CHAPTER FOUR
1380 Words
“This is worse than I thought.”
Yeah. Same.
Green still had his arms around me. Not tight enough to hurt, just.. there. Like if he let go, I’d run away or something. I swallowed and slowly peeled his hands off me.
“Green.” I said, trying to sound normal. “You can’t just stay with me.”
His face changed so fast it actually scared me. One second confused, next.. something else, darker. “Why?” He asked quietly. “Did I do something bad?”
That—
That hit harder than it should’ve.
“No.” I said quickly. “No, you didn’t. You’ve been good. Really good.”
He relaxed, like a kid being told he wasn’t in trouble, but it only made me more tensed.
Diane was staring at us like her brain had given up.
“I can’t believe this guy looks like he could snap someone in half but is actually.. this.” She muttered.
“I don’t break arms.” Green said flatly.
Diane blinked. “Exactly. That’s what I’m saying.”
I rubbed my temples. I could feel a headache incoming. “Okay. We need a plan.”
“A real one.” Diane said. “Not whatever this is.”
Before I could respond, footsteps suddenly echoed faintly from the hallway.
Green immediately went still, completely till.
“Someone’s coming.” He said quietly, but his voice wasn’t soft anymore. My chest tightened.
Adam?
“Window.” Diane whispered. “Now.”
I didn’t even move before Green grabbed me, literally picked me up like I weighed nothing and set me aside.
What the hell—
He moved fast after that. Dragged a desk across the floor, blocking the door just enough, then stepped in front of me again.
“Stay behind me.”
“I don’t need protection.” I whispered.
He looked at me like I’d just said something stupid. “You’re Michael.”
..What does that even mean??
The footsteps passed, the only thing I could hear were voices, laughter and then nothing before silence reigned again.
I let out a breath I didn’t even know I was holding.
Diane stared at him. “You just switched personalities in like two seconds.” Green frowned slightly. “I don’t like people near him.”
Him.
My chest did that weird thing again.
“Okay.” I said, trying to pull myself together. “New rule. No attacking people. No scaring my friends and don’t ever pick me up like that again.”
He nodded immediately. “Okay.”
Diane raised a brow. “That was.. too easy.”
I ignored her and turned back. “We can’t call his family yet.”
“Why?”
“Because Adam is looking for him and—” I stopped.
“And if he finds him, we don’t know what happens.” Diane finished.
“Exactly.”
There was silence gain.
“So what?” She asked. “You’re just keeping him?”
“I don’t want to.” I said, even as Green leaned closer like he belonged there. “But I’m not dumping him somewhere either.”
Diane sighed. “You’re actually insane.”
“I know.”
She grabbed her bag. “Fine. Temporary plan. Hide him and I’ll dig around.”
“Dig?”
“Hospital stuff, reports, anything. Memory loss like this doesn’t just happen.” Her eyes narrowed a bit. “Something caused it.”
Yeah. No kidding.
Green looked between us. “Are you talking about me?”
“Yes.” Diane said. “You’re the problem.”
He ignored her completely and looked at me instead. “Am I in danger?”
I hesitated before I answered, then, “Yes.”
He nodded once. “As long as I’m with you.” He said.
That—
That was somehow worse.
~~
By night, I’d moved him into my grandma’s duplex. Everything had already been brought in, so at least I didn’t have to deal with that.
He just stood in the living room, looking around like.. I don’t know.
“This is where you live?”
“Yeah.”
“With me?”
..Not really.
“Yeah.” I said anyway.
He smiled. “I like it.”
Of course he does.
I locked the door behind us, then checked it twice, then again.
Just in case.
I showered, changed, tried to feel normal for like five minutes. Told him to do the same but he said he was fine. Of course he was.
I made food but I even taste it.
Green on the other hand ate like he hadn’t eaten in days.
And I just sat there, staring at nothing, wondering if I’d just made the worst decision of my life.
||
After clearing the dishes, I just.. gave up.
I laid on the edge of my bed, staring at the ceiling like it was going to tell me what to do. I couldn’t sleep.
Instead, I started noticing everything. The fridge humming. A car passing outside. The pipes making those weird groaning sounds like the house was.. shaking r something.
Yeah. That didn’t help.
It made it worse.
Something suddenly squeezed my hand and I turned, it was Green.
He was sitting on the floor beside my bed. I’d told him the couch was fine. He even nodded and then just.. sat there anyway. Close enough that if I moved a little, I’d touch him.
“You don’t have to stay there.” I muttered.
“I do.” he said simply. “So I know you’re safe.”
I almost laughed.
Almost cried too, which was.. new.
I barely know him.
“Try to sleep.” I told him.
He tilted his head a little. “You first.”
..Okay. I closed my eyes, and somehow, I slept.
~
When I woke up, everything was wrong, a sound pulled me out of it and I opened my eyes fast.
“Green?” I called out but there was no response. I turned slowly but he wasn’t there and my chest tightened immediately. I sat up, heart already racing. The living room light was on too.
I stepped out slowly.
And there Green was standing in front of the TV. Just… standing there. Ths screen was blue, lighting up his face weirdly, it made him look like someone else.
“Green?”
He didn’t respond.
I followed his gaze.
And then—
“Authorities confirm that Nikolai Sokolov, known as one of the most dangerous crime figures in Eastern Europe, remains missing—”
My stomach dropped so fast it hurt.
Nikolai.
My hand shook as I reached for the remote and he moved then slowly, his eyes stayed on the screen, blank at first. Then they grew wider.
“You..” he said quietly. “That’s me?”
My throat closed up. He leaned forward, elbows on his knees like he needed something to hold him up.
“I’m.. a..”
He didn’t finish, his fingers twitched, reaching to cover his face but he didn’t .
“No.” I said quickly, stepping closer with my words tripping over themselves. “No, that’s not-you’re not-it’s not you, Niko, they—”
He shook his head.
“But I..” Heran a hand through his hair, pulling at it slightly. “I don’t understand. I don’t remember any of this.”
My heartbeat was so loud it filled my ears, because now I was looking at him and seeing it. Not just Green, I was seeing something else, and the news wasn’t exactly known for exaggerating that kind of thing.
I took a step back without meaning to.
“Green..”
He looked at me then really ooked.
And for a second that confusion on his face turned into something softer. It looked like disappointment.
“My name is.. Nikolai.” He said slowly. “That’s what they said.”
Suddenly a knock filled the air and we both froze in an instance.
His head snapped toward the door instantly and another knock followed. I stepped back and at that moment it hit me.
Whatever Green was or whatever he’d done.
It wasn’t over.
It just found us.
- Writer
