Tattoos, body chains, and dark lipstick.
Ina and Amé are two women who rewrite the game.
Follow them into their never ending world.
Written by Ina Seele and Amé Fengári
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She knew as soon as she woke up, what she was waking up to. It was like her brain had shut off and picked up exactly where it left off. That Ivaan was at the hospital, and that he was alive, in flesh and bone, and that her brain was working a thousand miles per hour to assimilate the information.
She had been awake for, maybe, an hour. But she couldn't bring herself to open her eyes. Instead, she opted for evesdropping Amé's and Ivan's conversation.
"Another one," Ivaan said, clearly feeding Amé. "Good job. You'll heal again really fast, I know it."
"Thank you," Amé giggled. Ina was a hundred percent sure she wouldn't have been so mentally well hadn't Ivaan not been there. The man was making her laugh, even with a healing dislocated jaw and a busted lip. He was feeding her, taking her to the bathroom, and cheering her on even when she sneezed.
Or, maybe, not really, Ina had been exaggerating but somewhat like that.
And Ina knew that's what she should be doing, but she couldn't bring herself to open her eyes. Not yet.
"Are you worried she forgot you?" Amé asked Ivaan.
"If I'm being honest, yes."
"Don't be."
There was a pause. "Look at her. Any man would be a fool to pass up an opportunity like her. Look at me, I was just... a mess. I met her in the wrong time, and I hurt her really badly. If I were her I'd tell myself to go fuck yourself." Ina opened her eyes then, for having them closed and with the bunch of tears burning at the back of her eyelids was too much. "And now I show myself with absolutely nothing but a dog's loyalty and a peasant's devotion to offer."
"You should've come back sooner," Amé whispered, shaking her head.
"I couldn't," he sighed, putting down her mashed potatoes and picking up her juice, putting in the straw, and holding it closer to her lips. "They knew her. They knew exactly who she was, where she was, and where I was, all the time. I had to make sure she was safe before showing my face."
"You should've been there to protect her then," Amé said after leaning back and away from the straw. "She would've taken the risks for you."
"But I can't allow her to take those risks when she never signed up for it," he shook his head, "we both knew that we'd do anything to protect her. I had no way of protecting myself, I had me and one of my men watching over her, and I was rowing boats and swimming oceans and climbing mountains to get back to Russia, my home country, the root of my mistakes. I couldn't protect her. I could barely keep myself away, knowing any moment she was at gunpoint."
"We were never at gunpoint Ivaan."
Ivaan showed her a picture from his phone. Amé's eyes instantly widened. "They had– with a sniper? At all times?"
He nodded. "These men are dead now. But they followed her everywhere. Dominican Republic, Washington, New York, Italy, even Switzerland. They blackmailed me with her location... Amé, I tried. I swear. But her life... it was more important than what I selfishly wanted."
