After leaving the twins' mansion, Ash went straight back to his place. On the way to his room, he noticed a familiar silhouette in the dim light — Emil, brown hair tousled, standing outside his door, taking a drag from a cigarette. Ash slowed his pace and stopped beside him, inhaling the cool night air.
Seeing Ash approach, Emil offered a casual, "Hey."
"Hey," Ash replied. Then, nodding toward the cigarette between Emil's fingers, he asked, "Are you still having some?"
Emil chuckled softly, pulling another cigarette from his pocket and handing it to Ash along with a lighter. Ash took it, flicked it to life, and drew in a long drag. The smoke drifted lazily into the night as he exhaled.
"So… when did you meet with the boss?" Ash asked calmly.
Emil took a slow drag, letting the cigarette hang between his fingers. "Just once, at the club. He asked if I knew you. I agreed, and then he told me to help him meet you. You know, he's the boss… so I had to go along with it."
A silence fell between them as Ash took another drag, the tip of his cigarette glowing softly in the dark.
"I'm… sorry if you're—" Emil started, but Ash cut him off.
"Don't worry about it. I'm not angry," Ash said, stretching his arms.
Emil raised a curious eyebrow. "Wait, how do you even know about it? Did you two meet?"
Ash nodded silently. Emil's curiosity peaked. "So why did he want to meet you?"
Ash didn't answer. Sensing he might be pressing too much, Emil went back to his cigarette, taking a slow drag.
Finally, Ash exhaled, almost to himself: "He… asked me to be his bodyguard."
Emil frowned, eyes narrowing. "His bodyguard?"
Emil hesitated, "So… did you accept?"
Ash's gaze shifted to the dark sky above, stars barely visible in the night. "Emil… you remember when I told you guys I didn't want to be involved with them?"
Emil nodded slowly, "Yeah, I remember."
"I'm serious about it," Ash continued firmly. He shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. "I refuse."
Emil thought to himself, understanding but still concerned.
Ash's expression softened slightly, though his voice remained steady. "I'm only in this situation because of my dad… because he mingled with them. What I'm going through now? It's already more than enough."
***************
The sunlight streamed through the window, casting warm rays across Nik's face. His eyelashes fluttered slightly, and a soft whisper escaped his lips: "Ash…"
Slowly, his eyes opened, greeted by the bright morning light. But the peaceful moment shattered when Dmitri's teasing voice broke the silence.
"Ohh, sleeping beauty is finally up… though should I really say 'sleeping beauty,' since you're a man?" Dmitri teased, biting back a laugh.
A pillow flew across the room and hit him square in the face.
"Hey! That's not fair!" Dmitri protested, holding the pillow like a shield. "I'm the one who's supposed to be mad — you totally ruined my date yesterday!"
Nik blinked at him, half awake, his face unreadable. He got up, stretching lazily, and was about to move toward the bathroom when Dmitri leaned against the wall, smirking.
"Why did you drink so much last night anyway?"
Nik stopped mid-step, brushing a hand through his hair. His silence said everything.
Dmitri sighed dramatically. "No excuses, huh? Fine." He paused, his tone suddenly casual but with that signature glint in his eyes. "Actually, I came to tell you that I'm taking Ashley as my personal bodyguard."
Nik froze. His grip on his hair tightened slightly before he turned, his voice calm but edged with warning. "I'm not stopping you from hiring him. But you do know you can't have a certain kind of relationship with your worker, right?"
Dmitri chuckled, leaning closer. "That's rich — coming from the guy who murmured Ashley's name in his sleep."
Nik's face instantly went red. "That was a mistake."
"Oh, a mistake?" Dmitri echoed, grinning wider.
Nik ignored him and walked straight into the bathroom. Dmitri's laughter echoed faintly behind him as the door clicked shut.
Leaning on the sink, Nik looked at his reflection. He sighed, opened the tap, and splashed cold water on his face. The chill did little to cool the warmth creeping up his neck.
Staring at himself, he muttered softly, "I hope I didn't say anything stupid yesterday…"