised piceous binder, covering my bible. I read the verse on top of it.

"I can do all things through Christ who strengths me," l whispered so as not to rouse Marcus from his musings. I unzipped the bag slowly then leafed through my bible to Genesis.

I loved the stories of creation. A shape shaded me from the little light entering the room from the curtains' gaps. I squinted and looked for the offending object only to confront Marcus. I flinched. He had silently stalked towards me so that he was only some finger breadths from me.

"OH!" l said trying to still my startled heart.
"I am sorry." he said stiffly.

I nodded, tilting to get more light over my bible. I started reading but then his shadow covered my bible again. I glanced up.

He was inquisitively looking at me.
"What are you reading?"

"I'm reading Genesis," I said.
"The sacred texts of your religion?" he said.

I gaped at him. The sacred text of my what?
"Uh, yeah sure whatever."
"May you read it for me?" he said.

I wondered why he was asking ; had he never read the bible?

"You want me to read to you? The bible ?"

He nodded; expression unchanging. A little awkward I cleared my throat and read to him. Wondering if he would like my voice. If I wouldn't sound pompous trying to pronounce some of the words in there.

"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.

And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness."

I read audibly.

He chuckled darkly. Why was he laughing? Should I continue? He made no indication to stop so I read on.

"And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.

And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day."

"And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called the Seas: and God saw that it was good.

And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.

And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the third day."

I stopped after reading thirteen verses for him. He was unmoved. I paused.
"Did you get it?"

Marcus shrugged nonchalantly.
"That God created good and evil."
My eyes bulged.

"WHAT? No!"

Marcus turned on the bed; as I had begun reading to him, he had sat next to me, listening attentively.

"But this is quoted in the texts you have read me."
I closed my bible and gently put it between us.

"Ok, let me explain this for you. This is the story of how God made everything."

"Including light and darkness," he said ominously hinting to his previous statement. I shushed him.

"Ok, in the beginning everything we know of today wasn't created. There was no earth, stars, moon or the sun.

There was only the void and darkness. And in the absence of time and space God just moved over the darkness," I said enraptured by the idea.

I was looking at Marcus with so much certainty and determination and he watched.

"Then he told light to come into being and it did! Then he made the sun and the moon and the first day passed. Then God created water, earth and sky on the second day.

On day three he separated land from the oceans, rivers and lakes. He formed all plant life and fruits and a way for them to procreate."

I smiled.
"In only three days God made all these things; after that the story only gets more amazing."

Marcus hummed.
"Interesting, it has some similarity to the Greek Origin tales," he said.

I moved back my head.

"Greek origin tales?"

"I suppose you have not heard of those too; as l have not heard the tales of your religion. Every culture from the world has its own story on how everything came into existence.

You should search for these stories; they are rather interesting. Even modern-day scientists have their creation myth, the Big Bang Theorem."

I huffed. The bible wasn't a myth; everything in it was true. I abruptly stood up.

"I'm sorry, myth? My religion is not fictional it is living and rooted in evidence even science can explain."

Marcus put a hand on me and I forgot myself. I stood there like a sheep.

"I mean no offence, dear. I am simply stating a fact. Everyone has their beliefs they follow, including yourself. Now, may I tell you of the stories I grew up hearing I, much rather prefer that than debating on whether the bible is fictious or non-fiction in nature."

I pouted. I couldn't argue with that. He didn't say it was false but he never said he believed either! He coaxed me to sit by tugging on my arm. I sat in my prior position.

"The Greeks were not nearly as creative or pleonastic as the Abrahamic people. They had written in ancient texts, that there was Chaos in the beginning, and from that abyss emerged Gaia or the Mother Earth and other divine beings that came to be known as the Titans..."

I rumpled my nose.

"What are the titans?"

"Primordial Gods ...As I was saying other deities emerged Eros, the Abyss and Erebus."

He stopped to see if I was paying attention; I guess I was crumpling my face up too much.

"Isn't Eros, Cupid or something?"

He nodded.

"Yes, yes. Maybe another time I could talk of him. Then Gaia gave birth to Uranus, and he mated with her to produce the other Titans. Cronus or time was born after some time as their twelfth offspring."

"Is that it? Thats the Greek's version of the universe's creation?" I giggled.

Marcus laughed too.

"It seems more underwhelming after the lovely reading and narration of yours. But I must question, did they explain how man was made? Or beasts of the earth?"

Marcus spoke wonderful English, at times confusing and wordy. How could that be if it was his second language?

"Oh, in wonderful detail it's told in the bible in a few more days God made everything in seven but in your story there's even less of a concept of time and I thought the bible had no noticeable timeline."

He took my bible in his musician's hands, nimble and sleek.

"Yes, the ancient ones had no real knowledge of time for the longest period we should be grateful today we have our calendar and watches."

I was going to utter another word when my stomach grumbled noisily. I scrutinised his face for judgement but only saw mild amusement.

"I see you are famished; it is lunch time. Would you like to bathe whilst I go prepare something for you to lunch on?"

"Thanks, that would be awesome!"

He smiled his shy smile and disengaged from the bed, leaving my bible on the rumpled linen.

"WAIT!" I said after I realised how loud that was I tried to hide behind the volume of my curls.

"I...my luggage and should I use your...."
He saved me from embarrassing myself.

"Feel most welcome to use my washroom and your luggage shall be brought in by Heidi or Renata."

I took a step forward to give him a huge hug and then I refrained, feeling I was not at his standard to do so. He was puzzled.

"Is there something else?"
I was quiet. No, nothing at all
I sighed after he went out of the burnished door.