The Next Chapter: Twisted Series Next Generation

Chapter 76: Niko Volkov

I hardly let things get to me. I had a strong backbone, I never took things seriously.

However, that did not mean I was immune to things.

Hearing my best friend was in the hospital sent me into mental overdrive, I hardly realized I stumbled out in the rain until Camilla arrived.

Stubborn Camilla. So icy one moment, and then a saint the next. It gave me whiplash.

She did not fight when I kissed her, but I know she did not kiss me back. Hell I could taste the hesitancy and confusion on her.

Being Camilla's first kiss had an outcome that was unlikely, but it was not zero from the way she remained like a deer in headlights.

It was then that I found myself sobering up, so I merely picked her up and carried her back inside.

No protest was found from her, but she did not engage further. No arms around my neck, she was still the tough wall I had to crack through.

She wouldn't be the Camilla I loved if I did not have to squeeze through the iron bars that kept her hidden from me.

As of now, the sun had risen and a warm morning light spilled through the luxurious curtains of her room.

Painting her ridiculously beautiful hair basically a shimmery white, it resembled moonlight in the morning.

I could feel my pathetic heart soar.

Surprisingly, when I tried putting her down and leaving, her small hand shot out and she immediately grabbed my arm.

When I saw the conflict on her features, butterflies immediately filled my stomach.

All it took was one tug of my arm before I was perched on her bed next to her. Both of us were in clothes that were soaked, minus my shirt which I had stripped off for the sake of comfort.

I was surprised when she did not complain about me ruining her sheets. I suppose this was her way of comforting me.

"He'll be okay." She softly speaks for the fifth time, each time she speaks, the more docile her voice gets. It's a far cry from the side of her I normally receive.

It was nice, but it threw me off. She already walked on eggshells around most people, the thing that differentiate me from most is I was able to provoke emotional responses from her.

She would attempt to keep her composure, I would throw a comment her way, and our dynamic would return to its perfect standard.

"If pepper kills Jere, I won't ever let him live it down in the afterlife." I snort, feeling strangely light after the melodramatic session I just had. Feeling my normal charisma and charm return to my expression.

Angling my head towards her to catch a glimpse of her face, surprises startles me as I catch a furrow between her brow.

A large part of me was tempted to reach forward and smooth it with my thumb. "What is it?"

She looked frustrated almost, it heightened my confusion.

"I see you're back to your original element."

Offering her nothing more than a shrug as I return my gaze to her ceiling, "Congrats, you no longer have to console me out of sheer pity."

Silence rakes over us for an awkward moment before she speaks again, "I wasn't doing it out of pity."

I waved my palm at her in a unbothered manner, "It was a joke."

"Is everything a joke to you?"

The animosity in her tone did not evade me, hell it made me lean up on my elbows slightly so I could catch a glimpse of her face. "If my memory serves me right, but you were there when I acted like an idiot in the rain as if my family had been drowned."

"Your best friend is in the hospital, not far off it."

"Thanks for the reminder, I had no idea."

She stiffens and immediately narrows her glare that breeds familiarity within me, this time it was not my intention to provoke it.

I sat up straighter as I raked my hand through my damp hair, knotting it between my fingers. "Look I'm fine now, okay?" I was humiliated that she had to witness me like that in the first place. Never did I want her or anyone witnessing my vulnerability ever again.

As if she could read my ominous and offensive thoughts, her response came like a slap to the face. "I think it's fair to give yourself some grace, whatever was out there, was respectable."

"Save me the patronizing bit Camilla."

"I'm not!" Her stature jolted with a force that was much more powerful than I had ever witnessed. She inhaled sharply attempting to compose herself, "Why are you back to this version of yourself!"

"What the hell does that mean?"

She immediately meets my gaze. "It means, you're back to being an insincere version of yourself."

"Insincere?" I scoff out.

"Yes insincere, why can't you ever take anything seriously."

"Why do you always take things too seriously."

"Your best friend is in the hospital! And now you're acting like you don't even remotely care!"

You could hear a pin drop, her words bounce against the walls and instead return with the regret that was palpable off of her figure.

She immediately froze, as did I.

Because her words were horrible. She could be so cruel sometimes.

My movements were basically mechanical as I pushed myself to stand up.

She immediately sprung back into action as she crawled rapidly towards the edge of her bed. "I-I didn't mean it."

The waiver of her voice actually threw me off board. The only times I had ever witnessed that was when I caught her crying in the garden drunk.

It made my chest tighten, I wanted to turn around and scoop her up in my arms.

But the other part of my brain fought against that idea, and all I could do was lower myself to grab my shirt as I pulled the damp fabric over my head. Feeling it cling to my skin.

Camilla did not stop though, instead she pushed herself off of the bed and grabbed my arm, "Niko-."

"I get it. I threw shots at you, I tease you, but have I ever said anything remotely hurtful or spiteful to you Camilla?"

She flinched, and I could feel her powerful tremors against my skin. "I-I didn't m-mean it! It's just..you always m-make it seem like things are easy breezy instead of tackling the actual issue."

"Are you of all people seriously trying to lecture me on bottling things up?"

"What d-does that mean?"

"It means." I spoke in a voice I did not recognize as I turned myself to face her. "That you love to hide under a facade as much as I do. You're stressed, you overwork yourself, and you carry the responsibilities of the world to placate other people. You act like an iron fortress but everything hidden within you is pain and vulnerability that you never show people. So don't you dare criticize me for choosing the same strategy you hypocrite. Unlike you, I don't cope by lashing out at people."

"I-I don't lash out at people!"

A scoff fell from my lips, "Maybe we can consult Ana on that."

She froze immediately, and I felt my anger grow. Not at her though, as myself. For using something so fragile against her.

I grit my teeth, "Sorry." Was all I could manage to say before I spun around and left.