Thursday 7th, a week after their reunion, Daniel rushed out of his office and looked at his watch, "Freaking awesome, this is the second time I am going to be late this month…what's happening to me?" he shook his head and took a cab.
Swiftly striding inside a fancy lounge, like a lone tiger, looking for a good hunt, he analyzed and searched the room, "Whoa, where are you going so fast, cowboy!" Daniel stopped; it was a familiar voice. He instantly smiled and turned to his left, where there was a very attractive woman in her late 20s in a casual pair of jeans and a low gray top, her arms open for an embrace.
"Oh goodness, it has been an eternity since I've seen you my dear Lucia… or at least that's what it felt like." He said cockishly.
"Not long enough if you ask me." She giggled with joy pushing him towards her, "Come here you!"
"Jesus, not so tight Lucia, I just got this suit from the dry cleaner. I can't afford another dry cleaning for the rest of the week." He hugged her back tightly, his face brushing against her beautiful, wavy red hair that smelled of expensive hair conditioning products. It drove Daniel crazy.
"That was a long hug. It probably had the potential to make it to the Guinness world record, not that I am complaining, wink, wink." Daniel said jokingly, looking into her perfect gray eyes, they always made him a little nervous.
"Well, that's what you get for avoiding me for so long. How have you been?!? Take a seat with me. Come on slugger, I know that look in your eyes, don't be nervous. I don't bite….not yet!" Lucia winked and bit the air, grabbing Daniel's hand and forcing him to sit beside her on a love seat.
A waiter arrived to take their order, "Another one of this!" replied Lucia pointing to the drink in her hand. "I'll have double shot on the rocks …. The best gin you got available!" ordered Daniel, checking his ringing phone, ignoring the call and putting it back inside his pocket.
"Who are you dodging cowboy?! Oh Mr. King is in trouble!" she teased robbing his arm.
"No one or nothing too urgent. I promised an amazing evening with my best friend and my undivided attention and that's what we are going to do." He said evasively, his head held high, a light smirk on his face, moving and humming with the background music.
They drank and talked, updating each other on the current events of their lives. After a few more drinks, while lightly dancing together, Lucia seductively looked at Daniel. Oh brother, not this again, I really like you but please don't make me question my morals and flirt with you. Who am I kidding, I might even cheat on my lovely, beautiful, flawless girlfriend with you. Watching her come close to his ears, he got nervous, "How's the devil's son?!"
Oh, thank God, I thought she was going to make a move. "Oh you know, he keeps falling into a pitfall only to be pulled by, yours only, all the time." he whispered into her ear, staring at her with a smirk, prideful of his act.
"Is he still obsessed with that Temhos of his?!"
"Ahh, of course not. He is clearly over that for years now. What the heck are you even talking about!?" he said evasively, covering his nervousness with an awkward laughter.
"And he is nervous again. Don't lie to me Daniel, you still haven't talked about the last time you and Nathaniel went camping at that forbidden forest of yours. You are constantly avoiding the topic altogether." she persuaded, putting her hand on his biceps, giving him the Bambi eyes.
Daniel took out his ringing phone again, looked at the screen and put it right back, "And now I am 100% that you are also dodging your dear Lea, and she has no idea that you are out with me."
"What the hell are you even talking about?!"
"Don't lie to me Daniel! This was the fifth time your phone rang and all you did was to ignore its caller! Why do you keep lying to her every time you and I go out, you keep talking about the importance of being truthful to your partner but keep failing at that yourself. How long are you going to lie to her about seeing me, your best friend, huh?!" she urged, staring deep into his dark, brown eyes.
"Whatever!" Daniel strode away into the balcony filled with smokers to catch some fresh air. I need to find the courage to call my ol' lady too. He Looked into the horizon; the city seemed so peaceful. The smell of cigarettes got him tempted to smoke one but before he was to ask someone for a cig, he took out his phone, sighed and called Lea, "Hey, I am out with some …. Friends yes. No, not a club, what am I? 18? No thanks, it is a local lounge. How's your family doing in Salzburg my love? Oh, ok. I must go now but I will call you tomorrow. Love you, bye!" He finally felt relieved. Daniel put his phone back in his pocket, took a deep breath and strolled confidently back to Lucia, who's arms were crossed, one foot kicking against the tile on the floor expecting him to say something.
"What?! Do we always have to get into a fight every single time we go out like a married couple?!" he nagged.
"Yes Daniel, that's because I love you and I want what's best for you and right now what is best for you is to face your fears. Stop dodging them and talk about them like a man instead of evading them like a total wuss that you have been this entire evening." She teased angrily.
"Fine, Jesus! You want to talk, let's talk! But not here with all the snobby, rich people and their expensive cocktails, pretending to know how to dance."
"Oh honey, I insisted on meeting at a bar or a beer garden, you were the one who wanted to take me somewhere fancy." she put her hand on his face looking at him flirtatiously.
"Woah, don't push it!" he removed the palm of her hand and held it in his arm, strolling out of the lounge playing the hot and cold game.
They got a cab to Schwedenplatz walking around carelessly as if there was no tomorrow, when out of the blue, they found one of the trashiest bars anyone could possibly imagine as if it was destined. The two looked at each other with a wide grin, "That's the one we're going to get hammered in!" they said almost simultaneously.
They began by ordering and drinking a few local beers from the tap, sharing inside jokes, teasing one another and in general, having a great time, but Lucia pushed it even further and ordered a set of nine shots, "Jesus, you really want to---hic---take me out of here on a stretcher, don't you?" Daniel protested drunkenly.
"I am pretty sure my boy can handle 9 shots with ease. I mean come on! You are a King; high alcohol tolerance runs in the family." She teased with a devilish smile, presenting the wooden board like one of those attractive ladies from a TV Game show.
"Thanks for reminding me of my family's history with alcoholism, I'll pleasantly take it as a compliment!"-----he grabbed the first shot----"Game on!" Daniel looked sharply into her eyes and drank the shot glass filled with some red liquor.
"God that was awful---what the hell was in that thing?!----he shouted but was immediately challenged by Lucia and the mere look in her eyes. "Oh, don't you give me that look, missy! Not only can I drink more of this crap, but I can outdrink you!" he said taking another shot.
They challenged each other like two young kids running through the playground, pushing one another to the sides. They quickly finished the shots and felt quite happy about their level of drunkenness hence Daniel approached the bartender, his vision blurry, and paid for the drinks while Lucia stood next to him, holding his arm, getting a few coins out of her purse.
"What?!---hic---"
"I know you never let me pay. The least---I can do is….pay for them tips!"
"I---I---ho-hum---didn't say anything!" said a confused Daniel back to her struggling to walk straight, holding the balance seemed as hard as a toddler who just learned how to walk. The two walked out of the bar, holding each other from tripping and falling like an old couple who only had two beers, almost collapsing by every step taken, laughing uncontrollably.
Daniel looked around curiously, still having trouble holding his balance. "Where are you…going---you adorable boy!" he ignored her, stopping by a Cigarette vending machine, struggling he managed to take out his wallet, his vision still blurry, and bought a pack of cigs. "I thought you---hic---quitted a long time ago!"
"Hush hush shush." he put the tip of his index finger on her lips, silencing her, "I only smoke when I'm drinkin'---hic—which is totally fine and acceptable!" he stuttered, his eyes almost fully shot.
"Fair enough, my lips are sealed as long as you give me one too!" she rested her head on his shoulders and they sat on the side of the streets.
"An excellent exchange of secrets, but—hic---of course me-meeeeee lady! There you go missssss Lucia!"
He gave her a side glance and quietly said, "I truly wish there was someone who could take a picture of us right now! We definitely have the old couple vibe getting piss drunk and smoking on the side of the street at"—he checked his watch— "1:38 A.M."
"Shush Daniel, let us relax and enjoy this moment!" he gave her an strict, angry look, clearly not appreciating her rude tonality, " You know what I meant sweetheart, I did not mean to disrespect you!"---she continued to snuggled with him, rubbing her face against his arms, holding it tight.
"Look at the clear skies, the stars and how gorgeous the crescent moon looks tonight." She slowly began whispering a lullaby, her voice so ever gentle and sweet. Daniel listened to the melody of her song and stared deep into the ever-shining skies of Vienna.
He was running and breathing heavily in the dark woodlands, occasionally turning his back to check on Nathaniel who was running for his life right behind him. He looked upon the skies above them, it was darker, and a lot more hallow than usual, when suddenly a swarm of bats flew above his head. He instantly covered his face and continued to run as fast as he could. He could hear the desperate cries of a woman haunting them through the dark woods in the far distant, "Oh, this is not happening!!! Pleaseeeeeee tell me it is the alcohol…"
He wanted to scream but he was afraid of his brother's reaction, Nathaniel would mock him instantly hence he pulled himself together, running from this mysterious black fog while wheezing, praying to the Creator for it to go away. The deeper they ran, however, the more intense this weird fog enveloped around them, corrupting and taking over every leaf, plant, bush and living thing in the near distance.
He pushed branches and bushes away from his path occasionally scratching his forearm and face but it did not matter or hurt. I have to run, I cannot die like this I got---he heard the anguishing cries of this mysterious lady from afar…..Daniel constantly checked on Nathaniel who kept stopping every second step, wheezing and catching his breath, clearly not in a good shape to run for so long.
How long have we been running for? he instantly dismissed the question for it did not matter, all he had in mind was survival but the deeper they ran the worst things got as their vision was beginning to become very limited. "COME ON NATE, WE HAVE TO ESCAPE THIS, DAMN YOU AND YOUR STUPID BETS!!" he yelled angrily.
"I am running as fast as I can, you genius! There is a reason why we call these woods the forbidden forest!" he yelled back.
Daniel jumped threw the bushes and tree branches expertly, holding on to his dear life like a true survivor. He quickly turned around to check on Nathaniel again. In the very back he could swear he was seeing a woman, her raven black hair covering her face, crying intensely whispering something elusive but Daniel was too scared to figure out what her exact words were.
Nathaniel tripped and fell into a puddle of mud; Daniel quickly turned and grabbed him and they began to run again. They kept running for what felt like several kilometers. After a while, they stopped hearing the cries, hence Nathaniel stopped, wheezing like a dog, holding his hand against a tree "Come on brother, the fog is still surrounding us, we need to keep running!!"
"Oh, for crying out loud! My heart is about to pound out of my chest, do you rather carry my corpse?! Give your older brother a little rest, will you!" Daniel was terrified, constantly looking around for potential threats, fearing her inevitable approach but he too could use a few seconds to catch his breath.
"You really had to come and see that God-forsaken tree with your own eyes, didn't you?! As soon as he hears some foolish folk's lore, he runs like a little child to its source hoping it would lead him to his precious Darkness." He mocked, looking at him with a frown.
"Foolish, huh?! That was not your reaction back ther..…" Nathaniel froze mid-sentence. His eyes fixated in awe upon something way in the distance.
"Now wha----" Daniel too froze in the moment his surprise reaction was instantly replaced by one of dread. He rubbed his eyes several times, hoping for it to fade away but it would not disappear. There it was… the mysterious woman in a tattered white dress, crying and whispering something Daniel could not possibly comprehend.
"Nathaniel….come---to---me! Please, free….me of….my shackles! I have been locked fo-rr---soooooo---veryyy….long! Come to me, my love!" Daniel was scared to his bones, he couldn't say a word in that moment as he glanced upon Nathaniel for his reaction, his brother, nevertheless, was not afraid but kept staring in awe at the woman whose face was still covered by her hair.
As if compelled, Nathaniel rose up and took several steps towards her, mesmerized like a fool, an automated robot with no emotion on his face. Daniel slapped him a few times to no avail when out of thin air the howl of a lone wolf echoed in the near distant; giving him the chills.
I wish I could travel back in time and stop myself from coming to these cursed woods ever again!----The wolf howled once more. Daniel looked around dreadfully trying to locate the wolf, but the fog was too intense. Nathaniel continued to stride towards her with a childish smile, "I have to save her….we are meant to be one!"
"Nathaniel no!! NO!!!! STOP!!! COME WITH—ME YOU IDIOT!! WHAT EVER SHE IS, SHE IS NOT GOOD FOR YOU! SHE IS GOING TO HURT US BOTH!" he yelled angrily, cursing himself.
"No!! she would—she…would not hurt me! I am hers!" Nathaniel obsessively stared at her, rustling the leaves and crushing them underneath his feet, her eyes wide open for him as he blindly continued to stride to her embrace. Daniel tried to push him away one more time, to stop him from going but Nathaniel's determination was very strong, he was fully mesmerized by her words and like a heartless robot, he pushed Daniel to the floor, nothing could stop him now!
The black fog got heavier than ever before in that evening, completely blocking Nathaniel's vision, "What….where….am I?!" he looked back to his brother still on the floor hopelessly looking back at him.
Studying the growing fog, he felt short of oxygen and instantly went into fight or flight mode, grabbing Daniel in his arms and running as fast as he could. The anguish cries were replaced by evil, witch-like laughter, echoing through the European beech and pine trees.
They continued to run and find a way out of the woods but no matter which direction they ran to, the fog continued to haunt them, "Oh you can't be serious, damn these woods!" Daniel screamed running like all hell had broken loose when suddenly Nathaniel's feet got stuck between the roots of a tree and he fell to the ground.
"ARGH!! God damn it, I really hurt my leg, Daniel---ahhhh—help… me!!", Daniel looked back, the fog had taken over the whole forest, but he could see mystery woman fading away in the distance, still following them, her witch-like laughter still haunting him like a lone child seeking shelter from the big bad wolf.
Extremely terrified, Daniel did the cross and prayed for it to be an illusion of his mind's doing or the alcohol, he kept looking at her and his brother, he was almost paralyzed with the fear of not knowing what to do. "Daniel, come on brother, what are you waiting---argh, it freaking hurts!" he was too afraid to go back and helping his brother.
I have to save him and myself no matter the odds or the cost. Hence, he put himself together, took a deep breath, "To hell with you, witch!" and ran towards Nathaniel. The two began to run again. After a few minutes, when all exists to the woods seemed blurry and sealed, the fog slowly began to fade away. Were they finally safe, wondered Daniel.
They slowed down the pace, looked around and sighed in relief, the fog was fully gone. The evil laughter of that woman gone with it. They were once again surrounded by the peace and quiet of the dark woodlands of the forbidden forest as the hoot of an owl in the distant comforted their ears.
Almost completely out of breath, Nathaniel fully stopped next to a tree, "Argh, God damn it, let me down here Daniel. I have to rest! I haven't hit the gym in weeks." He wheezed and sat down beside a tree, resting his head on its bark for a while.
"Is your leg alright??! We must go back and get you to a hospital!" Daniel insisted.
"Ahh that won't be necessary, I don't think it's that---Ough ough----it is probably a bruise! What the hell was that back there?!"
"I don't know?! But I sure as hell wish it was simply an illusion caused by that mystical black fog that looked like some sort of chemicals…..that's probably the reason for our little weird hallucination…huh come to think of it, now it makes total logical sense!"
"Again, he is trying to explain something logically, killing the fun in the process. Why can't you be fun sometimes?! Are you also going to deny seeing the witch-looking lady following us…calling me to her embrace?!" he rolled his eyes, let an exasperated huff and narrowed his his eyes, his focus on Daniel.
"What lady?! What the hell are you talking about?! All I know is that freaking fog almost killed us back there!" he yelled evasively, vehemtly denying the whole thing.
Nathaniel went through what just happened and banged his head against the tree, "Ahhh, I was so close to it! I could feel it! It had finally come for me!" he lamented in a low voice.
"Whatever you say Nate! What's important here is that we are safe and sound from this weird black fog that felt like a freaking chemical weapon used against this forest or something among those lines…. I guess we both panicked and had strong hallucinations forcing us into survival mode." Daniel helped his brother up, putting his arms behind his shoulders and they strolled back to their tents.
Nathaniel reluctantly allowed him to help, rolling his eyes on his defiance but excited about what had just occurred, "Honestly, if I knew we would have another one of this freaking adventures, I would have proposed these camping every weekend." Daniel gave him an annoyed look, "I mean the last time we camped the little wild reflection adventure happened and now…"
"Can you please just shut up! I am concerned about your strength. We still have like 3 kilometers left, and I am for one extremely tired not to mention that I have to carry your damaged ass, who kept tripping and falling on the floor, so just please stop talking and speculating for a few hours and let us rest. We can speculate about what we saw tonight in the morning!"
"And there he goes avoiding what we both saw. Huphm a supernatural event, what's next? The Winchesters are going to show up in their 1967 Chevy Impala and save the day?" he joked cockishly.
"Who am I kidding, no one can ever shut you up!" he contiuisly and sneakingly checked their surroundings, making sure nothing was following them back to their tents, still deeply concerned and afraid of the witch-like woman. No way that woman was real… I must have hit my head against something but---the fog---it was too black…too dark to be normal…I can swear that was a chemical that was causing a hallucination. That must be the reason!
They contiued to strolled without exchanging a single word, Nathaniel knew that his little brother was too afraid of what had just occurred and did not want to talk about it right now; thus, he kept his mouth shut and lighted up a cigarette.
"You know how hard it was for me to quit and you light up one right on my face?! What's wrong with you?!" he complained.
"Oh, shut up Daniel, I know you still smoke when you get drunk…besides what else am I supposed to do?! You change the subject every time I talk about what just happened back there and we are not carrying any booze with us so for the next…"-----he saw the campfire next to their tent. It was almost out---"few steps, I need to smoke one….I hate to confess this but that thing back there…that was a little too much even for me to handle, me being obsessed with Temhos and all."
Daniel let go of him, and Nathaniel began to walk on his own, "You are walking with a limp; your injury might be worse than you think; we must go back to the city and take you to the hospital! It might get infected!"
"Ohhh, you are not pulling that card, my friend! If you want to leave out of your own cowardice then fine, leave but I am staying no matter how scary that thing was. That is the closest thing that could potentially lead me to my Temhos …. For my research has led me astray for months now. This God-forsaken woods are my last hope!" he lamented in a low voice.
Daniel simply looked at him, fear still visible in his eyes. He constantly checked his surroundings, scared of the mysterious woman in the tattered white dress. He really wanted to leave and go back to the city, but he did not want to appear weak and scared in front of his big brother. God knows he will bully me for months if I leave or say anything now.
He began gathering wood-sticks to reignite the campfire. "My phone is dead..."
"So is mine. By the looks of the skies, I'd say it is still somewhere between 2 and 3 after midnight so we still have plenty of time to sleep." Daniel gathered branches around their tent and threw them into the fire.
"Yoohoo, which means more booze for me! I am going to stay up all night and hope for the creepy old lady to come and find me… I suggest you drink your ass off in case the wicked lady comes back and tries to take you away instead." He teased.
Daniel finished reigniting the fire and sat next to him and grabbed a half full bottle of scotch, "Sigh, does that…. book of yours mention anything about a----certain black fog?!"
"Thought you would never ask in a million years, Daniel how uncanny!" he said cockishly looking at him teasingly.
"For fuck's sake, Nate! Can you be serious for once and answer a question without involving your typical weird humor and cockiness?!" he said annoyed, his eyes and focus on the fire.
"Nope, they are here to stay. You see my cockiness and my so-called weird sense of humor are what defines me. They are part of my being…..now before I kill the buzz for you and your ever short-lived curiosity, yes it does mention a type of dark, twisted mist which the harbinger can use to his advantage to confuse and kill his enemies."
"But I am pretty sure we saw a woman tonight."
"Oh, and he finally confesses the truth, this is yet another sign of the apocalypse nearing!"
Daniel took a long sip from his scotch bottle and responded, "Yes to your delightful shock I did see her which still gives me chills to the bones. Although her stupid face was not so clear to me, I could swear it was a woman because of the sound of her cries and her…. humongous tits…"
"Ahaha, I did notice her tities, too." He chuckled, chugging down a few sips of gin, "But jokes aside, it is impossible for it to be a harbinger. The harbinger of the Temhos must and will always be male." He glanced at his bottle and thought for a while, "On a completely different topic…..do you have your little book with you?!" Nathaniel drank from his gin bottle and stared back at his brother for an answer.
"Yep, I carry it everywhere I go, why? You wanna it?!"
"No, I am just mentally sick and need needless assurance from people around me, why else in heaven's name would I ask that question in the first place?" he lashed out and stared at him, his eyes narrowed.
"Alright, no need to be such a smart ass with your answers."----Daniel carefully fished the book out of his back pack and carefully handed over the Cthulhu mythos like a treasure chest to him, indicating with his wearisome look that Nathaniel should be careful with it.
The Temhos was still long lost, but Nathaniel would find it, but then again, who was that mystery woman. He thought and so did his little brother before he collapsed inside the tents staring deep into the fire, watching Nathaniel patiently read the Cthulhu mythos.
The loud honk of a cab in front of him brought him back as he stared at it in shock. He looked at his hand, the cigarette was long gone, and Lucia was standing beside him, staring at him like he had something weird on his face, "I know we got really hammered but for you to look this dumb is unprecedented …. What were you thinking about, cowboy!" she teased pulling him towards her.
"Nothing too important."
"Well, you refused to talk about pretty much anything tonight, especially that little camping trip so how about you accompany me home! We could watch a movie and fall asleep in each other's arms like the old couple you have been boasting about the whole night! No funny business though!" she said stricly with a hidden smile.
"Oh, you wish!" he said cockishly, rolling his eyes and opening the door for her.
On the ride back home, the driver was on the phone talking angrily in Arabic. Lucia kept looking at Daniel who was still lost in his thought and could not resist her curiosity anymore; thus, she grabbed his face and turned it towards her, "Can you stop being so ever mysterious and talk?! You never keep secrets from me." She insisted, giving him the bamby eyes.
"Maybe it is about time I start keeping some." He chuckled glancing out the window before changing his expression and looking indifferently at her. "What kind of f-up event took place in those woods that you cannot discuss it with your best friend?! I have seen you grow apart with Nathaniel from time to time but this time…. this time you two took it to another level…."
Getting irritated by her constant questions the whole evening, Daniel finally opened his mouth, "All you need to know is that ever since that night, Nate and I began falling out involuntarily. I began taking my job more seriously, keeping it real and sticking to reality and he….well he fell deeper and deeper into the endless abyss of his own imagination and obsession over his pathetic Temhos that up until a week ago, he was still falling into. There, that's the whole story." He confessed frustratingly.
"What happened that night? Daniel please, you cannot tease me like that. Now I am so curious!"
He kissed her hands and put it on his heart, "Some things are best kept a secret than revealed, my lovely Lucia. I guess you would never know." He said grabbing her face, looking deep into her eyes and gently kissing her cheek before being interrupted by the rude taxi driver who stopped, turned on the light and asked for his fare.
Lucia looked out the window, they were indeed outside her apartment building and before she was able to do anything, Daniel took out his wallet and paid for the fare and got off.
They got inside her apartment building, holding hands and staring deep into each other's eyes while summoning the elevator, "And you wonder why I never tell Lea when we're hanging out. I mean look at us?! We are technically a couple who does everything together except the big S! Huphm are we waiting until marriage?!" he joked cockishly.
She laughed in his arms, excitingly going out of the elevator, fishing for her keys inside her purse, "9 hours later…."
"Oh stop it you! It was right around here….somewhere….FOUND IT!"
"You want to say that a little louder and wake up your lovely neighbors?!"
"Shush, get inside you handsome devil!"
He rolled his eyes and was pushed inside Lucia's tiny and carefully decorated apartment. She strode to her bedroom, closed the door and changed into her pejamas. A quick glance at her bedroom was all Daniel could see, a messy room with clothes, socks and hats flying all over the place like a flea market, and there she was in the middle of it all, he stared at her with a smile before she took off her top, revealing the side of her cleavage. Why isn't she wearing a bra? He turned red and strolled into the living room.
She casually strolled back, a baggy T-shirt and gray pajamas, and sat on the sofa, the TV remote control in hand, "Much, much better!" she said.
Daniel stared at her body and hided his arousal. He simply took off his trench coat and sat next to her, "So, what are we watching as a lullaby tonight?!"
"I don't know?! You're the man of the house this evening. Anything particular in mind?!"
He looked back at her with sharp eyes, a seductive smile on his lips, "If I was to choose the movie, we would not fall asleep from the excitement!"
"Goodness! Is it an erotica you got in mind!?"
"No! No funny business, remember?! I meant like an action movie…" Oh boy, she still got her little game running….and I for one am not falling for it. Let me just quickly look for a romantic movie with preferably zero sex scenes. He searched for a movie on his phone that could have been a safe bet. "oh, lovely! Put this one on, not too much romance but just enough to help us fall asleep!"
"You still remain to talk about the camping trip! I know you're an overthinker but this evening you have been doing it a lot more than often! And I mean like a lot!" she yawned midsentece but continued to insist.
"I tell you what, if you wake up early in the morning before I have left then we will talk about it!" he held his pinky fingers for a promise.
They watched the movie, Lucia put her head on his shoulders and after the good half of it, fell asleep snoring gently, her mouth open. Daniel gave her a side glance. She's so cute. "Hey, you awake?! I thought we were going to finish the movie together…I mean it's not half bad if you ask me?! Hey they are having sex now!!.....nope, no reaction from this one anymore. She is done for the night." He stroked her beautiful red hair, gently closing her mouth and pulling her closer to him.
"You asked me about my overthinking getting worst as of late…..at first I didn't know the answer but being human and watching the patterns of my reactions...I noticed it always happens every time I let Nathaniel back into my life. I crave peace, predictability and control but he, he craves chaos, adventure and unpredictability! Every time we start to hang out again and give this brother and family bond thing another try; weird, melodramatic things occur out of the blue and I cannot find any explanation for them....it leaves me thinking endlessly for hours if not days. I have been pushing him away subconsciously for years now but…..sadly it has to stop! You are right my dear Lucia!"----he kissed her on her forehead----"I have to be a man and face my fears….face the many obstacles and challenges this life and my older, deranged brother has to offer instead of running away and avoiding it all the time!"
"Phew, I have been really keeping that one in my chest for a long time. I feel so light and relieved!" Daniel ushered happily, turning off the TV, the lights and sleeping on the other side of the couch.