𝐶𝐿𝑂𝐴𝐾 𝐴𝑁𝐷 𝐷𝐴𝐺𝐺𝐸𝑅 | 𝐃𝐈𝐄𝐆𝐎 𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐒 [DISCONTINUED]

𝟑𝟏 | 𝐅𝐄𝐄𝐋𝐒 𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄 𝐘𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐃𝐀𝐘

"𝐷𝑒𝑎𝑡ℎ 𝑖𝑠 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑒𝑥𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑢𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡. 𝐼𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑝𝑢𝑡𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑎𝑚𝑝 𝑏𝑒𝑐𝑎𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑑𝑎𝑤𝑛 ℎ𝑎𝑠 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒."
—𝑅𝑎𝑏𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑎𝑡ℎ 𝑇𝑎𝑔𝑜𝑟𝑒

𝒩.

𝐈𝐓 𝐒𝐄𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐃 𝐀𝐒 though Diego hadn't kept his promise—he, in fact, was not at the bottom of the steps when she arrived down there. 

Figuring that he was somewhere around there, Natalia decided to check the living room first.

In the first minute, she thought the room was entirely deserted—there wasn't a single person, robot, or chimpanzee in sight. But a few steps closer showed her that Diego was laying on the nearest couch, tossing one of his knives.

He quickly took notice of her as she stepped around the couch, and he sat up, sheathing the knife into his gear. He wrapped an arm around her hips as she sat down next to him, and gave her a small smile as she kissed his cheek.

She sighed, then tilting her head back against the couch.

"You really think Luther thinks one of us murdered him?"

"Did you see the look on his face?" Diego pointed out with a scoff. "The words he used? I don't think—I know he suspects one of us." A humourless chuckle came from his lips as he added, "Probably me the most."

"Why would . . ." She shut her eyes. "How doesn't he know that none of us would do that?"

"'Cause he's Luther," he replied. "And he thinks he's always right."

"Well," she sighed, "that's a trait you share."

"What're you suggesting?"

"I'm not suggesting anything." She shrugged as she opened her eyes and looked toward him. "I'm saying that both of you always think you're right."

Diego narrowed his eyes, and his voice lowered, "How dare you compare me to him. I'm way better."

She laughed. "Shut up."

Diego chuckled, his grip on her hip growing tighter. "Anyway, where'd you go?"

"My room," she answered as she rested her head on his shoulder. "I feel like it's a lot smaller than I remember.

"Yeah, well, we're a lot bigger than when we were seventeen."

"Diego, I lived here 'til I was twenty-four."

"Ah, right." He nodded before giving her a shrug. "Well, I got nothin' for you then, you just have a bad memory."

Natalia giggled. "You're the one that—"

She suddenly paused as the opening of Tiffany's I Think We're Alone Now began to play, and her eyebrows furrowed as she looked up towards the second floor.

"That's coming from our bedrooms," she realized, her gaze still wandering along the railings. "Who's playing it?"

Diego didn't answer, however, and she suddenly realized as she lowered her gaze that he was no longer next to her. She leaned forward to see that he was sliding the doors to a close at the right, and her eyebrows furrowed.

Tiffany began to sing, and her voice echoed along the walls, adding to the percussion and guitar.

"Diego?" she called. "What are you doing?"