49

Ivan

I felt warm air on my face. I wanted to open my eyes when it occurred to me that it was Jewel; it had to be her, I was in her room. How close was she for me to feel her breath on my face. I felt her fingers trail on my face and hell, it felt good, I had to open my eyes.

She moved back with a jerk when I opened my eyes then she breathed out loudly twice to catch her breath before walking back to her bed and sitting with her eyes in the other direction.

Was she serious? She wakes me up by breathing on me and now that she sees that I'm awake, she wouldn't even look at me. I left where I sat and joined her in the bed.

"Good morning?" I smiled at her but she did her best to make sure her eyes didn't last when they glanced at me."How are you feeling now?" I asked after she didn't respond to my greeting.

"Are you mad about..."

"Don't you dare say it." She finally said something but that was because I wanted to ask if she was mad about the day I whispered in her ear that I wanted to kiss her.

"Why not? We have to talk about it; i know you think about it like I do, or don't you?"

"I don't."

"You are lying." She was obviously lying."You are not going to say anything more?" I asked because I expected her to defend that she wasn't lying but she didn't do that. She was stopping herself from talking further with me."Do you want me to apologize?"

"For what, Ivan?" She snapped at me."What do you even want me to say?"

"I don't know, anything? Just don't be quiet while I talk, it feels like I'm speaking to myself."

"You want to talk about something?" She turned to me now, folding her legs."Let's talk about all the times you've being mean to me, apologize for that."

"Mean? To you? When?"

She gasped loudly and dramatically, covering her mouth with her right hand before asking me: "Oh you don't remember? No?"

"Tell me one time I, Ivan, has ever been mean to you." Did she know what mean meant?

"Okay." She nodded."Okay, I'll do that. Let's talk about the time you put that stinky, messy raggy dress on my hair sometime ago."

"That was..."

"That was what? Huh? You messed up my hair that day and then blamed me for my lateness to school the next day, like it wasn't all your fault."

"That...I did that because I had to." I found myself stuttering. I could make negotiations with Don Oleg's friends and enemies over business but I couldn't defend myself when this lady spoke.

"Oh, yeah, how could I forget. You had to let my father know that I was at more risk of being mistreated by you and your people. Didn't you?"

"Yes. He's been slow with response so that had to be done. You know I actually could have..." I paused my words at what I was about to say. I was going to let her know that I could actually have done more pain inflicting things to her but didn't.

"You could have what?"

"That shouldn't count, I was being helpful then." I sugar-coated my words but she hissed.

"P-pleas-se." She scoffed after."Let's leave that and talk about how you almost broke my ankle that same day, it's like you don't know that I'm somebody's daughter."

I ran my hands through my hair when she said that. I wanted her to talk to me but I didn't want her to objurgate me like she was doing right now.

"Okay, I'm sorry about all of that."

"Nuh-uh," she shook her head in disagreement."You don't get to apologize yet. You asked me to recall some of the mean things you've done to me right?"

"What do you expect? You are daughter of someone who wronged the brotherhood, I am supposed to be like that with you."

"Is that why you couldn't compliment me the day we went to that party together? Even after I complimented you?"

"What?" Was that still on her mind?

"And you know what? It was surprising because you bought the goddamn dress and you did my make-up; you even braided my hair, the least you could do that day was  say: the dress looks good on you or say: you look nice tonight or something else, anything at all." She ended with a loud sigh and her lips pouted, I couldn't help myself from laughing.

"Oh shit, that's still on your mind?"

"No." She looked away.

"It is. You just detailed your thoughts out to me."

"Okay, yes. Yes, I still think about it. What then?"

"Do you want to know why I didn't comment on how you looked that day?" I was going to be honest with her if she said yes.

"I swear, if you say it's because you've seen or been around more beautiful girls, I'll bite you." She frowned at me and I laughed more.

"Go ahead, bite me. Do it here," I tapped to the right side of my neck."Bite me here." I told her and saw her eyes widen in surprise that I had said that.

"You are annoying, you know."

"I can try not to be," I stopped laughing."If it's what you want." She lifted her eyes slowly and presented a meek look. Now she looks pretty innocent.

I stood from the bed and went to the bedside table to pour some water from the jug there into the glass, then I took the plastic bottle containing the drug that the doctor had prescribed and handed it over to her to take out the one was to swallow.

She squeezed her face,"Oh god," she groaned and threw her head back for some seconds."I forgot I had to take drugs. I hate drugs."

"Here," I handed her the glass of water and ignored what she just said because there was no bargaining over her taking the medication.

"I wish you could take it on my behalf," she murmured.

"What?"

"You know...you be the one to take it and I just bust head with you or something then the drug transfers to my body and voila! I get the good effect of the drug without having to pass it through my mouth and down my throat."

"That is the most absurd thing I have heard anyone say in a while but six year old me would be glad if that was a way to take medication." I chuckled as I spoke because what she just said was ridiculous.