Matter of Desire || Oneus Xion

Getting to Know Him (14)

Yuri's PoV

After we returned from Jeju Xion's been closer than ever. "I'll formerly introduce you to my family as my girlfriend so you need to get to know me." I have no complaints. Honestly all this time I've been trying to get through his defenses to learn something-anything- about him. I feel giddy as I wait for him to pick me up. His injury has healed completely but I still take care of him in set as best as I can. Honestly I don't get how he misinterpreted my words, 'Someone might get the wrong idea.' I was clearly talking about myself. If I worried others could misunderstand I would hide my attention towards him in set. I've heard more than a couple of whispers talking about our relationship. It ought to look weird, the lead actress taking care of her makeup artist.

The makeup artist pulls up with his Lamborghini. "We're going to visit someone important to me," he says. I'm used to his lack of explanation. We talk of this and that on the way. He does let me see more of him now, but the more he lets me in the more I get the impression that he doesn't actually have the answers to most of the questions he asks himself. Why does he work as a makeup artist? Just because. He taught it was fun at first, he stayed for Ravn. How's his relationship with his family? Complicated. His grandpa surely loves him very much, maybe to a fault, his brothers are jealous of the special treatment he gets. They think it's because he's weak- because he's been ill in his childhood that his grandpa spoils him so much. He acts like he doesn't care about his brothers' jealousy or his parents' lack of attention to him but I can see that he does care.

"You asked me once," he says suddenly "If the pretentiousness suffocated me." He taps his fingers to the stirring wheel. "It does. But it's not only in the ballrooms that I find the unbearable act. Everybody pretends. Some of them pretend so much they forget who they really are. I don't get how anyone can genuinely love something. Isn't that pretending that their love has a point? Even though it will end in a year or maybe tomorrow they still say that they love." "Love has a point," I say. But he has parked the car and gets off without listening to me. It's not pretending. People really love even if it's for a day. And it matters, it makes all the difference, I want to say.

"Let's go," he takes my hand. We are in front of a nursing home. He gives his card to the secretary and they tell us to wait in the courtyard. "We came here to see Mrs. Lee," he says matter of factly, he should have noticed the puzzled look on my face "She was my caretaker when I was little." A few moments later a nurse brings an old lady in a wheelchair towards us. "Our Xion!" she exclaims as Xion bends down to hug her. "Why don't you come more often." Xion scratches the back of his head like an ashamed kid. It's adorable.

"I'm sorry," he says "But I brought someone important to you today, this is Yuri, my girlfriend." Mrs.Lee seems like she wants to hug me too so I oblige "She lived next door when I was a kid, do you remember her? We used to play together.." "Oh, I remember the messes I had to clean up, all the cushions on the floor of the living room! The holes you dug in the garden.." she goes on and I feel the blood rushing to my cheeks. Stupid body, it's ok for kids to make a mess, I shouldn't be reacting to this.

Xion seems to be watching me and enjoying it so I elbow him in the side. We spend more than an hour with Mrs. Lee, she tells us about the gossip of the nursing house and repeatedly tells Xion to keep himself warm and eat well. "I'm so glad you've found such a pretty girl, my little Xion." She says as we leave "Take good care of her and yourself and visit me more often."

"Wait a second, she calls you Xion?" I ask confused, Xion smiles, "Good catch," he puts his hand over my head as if I'm a kid he can tease, as if I'm some kid he loves teasing. "Mrs.Lee gave me the nickname," he says "So I kept it." She must have been like a mother to Xion since his mother was never around. I promise myself that I'll take care of Xion. Make sure he's safe and healthy as she wishes.