Last Man Standing

Chapter 32: Something Dangerous

The scruffy man stomped through the threshold into his room without a second glance in my direction to make sure I was following. He chose a spot on the wall to rest his forehead as he pounded his fists into the rock. I closed the door as silently as possible to keep the guards unaware, and then waited a moment for the scruffy man to beat out his feelings.

Better the wall than my face.

Once his fists were nicely bruised and bloody, he placed his hands on his head and pushed to release some of the pressure from the headache I could only assume was forming. His forehead remained glued to the wall and his back was to me.

I couldn't take his silence any longer; I had to explain.

"I'm sorry. I didn't want to leave without you, but we had to."

He slowly shook his head in defiance, but of what I wasn't sure of.

"Your absence would have been noticed instantly. The four of us could rely on you to cover for our absence..."

He pounded on his head even harder.

"I know it sounds silly with the four of us having such recognizable faces; making a real impression on the house." I was getting nervous, so I couldn't help but babble. "The red-headed handmaid, the foreign gladiator with skin as dark as night, the boy who dared to stab our Doctore, and the boy who has become a favourite to the Domina... a ridiculous bunch, aren't we? But Evander convinced me that bringing our Doctore along for the ride would only-"

A low grumble of anger escaped from his throat as he began to punch the wall again.

I took a step forward instinctively to stop him, but then thought better of it.

"I'm sorry! We had a deal and I broke it. We shouldn't have tried to escape without you. We'll leave all the planning to you next time..."

He groaned again, fighting against something that was tormenting him. I could tell by the way his shoulder muscles tensed that he was trying incredibly hard not to say or do anything dangerous that he would later regret.

"I get it! You're mad! Our plan was stupid! But at least we tried; I'm tired of working my ass off all day, training to be a gladiator, when all I want to do is find my brother! He's probably not even in Romallia anymore! Because of you, I'm stuck here fighting all the wrong battles!"

He was shaking and pounding his head aggressively again.

My heart was pounding. I couldn't stand it any longer; this self-inflicted torture was getting out of hand.

I slowly moved towards him with an outstretched hand, ready to restrain him if necessary.

"I need to get to Galacia to rescue my brother, and I need your help to do it. I don't know how many times I have to say it, but I'm sorry we left you behind... but I'm not sorry for trying to escape. But clearly I'm no good at this without you. I mean, I almost got myself killed by attempting to-"

The scruffy man abruptly turned and planted his lips on mine. His kiss was hard and eager, with lips surprisingly warm and soft. He cradled my face with shaking hands, holding on carefully as if fearful that his rough fingers could damage my skin.

He tasted of apples... tart and sweet. It seemed appropriate.

He drew back carefully, shaking with a heavy breath. He looked into my eyes to gauge my reaction. When I didn't protest, he lowered his head and kissed me again.

This kiss grew more passionate as we both became more demanding, invested in the moment. My toes curled and my knees weakened. His hands slid down my back as I draped my arms around his neck, pulling him closer with no intention of letting go for fear of falling.