Suffocating

Enfold; IX

Roxanne, who'd been trying with all her might to start breathing normally, suddenly couldn't do so, tensing in his arms, looking up. She was scared to find the acceptance looming in his face, like smoke or halo, engulfing him, almost blurring every shade and feature of his face, his wrinkles.

His eyes were always squinting, just a tiny bit. As he smiled and frowned and looked down, there was always that tiny crease below his eyes. Bags, caused by age and experience.

"What?"

Roxanne didn't know the man standing in front of her. For the life of her, Roxanne couldn't pull out a single strand of reason from that spacy mind of hers for him not endangering her.

"I've... This city, this country... This isn't- it's not home, Beti-"

"But it is!" How could Aditya even suggest otherwise?! This place was home!

But Aditya shook his head and heaved a long sigh. "Not to Katrina. And not to me." He rubbed his hands together, the action slow, methodical. "We've enjoyed our time here, but... It's time for us to leave."

"It's not, though! You can't leave! You can't!"

"The past month has opened my eyes. I'm no longer fit to run this company, or any company. I'd like to rest-"

"No! Don't you dare say that!"

"Mister Price can give you and everyone else double the wage. You can finally stop living in that dump you call a home-"

"It. Doesn't. Matter!"

"... This-" he gestured towards his office, his stack of papers, his old laptop "-has been great. But everything has an end. Mister Price will be good. I've seen his records-"

"Then you should know about him assaulting his classmates and getting into fights!"

"That doesn't mean anything-"

Was he even hearing himself?! "Of course it means something! It means everything! It means he's dangerous!"

"The whole world is dangerous, Beti," he seethed, and he looked angry, so angry. Was he going to hurt her? She was unsure. Her feet dragged her further away from him. He noticed her little twitch, and he looked pained. Roxanne tried to make herself remember that he wouldn't hurt her, but it was hard.

Aditya reached out to her. But her only response was to stare at his hands as though they held an invisible weapon - a weapon he'd use to end her. It wouldn't even be that much of a stretch. With people like Angel existing, who knew what other mythical bullshit stuff existed?

"Beti, I have something for you."

"What is it?" Roxanne asked, despite not really giving a shit.

Adit pulled out the drawer on his desk, and gestured her to come closer with one index finger.

If Roxanne were in a less angrier state of mind, she would've noticed the droplets of sweat, small but many, coating his skin, like rivulets of rain.

She took one step, and another, and that was when she noticed how tense he was. Her legs stopped working. Or, rather, they could work, but they were unwilling to.

"What is it?"

Adit looked surprised, as if he didn't expect her to question him. To be fair, she never had question him. Not once. Not even when she'd suspected he might be wrong. Not until now. "Just come here."

Roxanne sensed her lips tugging up. Despite it, she had no real desire to smile. She wasn't happy. Nothing about this made her happy. "No."

Adit's brows furrowed down. "Just do it, Beti."