Paige hesitated a bit, but she could not bring herself to let him be locked out forever. She got to the door and opened it.
When they saw each other, they both sprang back in shock.
"Fuck!" Paige exclaimed in shock at the blood on him and the battered look.
"The hell?!" Lance was not any less surprised than she was; she looked like another person after losing so much weight. Besides, what happened to her face? It had many red spots, looking really unhealthy.
But she was really pretty. He couldn't take his eyes off her for a while. Even looking unhealthy and with acne, now that her original face shape was more visible, with sharper edges, one could really see her hidden beauty. But she was now just a little too thin, so he had to fatten her up. Looking at the cup size that was lost, he felt it was a shame. He liked it better before.
"Done staring at my chest? They will not come back again, ever." She commented blankly. Then she came back to her senses.
"What happened to you?" She asked while turning around to search for her phone, hastily calling the butler-slash-bodyguard named Mr. Donavan.
He picked up directly and asked calmly,
"Miss, what can I do for you?"
Paige let her eyes wander to the injured Lance.
"Hello, sorry for calling late; I need a doctor and basic medical supplies; we need someone stitched up."
"Is Miss injured?" He was not losing his calm at all.
"No, my brother." She answered.
"Roger, half an hour." Mr. Donovan immediately hung up, not asking about the brother who had popped up out of nowhere.
"Good, sit down for half an hour and wait for the doctor," Paige said and was ready to sit down on her bed and continue her paused show on TV.
Lance snapped this time for real.
"What have you been doing the whole time?" Lance was so infuriated that he blew his top.
"Are you kidding me? What is all this??" He walked around the room that was much more chaotic than the living room. The rest of the discarded food boxes were here, and it was only unhealthy stuff. No wonder she lost so much weight.
"What have you been eating until now? How come you are underweight after only two months?"
[She had everything with hazelnuts but no fresh ones. And no vegetables either.] The system chimed in.
Well, he didn't eat many vegetables either, except for tomatoes.
Looking around the empty boxes, as well as the many clothes that were thrown on the floor, his sharp eyes immediately saw the ashtrays, remembering that there were some downstairs, too.
"You started smoking?" He was just a step away from yelling at her.
"Well... no, I just vape without nicotine, but I need the feeling of an ashtray to make myself believe I'm smoking real cigarettes." She slumped onto the bed.
"And what the hell are these?" He pointed at the ballerina shoes on the floor.
"I wanted to test if it really hurts to wear these that much. It does."
He snorted and came unintentionally in her direction again. Taking a breath of air, he asked, clearly angrier the more he saw,
"When was the last time you showered??"
She sniffed herself and answered, "What day is it today?"
"SATURDAY!" He took a phone from the many he had in his pocket and looked at the time; it was nearly four in the morning.
"No, Sunday, meanwhile, why don't you know the fucking day?" Lance corrected himself.
"Well... It's been a week since showering." She said honestly, not ashamed of her stinking. At the beginning of being a shut-in, she was really ashamed when her mother saw her like this, but not anymore.
"You!" He pointed at her, not knowing what to say, a bit trembling from anger or blood loss.
[Since you left, she has not showered more than 8 times. And only after the nanny caretaker was here.] The system again provided necessary information.
"You did not shower more than eight times in two months?" He raised his other hand so he could point at her with both hands. When he lived on the streets, it was the same for him, but she had a fucking shower ten steps away from her with hot water.
"How did you know?" She asked with a raised eyebrow, feeling that said number could lean in the right direction.
"How do I know... How do I know?" He pointed at his own head.
"Did you not hear me outside the fucking door? I have your motherfucking system in my fucking head!"
"No way," Paige looked at him incredulously.
"Really?" Seeing that he did not joke with her, she felt a bit unbelieving.
"Then I don't have to do missions anymore?" She asked suddenly with hope, her eyes sparkling.
"Missions.... How many fucking missions did you do while I was away??" His voice got louder the more he heard from her.
"Well...."
"Ha!" He again accusingly pointed at her, knowing full well how she had just remained in bed.
Paige's lips tilted up self-mockingly and finally, she just wanted to get it over with.
"Are you disappointed?"
Her eyes did not stay on him, not bringing herself to see what was clearly to come.
"Paige, look at me." He said, and she met his eyes.
"Do you think I look disappointed to you right now?" He purred, coming near her, suddenly looking composed.
"I am fucking angry; get yourself showered this instant. Until the doctor comes, you are to be soaked, you hear me?" He was nearly hissing at the end.
She was startled and then, feeling much lighter, she nodded dumbly.
"Oh, okay."
Paige flew to the bathroom, letting the bathtub fill.
While she waited until the water rose, she heard Lance cursing outside again, and somehow, a smile crept across her face.
He came in front of the bathroom and yelled through the closed door.
"Let's meanwhile take a walk down fucking memory lane!"
She looked questioningly at the closed door.
"'Lance, we are in this together.'" He recited what she had said to him.
"'We are a teeeaaaamm!" He stretched the 'team' in sarcasm.
Paige ashamedly buried her face in her hands.
"'Isn't it all just acting'????"
Well, she had really said that and had maybe downplayed everything a bit.
"'We will help each other through this!'"
That, she said too if she remembered correctly, but she ended up breaking the promise. She was really a failure as an adult, a failure as a human being.
"'I will be your family!'"
Did she even say that one? No way.