Page 63 of Kings of Desire
‘Had to warm them up a couple of times,’ Alfred reached to offer me one while gesturing me to take a seat on the bed since my luxurious apartment didn’t even possess a couch.
‘I’m sorry, I was... busy.’....with selling the last part of my soul.
‘No problem, I’m good at waiting.’ He took a sip in such a totally relaxed manner- a relaxation that betrayed his British origins. ‘I’m just surprised that you weren’t in a rush to get here and see what I have in store for you. Ferris did tell you that I would be coming, didn’t he?.’
‘Yes, he did mention something about you showing me to my new apartment, but I didn’t believe it would be so soon.’
‘Now, were his specific instructions, so here I am, ready when you are.’
Maybe for any other living human being, escaping the Pit was the supreme blessing, and I can’t deny that my heart was trembling to open the door of my new apartment...hell, even the tiniest room sounded good, but with everything going on today, I managed to forget all about it. That’s how I caught on to the severity of the situation... of me being wrapped up so deep in my troubles that life was moving on at the speed of light around me.
‘I brought some empty bags to assist you in packing your things,’ Alfred spoke, heading towards the door where the pile of luggage was waiting. Yet little did he know that all my life could fit in a medium-sized shopping bag.
‘I’m pretty convinced that you won’t have to do much assisting’ the faded bitterness in my voice made him realize that he was far away from his royal palace.
‘I understand. I’ll ask the driver to take a few back to the car.’
‘Not just a few...’
‘Should I leave two?’
‘One will be enough,’ I let my eyes fall to the ground.
‘I’m sure that Ferris will take care of this inconvenience immediately,’ he tapped my shoulder in consolation, assuring me that my life was about to change.
‘Can I ask you a favor?’
‘Of course.’
‘Don’t tell him. I don’t want him to feel obligated to do anything more than we have already spoken about.’ I was so far from doing this with any personal gain in mind. Now, things were only about family and responsibility, and I was living up to both.
‘You don’t know him,’ the man smiled while raising from his seat to arrange a few cushions on the couch ‘We should start. It’s already late and he was asking if you could visit him after I have shown you to your apartment.’
It wasn’t that I didn’t want to see him, it was more like a mixture of fatigue and being physically drained, but also a feeling of guiltiness towards him since I was going to go to his place while I was somehow functioning on emergency batteries.
‘My clothes are in here,’ I opened a small dresser and picked all of my things from a shelf then laid them inside one of the bag trollers.
In less than five minutes I was all packed and ready to walk out the door, carrying just one piece of luggage in my hand.
‘I’ll have that,’ Alfred sneaked his hand between the handle of the case to steal it away and escort me to our ride for the night.
It felt that I was living an entire world behind, so I couldn’t help but feel guilty that while I was heading for luxury, my siblings were still who knows where suffering. But when it came to the suffering part, I was there with my entire soul, entrapping their pain in my own heart.
‘Can I ask something of you?’ Alfred questioned while I seemed to be lost in my thoughts.
‘Yes, of course. What is it?’
‘Don’t give up on him too easily. Everyone else seems to do it too easily lately.’
And how could I ever since this deal was securing my brother’s treatment, not to mention the part where Ferris had that secret something that made it impossible to give up on him? But deep down I knew exactly what Alfred was referring to. The madness, the darkness, that special part of him that made him undeniable, and at the same time that would make you run away to the other end of the world hoping to keep a part of you sane.
‘I’m starting to think that we’re codependent to one another.’ I guess that was the truth, for some strange reason we were linked by fate, needing each other, though I often wondered how much did he need me. Was I girl number twenty-something on the disposable list, or did he need me for me- Bea?
I guess only time will tell, and that was an asset that we didn’t lack when it came to him and I. Our deal, in contrast to the ones I had with Brax and Cole, was indefinite.
‘Now it’s my turn,’ I flashed a sad smile, preparing to ask something that had been on my mind for a while. A question that I couldn’t address directly to Ferris yet, at least not without risking triggering another one of his changes of behavior.
‘Go ahead.’
