Custom Made For You

Chapter 40- Panik

"Oh, I don't know, they are pretty busy, y'know," I tried playing it cool, hoping that he would not notice the error in his speech.

He nodded understandingly, "True. But, ask them sometimes, the more the merrier, yeah."

I let out an awkward chuckle, "Y-yeah."

"You seem stressed. Chill out, I'm not going to eat you."

"O-Of course not! That would be cannibalism, it's illegal."

"Right," he leaned forward. "But it's not if they don't catch you."

He looked at me, dead in the eye, still smiling, his eyes weren't though. I instantly felt uncomfortable, I looked away, gulping.

He burst out into laughter, "I was just joking. Don't take it too seriously."

I let out an awkward chuckle.

He got up from his seat, stretching his arms out, "I'm going to go back to work. You should head home, it's late."

He walked pass me, patting my shoulder before letting out a tired yawn. I slowly stood up, "Mhm, I should get going now. I have work tomorrow. Yeah... Goodbye, then."

"Come by sometimes," he told me as I stepped out of the shop. I could feel his icy gaze from inside the shop.

I did not reply, all I wanted to do was to run as far as possible. If looks could kill, well, let's just say, I would have been dead in there a long time ago.

Hugging the bag, I sprinted down the street with all my terrified thoughts swimming around in my head. I was scared, my heart was pounding loudly in my ears from both the running and the fear. His eyes looked like he knew something was up, they were cold, merciless, piercing, like a pair of daggers. You'd think a chat with your older brother would be great. Honestly, that was the worst conversation I had ever had in my life. I shook my head, clearing my thoughts to speed up.

●◦●◦●◦

"So you're telling me, that you went to him, without us?" the disappointment in Airi's voice was seeping through the phone. I called Airi the second I got home.

I rubbed my face into my hand, muffling my voice, "I know, I know, but it felt like if I had waited, I would lose him."

"For Gods' sake, Tolmer, we agreed to being a team! Ask Vastel. Vastel! Are you disappointed that Tol here did not tell us?"

Vastel cleared his throat, he replied in an unfazed tone, "No, not really. He did a good job."

Vastel said it in such a calm way, it shocked even me.

Airi exploded, "What? What he did was just selfish and impulsive! How could you say that he did a good job?"

"Airi, we are both in the hospital. One as a doctor and one as a patient. Even if you did manage to be there with him, what can you do? Watch him as he talked to his brother? It's his brother, Airi. I'm finding him because he's my friend, but you have nothing to do with this," Vastel tried to explain to Airi.

"What if it's his brother? We all agreed to do this together! What if he's dangerous? What if Tol got hurt?"

"Airi, don't you get it? Tolmer is a grown man, he can handle his own shit, you are here as a support. First off, his brother has nothing to do with you. Secondly, so what if Tolmer decided to hunt his potential brother down? He hasn't seen his brother for 12 years, it's understandable if he's desperate. Third of all, it's his damn brother. If I know anything about Ceb, he loves his lil' brother," Vastel's French accent (That I did not know of) started to show the more he became frustrated. "Lastly, it doesn't make a difference if you were here in the first place. It's none of your business from the start!"

The atmosphere could be cut with a knife. Yes, that was how tense it got when Vastel finished.

"I, uh, I have a recording of the conversation," I attempted make the situation better.

"Send it to me, I might be able to analyze his words. That's what I do for a living anyway," Vastel's voice was glacial. I heard the door creaking open and slamming close from my end.

"Airi, I-"

She hung up.

Was I...a bad friend? I didn't know anymore.

My phone lit up with a message from Airi.

I need time alone, sorry. Just don't come see me tomorrow. Get your project done instead.

I sighed, I didn't understand how she could think about my projects at a time like this. I proceeded to unlock my phone to reply her and to send the recorded conversation to Vastel.

After I was done, and everything was quiet, I heard ticking, soft ticking. It wasn't audible if nobody had focused.

Then I realised, I forgot to check what was in the bag.