Stockholm Syndrome? ✔

S.S 26

I couldn't keep quiet later on when Archer said the following words, "I have to get ready for my date".

We had just arrived at the apartment from the stadium. We hadn't talked at all in the car. I couldn't tell if it was because of fear or his anger towards me. I didn't prod, I already felt guilty for putting him in danger.

It turned out the former wasn't the reason, because he wouldn't have said what he said if he was scared. I thought his statement was ridiculous and I told him so.

"Are you crazy? You are seriously going on your date?" I yelled.

"Yes", he said curtly as he walked towards the bathroom.

"Archer, your freaking life is in danger and you are thinking of going out with that idiot?" I said following him.

"He's not an idiot", he said. "Stop right where you are", he said as he entered the bathroom. "I'm not cancelling", he informed me assuredly moments before he closed the door on me.

I banged on the door. "I think you are crazy!"

"Shut the hell up Felix!" he shouted. I heard water running.

I sighed. He was deliberately trying to wind me up, right? There was no way he'd carry through with his plan. I couldn't let him go on a date, for more reasons than one. I had to do something to prevent him from leaving. If the Vasiliev brothers didn't know where he was, they were searching.

They were threatening me with hurting him and I had no doubt they would do it. They'd found my weakest spot.

Archer was stubborn. If I did something to physically stop him from leaving he would get angrier. There was no telling what he would do. I couldn't stop him from leaving so all that was left was to follow him inconspicuously. But for that I needed to know where he was at all times. Luckily for him and his idiocy, I travelled prepared. I inserted a tracking chip on his cell phone, which he'd left on the kitchen counter.

Tracking him wasn't enough. It wouldn't alert me to trouble immediately. I needed something that would tell me he was in trouble without him calling me. I had the right gadget handy; I just needed to know what he was wearing to the date so I could place it on the right spot. If it worked as it was designed to, I would hear his conversations through a small pod inserted in my ear.

I tiptoed to his bedroom. It was much smaller than his room at his house, but it seemed spacious enough. He had a bed, a closet, a desk and several drawers in there. There were books at his desk and his laptop. I opened the laptop slowly and was greeted by a face. Dark eyes stared back at me. He'd closed his laptop on a picture of...me. That meant he'd been looking at me. He hadn't deleted it like he said he did.

The picture was in black and white. I could still remember the day he'd taken it. We'd both been jogging before I faked breathing difficulties to be close to him. It was the first time he'd said something to me.

I looked at the name at the top.

"StrangerPark19".

I grinned to myself. We'd gone from strangers to temporary flatmates in a short time. Many things had happened in-between.

I closed the laptop slowly and switched on the study lamp. It wasn't too bright, but cast some light over the bed. I spotted an outfit on the bed with a note. I picked up the note and read it.

"Hey superstar. I know you'll dodge me after the game, so I thought I'd come here and help you pick an outfit. Got here in time too, Alex was about to leave. Smart, huh? Anyway, I think you'll turn heads in this outfit. Damian will definitely be bowled over. Stella".