Another Sleepover

"How's my little princess doing?"

My eyes filled with tears the moment I heard the voice that I had longed for a long time.

"Grandpa..."

"You had better live well, okay? Grandpa is always with you..."

I panicked as the vision of my grandpa started to become blurry. "Grandpa no, don't leave please... not now."

"NO!"

I woke up suddenly and was catching my breath when I saw Canim leaning his head peacefully on my bed. A short smile flashed onto my lips and caressed his hair.

I wonder what your talk with Lara was about and why it concerns me.

I hit my head with my hand as soon as I realized that I'd been thinking of him frequently, he kept on appearing all the time.

As I sat on the edge of the bed, feeling the weight of the world on my shoulders, I couldn't hold back the tears any longer. It felt like everything was falling apart, and I didn't know how to stop it. That's when I felt a hand on my arm, stopping me from hitting myself. Startled, I looked up, and our eyes met. The cold stare that he used to have was replaced by concern and compassion.

"Stop," he said softly. "You don't need to do this to yourself."

I paused, taking in the change in his demeanor. With his gentle urging, I lowered my trembling hand and let out a shaky breath. He sat down next to me, and we talked. 

"I didn't expect that Nadia would stoop that low."

"Since I failed to keep my word, you can break the deal off."

"I hate being weak..." 

He remained silent, so I continued. "I hate being like this. I don't want to come to a point where my stomach will be full of patches, or I'll always be the damsel in distress. What's worse is having the highest possibility of dying before I can get my revenge."

"Do you need anything from me?"

"I want to go home."

"If you hate being weak, then you should decide to stop being weak."

I looked at him when he tried to oppose me and that's when he understood how sincere I am.

He took me home, but before I could enter completely, he stopped me and suddenly spoke.

"I may not always be there to protect you, but I can help you protect yourself. You don't have to cry and feel guilty for being weak, you don't have to think that you need a knight in shining armor to keep you alive. If I can't protect you in the best way I can, then let me help you in the best way I know."

I never dared to look at his eyes, instead I just stared at how he held my hand. I withdrew it and went inside without even saying a word. I heard the car leaving after a few minutes, so I went to my bedroom and tried to close my eyes.

I tried to sleep, but I couldn't, so I stood up and decided to get a glass of water from the kitchen and when I was on my way there, I heard a loud knock from my door. 

My heart skipped a beat, and lots of thoughts were fighting inside my mind. He was as if he was going to break my door. I grabbed a knife from my kitchen and looked straight at my door until it finally stopped. My heart and mind are still in chaos and I cannot think straight right at this very moment.

I remembered what Canim just said earlier. He's got a point. If I hate being weak, then I should not be weak.

The knocking stopped for a long time, so I decided to open the door while holding the knife tightly. As I opened the door, a piece of paper fell to the ground, so I quickly picked it up to see what was inside.

"I'll see you at the university. I'll be as transparent as I can be, so you can see me. But not how you think it to be, so the enemy can't get me. Don't worry, you'll know me at one glance."

"What's that?"

I almost punched the person in front of me, which was Alex, because of his sudden appearance. 

"What do you think you're doing?" I couldn't help but raise my voice at him. My wound suddenly ached, maybe because I used strong forces due to my surprise, so I couldn't help wincing in pain.

"What do you think you're holding?" he raised an eyebrow at me while crossing his arms.

"Just a receipt from the hospital, and a knife." I immediately hid the paper inside my pocket, raised the knife to let Alex see it, and smiled awkwardly at him.

He sighed in relief and assisted me inside and we both sat on the couch.

"I thought it was a death threat. I just heard a loud noise coming from here, so I swiftly went over to see what was going on, and then I saw you holding a piece of paper."

"There was indeed a loud knock on my door earlier but when I opened the door, I saw no one, so maybe someone is threatening me again."

Alex nodded and went outside. 

That's it? What just happened?

I went to my bedroom to get some sleep, but I don't think I can sleep in this situation, but I'll try. When I was about to close my door, I heard someone barge in, so I realized I hadn't locked my door after Alex left. Am I doomed?

I peeked to see who had entered my house and when I saw that it was just Alex, I was relieved and immediately rushed to him.

I hit him hard in his arms and yelled at him. "Are you insane? You almost gave me a heart attack! And what's with that pillow and blanket?"

He just gave me a wide smile and said broadly "I'll sleep here until you get better."

"I don't need-"

"No buts. Period!"

He placed his pillow and blanket next to mine and signaled me to come over.

"DID SOMEONE SAY A SLEEPOVER?"

My eyes widened when I realized it was Lara's voice. I turned around and saw Lara wearing pajamas and carrying a pillow.