Chapter 2
-Kirrill-
Groaning, I blink as the light assaults my retinas. I’m bloody starving and I would literally kill for some water right now; you’d think that after going through this many times that I would become numb to the sensations.
But that’s a bloody lie; or at least in my case it is. And so I’m still as hungry as last time, and I still really want a cool glass of water, just like last time.
The Boss pats my shoulder in a way which tricks me into thinking that it is affection I am receiving right now, and not a warning. Smiling thinly, I tuck some hair behind my ear. The Boss grips my shoulder tightly, leaning in towards my face. “Good news: Ekaterina came home early this morning, and she’s fine. And if she wasn’t…well that cellar would become your permanent resting place. If you get what I mean,” he says with a playful wink.
Gritting my teeth, I nod, staring at the floor. I’ve been conscious for approximately five minutes and I’ve already had my life threatened. Nice.
Making my way up to my room, I slump against the wall. I’ll eat later, I’ll drink water later. First, I need to just…sleep. Properly sleep, not pass out.
Someone bangs on my door, pulling it open and reminding me that I always forget to lock the door. “Kirrill! My god I have so much to tell you,” Kat enthuses, jumping onto my bed and sitting down, making herself comfy.
Shaking my head, I flop down on the bed, pulling a cushion beneath my head. “Not now, Kat. Because of you I got chucked in the cellar again.”
Kat enters an uncharacteristic silence before she touches my arm gently. “Kirrill…I’m sorry. I don’t- I don’t mean to get you in trouble. I just- I just wanted to see Aria, but I’ll- I won’t do that again.”
Not letting out a single sound, I let my eyes close slowly. “It’s- it’s fine. This is my job, after all.”
Kirrill, for fuck’s sake. Be honest with her, you’re just validating her actions otherwise!
I need to put my foot down, I need to tell her off, I need to- I need to stand up for myself.
But that’s easier said than done when I owe her and her father everything. It’s a little hard to lecture Kat when I feel too guilty, too much like a burden to actually speak up.
It’s something I have to work on, I know it is. But I just- I just don’t want to do this right now this instant.
When I wake up next, I am all alone again.
I both hate being alone, and crave the solitude.
Dragging myself out of bed, I grab the water bottle from beside my bed; Kat must have brought it up for me, along with the foil-wrapped sandwich. Finally giving my body what it craves, I still manage to get indigestion from eating too quickly.
Standing up and stretching, I text Kat to find out where she is - hopefully at home, in her room, or I’ll get told off by the Boss again. Glancing back at my phone, I groan in frustration. Jabbing at the ‘call’ button, I tap my fingers against my leg, pacing back and forth.
“Kat, are you fucking with me right now?” I say slowly as soon as the call connects. “Um, I’m sorry? Kat left her phone here. I’m guessing you’re Kirrill, right? Her bodyguard? Based on your name in her phone anyway.”
For fuck’s sake, Kat.
Rubbing my temple slowly, I take a deep breath. “When did you last see her? Where are you? Who are you?” Reminding myself that this isn’t an interrogation, I take another deep breath.
“Um. I’m her friend. I w-work at a convenience store, the one near her house. I um, my name is Wesley? I saw her like ten minutes ago but you know how fast she is on that motorbike, she um, she could be anywhere by now.”
She doesn’t care; she doesn’t think. She never considers how her actions impact others. She never thinks about the shit I have to put up with to protect her. Not like she even needs protecting anyway; she could kick anyone’s ass without a problem.
“I know the place; I’m on my way to get that phone. You had better point me in the direction she went in.”
Grabbing my motorbike keys and leather jacket, I speed back down the stairs, hoping to any gods that may or may not be out there that I don’t bump into the Boss on the way. For once, luck is on my side and I make it out of the estate without any trouble.
The only slightly worrying thing is that I feel rather light headed, perhaps because I’ve had approximately one hour of proper sleep, a sandwich and half a bottle of water in the past 35 hours. I’m feeling a little rough right now, so hopefully I won’t crash my motorbike and kill myself, or somebody else.
Apparently, I really am lucky today, as I manage to only swerve a little worryingly once or twice as I make my way to the convenience store to retrieve Kat’s phone. I have no fucking clue how I’ll find her, but I’ll just have to take things slowly and deal with each thing as it comes.
Hopping off my bike quickly, I push the doors to the store open, wrenching my helmet off and glancing around the convenience shop quickly, looking for Kat’s friend. I’ve seen pictures of him and her before, but I never really paid attention to what he looks like, so to be honest I don’t actually remember. I’m bad with faces.
“Are you Kirrill?”
Snapping around towards the sound of the voice, I nod slowly, still trying to regain my bearings after moving my head too quickly. “I’m Wesley; here’s Kat’s phone. She turned right, um, going in that direction I’m pretty sure,” the man informs me.
Nodding my thanks, I take the phone, pocketing it quickly and turning to leave before glancing back at Wesley. “Give me your number. Call me if she comes back.”
Wesley snorts, crossing his arms over his chest, a smirk on his lips. “Wow, no one’s asked for my number so aggressively before. If you wanted to hit on me you could’ve just asked nicely.”
Glaring at him, I snatch his phone from him the moment he hands it to me, and I put in my number quickly. “If I was trying to hit on you, you’d know,” I shove the phone back into his hands, turning around to go.
I’m definitely not going to be hitting on Kat’s friend any time soon; to do that I’d have to be somewhat attracted to him, and sure, he’s a good looking guy, but to actually consider that person a partner, I’d have to be very close with them.
And crazily enough, I never get close to anyone.
Other than Kat, but she’s a lesbian and I’ve never been interested in her that way anyway.
Probably because she’s a twat.
A very lovable twat I’m sure, but a twat all the same.
“Kirrill-!”
The curb meets my face halfway and I let out a groan, my head hurting like shit as I try and grasp what the fuck just happened. I was walking to the door, and then suddenly my head was colliding with the ground and I have no idea what happened in between then.
Warm hands gently touch my face, my eyes squeezed shut in slight pain as the pounding in my head refuses to relent. I’m vaguely aware of how I’m still on the ground, based on the feel of the concrete beneath my fingertips, but opening my eyes feels impossible right now.
“Holy fuck Wesley what did you do?!”
Ah great, Kat showed up then. That’s good. Hopefully the Boss won’t kick my ass.
The warm hands holding me gently are replaced with ones I instantly recognise as belonging to Kat - I’ve held her hand for the past twenty years, I know what hers feel like. Her nimble fingertips brush my hair out of my face, the pain on my forehead growing more prominent at the motion.
“Ow,” I mumble, wanting to touch my forehead, but my arms feel so heavy and I’m just too tired, so I give up eventually. “Kirrill! Kirrill are you awake? Have you passed out? Wesley let me do that, I can do that,” Kat argues as I feel something cool and gentle press against my forehead.
“I’m…I’m…awake…” I slowly get out, the gentle movements on my forehead strangely comforting.
“We should really take him to the hospital,” someone says gently and quietly, almost so softly that I didn’t hear it. “No way in hell!” Kat yells, her voice making my ears ring. Letting out another groan, I try and swat at her, her grip on me tightening uncomfortably.
“Kat. He fainted and his head’s bleeding. We should take him to the hospital,” Wesley says again, more firmly this time but still barely above a whisper.
“It’s not that bad! He just whacked himself against the step, he’ll be fine! He literally got stabbed like a few months ago and he’s fine, so this is nothing!” Kat argues, her grip once again increasing as her nails jut into the skin of my hand slightly.
She suddenly lets go of my hand, and someone places my hand on my stomach as I slowly drag my eyes open. “Stop that, you’ll hurt him. If he doesn’t open his eyes soon then I’m calling an ambulance, you can’t change my mind,” Wesley says softly, his voice low and smooth.
Willing myself not to blink in case my eyes close again, I let out a small groan, trying to lift my hand to touch my head. Kat lets out a relieved sound as she peers down at me, taking my hand back in hers.
“Kirrill! Jesus, why did you pass out? Are you ok? How do you feel?”
Wesley helps me sit up, resting me against the wall. “Thanks,” I whisper, pressing my fingers to the cut on my forehead. “Don’t touch the wound. It shouldn’t need stitches, it’s not that bad but…head wounds bleed a lot. Be careful, treat yourself gently,” Wesley says calmly, worry that I could never understand in his eyes.
Why was he worried about me? He just met me. If he had been the one to faint and hit his head I wouldn’t have given a shit. Probably. This guy is just weird, clearly.
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