Pep talks

Time passes in different ways for everyone; either they make the most out of it or they make the fool for it. Whatever the outcome time is the same thing for everyone, which the girl lying on a bed was thinking about. No it wasn't very pleasant for her to be moving out of such thought only to get back to the real world. Slowly opening her eyes she glanced at the ceiling of the room which took a few moments of realization of where she was, after that the sad reason of why she was.

"You're awake. Water?" He asked while picking up the glass from the bedstand. She obliged and drank from it. After Roy kept the half-drunk glass to its place, he looked at her, which she noticed was something she hoped to not see in his eyes for her. The concern!

"I am fine. You don't have to waste your time on me now."

"Are you really fine? You are talking like an immature Elle."

"Immature?" she scoffed. Continuing, "Why don't you just stop... this! Don't you get tired? Pretending like you care! Because I don't have any energy to look through you, to find out whether you are genuine or playing with me again. And again and again. Just... Just let me be. I can't deal with this." Her voice turned to a whisper by the end, that Roy would have not been able to listen to her if he hadn't been silent. She folded her knees to her chest and rested her head under the elbows, looking sideways.

"You remember the first time you came to learn Economics with me. It's just a memory, I am not playing with you or anything," he raised his hands in surrender which she looked through the mirror. The thought that she couldn't even look away from him due to the mirror let out a small, inaudible sigh. She perched her eyes to look at him through the mirror, which he took as a sign to continue.

"You were really mad that I was the one to teach you, because I was the one to have been a very bad person in your life..."

"Still are," she commented. The conversation was turning up to a friendly one.

"Hey! I'm not that bad!" To which Ella raised one of her brows not sure if he was able to see that properly from the distance of the mirror. But he still continued, "Coming back to that time, you were annoyed at me. I did my best to teach you though. It was not nice of you to do that, but I ignored that prospect-"

"Because you valued your job."

"Ehm, No! I mean yes that was also the reason but the crucial reason was I wanted to be there with you in any way, as you were the only interesting thing in those days, other than eating mangoes."

"You mean stealing."

"I-"

"I'm not a kid anymore who will listen to your words however you put them." She said while turning her head to look at him.

"I know. And you knew it that time too. You knew I was making up and was still behaving like a kid who had no idea what was going around in this world." She blinked at his statement, looking away from him, he said, "You still gave me a chance. To a thief. You, Ella Kingsly, were well aware of when I was pretending and when I wasn't. You made a common thief become a person I am today. You trusted me that day to teach you that subject. And Economics is not something to fool around with, we both know that! Not even elite graduates are able to link the patterns of what happens in the life, but you trusted me in that."

"What are you getting at? Is thi-," she interrupted.

"It's not. It's not any game or tests or whatever you think. Just give me that same chance now. Like you did then."

"I was a kid back then."

"I know."

"Easily convinced!"

"I know!" She narrowed her eyes at that, when he added, "I mean not always."

"Elle, if you keep shutting yourself from everyone, it would be a very lonely world for you. You know it well enough how much this legacy is important for me and I know it is equally impactful for you. Don't you trust me enough to believe that I can never let anything happen to it?" He was pleading in the end.

Ella moistened her lips, which didn't go unnoticed by Roy but he willed himself to concentrate on her eyes and not graze them anywhere else. Blinking rapidly, he managed to stay focused on her eyes, which looked equally attractive; those eyes also looked to be kissed at. God, can he never have a normal conversation with this woman without letting out his carnal desires! He got up from the chair suddenly and paced to the other side of the room controlling his testosterones, which made Ella think that he was sad as she was still not believing him.

"This is not when we were kids. This is not a fantasy world where everything is alright. This is a game Roy."

"Elle-"

"Let me finish." He turned to her while standing far. "We are in this since the beginning for a reason. This reality is a game for us, in which all are the participants but only few realize it. Like us. We can't deny that. It will be very difficult to be sane here. But you're right, I shouldn't shut myself out. We... We can be partners in this."

Roy's face broke into a handsome smile which caught Ella's breath for a second. He rushed to her and hugged her. "I've missed you. You don't know how much, because you were probably making varied dishes out of me the entire time you were gone." He murmured to her.

"I said we are partners!" She said, then removed his arms from her.

He cleared his throat, "Of course. We are. Um, in what business? Are we opening a new one?"

She sighed heavily and crossed her legs in a sitting position to look at him, "See. We have become too involved in this game that we can't even live a day without discussing profit or loss."

"Uh sorry. I-"

"Roy, we are partners in this legacy. Papa was right about one thing; To trust each other as much as to not be betrayed. I can't trust you completely. You too. Else we both lose."

Instead of being disappointed, he actually looked at her adoringly, which made her feel uncomfortable under his gaze that she looked away.

"That's why I wasn't able to get over you." She looked back at him confused. He continued, "You were the only one to get to my heart, and you just captured it, leaving no space for anyone else. What would I do without you!" He uttered every word while coming closer to her inch by inch.

She cleared her throat and said, "We are rivals, Roy." You are giving me a love confession! She thought but didn't say that loud.

"Aren't we?" The expression in his face was not changing. To change the topic, she chose the greatest question which not only killed the mood but also brought back the cold Roy she had been dealing with until now.

"What about Nick? Where is he?" He stopped thinking everything and replied in a monotone way, "He's where he is supposed to be. You don't have to worry about him. He will be taken care of."

She nodded and watched him lean back to his seat on the opposite of her. Clearing out she spoke, "If we are to deal with this together, we will have to share all the information we have procured until now."

"Okay."

"All."

"Heard it. You start."

"As we both know, you are the one with most information about it than me. Shouldn't it be the other way round?" She pointed.

"Ah, but-"

"No buts. Deal with it or I am out."

"Deal," he sighed. "Meet me at the parlor at 11."

"Tomorrow?"

"Tonight."

"Tonight? Won't you sleep?"

"You want to know it or not?" He asked deadpanned.

"Fine!"

"Good." He kept sitting there and nodded his head thinking about the things he had found out until now. Looking at him not yet moving Ella initiated.

"Now is the time when you leave."

"Is there a specified time?"

"We are done talking. I would like to head to sleep early, we have a lot to work on." She said already setting the blanket to be ready for dozing off.

"Now?"

"Is there a specified time?" She mimicked his words, where he got off from the bed as he was sitting on the blanket and she was pulling it from under him. Watching that she was actually planning to sleep off, he walked to the door to leave.

"Later then, partner." She didn't reply but was feeling lighter than ever, since being here. Smiling at their little pep talk she closed her eyes which brought sleep thanks to her exhaustion.