To Love is to Kill

Chapter 2

I entered Kev's house uninvited, he was not in the living room, but photos of him and Amber were scattered on the couch, did she come back" I had some struggles in the bedroom and I smiled at the thought of him making out with his ex-girlfriend, I couldn't wait to tease him the next morning. As I walked to leave I heard sobs, was someone crying? They grew louder, it was Kev, I had second thoughts on whether to enter his bedroom with his girlfriend there, but what if she was killing him? Or tormenting him? I bit my lips and folded my hand into a fist, she will pay.

I entered the bedroom and everything was a mess, the sheets were on the floor, the laptop, the books, his phone, his dressing table had nothing, the mirror was in pieces, his hands were shedding blood. When he noticed my footsteps Kev stopped sobbing and wiped his tears, as he was crying facing the wall and holding something, he dropped it and I realized it was a broken mirror, that's why his hands were bloody.

He took time before he turned to face me and when he did, his eyes were puffy, and he looked worn out, a look of despair written all over his face, I stood there and looked at him, my knees weakened, sour taste on my mouth, I felt bile piling and my stomach swelling. Seeing him like that was the single most painful feeling I've ever felt for the past three years. I couldn't cry, I couldn't move. I stood facing him, we were several feet apart, I guess no one had the energy to talk to another person. My expression softened, from being shocked to empathy, his expression was a combination of feelings, mostly despair.

I walked pass the sheets and everything lying on the floor, I held his hand and directed him out of the bedroom, I led him and we sat at our favorite spot in his house, on a fluffy carpet just in front of the TV trolley, I made him sit facing me. "Hey chumchum" I said after a moment of silence, in the most affectionate way I can while rubbing the back of his hand. He grabbed me as if his life is dependent on it, he head was on my shoulders while his hand held my back so tightly, he was crying, breathing heavily but very short breath, "am so empty chumchum," he said in the midst of sobs, my heart ached for my friend, my spirit cried for him, but my body had to be strong. Though tears lingered my eyes, I couldn't voice my pain, so I just sat there and rubbed his back and let him cry,

"I want to be ok but each passing day is a nightmare, I don't know what hurts the most, the fact that she never loved me or the fact that karma is getting back at me for hurting those girls when I was a freshman, nothing makes sense anymore, I am lost in a world I don't even know, I don't rest, I don't sleep, nothing makes sense chumchum" Kev cried, my chumchum cried and there was nothing I could do to help except hold him until he calms down.

"I am here chumchum, and I don't know how to fix this, but I'll be here while you figure out a way" I said in a whisper, he sobbed more, his hands losing hold of me, he was giving up, "hey, hey, hey, hold me, am here for you now, we are going to walk together through this, calm down everything will be fine" I said this time spreading my fingers at the back of his head and massaging his hair, he had calmed down, his breath was regaining its rhythm and he was no longer tearing, we stayed in this position for twenty minutes and I realized he was sleeping and I started smiling, I was grateful he will not feel empty anymore.

My shoulders were getting tired, I had to do something. I made him lie on the mat as I went to pick tow pillows and duvet, when I came back, I placed one pillow on my thigh and made his head lie there, the other one o placed on his back. I covered him with the duvet and leaned against the wall to be more comfortable. When his breathing rhythm resumed, I looked at him while his chest rose and flattened, I remembered his hand but my timing was poor, since it had clotted, I thought we could deal with it tomorrow.

 I woke up lying on the couch and a soft blanket covering me, I was wearing woolen socks and worst of all I was having a blindfold, wait, have I been kidnapped? I have been awake for ten minutes now, since everything around me was dark I decided to keep calm and do a study of my immediate environment. When I moved my hands, they were on my sides, so I wasn't tied, I moved my legs and they weren't tied either. So I slowly removed the blindfold, and the sun was shining brighter through the curtained windows, this isn't my house, where am I?

I tried to move my head sideways only to find a masculine man seated on a stool right in front of me. I was truly kidnapped, but where was I last night, why didn't feel it, was I drugged? "Hey sleepy head, you're awake" I heard a familiar voice. What was happening, was I kidnapped by someone I know? "Chumchum am not as romantic as I thought and that means I won't watch you sleep, am tired so get up. Am going to prepare myself something to eat you can do the same too" with that he woke up, moved several steps but when I made no attempt to respond or get up, he came back and sat at the initial position.

I was in Kev's house. My mind replayed the whole scene and my heart skipped a bit. "Chumchum are you ok?" I asked with a concerned look. "She's finally awake" he said sarcastically. Later over breakfast I told him how I thought I had been kidnapped, we all laughed until there was no more strength to do so. We could keep quiet for a while and then laugh louder, the pattern continued until I was shedding tears and my stomach hurt. "Seems to me you don't know how to act your age," he said and my eyes got wider. "Not to sound offensive but chumchum you just turned a year older and you are trying to fit into my league" he said and concealed his laughter. In an attempt to hit him with a pillow I spilled tear on the table, my mouth formed a big o and I was almost sorry until Kev started again. "See I told you, Annabelle allow me couch you" he said as if inviting me to a dance. I started laughing while he went to pick a table cloth and fix the mess. I looked at him and admired this strong young man, he was here making me laugh to the point of losing my stomach in the process while he was hurting to the point no one could reach.

"Kev I know you're not ok and I was hoping we could talk about it," I posed and tensed as his countenance changed, I ruined the amazing breakfast. "It's totally fine if you don't want to talk about it, but promise me you'll get help. He dropped the table clothed and walked slowly towards the window and opened the curtains allowing more light in. he came back to the table and picked the cloth and headed to the kitchen.

"This way please" he said to me after coming back from the kitchen, he was leading me to the balcony in the backdoor. Both of us lived on the fifth floor of this amazing seven floor apartment with a very spacious rooftop. This structure allowed us to enjoy the view both from the front and the back. Most tenants loved the back view due to the river that flowed there and the fresh air that came from the numerous trees that grew there, if you were lucky enough you could have a view of monkeys fighting cleaning each other or worse, making out and Kev was not different from the rest of the tenants