Amanita: Poison Shot

Chapter 25: Apology

Gabi was giving Siegfried the aforesaid poem and some photographs after he let his hand go.

"You're disgusting!" Siegfried exclaimed, blushing vividly, and refusing to take the photographs and the poem.

I guessed he was blushing because I was there, but pornos were something that didn't surprise me. It wasn't my business anyway. I took the poem and the photos out of curiosity.

"Besides, these photos have been photoshopped!" Siegfried complained as he got a glimpse of them briefly as I was passing them one by one through my hands.

In those photos, there were only Agape and Gabi in romantic scenarios, like going out and having fun together, but the bodies belonged to other people. Their faces had been glued on top of the real ones.

"Can you tell me what the hell you want to achieve with this nonsense?!" Siegfried asked frowning.

"Agape will feel so sorry for me that we'll have sex out of compassion," Gabi said with sadness and excitement at the same time.

"You're a manipulative idiot!" Siegfried felt no pity for him. And Agape would not fall into that stupid trap. She was the smartest woman I've ever known. "Aren't you ashamed?!"

"This is not gonna work on Agape, Gabi," I said rather neutrally.

"Well, some of us have to work harder to call the attention of a lady, you know," Gabi concluded in a much more sincere but mischievous tone of voice. He was staring directly at Siegfried with malevolence. "I'm not lucky enough to get a problem with my bike precisely when there's a beautiful girl who knows how to fix it at a few feet's distance!" he added with a smile full of naughtiness.

My cheeks became two ceramic stove cookers. So did Siegfried's.

"Gabi, you're a bastard!" Siegfried insulted him with his fists turning white due to squeezing them too hard. It was obvious he was refraining from grabbing Gabi by the collar of his shirt and shaking or hitting him, probably because the poor guy was already injured.

I looked at the time on my watch.

"Well, I should get going," I was feeling uncomfortable being there. Besides, I was supposed to be home by that time. My brother's candle ceremony would start soon.

"Okay," Siegfried said at once as he got up from the stool as I did. He needed some fresh air after what Gabi had said, badly, and so did I.

"Daphne, here. Take my alarm clock before you go," Gabi said in a much more serious tone of voice.

I took it from his hands. It was a classic, all-black, digital alarm clock with bright green numbers, displaying the wrong hour, and it went dead when I barely touched it.

"Gabi, we're not done yet!" Siegfried said threateningly, pointing an accusatory finger at him. "When I come back, you will hear from me!"

Siegfried accompanied me to the front door downstairs in silence.

Once I was out, I welcomed the cool night breeze from the Neon Sea into my lungs. It was a nice contrast for both of us, actually.

Siegfried was crossing the threshold of the front door when I realised I still hadn't done what I had in mind to do that night. I needed to apologise to him. I had almost forgotten about it. I remembered my remorse, painfully sharp like a needle, hurting me as if I had been shot in the heart.

"Come on, I'll take you home," he offered as he closed the door.

When he turned his head to me, he froze when he saw me staring at him with guilt written all over my face. He frowned.