45

After breakfast, I was left alone in the room. I lay on the sofa, watching the calm forest with no interest. Later in the morning, the doctor entered my room, and from the look of shock and irritation on his face, I really shouldn’t have gotten rid of the bandage, but as expected, he didn’t scold me, just continued working.

I was already getting impatient when the exam ended. The doctor didn’t tell me anything, just left the room with his assistants and my nurse. The vision in my injured eye was still a bit blurry; it was hard to see anything from a distance or up close, it felt like there was a fog. Knowing that I would tear it off, the doctor opted to give me an eye patch instead of the bandages.

I waited a few minutes before getting up, changing clothes, and sneaking out of the room without being seen. However, I ended up bumping into Artemis in the corridor leading to the backyard garden.

"Are you okay?" she asked with interest.

"No, I’m going to lose it if I stay trapped in that room for one more minute," I confessed, irritated.

"I was asking about the check-up, the others are going to want to know if you’re blind or just acting like a spoiled brat who’s never been hit in his life," she teased with amusement.

"Looks like the good half-sister really left," I shot back, making her smile.

"Blind?" she insisted.

"No!"

"If that’s the case, Matias called me for a friendly chat," she said, hooking my interest. "He’s looking for a small truce, something we’re definitely not going to give, but it will be interesting, and we can take advantage of the situation," she said with excitement in her brown eyes. "Wanna come?" she invited, surprising me. So Artemis really didn’t know what had happened.

"It’s going to be fun," I agreed, eager to get into the game.

"Just to make it clear, I’ll be leading this conversation; you’ll just be my guest," she stated seriously.

"You’re very lucky the medicine is working," I threatened, sending her a blank smile. "Otherwise, you wouldn’t be talking to me this way," I warned and headed to the kitchen.

The Chef greeted me with a gentle smile and prepared a strawberry pie with orange jelly for me. Sitting at the round table, I devoured the pie while listening to the usual hustle and bustle of the kitchen, it was a comforting sound. After cleaning my plate, I waited for them to be distracted and escaped through the back doors, walking down the forest trail.

I had explored and memorized every corner of that forest since we moved to the complex. It was easy to avoid the security cameras and leave the property unseen.

When I arrived in the city, the place was calm, too calm for the time of day, which must have been a result of everything going on between the gangs.

It took me longer than usual to get to Matias’ apartment, having to take back alleys and paths away from the eyes of the Hebi, Lily, or the police. Even a little tired, I took the stairs, ignoring my heavy breathing. I felt embarrassed by how weak I was; not even when I was locked up did I feel my body this sick.

Stopping in front of the door, I knocked a few times, my heart matching its rhythm. I could feel my skin heating up, and I knew it wasn’t because of the long walk. The door opened suddenly, and a huge wave of relief washed over me completely.

"Matias."

"Ryuuji," Matias murmured in surprise.

With my muscles weakening, I closed the distance between us and hugged him, drowning in his warmth and delicious scent.

"Fuck, I missed this so much," I confessed, feeling the softness of his skin against my lips.

"You shouldn’t be here," he warned and closed the door behind me.

"And you’re ruining everything," I accused, tightening him. Hesitant, I felt his arms around me and the weight of his head on mine. "This is much better," I whispered, clutching his dark shirt, settling more comfortably in his arms. "Now, tell me you missed me," I requested, shivering when I felt his fingers running up my neck.

"I already said that," he said, not hiding his embarrassment.

"That was over the phone; I want to hear it now," I persisted, noticing that his heart was racing just as fast as mine.

I closed my eyes, his fingers caressing my messy hair, and I heard myself moan softly with his simple touch.

"Say it," I ordered, inhaling his intoxicating scent.

"You sound like a needy girlfriend, you know?"

"I won’t let go of you until you say it," I retorted quickly, hearing him take a deep breath and feeling his skin heat up a little more. I smiled, loving the struggle of his body against such sentimental words.

"Every moment of the day and every second of every night, I missed you," he answered, and that sweet and dark feeling, full of satisfaction and obsession, turned in my chest.

I pulled away, searching for his hazel-brown eyes. Matias was studying my face carefully and cautiously, and when I leaned in and captured his mouth with mine, I felt his muscles relax. His sweet lips reminded me of gum and honey, it was good and satisfying. The slow kiss quickly turned into something rough, full of hunger and need, and no matter how much we kissed, it didn’t seem enough to calm the fear and longing that consumed us.