Mantis

22. Viktor's deception

I wasn't broken. The wound was also clean. A doctor friend examined me thoroughly and didn't find anything concerning. In the end, he even praised Victor for the precise cleaning of the wound, saying it was something even an experienced surgeon wouldn't be ashamed of.

I bravely stayed in classes until two o'clock, and it wasn't so bad, although my whole body hurt. I intended to skip studying and go straight to bed as soon as I got back to the apartment, but as soon as I left the hospital, Diana nudged me in the side and pointed to a tall man standing near the entrance gate.

Victor was leaning against the fence, smoking a cigarette. In a black leather jacket, a turtleneck of the same color, and with bruises on his face, he looked like a thug from a dark alley. I didn't blame people for casting furtive glances in his direction and giving him a wide berth. When he noticed me looking at him, he threw the butt to the ground and crushed it, then stared at me intently and beckoned me over with a hand gesture.

Without hesitation, I walked towards him. I felt Diana nudge me again, and when I looked at her, she gave me a look that said „You're going to him? Why?" but I just apologized and told her I'd see her at the apartment. Then I approached the beast with chocolate eyes to find out what he wanted this time. He would have followed me anyway, so I preferred to deal with it as quickly as possible.

– Do you have to follow me around all the time? – I asked before he even had a chance to speak. – You're scaring my friends. – I glanced at Diana and a few other groupmates walking away, looking back at us with expressions of real concern for my fate.

– I'm going to Berlin – he announced out of the blue.

– And so what? – I snapped.

– Will you go with me? – he asked, and my little self made a face as if Victor had just asked me to strip naked on that sidewalk.

– What? – I asked, treating his proposal like a good joke. – Do I look like a companion to you?

Victor looked off to the side and maybe briefly smiled, then reached into the inner pocket of his jacket and took out a pack of Marlboros.

– This might sound strange... – he began, flicking the lighter, and when the tip of the cigarette glowed red, he took a drag and slowly exhaled a cloud of smoke. – But I'd feel more at ease if you came with me. And I don't have anyone else who would want to keep me company for those few hours in the car.

– You're driving? Can't you afford a private jet yet? – I asked sarcastically before remembering that money was now a particularly touchy subject for Victor.

He looked at me with an expression that said „Well, it just so happens that I can't" but he spoke in a very light tone.

– I don't like flying. I don't trust pilots – he replied with a mischievous smile and took another drag. – Especially since one of them is the reason I have a problem.

– Really? – I asked in a tone as if I had no idea what he was referring to and exaggeratedly waved away the white smoke.