BABYLON //a.f.i//

• W E S E E W H A T W E W A N T•

He leaned back into the chair, clasping his hands together, his forearms somehow becoming even more defined. The room itself was lit solely by a dim lamp that sat on the table next to Ashton. Green neon light creeper in through the blinds, but for the most part, the warm-tinted lamp provided most of the lighting. It was almost refreshing to be in this colorless room, something I never thought I'd be thankful for.

I studied Ashton for a quick moment. I wanted to see him, truly see him. The shadows and the glow of the neon had hid him for most of our interactions. Now I could see the true color of his amber eyes and his dark chestnut hair. His features were very defined. He had a sharp jawline, and well set lips. His entire face and body just seemed perfectly proportional. In lack of better words, he was quite beautiful in a way.

"You're staring." He said after a moment.

"It's the first time I've seen you without the ... the illusions, I guess. No light. No glitter. No shadows. It's interesting. I just feel like I'm seeing you for the first time. It feels real... You feel real." I quickly explained myself, but looked away when I felt my cheeks begin to burn.

"Did I not before?"

I met his eyes again. "You can never tell in this city. Reality has become somewhat a matter of perspective  at this point. What you see may not be real to me, and what I see may not be real to you. It doesn't hurt to double check sometimes. It doesn't hurt to make sure it's not all smoke and mirrors. Who knows, I could be laying in a gutter right now tripped out on acid and you're nothing but the physical manifestation of all my delusions, fantasies, and nightmares. You could be little more than a figment of my imagination, and I wouldn't be able to tell the difference. God knows how many times I've gotten lost in wonderland, and it only gets harder and harder to be ripped back into reality, whatever that may truly be. So yes..." I paused for a second, "You feel real now."

He didn't say anything for a moment. "You've been to hell, haven't you Cora?"

I laughed. "Isn't that where we all are right now?"

"You're hurting behind those eyes of yours. You do a good job of hiding it most times, but right there - right when you said that - I could see it."

I looked away again. "I just want to know what you are."

"I'm a sinner, Cora. Surely you must've figured that one out."

I shook my head. "When are you going to stop playing games with me?"

Silence. "My name is Ashton Irwin. I run this city."

"We've established that. What you haven't done is explain what that means. Since you won't, how about you let me piece it together?" I leaned forward, leaning my hands on the bad. Ashton crossed his arms and looked at me through intent eyes. His gaze was a challenge.

"Your name is Ashton Irwin, as I've only discovered seconds ago. Based on what your friend Jimmy and his lovely wife Demetria had to say about you, you're not what would be considered a 'good person'. Although I make no judgments as I find it extremely rare to find true good people nowadays. You deal mainly in drugs and have somehow managed to organize some monopoly over the city. What really interested me though was what Jimmy said, turning pain into profit. You've essentially manipulated almost an entire population under your control. This city is its drugs and it's lights, and I'm assuming you're the one who made it that way."

Ashton chuckled darkly. "You flatter me all too much, Cora." He stood up, walking over the bed to where I sat. He towered over me even as he leaned forward, now also resting his hands on the bed. "This City was here long before me, and it'll be here long after me. Ive simply managed a way to manipulate it to my personal benefit, and, quite frankly, everyone else's. You can't be unhappy when you're out of your mind, Cora."

This struck something deep inside me. "I respectfully disagree. I've been out of my mind for quite some time, and every day is worse than the last. I haven't been happy for a long time. So I'd be careful playing with peoples mentality Ashton; power isn't all it's cracked up to be sometimes."

He tried to get me to look at him, but I pretended like I didn't notice. "That sounded personal." He spoke in a deep whisper considering how close we were. "Where'd that come from?"

"I'm sorry. It's just that As someone who's been a loyal customer to what appears to be your scheme, I'm just telling you firsthand; the illusion doesn't last. It only gets you hooked. And then you spend every day for the rest of your life trying to get that feeling, that illusion, back. What do you think I was doing when you met me at that club? I was living in that enchantment."

"Are you angry with me, Cora?"

I wasn't angry. Atleast not with him. I don't know why it was all coming out like this. I didn't give a fuck about who sold drugs or how high up on the power hierarchy Ashton was. I've lived the past couple of years practically living off of the likes of LSD and worse, and I think it was just that line that he said. That one sentence: "You can't be unhappy when you're out of your mind, Cora." It struck something in me because it was then I realized just how miserable I'd been for the past few years. He was right, it was personal.

"I'm sorry." I whispered, still refusing to look at him. "There are still some things I haven't forgiven myself for, and it's moments like these when those memories come rushing in. I'm not angry at you. I'm uh - you intrigue me, you really do. You have that life, that mysterious - that dangerous life, and I guess that's what I always wanted when I got out of my mind... I just wanted for once in my life - I wanted to be the one to feel powerful, but it .... but it was never real. And sometimes I think that realization hurt more than the memories I was trying to push away in the first place."

It was only when I met his dark gaze when I realized everything I had just said. "Oh my god..." I stood up, completely turning my back to Ashton. "I'm sorry, that came out of nowhere, I'm-" but before I could get another word out, I felt Ashton's strong hand on my shoulder as he spun me around to look at him.
In seconds his forehead practically touch mine as the whisper of his words tickled my lips.

"Don't apologize." I couldn't keep my eyes away from his. "Don't fucking apologize." With that I could feel him put both of his hands on my shoulders. He leaned in closer after a moment, an action I hadn't thought possible. "May I kiss you, Cora?" The look in his eyes was a dark kind of intoxication that shook me to my core. I adored that feeling.

I nodded. And I let his lips meld onto mine, the kiss deepening with each passing second. I moved one hand to his hair and kept one placed on his muscular back. I could feel every movement he made and every breath he took. It was a level of intimacy I hadn't felt in awhile.

And for a few minutes, that's exactly what it was. I don't know what it about him, but I got lost in every single second I spent with him. It was a ridiculous attraction I both hated and loved. It was a vulnerability, to feel this way about a man I barely knew, but it was something I wasn't currently strong enough to fight off. He felt real.

I

Needed

Real.

_____________________________

Did Ashton even really answer Cora's questions, or did he simply make her believe He did? Think about it. Anyways, here's to another update. I hope it wasn't boring because I know it was mostly dialogue. There was a lot of character development here, so if you're dedicated to solving this mystery, I wouldn't dismiss it. Again, I hope this chapter was worth reading, and please please please let me know what you think in the comments! Thank you!