ADAM
Watching the car drive away, he couldn’t understand why he felt abandoned.
— You betrayed her, — I ought to remind myself that I am the reason for what happened seven years ago. I stand outside for a few more minutes before heading back to the restaurant. Already at the entrance, I can see Marina's displeasure on her face. When will she understand that I don’t care about her and her puffed-up lips? I sit down next to her, completely ignoring the looks of disapproval coming from her.
— Mr. Karetzky, we need to meet in my office tomorrow, please inform Ms. Amanda, — I say goodbye to everyone present and head for the exit. I urgently need whiskey, a lot of it.
The assistant walks silently beside me, as if she understands that it’s not the right time to provoke my anger. I plan to stop by the office first to drop off some documents and then head home.
As soon as we get to my office, I pour myself a glass, sit down on the leather couch, and briefly close my eyes. I replay today’s events in my mind, hoping to somehow sort through my thoughts. But I can't do it because familiar hands are already reaching for my belt.
— I said no, are you stupid? — I bark at Marina, who is kneeling between my legs, trying to unbutton my pants, — keep your hands to yourself, I won’t say it twice. — The girl pales at my voice, clearly not expecting such a reaction. And not that I haven’t slept with women for 7 years. Of course, there have been dozens, but with this one, I learned an important rule — if I give her permission even once, she won't leave me alone for the rest of her life.
— You need to relax, and I can help with that, — she drags out each word, again pushing her hands toward my pants. Without thinking, I grab her by the wrist and shove her out of the office. She really, damn, irritates me, especially now! I down the glass and immediately refill it before sitting down at my desk.
— What are we going to do about this, Kitten? — I smile to myself, because for some reason Amanda hated it when I called her that from our first meeting. She hated it so much that I even had to feel her anger (well, that's how she called that situation). I down another glass and my thoughts drift back to that day.
Seven years ago...
The girl surprised me quite a bit when she asked me to keep her company. I don’t know if it was the alcohol or maybe something else that affected her, but I couldn’t refuse.
We left the club, which, by the way, I stumbled into by accident. I just didn’t want to be alone, and it was too noisy to torture myself with thoughts.
— I can walk by myself, — oh no, little girl, you're not getting rid of me that easily.
— As a true knight, I can't allow that, — by the way she rolled her eyes and snorted, I knew she understood I was being ironic.
For some time, we walked in silence, just enjoying the night sand, everything around was quieter than ever.
— So what were you doing on that beach then? I’ve never seen you there before, — Amanda's voice sounded soft, as if she was afraid of my reaction to her question. And in another situation, I might have said it was none of her business, but for some reason, I wanted to tell her the truth.
— On that day, my grandmother died; she was the only one I could call family. Since childhood, she had always been there, supporting me, even though I wasn't a good grandson to her, — I didn’t think it would hurt so much to talk about it, — so I needed some time alone, and that beach is a place that will always remind me of my grandmother and the childhood that she gave me in love, not in an orphanage.
The Kitten suddenly stopped, her eyes looked straight into mine for the first time, and I completely forgot what we were talking about.
— I'm sorry, — if someone else had said this, I would have probably gotten angry, because I just hate pity, but for some reason, her words sounded so sincere, as if she was sharing that pain with me.
— And why were you there? — she lowered her head and walked ahead again. Apparently, I ventured into a territory I wasn’t invited to. I was already starting to think about how to fix the situation when she spoke again.
— I don’t have a very good relationship with my parents. They love me, but their love suffocates, and I often run to that beach to be alone and not hear their next educational talks. We continued walking in silence until suddenly the Kitten stopped by one of the houses.
— Why does she live so close? — everything in my body protested against such a quick farewell.
— Thank you for walking me home, but I have to go, — I don’t know why I did this, but instead of saying goodbye and leaving, I pulled her closer and wrapped my arms around her waist.
— And a kiss? For the services of a bodyguard, — that wasn’t like me.
Not that I could be called modest, but I had never thrown myself at women like this before (because most of the time, they did it themselves). Her green eyes widened in shock at my words, and the expression on her face screamed fear, yet she didn’t step back for some reason.
Rising onto my toes, I didn’t immediately understand what she wanted to do, and only when her lips touched mine did it feel like lightning struck me. It was just a second, but I would give so much to feel her lips again.
— Is this all the Kitten is capable of? — I admit I was provoking her, but I wanted to know how far she would go. But when her sweet, pink lips captured my lower lip, all thoughts dissolved as if they had never existed. I didn't manage to take the initiative before this witch bit my lip so hard that I tasted my own blood.
— I told you not to call me that, — her beautiful face remained too close, making my mind barely register anything. After a few seconds, it dawned on me that she had gotten back at me. That thought warmed my chest, as if she had promised me something I had dreamed of my whole life.
Looking into her eyes, I began to realize that this was definitely not our last meeting. She hadn’t left yet, and already I wanted to snatch her away and not let her go for a moment.
In another moment, she freed herself from my embrace, waved her hand, and disappeared into the house, leaving me standing there like an idiot, smiling as if I had just won the jackpot.
While I drowned in memories, the bottle ran out, and very foolish ideas began to creep into my head, which I would probably regret in the morning. After sending a text to Karetzky, the reply didn’t take long to arrive. In just 20 minutes, I was standing in front of the apartment door where the one who changed my life seven years ago was peacefully sleeping. I have so much I want to tell her. I need to explain my actions, tell her how I’ve been killing myself every day since the moment I sent her away.
Maybe it won’t change anything, and I will accept her decision to live without me. Even if she refuses to cooperate and goes back abroad. None of this matters.
— Last time your fear destroyed two lives, — how many times have I regretted that night. How many nights have I thought, “Could I have done it differently?” And not once, I swear, not once did I find another option.
Before my doubts could take over, and the whiskey relaxed me, I knocked on the door. A few minutes passed — and in response, silence.
— One more try. If not, I’ll go, — maybe fate is saving me from a mistake. Or maybe that pig gave me the wrong address, and I, like a fool, am standing in front of someone else's apartment.
Despite my doubts, I knocked again, and my heart skipped a beat when I heard the sound of the lock unlocking.
Amanda stood there in a black T-shirt, her hair falling in loose waves, and her green eyes looked at me as if they had seen a ghost. She always knew how to look into the soul. But only now do I realize that she is not that little girl from the beach who was afraid of thunderstorms and dreamed of seeing tropical rains.
The girl who shared her secrets only with me, demanding each time that I swear on my fingers that I wouldn't tell anyone.
Even now, torn from sleep, Amanda looks like a dream come to life from a magazine cover. But the expression on her face is so cold that it begins to make me shiver.
I observe every millimeter of her skin, trying to notice what else has changed in her. She stands silently, looking straight into my eyes.
The woman before me feels both mine and not mine at the same time. She hasn’t changed drastically, but now she feels completely foreign. The only thing — her eyes, just as green as they were that night when I first took her hand.
My gaze instinctively drops to her left hand, and what I see there makes my heart skip a beat. It's a ring. The same ring. Did she really not throw it away?
Amanda realized that I noticed, so she quickly put her hand behind her back, and I couldn't hold back anymore. I looked into her eyes and now saw so much more emotion there than I had realized. Another one was added when I fell to my knees in front of her and could only utter two words:
— I'm sorry, Kitten...