So just pull the trigger.

35. Wouldn't you rather play with us?

Misha and the others left shortly after noon. Anna had made a small fuss before leaving, concerning Joni's lunch. She wanted to ensure he'd have something proper to eat since the rest of them were eating a late lunch at Misha's uncle. 

Joni didn't need to understand what she said. He understood her grandmotherly concern well enough, and it warmed him. She prepared a plate for him from the leftovers of the previous day, and all he needed to do was warm it in the oven since there was no microwave. She had Misha show him how the oven worked.

"Tell her I'll be fine. That I'll manage, and I won't burn the house down, I swear," Joni told Misha with amusement in his tone.

" She's not worried that you would. She's worried that you won't find enough to eat, that's all." Misha smiled.

And then they were gone, leaving him alone in the house that suddenly felt a lot bigger than before. It was an odd feeling; although Joni had wanted to be alone, or at least thought he had, he suddenly felt a slight uneasiness about it.

Uneasiness that soon turned into anxiety as he thought about the pictures and messages he had received. There was, however, nothing he could do about it now. He just needed to find a way to distract his mind. Exercise usually worked the best.

 For a moment, he pondered about going out for a run, but then decided against it. He was feeling much too exhausted for it. Still, he pushed through it to some extent and did a short, high-intensity workout. It really was much shorter than his usual workouts, but he knew he needed to listen to the signals his body gave him, and now it told him he needed rest.

A warm, relaxing shower, something light to eat after. He didn't feel like eating the lunch Anna had prepared for him yet, and instead, he ate his usual between breakfast and lunch snack; quark mixed with strawberry soup with no added sugar and slices of banana, plus a handful of walnuts. Items he had bought for himself from home to take with.

After his snack, Joni headed to the living room and paused for a moment to study the empty room. The house was eerily quiet now that everyone was gone. Well, not completely quiet. Old people seemed to have a fixation on clocks that made a loud noise. His grandparents had those clocks, too. He found the sound annoying, and perhaps even a bit ghostly. Especially now, the sound only added to the eerie feeling that made him uneasy. 

Perhaps the sound gave old people some comfort. A reminder of childhood or something. Joni pondered, once more trying to shed the anxiety that tried to creep in. 

He moved upstairs; the unwelcome thoughts became more persistent in his mind. Chris and Aki, the issue with the pictures, the messages received from Aki, and the fact that Aki hadn't answered his latest reply. Calm before the storm; he couldn't help but think.

How far would Chris and Aki take this? – Joni wondered nervously. Another powerful wave of anxiety moved through him and then settled a camp in his chest. He had to try to think of something else!

London... They would move to London, and everything would be different. He would study, Misha would work, they'd meet new people, and no one would know. Unless... Someone would have seen those pictures and tell everyone they met?

He could change his name. Perhaps take his grandad's surname from his mother's side and use his second name. Eelis Kosa? It sounded foreign. He silently repeated the name a couple of times until it started to sound okay enough. Perhaps he could claim that he came from Hungary? Only... he didn't speak the language...

It wouldn't be such a far-off lie. His mother's father came from Hungary. His grandmother, Elisa, had fallen fiercely in love with him, much to the disapproval of her own family.