Kitten and his Criminal

3| Blame Herbal Tea

*Bad language

Dimitri

The gentle pitter-patter of the rain hypnotises me as I sip on my herbal tea. It always calms me, way better than disgusting coffee. This particular blend is chamomile, vanilla and Manila honey.

My earliest memory of drinking it was actually really chaotic. The man that donated his sperm for me to be born had kicked me out of the house. His reasoning was that his friends were coming over and he didn't need an eyesore like me around.

I wasn't bothered at all, it was a regular occurrence. I put on my tattered yellow rain coat and headed out.
That day it had been raining cats and dogs so I cautiously snook into my neighbours house. She was on holiday so it was the perfect opportunity. My curious ten year old self explored the entire house until I stumbled across her tea stash. Interesting.

I picked the lavender tea and unwinded in front of the fire. The warmth of the flames hugged me as the  sound of the rain lulled  me to sleep. It didn't last long as I was awoken by a bang.

The owner was back and staring directly at me. Her tired eyes lingering a little too long on my bruises. I didn't know what she must have felt in that moment, maybe it was combination of loneliness or sadness.

All she said was 'Next time let me know when you invite yourself into my home, let me make you some breakfast'

After that day, the little old lady across the street fed me affection like I was a plant that needed watering. We would cook, garden and drink herbal tea together. The bond between us would last a lifetime. Too bad her lifetime didn't last very long.

Bzzzzzz

I'm pushed back into the present as I receive a text from Alek. My boss and best friend all rolled up into one like a tasty burrito. I could sense his anger in the text and it was fucking hilarious.

Alek🎃: Where are you!!! You better not be ignoring my calls to drink tea. Get to my office ASAP.

Hahaha. You wouldn't believe that me and Alek are actually the same age. He acts like an old man discovering how to text for the very first time. Due to his behaviour I decide to take my sweet time. It's crucial that I teach him the life lesson of patience.

I check through the rest of my phone and notice the 6 missed calls.

I finish my tea slowly. Savouring each sip as if it's my last. It probably will be, knowing Alek. I then proceed towards my impending doom.

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Aleksandr Ivanovich Vasiliev. An obnoxiously long name for a just as obnoxious man. Callous, cold and cruel to everyone. The only exceptions are me and his cousin Alexi on his good days. Even those are extremely rare nowadays.

We have a love and hate relationship. I push and push until he explodes. It's the most entertaining thing I've ever had the pleasure of witnessing. My little game. How far can I go, until he loses it?

He hates it but I know he'd never hurt me. We're family. You see I was adopted into his family at the age of ten. My father lost it one day and my only option was to run. I'm glad that they took me, I had never felt more loved.

That day was the worst but the best day of my life. Alek's tiny brother was the one who led me to the light at the end of the tunnel. He saved me. Alek was extremely jealous of our relationship but I didn't care. He deserved to be worshipped, loved and cared for.