Sly Cooper 5: Promises Made By Thieves

Chapter 33: Carmelita

I set the two mugs on my coffee table. I don't give one to Sly just yet. I first have to drag the table closer to my couch.

I then look down at him, still laying. "Do you, um..." I'm not used to awkwardness on my end. I usually know exactly how to compose myself to be the one in charge. "Do you feel well enough to sit up?"

"I think so." Sly yawns, then grips a cushion with one hand and grips his head with the other as he grunts, maybe fighting off a concussion threatening to knock him out.

"You feel, you know...alright?"

Sly pauses for a moment. Then says a quiet "Yes", which sounds more honest than anything I've heard in my life.

When Sly manages to get up, the blanket falls to his feet, and I see him shiver. He winces at it.

"Are you cold?" I ask innocently.

"Yeah, it's freezing in here. How can you not feel it?"

I frown a little. I don't really feel that cold. Then a lightbulb dings. "Were you in Egypt ever since you got lost after Le Paradox?"

"Yeah. Three months. Three months..." he says as he begins rubbing his arms to stay warm.

"You must not be used to the cold after all that time next to the equator." I sit down with him and wrap his blanket around him. My cheeks sting red and I think so do his.

"Guess you're right." Sly reaches for one of the coffees. He's shaking so much a few drips fly out. I have to hold the mug a bit and help him take a first sip. "And I guess," he says before I can ask another question, "I'm also pretty malnourished. I know I'm wearing some pretty fancy clothes, but..." Sly puts the coffee down, reaches for his shirt, hesitates, then pulls it off. He's gotten so much skinnier. "I've been pretty malnourished."

I don't say anything. I don't even look Sly in the face. But it only takes that second of silence before he makes a choking sound. I see tears are beginning to stream down him. "I thought I'd never see you again. Or Bentley or Murray or anyone."

Abandoning any and all thoughts I've had these last three months, of trying to convince myself I hated Sly and he was nothing but a criminal who deserved to be disregarded for tricking me and making me look like a fool all these years, all of those thoughts are vaporized as I pull him into me. I hug Sly's shaking body and feel myself quivering in sadness and relief a little too.

The shivers begin to slow down a little, and Sly loosens his blanket to join in on the hug.

It feels like hours pass until we loosen our grips. The smell of our barely touched coffees is still there, but neither of us want to reach for them. We're just staring into each other's eyes, like when we were in that helicopter together on the way to the jail after we beat Neyla. But the difference is night and day with what thoughts are circulating. Sly's the first to look away, down at his chest, and it looks like he's trying to come up with something to say. I don't rush him. "So..." he begins.

"Yeah?"

"Back before...you know...I went off to fight Le Paradox...you said, "Sly, I..." and I said, "I know. Me too."

"How could I forget?" I chuckle.

"Yeah." Sly rubs the top of his ears. "...I know I said "Me too" but I don't honestly...I...I can't know for absolute certain what you meant unless I hear it straight from the source." Sly looks back up at me. "Was it...Sly, I...I am sorry?"

I blink. Then I look away, but I try my best to make sure I don't send a message Sly would mistake. "Well...yeah, I guess it was."

Sly sighs. "I figured," he says solemnly. "Because I definitely meant what I said. I am sorry too."

I look at him, but I don't bring my head back up.

"When we were, you know...dating...back when you thought I had amnesia...the, um, the reason I did that was on that island, I really wanted to just quit playing around. But to do that, I misled you and took advantage of you."

I smirk. "I was really angry at you for that, wasn't I?"

Sly shrugs.

"Well..." I look back up at him. "I was sorry. I was really distant with you on our trip across time."

"You had a right to be," replies Sly.

"Yeah, I suppose, but if I had let you talk about it more, maybe I wouldn't have had to...go through so much pain and regret these last three months."

Sly seems to be thinking of something else to say but a rumbling stomach stops us both in our tracks. We both look down at his stomach, which gives another one. We both lightly laugh. "I owe you an explanation. Not everyone in Ancient Egypt eats little."

My hand is on my thigh, and I tap my fingers on it. Tap, tap, tap. "I'll go ask the others to get you some food from our caf. Then you guys should head home. We all are pretty tired out. We've been up for almost two days driving to and from Egypt. After that we can all properly catch back up."

"Sounds okay." Sly makes a face. "Oh...but we can't go back to our usual place. Penelope would easily find us. She knows where we live."

My turn to make a face. I remember it was definitely Penelope with that strange adhesive gun. I almost mention how I know loud and clear she knows the address of your old hideout because of the weird photographs, but decide against it. That's a story for another time.

"I'll call everyone back up," I say, and stand up. "I would normally be able to find a shelter for you or something, but I don't want to let Interpol know you're back. Just yet." I turn away before Sly sees me blush again. "Let's see if the others have any ideas."