AMANDA
- Are you hurt? - how timely he arrived. Although I asked for some time, I am really glad he's here now. What happened 10 minutes ago will have consequences that could ruin my life, everything I've built for so long.
- No, come in. - I step back, letting Adam in. I don’t know how he will react to the situation, but I need someone I can trust right now.
We walk into the room, I open the door, and observe the man's reaction. His face is stone-cold, not a muscle twitches, and that makes things even more tense. The last two hours turned everything upside down.
Two hours earlier...
I step outside, my body burning from the kiss. I am not ready to talk to Adam right now. I don’t know if I’ll be ready on Saturday, but this gives me some time. I am about to get in the car when I hear Nazar's voice behind me.
- Amanda, do you mind if I walk you home? I want to make up for my behavior today. - the man's face returns to a warm smile, and I wouldn’t mind the company of a friend.
- You’ll owe me for this evening. - I smile, and Nazar sits down next to me. Although we stay silent the entire way, the tension does not feel overwhelming. Of course, I want to understand his behavior and why he provoked Kelly, but not now. There’s too much going on, my mind simply can’t handle it.
- Tea or coffee? - I step into the apartment and take off my shoes.
- Or maybe something stronger? - Nazar approaches me, looking oddly.
- There’s nothing stronger. - I basically never keep alcohol at home, especially in an apartment where I’ve been living for five days.
- That’s too bad. - the man stretches the word, walks past me, and sits in a chair. - Then I won’t refuse a coffee, but I’ll make it myself.
- Sure. I’ll go take a shower and be right back. - I quickly show him where everything he needs is in the kitchen and disappear into the bedroom.
A cold shower perfectly brings my mind back to a calm state, so I stay under it longer than usual.
In my head, I replay the picture of how Adam looked at Nazar and how the latter irritated him.
- What the hell happened between these two men? - this doesn’t really concern me, but still...
I wrap myself in a towel and step into the bedroom, but I gasp in fright. Nazar is sitting on my bed and looking at me. And everything would be fine, but there’s something dark and scary in his gaze.
- Did I take so long that you came to look for me? - I try to smile, approaching the nightstand next to the bed.
- I was just thinking... - he stands up and quickly approaches me. Too close, too close. Everything inside me flips over.
- What exactly? - my assumptions already scare me, but I’m not ready to believe them. Nazar smiles and wraps his arms around my waist.
- What are you doing? Let go. - what the hell is wrong with him? What demon has possessed him today?
- Ami, I want what I never got in Greece. - Nazar leans in towards my lips, but he doesn’t get the chance to do anything as I start to struggle against his embrace.
- Are you crazy? No, and that hasn’t changed since Greece. - anger boils over. - There will never be anything between us. I finally break free and jump back to the bookshelf across from me, his face distorted by a smile that weakens my knees.
- Really? What’s the reason? Or maybe who? - what is he hinting at?
- The reason is that I don’t want you. - And if I don’t want him now because of Adam, then the situation was the same when I was in Greece, but Adam wasn’t there.
- Do you want him? - Nazar begins to slowly approach me, and I back up against the wardrobe.
- Who? - if he’s talking about Adam, how does he know about us, and it’s all so strange.
- Oh, Amanda, don’t act dumb. - he takes off his jacket and unbuttons two buttons on his shirt. - Our mutual acquaintance, with whom you had a tête-à-tête today.
- He’s my partner, and you know that. - from his eyes, I can see my words mean nothing.
- Partner in bed? Tell me, have you two had sex in this apartment? - why does he care so much? I look at the man wide-eyed, analyzing each of his questions and every action he takes.
- Nazar, I don’t know what’s wrong with you, but you’d better leave. - the last attempt to reach any reason, but looking at his smile, I realize it’s pointless.
He takes a step, and I slowly lower my hand to the wardrobe.
- I promised that I would take the most important thing from him. - I stop breathing in shock.
- What are you babbling about? - curiosity overpowers fear, but my hand continues searching among the books.
- It doesn’t matter. But today I will take what I want. - Nazar makes a sudden move and grabs me by the shoulders. I try to break free, but a slap sends me into a stupor. My cheek burns, but the pain from the situation is stronger than the blow.
- Don’t make me hurt you. - This idiot doesn’t seem to understand that he’s already hurting me. Nazar pins me against the wardrobe, tries to kiss me, and I spit in his face.
- Bastard.... - this time, the blow lands on my nose, and darkness creeps into my eyes. I can’t fight back; my head is splitting. And when Nazar reaches for my waist, my hand finally finds what I need on the wardrobe. In a second, the man howls in pain, the bullet hit his shoulder. Nothing vital has been damaged, but the pain is horrendous. He tries to grab me, and I release another bullet under his ribs, and he falls, hitting his head on the bed, and loses consciousness.
I’m not shaking, even realizing the possible consequences. That degenerate tried to rape me, even after a clear refusal. Even if he dies on the floor of my bedroom, and I sit for this because of that jerk – I won’t regret it.
But while my thoughts were settling down, someone knocked on the apartment door.
- Who the hell is it... - I head to the door, but then stop. Perhaps the neighbors heard the noise and called the police. Of course, I can’t escape punishment, but not so quickly.
Then another thought flashes in my mind. It’s hard to believe, but I take my phone and dial Adam’s number.
- Is that you knocking? - I hope that he didn’t listen to me and decided to come anyway.
- Yes. Are you okay? - I don’t know why, but I relax. I need someone who will just be here with me right now.
- Yes and no. I’ll open the door now. - without getting dressed, I walk in my towel to open the door. I catch a glimpse that blood is coming from my nose, and I have a terrible bruise on half my face. But that doesn’t matter right now. I open the door and see Adam. He scans me with his eyes, and when they reach my face, they fill with so much anger that somehow fascinates me.
- I don’t know if he’s alive. - Kelly takes a few steps towards the body and checks for a pulse, waving that he’s alive. That’s what I’ve always appreciated about him – in emergencies, he never asks questions.
Adam turns to me, gently lifts my face with his fingers, and his gaze immediately softens.
- He’s alive, but not for long. - I don’t immediately grasp the meaning of his words because I’m drowning again in his eyes that look deep into my soul.
- Adam, we need to do something about this. He’ll either die or go to the police. - And both options scare me.
- After what he did to you, death is the easiest option for him. - And I agree with him, but I can’t let the man do something stupid.
- Adam, please. He’s not worth it. - I approach him and hug him. I don’t know who needs these hugs more, but when Adam tightens his grip on me, I just melt. We stand like this for a few minutes, and it’s not enough; I want to hide from the whole world in his embrace, but... As always, we have a lot of “buts.”
Kelly understands me without words, so he steps back and looks at Nazar.
- I’ll handle this. When I come back, you’ll tell me everything that happened here. - He lifts the body and heads for the exit.
- Please... - I don’t know how to say it right. But I certainly don’t want to be the cause of his problems.
- Kitten, everything will be fine; just trust me. - And right now, I believe him, even though I know I can’t avoid the consequences. But I don’t want to be a murderer. So I open the door and watch the men disappear.
I head to the kitchen, make myself a coffee. Not that I really want it, but it’s more of a habit – to drink coffee in any unclear situation.
- Damn, I need to buy whiskey, - I smile at how silly and small the thoughts are in my head while life turns into a complete problem. I take a sip of the pleasantly bitter coffee.
- Ami, how are we going to get out of all this? - I couldn’t hold it in. A tear rolls down my swollen cheek, and then the dam bursts. I’ve kept everything in for too long, not allowing myself weakness for too long. I cry for a long time, until my eyes dry out by themselves, and my emotions are depleted.
I look at the front door, and panic begins to rise within me. How much time has passed? An hour, two, three. No message from Adam, and he hasn’t returned. Maybe he didn’t listen to me and is burying Nazar’s body somewhere in the woods. And not that I mind, but the consequences. They will be terrible for both of us.
In a panic, I start throwing on whatever I can grab, and I rush to the door. I don't know where I’m planning to go or where to look, but I can’t stay here any longer. I go down the stairs, trying to shut off my emotions a bit, burst out of the entryway, and run straight into someone very large.
I look up, and a wave of relief washes over me.
- Adam... - that’s all my strength can muster, and everything around me loses color, and then I plunge into darkness that robs me of everything...