Chapter 84 - 82. Bittersweet and Spicy (3)
Bassena left the guide on the rooftop couch while the waiter prepared their lunch order, climbing down to the first floor to get that common candy that Zein wanted.
As he went back to the rooftop, he looked at the candy in his hand. It was a product that could be found anywhere on the continent, a common candy people might find as free service in public office or the banks. For someone like Bassena, who was always surrounded by luxurious products, this kind of candy was actually something he almost never consume. Probably once or twice when he was an adventurous child.
In an ironic way, he understood that Zein probably consumed this candy as seldom as he was, for a completely different reason. For the guide, a red-zone dweller, this simple, cheap candy was probably as precious as the limited edition one.
Bassena still remembered the astonishment on Zein’s face when he tried the fruits they brought to the borderland. He remembered the wonder and bliss after that first taste of chocolate beside the lake. There were many common things in Bassena’s life that weren’t at all common for Zein. He knew that Zein’s penchant for sweet things was derived from the lack of it during his life in the red-zone.
He could easily guess that this cheap, common candy in his hand was the first, probably only candy Zein had ever tasted. In a place where sugar was as expensive as a potion, a candy might as well be considered a drug.
At the rooftop which was rather calm and quiet, he could see the guide zoning out, staring vacantly at the plaza below. Zein did it sometimes, mind wandering to places out of nowhere, just like that time in the training hall.
Faraway places, heavy places...
Bassena felt his heart clench every time he saw it, as if Zein was flying somewhere he might not be able to reach. He took a deep breath, and jumped on the man from behind, putting a playful smile on his face.
"Like I said, if you space out when you’re with me, I might kiss you," he whispered scandalously, circling the guide’s neck and leaning his weight.
It was effective to wake the guide from whatever disturbing thought swirling inside his pretty mind. Zein looked up with an unimpressed face, flicking Bassena’s cap lightly. "Don’t be a pervert just after giving your autograph to kids."
Laughing merrily, Bassena took the guide’s hand and dropped the candy there. "This is the one that you want, right?"