Chapter 7

Turning my attention back to Simin, my finger reached forward, moving towards her grey shorts. I swallowed a gulp of saliva when my finger hovered just above the waistband of Simin’s shorts. It was going to be fucking awkward if she woke up and saw me doing that. The tip of my index finger touched the elastic waistband and I dug my finger inside, hooking onto the band while I continued looking at her. Mustering my courage, I pulled the waistband, hoping for a peek, but it was too dark and I could not see the colour. Then it stuck me that there was the overhead light above each seat. I turned Simin’s on, still observing her just in case the bright light roused her from her drug induced slumber. It didn’t. I repeated my actions, digging my index finger into the waistband of her shorts. This time round, when I pulled back, I was rewarded with the answer to the question - the colour of Simin’s underwear. I selected the answer, (d) for grey, and almost immediately, a green tick appeared on my screen. Then, like I was playing some Super Mario game, an animation for a gold coin appeared. A countdown timer started at the 15- minute mark, with the symbol for a meal. I reckon that meal service would begin in 15 minutes as a reward for completing the task. While waiting, I reached for the blanket and covered Simin’s body, feeling a bit guilty for outraging her modesty while she was unconscious. The screen now just displayed the countdown timer together with the one gold coin I earned. I switched off the light and turned to look at the old man again. He had lifted the girl’s top and was sucking on her breast like a baby nursing from the teat of a young mother.

“Mind your own business, bro!”

I literally jumped in my seat when he shouted from across the aisle. It was like he didn’t give a fuck about waking anyone. I stared straight ahead and my index finger twitched - the same finger that just dug into Simin’s waistband. I subconsciously brought it to my nose for a sniff. Inhaling sharply, I felt this strange sense of arousal and satisfaction. It made me want to do it again, to stick my finger down the insides of her shorts, to dip my fingertips into her womanly-well of fertile fragrance. I thought of closing my eyes for a quick rest when an icon of a video file appeared on my screen. It was offered for sale and it cost one gold coin. Curiosity got the better of me and I accepted the deal. The animation of my gold coin disappeared and the video started playing. I immediately sat upright.