I was surprised to see Wagner arrived home wearing a jersey uniform. It looks familiar to me. I sat on the sofa while having a cup of coffee. It reminds me of my stay in Apostria. How I miss that place, especially the food.
"What is going on?" I asked while crossing my arms.
He put his bag on the couch and stood in front of me. He turned around, showing to me the back of the jersey.
"Son of a bitch… Is that Treyton's jersey? Why are you wearing that?" I almost yelled with my lungs out.
"He gave it to me."
"And why would he do that?"
"Because I'm cool," he smirked as he sat on the sofa in front of me.
"I don't believe you. First of all, he never notices me at school. Second, he wouldn't just give me a jersey without a reason. Third, he can't possibly like me. So how on Earth did you do it? I bet you stole it, didn't you?" I said with frank disbelief.
"Slow down, Kylo. Ask yourself, why would Vad Wagner steal a jersey uniform of a kid who only knew how to act cute? Why would the coolest man on Earth waste his time on a guy who's not even great at playing basketball? I'd rather talk to a cat," he said with an arrogant tone.
"Then why? I know you did something that caught his attention."
"Hmmm. Let's say that he saw me shoot the ball straight to the ring and he was impressed."
"That's it?"
"Not just once but twice. In conclusion, he's interested in me. For me, it's gross, but I know it sounds wonderful to you. You should thank me."
"No way. How many times did I told you not to show-off?"
I covered my face with my palms as frustration crept in me.
"Sorry, it's running through my blood. I can't help it. Besides, your bullies beat me up, and here you are sitting around. I shouldn't be in your shoes if you didn't perform a stupid ritual, to begin with."
Here we go again with the blame game.
"How did you know that it was me? When you called me, you sounded so sure that it was me who made a mistake."
"Because I was trained not to commit mistakes during missions. Every move must be precise. I can't blame anyone aside from you."
I sighed.
"Of course. I am to blame."
I lowered my head and stared blankly at the floor.
"It really sucks to be your partner," I whispered, but enough for him to hear.
"What did you say? I never ask for this, Kylo. You brought this ruckus to yourself. It's not my fault that you can't handle me."
"It must be so hard to deal with your issues. I couldn't imagine how Stinger was able to put up with you," I said as I narrowed my eyes straight to his.
I could see a hint of dismay in his eyes.
"How the hell did you know a name of a dead man?"
He flashed a cold-blooded look on his face.
"He's not dead. You know that."
"Oh? Did you have a little chit-chat?" he said sarcastically.
"Yes, we did."
His apathetic eyes turned to rage.
"I had buried him in the past, and I don't believe in reincarnation."
"He's living a happy life with Suadela."
He clenched his fist.
"Where is he? I'm going to beat the shit out of him," he firmly said.
"Why are you so mad?"
"Because a job should not be tainted with love!" he raised his voice.
"But he's your best friend."
He stood up and looked at me in the eye.
"That's what made it worst. My best friend, the only person I trusted the most betrayed me. He chose that criminal over me and the career that we prayed for all our lives."
The way he said those words was filled with agony and anger.
"I lost the only family I had because of that crazy woman. So don't ask me why I'm mad because I can tell you a million reasons, and uttering one of those will only shatter my heart," he said and walked out.
I think I just made things worst between us. We shouldn't be fighting in this situation. He has control over my body. What if he violates our rules?
Stinger's right. If Vad sees him, he might literally end up dead. Still, I should apologize. Even if he's emotionless, I know that he carries the burden of a broken friendship until today. He must really love Stinger that much.
I went upstairs and knocked at the door of his room. There was no response, so I opened the door.
"Vad?"
I roamed my eyes and saw him on the floor.
"What are you doing?"
"Push-up. Can't you see? Your body's freaking weak. You need some muscles."
"I guess I'll be expecting six-pack abs to show up."
"Just four. You'll look weird with six."
I entered the room and closed the door.
"I'm sorry about what I said earlier. I was sensitive."
He stopped what he was doing and wiped the sweat dripping from his forehead.
"It's nothing. I was so exhausted from school dealing with a bunch of entitled kids that I almost forgot my age," he said, panting.
He positioned himself and began to squat.
"By the way, would it be better if IIf thinks that you're dead? Or we will let them know that you're coming back?"
I sat on the bed.
"Keep them guessing. They don't have to know anything."
"Who will chase after Lambo in the middle of your disappearance?"
"They're going to assign someone good because the best is yet to come back."
I nodded. All of a sudden, an idea popped out in my head.
"I heard there's a second-best agent… Frea."
He stopped exercising and faced me.
"That dead man is a blabbermouth. I'd love to rip his tongue out."
He was referring to his old friend, Stinger.
"We talked about a few things, and he mentioned Frea."
"The hell I care about that woman."
His face was telling me that he's pissed.
"She seems to affect you. I'm curious."
"Oh, stop that curiosity of yours. It might kill you."
He did a warm-up exercise.
"I heard that even if she's not significant for you, she only sees you."
"You're trying too hard to know the story, huh? Okay then, I will just say it once. Frea is my colleague. Nothing more, nothing less. She's not even a friend."
"That's harsh."
"Apparently, she likes me, but I don't like leeches."
It seems like he despised her.
"Did she do something bad that you hate her that much?"
"I never said that. I just don't like her. I can't accept her so-called love. It's better if she keeps it to herself."
"Okay, but what do you want her to do for you to give her a chance?"
"Nothing, because she doesn't stand a chance. Not even a little bit."
"What? That's ridiculous."
"I'm too perfect for her."
I rolled my eyes in annoyance.
"Yeah, he doesn't deserve a man like you. You're delusional."
"She's annoying. She's bugging me around and I don't like it. She's following me everywhere I go. That woman is creepy."
I almost laughed at his terrific face.
"That shows that she's definitely crazy about you."
"You know what? I'm giving you a piece of advice. Sometimes, showing too much of your love is not a good idea. It's a turn-off. Men will not fall for that technique. Impress them by doing something that they can't do. Make them fall for you slowly, but surely. Don't offer yourself."
"Unfortunately, she fell for a man who can do everything but love."
"Yeah, love is a luxury I can't afford."
I think the issue here is that Wagner doesn't want to fall in love. He has a lot of demands. But I'm certain that even if Frea will do what he says, it's not a guarantee that he would love her back.
Wagner has a lot of reasons not to love Frea. It's not because he doesn't like the person, but because he's not ready to take the risks of falling in love.
He witnessed how Stinger threw away everything, even their friendship just for Suadela who was the most wanted criminal. He thinks it's illogical and he can't possibly perceive a woman as his world. For him, he is the center of the universe.
Wagner narrowed his eyes and examined my face.
"What did you do to my face?" he asked.
"What? Nothing," I replied, clueless.
"Are you sleeping well? Have you been eating healthy food?"
"I think so. What's up with you?"
"You have a pimple!" he said, almost hysterical.
"What?"
I immediately look at myself in the mirror.
"What are you talking about? I can't see anything."
"Well, I can see it without a magnifying glass. It's visible."
"Your eyes might be microscopic."
"Look, I've been taking good care of your body and I'm performing well in school. You can't treat my body like this. Healthy skin is very important for me, do you understand?"
I rolled my eyes.
"Gosh, you think like a woman more than me. I'm starting to believe that you're gay."
"Oh, yeah? Even my skin is flawless unlike you. I am a hygienic man and a clean freak."
I shook my head in disbelief.
"Such a microphobic," I whispered.
"What a stereotype," he murmured.
"So what should I do? Your highness," I said sarcastically.
He thought for a second.
"Hmmm. You even have scars from your fun travels. This is really bad."
He seems agitated about it.
"What's the big deal?" I blurted out.
"If you've read the bible, you'll know that our body is our temple. Therefore, it deserves to be taken care of."
"Wow, it's been a while since I've heard a sermon. You, reading the Bible is in contradiction to your personal belief."
He reads the Bible but doesn't live with it. He represents quite a lot of people.
"Hmmm. You have to take a break and pay attention to your body's needs until you regain my perfect figure."
I can't get enough of his egocentric speeches.
"Whatever. Tell me what to do."
"Your house lacks a lot of facilities and treatments to maintain my health."
"You're insulting our house now?"
I raised my brows.
"No, just stating facts. My house is equipped with everything that I need."
"Oh? Then you should stay there, not here."
"It's unsafe. I believe that the agency is watching the house since the day I vanished. They're looking for signs that I'm alive. Right now, let's remain low-key. They shouldn't find out the situation we're in."
"So what do you suggest?"
"Let's go there in silence. We have to get inside my house without them noticing our every step."
"You're making it difficult. We can get in there effortlessly if we ask for help."
"Help? Who would help us?"
"Stinger."
He paused for a moment.
"I told you not to mention a dead man's name. I don't need any help, especially from a ghost. Don't make me repeat myself," he warned.
I sighed.
"Fine. How should we do it? We don't know their exact position."
"You don't know, but I know."
He opened his bag and grabbed a pen and paper. He began to draw squares until he formed a floor plan.
"Is that your house?"
"Yup."
"It's huge," I said in awe.
"Of course. Fit for a king."
I was amazed that he could memorize the corners and details of his house, even the parameters. He's a genius, I admit.
"See this? These are the blind spots. That's where they're supposed to hide and watch any signs of movement. One wrong move, then a bullet will go straight to our head. Got that?" he explained while pointing to the five red circles he drew on the paper.
I gulped.
"Do they really have to protect your house all day?"
"They are changing shifts. If they'll catch us in the act, they'll interrogate us and we can't say that our body swapped. No one will believe us. If IIF will, then chaos will arise."
"What if we'll tell them that you have amnesia?"
"I can't let them take care of my medication. Besides, we can't move freely. I guess we can't see each other in the process and you know that we have to keep an eye on our bodies. You can't do it alone."
"You're right. We have to stick together, unfortunately."
"I'm always right."
"Okay, it's settled. Let's prepare for the big day."
"Tomorrow morning, we'll take a tour to my kingdom… and we have to get inside alive."