Assad wakes up, he sees blurry at first, then feels a strong headache. He tries to move, but a searing pain invades his body, he doesn't try to move anymore.
He looks around to guess where he is but absolutely does not guess. A simple bedroom, the walls are painted pink, there is a single painting displayed at the back. He thinks he sees a man with a big mustache.
On the other side, a pile of stuffed animals on the floor. But above all he notices the infusion going to his arm, he knows that he is bandaged everywhere.
He tries to remember what happened, but he doesn't remember much. He forces himself to remember, he knows that he has forgotten an important event. He forces himself when a flash crosses his skull and at the same time the girl enters the room. She slowly opens the door and closes it behind her, not immediately noticing that he is standing.
When she approaches, the black outline of her eyelids, the wrinkles, the face, the zombie gait, everything indicates immense fatigue. She looks terribly exhausted, but something else adds to that.
Assad looks at the state she is in when she checks the level of the infusion and then she looks at Assad. But it's five seconds later that her brain makes her realize that they just looked at each other.
She freezes for a second before screaming in amazement.
"You're awake ?! " she does not seem to believe it
"I see that you too" whispers Assad
She's clearly surprised
"Excuse me, you surprised me, I didn't expect to find you up."
"How long have I been sleeping?"
"3 days" she says simply
Assad doesn't believe it. Even by the hikikomori that he was, 3 days of sleep is too much?
"Well, not really!" she resumes
" What ?"
" No. Nothing."
Assad does not understand, he watches her. He is now certain of it, a deep sadness hides on her face, and he also sees other things.
"Did you bring me here?"
" Yes. It's my house." She has a beautiful voice, but the fatigue is clearly felt. But she has a beautiful smile, her aura is of a certain delicacy.
She injects something into Assad and leaves
"I'll bring you food, I'm coming"
She goes out and comes back after a while. As soon as she came out Assad wasn't sure if it was real, but yes, he did feel his stomach opening and a monstrous hunger with it.
She returned with a tray. She sits on the bed and takes the remote control to straighten the head of the bed. Assad hadn't noticed, but yes it's a connected bed. It is true that it was awfully comfortable.
But also now that he thinks about it… he takes a good look at the girl: she is wearing a midnight blue jacket and a black skirt that reaches her knees. She wears a luxury watch, and her earrings look like diamonds.
Who could this girl be?
Once the ideal angle is found, she begins to feed Assad
"You must be hungry, I gave you vitamins, it whets your appetite." Assad lets her feed him but still thinks who could she be? But it's not just her clothing to help him.
She gives him a bite and prepare the next one.
"How did you get all this equipment?" Assad asks her but she still smiles and makes him swallow
"I have... contacts, let's say"
"Really!" Assad thinks. "It was your contacts that taught you that much about medicine?"
She still looks the same
" I am a medical student. I have just finished my seventh year, I must now specialize."
He takes a bite of the soup.
" It goes well ?"
"I don't know in what yet. They proposed me psychiatry."
" And what do you think?"
" I do not know "
"Why medicine then?"
Her smile fades, but persists, she doesn't answer right away
"You have to eat, get your strength back, we'll talk afterwards!"
She continues to feed him, Assad lets her.
"Can I at least know who is taking care of me?"
She really smiles
"Hanna. I am Hanna"
*
All the days and weeks that followed, Assad gradually recovered from the aftermath of his fight, still under the tutelage of the one he now knew was named Hanna. He didn't speak more with the young woman about her private situation regarding her studies, they discussed everything and nothing.
Assad now can walk, do anything, but he still has casts on one of his arms.
Hanna, she sometimes came looking rested and other times with the same look. Assad still does not know the reason.
He only asked her once why she had "dark circles on her face, aren't you getting enough sleep?"
" Yes." She confided honestly without letting him be able to continue the conversation and without him trying to.
Three months have passed and Assad has generally recovered from his injuries. For the past few days, Hanna has been away during the day and only comes back in the evening. Assad therefore spends most of his time alone in the apartment. Apartment which allowed him to confirm the financial ease of the young woman.
The first time he left the room, he wandered around without understanding where he was going and had the evidence that it was not an apartment but a house. Unlikely in these days in the heart of the capital, what you have to pay to acquire one is colossal.
Hanna left him at his ease, and offered him anything and everything, especially food.
But he received only one order which was to "never leave this place, whatever happens, to stay here."
Assad nodded but added
"Is this a kidnapping?"
She doesn't smile "No, I don't want to risk your life and I don't want to be alone again, it's absolutely selfish, I know, but please stay here."
He stayed in this house for a little over three months, but a piece of information he received would change everything. One evening when he was still alone, the television news announced a special flash on "the suspect in the murder of three men who has not yet been found."
It is only then that he remembers what he really is, he has been a criminal wanted by the police for three months. It is now clear that if she deprived him of going out, it is because she knew it and that she was trying to keep him locked up.
He doesn't believe it, how could he forget? But precisely, this feeling of forgetting, he always has it, he believed at the beginning that his memories would come with his recovery and although yes he recovered memories, it is certain that he does not remember the important part . What could he have forgotten?
He went out, went to the game store, took the game and a panda stuffed animal he still has; on the way back from the store, at the intersection, he took a detour and ran into the inspector and his attackers, he remembers being noticed, running away and being chased, beaten up, instinctively activating his muzhara and slaughter the three attackers, then… then? Assad tries, a migraine is felt. Partially and with difficulty, he remembers talking to one of the men, taking something, and vague memories of a ring and a photo, a corpse… the migraine is unbearable. He forces.
"Hanna! " does he think. "How did I meet her?" he forces himself, the migraine gets stronger, and when he almost thinks about it, a light in a white line blasts him and he seems to blackout before coming back without any will to try again, he has forgotten that he was trying to.
He doesn't try any more. But the television which still talks about it, reminds him of the murder of the three men and he says to himself, that he must take care of the case of Hanna who keeps him there.
Why is Hanna protecting him? For the reasons she states? Loneliness, Assad's health? Even if she's telling the truth, there must be something else she's not saying. But it's no use thinking on his own, she will answer on her own.
*
Assad has fallen asleep in front of the TV, Hanna comes home quite late, sees the TV on and turns it off. She lays him down on the couch and fetches a blanket. She covers it up, and goes to the fridge and grabs an energy drink.
Her makeup hides it a bit but such fatigue can be felt for miles. She dozes for a second before straightening up and closing the fridge. She goes upstairs, removes her makeup, and goes to shower. She falls asleep in her bath then wakes up and wears her pajamas and paces in her room.
What can she be afraid of?
She bites her thumbnail when someone knocks on the door, she goes around in circles.
" Yes ?"
"I'd like to chat, if you can come down after you're done"
She doesn't answer right away
"Assad, come in"
He says nothing then the doorknob shakes before being opened. He comes in apologizing.
She remains standing and asks him to sit on the armchair; he executes.
"Is something wrong Assad?"
"Since when do you know that I am wanted?"
It almost seems that she reassures herself that it is only that, she does not react more than that
"I knew it from day one"
It does not surprise him
"Why keep me with you?"
"why not ?"
"Hanna, why ?"
"I told you for no other reason than loneliness, I'm afraid of ghosts, I don't want to live with them, this house is too big for me alone."
"You don't have any friends?"
"I don't know if they still are"
" You… "
"Assad!" Hanna approaches him. She bends down, puts her two hands on his legs, we see that she is still afraid, her face says that she is afraid of something. She still holds Assad. " Listen. I'm telling you the truth, it's the real truth. I just need a presence, I have to be able to stay calm. So please don't ask for anything more, I'm fine."
Worry grows on her face, her hand shakes, she seems not to be looking at Assad for a moment. Assad takes her hand "Hanna!" she refocuses on him.
Assad approaches, hold her hand with one of his hands the other hold it on the cheek. Assad approaches his face, his gaze fixed on those of the young woman. He comes close, then he drops, both of them on the ground on their knees. Assad hugs her. Hanna lets him do it without saying or doing anything and then she ends up holding him tight too.
"I trust you Hanna, I really trust you." He hugs her tighter. At first she is simply moved , then she cries.
" Thanks. Thank you Assad, thank you!" Her body relaxes, Assad follows the movement, he still holds her.
*
Hanna wakes up, she is on her bed. She thinks she was able to sleep that night. She tries to remember, and the memory of the day before comes back to her. She gets up and goes to drink a glass of water.
She wants to see Assad so she looks for excuses but at this hour he has to sleep. But she wants to see him, so she goes, comes and knocks without answers.
She tries another time, a second, a third time. Hanna's mine is redesigned differently. It is hesitant that she opens the door, and yes, he is not there. She does not find Assad, and this gives her deep desolation.
She has a hand that comes to cover her mouth when she breaks down in tears.
*
END OF THE FLASHBACK
Assad has his cup in his hand, he is pensive, or is he also sorry? But he is silent anyway.
"You left without a word?" asks Ruhi
" Yes."
Is he definitely expecting Ruhi to scold him, he smiles a little
"Are you satisfied?"
Of course, she didn't.
" Yes. It was hard, but what followed was of eminent morality" he is nostalgic again when he thinks of this arc of his life.