ᵗʰᵉ ᵐᵃˢᵏ ᵗʰᵃᵗ ˢᵉᵖᵉʳᵃᵗᵉᵈ ᵘˢ | ᶜʰⁱˢʰⁱʸᵃ ᶠᵃⁿᶠⁱᶜᵗⁱᵒⁿ

Chapter 12- Cuff Bound: Leah's New Accessory

As I slowly regain consciousness, my head throbs with pain and my body feels heavy and sluggish. I carefully survey my surroundings, recognizing the familiar layout of one of the rooms on The Beach. Sitting up slowly, my fingers sink into the soft bedding of the freshly made bed. I lift my gaze, my eyes meeting Chishiya's smirk as he leans against the wall, observing me.

My mind begins to regain its clarity as the recent events trickle back, and I realize that Chishiya was the one who rendered me unconscious. I find myself in this room, alone with him, my voice laced with anger.

"You..."

His smirk widens at the sound of my voice, clearly enjoying my frustration.

My anger ignites, and the impulse to cause him harm surges within me. I abruptly rise, intending to charge forward, but the dizziness strikes, forcing me to clutch the bed's edge. Chishiya chuckles softly, taking pleasure in my momentary weakness.

"Still weak, huh?" he remarks.

"Oh, shut the fuck up!" I shout in frustration.

I attempt to steady my breathing, desperately trying to alleviate the dizzy spell that refuses to subside. I settle back onto the bed, meeting Chishiya's gaze with a mix of anger and hatred.

He appears as composed as ever, and it intensifies my resentment towards him even more. Despite my fury, he maintains eye contact for a few seconds before nodding toward the bedside table.

I follow his gaze and spot a large glass of water, which I reach for and quickly drain, hoping it will help alleviate my discomfort.

I gently place the glass back on the bedside table and take a moment to compose myself, feeling the dizziness subside after a few breaths. I'm thinking about how to get out of this situation. The door is probably locked so I can't get out of here. And the only one who can have this key is Chishiya. But then, the sounds of approaching footsteps draw my attention, and I look up to see him standing about a meter away.

"Hey Leah. Long time no see," he says, his remark only fueling my anger and hatred.

In a sudden burst of emotion, I stand up abruptly and pounce on him, pushing him roughly onto the floor.

I grip his throat with one hand, not applying enough pressure to cut off his breath entirely but making it arduous for him to speak. I straddle him to restrict his movement, frantically searching his body for a potential key to the door. However, my attempt proves futile. Amidst my search, I catch him mumbling something, prompting me to release his neck. Frustrated, I snap:

"Can't you even keep your mouth shut?"

Chishiya chuckles softly and breathlessly as I rummage through his clothes, growing more frustrated by the second.

"You won't find anything," he calmly states.

I let out an irritated snarl and begin searching through his white jacket again, this time with both hands. I methodically check every nook and cranny, meticulously searching his pockets, but come up empty-handed yet again.

Chishiya speaks up, his voice tinged with a hint of smugness.

"You've already searched me," he informs me.

I shoot him a glare and retort, "So what? You're on the ground, so you better keep your mouth shut."

He responds with a hint of cheekiness.
"Ah, I see. You enjoy touching me like that?"

„Ew."

Disgust washes over me, and I roll my eyes, standing up and taking a seat on the bed, leaving him still lying on the floor.

I assume a closed-off stance, crossing one leg over the other and folding my arms across my chest, my gaze filled with animosity.

"Where's the key?" I demand.

Chishiya slowly rises, his back against the wall, and a grin stretches across his face. He responds simply, "Which key?"

Irritation flushes through me, and I nod toward the door.
"The key to the door, you idiot."

Chishiya leans his head back against the wall and bursts into laughter, fueling my growing anger.

"What's so funny?" I snap.

He slowly rises and heads toward the door, effortlessly opening it.

"The... door wasn't locked?" I ask, bewildered.

He replies with a hint of mockery.

"No. There are no locks. None of the rooms have locks. So, who's the idiot now?"

My voice dripped with bitterness as I snapped back at him.

"Go to hell, Chishiya," I sneered.

He proceeded to close the door, then nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders.

"Oh, trust me," he responded dryly, "I'm already there. Being in the same room as you feels like a one-way ticket to hell."

I struggle to find a fitting response, and in my momentary silence, Chishiya notices my lack of a comeback. He grins slightly before taunting me with his usual smug demeanor.

"Cat got your tongue?"

My jaw tightens, and I deliberately avoid looking at him, trying to suppress my reaction. He moves towards me, grabbing something from the bedside table. My curiosity piqued, I shift my gaze back in his direction only to see that he is holding a bracelet typically found at swimming pools.

Chishiya kneels in front of me, and I blurt out jokingly.

"Are you going to propose now?"

His expression remains poker-faced as he looks at me. He replies sarcastically:

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

I remain silent, observing as he takes my hand, the stark contrast in temperature between his cold hands and my warm ones. His touch is surprisingly gentle and cautious, a side of him I'm not accustomed to. I raise my gaze to meet his, but I can't decipher his thoughts.

His hands work patiently, carefully loosening the bracelet before securing it around my wrist. He tightens it just enough, not overly snug.

My gaze fixated on the bracelet now adorning my wrist, I watch as he steps back and moves away. I recognize the accessory – all members of The Beach wear this bracelet. I approach him, holding up my adorned wrist.

"And what is this?"

He quirks an eyebrow and smirks slightly in response.

"Well, I know you're not the brightest, Leah. But I assumed you'd at least know what a bracelet is."

My eyes narrow with seething hatred as I address him.

"Smartass."

I emphasize my words with a venomous glare.

"I'm not part of The Beach. I belong to The Night."

I attempt to remove the bracelet, but it's stubbornly stuck in place.

"Not anymore."

He tilts his head, a hint of a smirk on his lips.

„You're part of us now."

I look up to him, my gaze sharp.

„Just because I am, doesn't mean I won't stop hating you."