Two Villains

Ch. 21- Meet Rhys Fucking Volkner

I did something funny and silly last night.

After watching TV for a few hours and mindlessly scrolling through my phone for a bit longer, I mustered the courage to go to bed, where Sameer was sleeping peacefully like a child.

As I approached my bed, I noticed he hadn't changed his sleeping position, still lying on his stomach. His tattoed torso rose and fell with every breath, emitting soft wheezing sounds. No, it wasn't snoring. I sometimes sleep like this after a particularly hectic day at work, and it hit me how exhausted he must have been last night.

Feeling excited beyond my limits that an entire human being was sharing my bed, I wanted to give him a back massage and maybe cuddle up while spooning. Little did I know, this was a whole new level of excitement for my little heart, as I had never shared a bed with someone other than in those nightmares.

There I was, sitting in bed with perhaps the love of my life, a man I never thought I could deserve. He was beautiful, but his soul outshone even his handsome face. The desire to touch him, and hold him, overwhelmed me, and tears of happiness welled up just being beside him.

I had no certainty about how much he wouldn't risk losing me, but I was adamant about not taking any chances, not risking losing him.

I carefully laid beside him; his face turned away from me. I couldn't see his sleepy expression, but I could catch a whiff of his musky scent.

I wish he knew the depth of his meaning to me.

He slept so peacefully that I yearned to gently stroke my hands on his almost-tattooed back.

Yet, I held back.

What if he didn't like the way I touched him? What if he hated anyone touching him without consent, even gentle gestures? I had already kissed his forehead gently. What if that bothered him?

So, I restrained myself, from doing anything childish.

And I prayed, secretly, silently, that he would never do something to hurt my feelings, and that I would never do something to hurt him. I wanted to protect him from everything. He looked so worried today when he ran down from the plane. I remembered how stressed he was, yet he still managed to spend some quality time with me.

Then it hit me – he was riding a plane that belonged to the Volkner group. Perhaps he was such an important employee that Volkners might have sent their planes for him. Maybe Marco was there with him as well; God knows when Marco left Paris for Zurich. Perhaps Sameer held a position as crucial as Marco's. I recalled how highly he spoke about Maria to me, maybe he worked directly with Mama Volkner.

Lost in these thoughts, I had no idea when I fell asleep. But I assume it was almost 3 a.m. when I finally slept.

__________

I woke up, feeling a bit sweaty. Then I noticed a duvet over me, which I hadn't used last night.

Gradually, everything became clearer as I recollected what happened the night before. I had my very first kiss, slept beside the guy who kissed me – the most amazing person I had ever met in my entire life.

My heart fluttered with happiness, overwhelmed by the sensation of being in love for the first time. I rolled back to check if he was still sleeping.

But he wasn't there.

Glancing at the bedside clock, it read 11 a.m.!

Had I slept for 9 hours? Shit!!

I realized Sameer was long gone; he was supposed to leave at 7 a.m. sharp. So, he woke up and didn't bother to wake me. I reached for my phone to text him,