I rang the doorbell impatiently. He should be inside. He better be. My whole body was burning hot in anger. I gritted my teeth to control myself. I rang the doorbell again, several times.
"If I can't be close to you...I will settle with the ghost of you. I miss you more than life..." Kao sang and giggled. "I like it." He said, an arm barely wrapped around my neck, balancing himself.
I held onto his waist tighter.
The door creaked open and that bastard's sleepy face greeted us. "Oh god. This every day drama. It's three in the morning. Give him to me." He said, barely opening his eyes.
If Kao hadn't been in my arms, I would have already punched that bastard's face.
"Let me take him in." I said.
He shrugged. "Whatever." He said and walked back in.
I took Kao to his room and opened his shoes and socks, and tucked him in bed. I sat beside him on the bed and watched him for a moment as he slept like a baby. My heart clenched, recalling the story he told me. That bastard wasn't going to live.
"Mmm..." He moved in his sleep and opened his eyes, frowning as he saw me. Then his expression softened and he smiled. "Good dream."
I smiled, reaching to pat his head. "Sweet dreams." I said and left the room.
That bastard was in the kitchen, drinking water. Without hesitating, I started to walk to him.
"Are you both drinking partners? He-" Before he could finish his sentence, I threw a blow on his face and he groaned loudly, his body falling backwards in imbalance.
"What the heck!" He straightened up, glaring. Before he could do or say anything, I threw another blow. My fist stung.
"Shit! Shit! Shit! My nose. Ugh..." He groaned loudly, covering his nose. He started to back away from me, looking at me in fear. I was ready to beat him into a pulp but he panicked and ran to his room. I ran after him. He locked the door.
I banged on the door. "Open the door before I break it, you shit-head!" I yelled. My head felt dazed and my whole body burned and trembled. I couldn't think straight. I just wanted to beat the shit out of him.
"Kwan!"
I turned to face a horrified Kao. His eyes were wide as he stared at me from the door of his room.
"What did you do?" He asked, voice barely audible. He looked sober.
I gritted my teeth, taking a deep breath to calm myself down.
"What are you doing? Where is Piere? What did you do?" He asked with troubling eyes, walking towards me slowly.
I shook my head. "He is fine. He won't die by a blow."
"Oh god. Oh god." He changed his course and went to sit on the couch instead. He rubbed his face.
"Kao! I have called the POLICE! This guy won't go away with it." Piere yelled.
I banged the door again. "You won't go away with it either!" I yelled back.
"Kwan, please. He called police. Why do you have to hit him?" Kao asked in a daze.
I took another deep breath and went to sit by him on the couch. "He called it upon himself. Tell police the truth. Tell them what he has done to you and how he is leeching off you. You will get rid of him. Just speak the truth."
He shook his head, closing his eyes. "You should leave."
I frowned. "Why would I? The police must be on their way. I won't run away. I will accept my mistake and face whatever consequences there is."
He looked me in the eye. "You..." He trailed off.
The door bell rang and I exhaled. I sat to up to get it but he held on my wrist. I looked at him in surprise.
"Let me go." he said and made his way to the door. I stood near the couch, ready to face whatever was coming for me. For a moment, my mother's face flashed in front of me. She would be so disappointed.
"Good morning sir. We got a complaint about violent abuse from this apartment. Was it you who called the police?" The police asked as he opened the door.
"It's someone else. Come in." Kao ushered the two officers in and my eyes widened.
"Kwan. What are you doing here?"
"Uncle Jack." I almost choked.
Piere's door busted open and he ran towards the officers to hide behind them. "Officer, that guy wants to kill me." He said, pointing a finger towards me.
Both the officers looked at me in confusion. "What happened?" Uncle Jack asked.
Piere began. "He brought Kao and tucked him in bed. I was drinking water in the kitchen and he just came and started to punch me. If I wouldn't have run away, he could have killed me."
I wanted to roll my eyes.
"In that case, we would have to arrest you, Mr.?" The other officer said.
"Kwan." I said.
Uncle Jack shook his head and walked to me with handcuffs in hand. "What have you done?" he asked with a disappointed face.
"This man is lying, officer."
All eyes in the room turned to Kao who stared at the floor, head hung low. I noticed his hands had turned into tight fists beside his body.
"What do you mean?" Uncle Jack asked.
"What are you saying, Kao?" Piere looked like he would lounge at Kao.
"He is lying. Kwan hit him because he hit him first. Kwan just defended himself. I am the witness."
"Kao! WHAT ARE YOU EVEN SAYING?" Piere yelled, face turning red in anger.
"Let him finish." The other officer placed a hand over Piere's chest.
Uncle Jack turned to face Kao who looked strangely calm. I stared at Kao blankly. What was he doing?
...
"So Mr. Kao, what's your complaint?" Uncle Jack asked, crossing both his arms across his chest.
We both sat quietly. I hadn't spoken a word since we got to the station. Piere was thrown behind bars because Kao claimed to witness him hitting me first.
He fiddled with his fingers on his lap before answering. "He hurt me. Physically. We met at a bar one year ago. We started dating right after a few dates." He paused, his eyes starting to get watery. It hurt me physically as I held myself back from reaching for his hand to calm him down. He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and continued. "For the few first weeks he was okay then he started to tell me his crazy fetishes. He wanted to try. I didn't. He started to get aggressive every passing day. He..he started to hit me when he got mad. And those crazy fetishes...he burned me...with cigarettes and would hit me frequently. When I told him, I wanted to end the relationship, he threatened to hurt me more. He doesn't work and is leeching off me." He paused to wipe his eyes again. I lost it. I was shocked at the confession. My heart sank to the floor. I had no idea he could go through something like that.
"Okay, we will file a case. But we will need witnesses. Do you have any witness?" Uncle Jack's fist was clenched tightly on the desk and from the look in his eyes, I could tell he was mad.
Kao nodded. "Yes, my friend is a therapist. I talked to him about it. He can be a witness."
"Well, give us his contact information and you can go." Uncle jack said and then turned to me. "And Kwan, I hope you don't go around getting into fights with people anymore."
I nodded.
"You both can go. Get some sleep."
We both stood up. I couldn't keep my eyes off him. His shoulders were slumped in exhaustion and his eyes didn't look up from the floor.
"Ray, make sure that bastard doesn't get bail." Uncle Jack yelled after us as we walked out of the station.
The cold wind made me shudder and I realized he didn't have any warm clothes on, just his thin sweater. I quickly opened my jacket and hung it over his shoulder.
"Don't get cold." I said quietly.
For the first time after that incident, he looked at me. "Thanks."
"Do you want to crash at my place today?" I didn't want to let him out of my sight.
His eyes widened in surprise. "O-Okay."
I gasped internally. To be honest, I expected him to reject my offer. "Okay. Wait here. Let me get my car." I said and rushed to the parking lot.
I got in the car and turned the heater up. I drove up to him and he got in, clutching onto my jacket tightly. I didn't speak a word as we drove away.
The ride was silent back home. He stared out the window the whole journey. It was almost six in the morning and we both didn't get a blink of sleep. It didn't affect me much because my brain was wide awake, trying to process the shock. We reached my place. I parked the car and we took the elevator, all in silence.
He looked around as I opened the door of my apartment. We walked in and I rushed to turn the heater on. He looked around. I walked back to him with a small smile.
"Do you want anything to eat?" I asked.
He bit on his lips. "Yeah I guess. I am kind of hungry."
"Let's get changed first. Come, I will get you some clothes." I said, walking towards my room. He followed after me.
I opened my closet and looked for clothes to give him. My clothes were all large so I ended up grabbing a white t-shirt and grey sweatpants. I grabbed my light blur cardigan just in case. I turned to face him.
"Here. You can sleep in the other room." I said, handing him the clothes. I walked out of my room and to the other room.
"I should take a shower I guess." he said, following after me.
"Yeah sure. You can use my bathroom for that." I said, walking back to my room. For some reason, it lightened my heart in amusement as he followed after me again like a puppy.
I grabbed a fresh towel and handed him. "Take your time. I will prepare something to eat."
"Okay." His lips twisted into a small time.
I smiled back and walked out of the room, closing the door behind me.
In the kitchen, I struggled to find something to cook. He was vegetarian. I had no idea what to cook. I found sweet corn and ended up making corn soup and sandwiches to go with it. He was done showering quickly.
I was awestruck for a moment, watching him in my clothes. It looked baggy on him, making him look like the guy he was always in my mind.
"Smells nice." He smiled and took a seat on the dining.
"Oh." I was lost for a moment. "Y-yeah." I said, setting the meal on a tray. I placed the tray in front of him. "You can start. I will get changed and be back in a moment." I said, rushing to my room. My heart was hammering against my chest.
I quickly changed, freshened up and rushed to him. He was almost finishing his sandwiches.
"It's good." He smiled, taking a bite of his sandwich.
I smiled back. "You can have mine too." I said, giving him my sandwiches.
"No, it's fine." He pushed the plate towards me. "Have it."
"Okay..." I said, taking a bite of the sandwich. God, I was actually famished.
"Thanks for saving me today. It was wrong for me to hit him I know but I don't regret doing it." I said. Just the mere thought of that bastard brought me to the edges.
He sighed with a nod. "Thanks for hitting him. I never felt so satisfied I swear."
I broke into a smile. "You should have punched him too." I wasn't satisfied. If I could, I would beat him more.
He chuckled, starting on his soup.
I gazed at him as the sight of him was tearing my heart apart. He was hiding so many things behind that smile. I couldn't imagine being in his shoes. "Everything is going to be alright now. He will be punished." I said quietly.
He nodded, without looking up. "I hope so."
"If he gets bail, I will make sure to get him behind bars again and again."
He looked up with a smile, shaking his head.
"I am serious." I almost pouted. He thought I was kidding.
"The officer seemed to know you."
"Oh. Um yeah, we know each other...kind of." Shit.
"How? Do you fight often?"
I stared at him in amusement with a poker face.
He laughed and it sounded like music to my ears. At least, I could make him laugh. "What? I am just kidding."
"He is uh...a friend's uncle." I said.
He nodded, taking the last spoon of his soup. "I see. Happy New Year, I guess."
Oh. "Happy New Year." I smiled. "The beginning says it's going to be an exciting year."
"Hm hm." He chuckled.
"If you are done, you can go sleep." I said, trying to finish my soup fast.
"It's fine. I will do the dishes."
"Aiy, it's fine. I can do them later."
He shook his head. "You cooked. I will do the dishes."
Damn. We felt like a married couple. Oh, maybe married couples wouldn't be so sweet. I laughed at my own imagination. What are you even thinking, Kwan?
"What?" He asked.
"Huh?"
"Why are you laughing?"
I shook my head, blushing. "Nothing."
I leaned on the counter and watched him do the dishes. The dreams from six years ago were finally coming true. We living together, though it was only for a day, we cooking together, dividing house chores, arguing over silly things, sometimes going to bed mad, sometimes...
Maybe I was thinking too much.
"Kao." I called, gazing at him in adoration.
"Yeah?"
"Can we start over? At least as friends." I asked, crossing my fingers.
He looked at me with a small smile. "Sure."
I gasped internally. Maybe I had a chance after all. But why did he lie at the first place?
"Hey, what about the cat?" I asked in concern.
"Oh, my friend will take care of it." He smiled, wiping his hand on the hand towel.
I exhaled with a smile.
"You can sleep all day long." I said, standing out the door of his room.
"Sure." He smiled, leaning against the door frame.
"If you need anything, I will be right there in my room." I said. I actually didn't want to leave.
He chuckled. "Okay, get some sleep."
I nodded.
He just looked at me, as if waiting for something. I didn't know what.
My gaze turned confused. "What?" I asked, not sure what he wanted.
"You should say bye first." He said quietly with a small smile.
Oh my heart. It started beating so fast that I thought it would almost burst right there. Yeah right, it was our thing. He never said bye first.
I pressed my lips into a thin line. "Okay, bye then. Sleep well."
He smiled. "Sleep well too."
I turned to walk to my room, listening to the door click close. I turned to face the closed door. If it was our thing to say bye first by me then why did he leave me first?
I sat on my bed, dialing a number. It rang several times before a voice greeted a hello.
"Hi Miss. Stella." I greeted.
"Kwan?"
I nodded, chuckling. "Woah, you have my number saved."
"Yes, of course I do. What compelled you to call me?"
"I brought you a client. About domestic abuse."
"Hmm, and who is that client?"
"I will discuss about it later. Will you be willing to take the case?" I asked.
"I will need to talk to the client first."
"I will take him to you when we can."
"Let me know before hand so that I can clear my schedule."
"Sure."