Samuel's POV ( Later that day)
I didn't realize I'd drifted off again until the creak of the door pulled me from a shallow, dreamless sleep. My heart skipped—just like it did every time she steps into a room I was in.
Angel.
She stepped in slowly, carefully, like she wasn't sure if I'd still be awake. Her eyes immediately found mine and I swear, even after everything, she still looked like home.
"You're up," she said softly, closing the door behind her.
"Barely," I muttered, voice rough.
"You've been gone for a while."
Angel gave me a look that said she knew I'd been counting the minutes. "I had to go to the station. Weren't you informed?, I told the nurses to let you know."
"I know. But…" I paused, then motioned weakly to the chair beside me. "Sit. Please. I was told you went to the station "
" Yes"
She did, lowering herself with the kind of heaviness that didn't come from being tired—it came from carrying too much. Her shoulders were tense, her fingers constantly fidgeting with the edge of her sleeve.
I watched her for a moment, the silence stretching between us like a wire ready to snap.
"What did you go there for?" I asked finally. "The station."
Angel blinked, then looked away. "To report everything. Or… at least the version of everything I could tell."
I raised a brow. "You mean the edited one."
She didn't answer right away. "I couldn't tell them everything, Samuel. Not about the fight. Not about what I did. They wouldn't understand. And if they did, I'd be locked away before I even finished my sentence."
I nodded slowly. I understood. I'd lived it. I remembered the sound of bones breaking, the blur of fists and blood, the way her body moved with a terrifying kind of purpose.
"Did they believe you?"
She hesitated. "Most of it. Enough of it. I told them you and I were taken. That we were held. That there was a falling out between the people who took us, and I managed to get us out in the confusion. They asked if I could identify anyone."
"And you said?"
"That I didn't get a good look." Her lips twitched upward bitterly. "I might've exaggerated how dark it was."
"And me?" I asked.
Angel glanced at me. "I told them you were a victim. That you'd been knocked out during the fight and I had to carry you to safety."
I huffed a small laugh. "So I'm the helpless sidekick in your version."
"You were unconscious!" she defended, but the corner of her mouth curved.
"Still stings my ego a little," I teased.
We both fell quiet again, the tension easing just slightly. Then Angel said, "They want to talk to you too. But I told them you weren't awake yet. I needed time to think. We need to make sure our stories align."
I nodded. "We'll figure it out."
She looked at me with something I hadn't seen in her before—guilt. "I didn't want to lie. But the truth would destroy everything."
I reached for her hand. "You did what you had to. And I'm here. We're both here. That's what matters."
She exhaled shakily. "They'll stop suspecting soon. But I think they're still trying to piece it together."
"Then we give them a neat ending to work with," I said. "One that doesn't involve bodies and blood."
Angel nodded, her eyes softening. "Exactly."
"Would you like to rest a bit?. You look tired" I ask gently
"No. I came here to take care of you"
I smile but then I remembered I hadn't heard her speak about our parents " what of our parents?, do they know I'm in the hospital?"
" Well. They do" She looks at me guiltily " I might have told them you were suicidal?"
I laugh out loud at the thought " Why??. You didn't have any other suitable excuse?"
" Hey, don't blame me. It was the only feasible explanation of why you were in the hospital " she clarifies hurriedly
I chuckle " then what about my bruises?. How'd you explain that?"
" Uh, that's the thing. I told them you were having...uh.. some disturbing thoughts so you decided to go riding and then you had an accident and almost died"
I frown " Riding?." I pause " And they believed you?"
" I'm sorry, I know how much you love riding but it was the only thing I could think of and they did believe me though "
" It's okay, but how come I didn't know you could lie this flawlessly?" I tease lightly bumping her shoulder
" You had better behave yourself if you don't wanna lie here for another week "
" Yes Mami. I'd behave "
She blushes slightly and I almost pinned her down but I couldn't. My injuries being one of the major reasons.
We continued chatting leisurely until she left for the night. I had asked her to stay but she refused firmly, she didn't even budge when I pouted. My heartless kitten
---
By the end of the week, the doctor confirmed what I'd been praying for—my vitals were stable and I could leave.
Angel came to pick me up, of course. She brought a hoodie that smelled faintly of lavender and a scowl that deepened every time a nurse flirted a little too long, not that I could help it but she looked ready to murder people. My jealous, possessive kitten
"You're not jealous, are you?" I teased as she helped me into her car.
"I will crash this car," she said without looking at me.
God, I missed her.
On the way to the station, I studied her hands on the steering wheel, her eyes locked on the road. She looked tired again. Not physically, but… mentally drained.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" I asked.
"Honestly? No. But it's necessary."
I nodded.
The station was quieter than I expected. A couple officers milled about and one greeted Angel like they'd known her forever. Probably because they'd seen a lot of her this past week.
We sat in a small, sterile room. An officer—Detective Rowe, I think his name was—entered with a notepad and a stiff smile.
"Mr. Samuel" he began. "Good to see you conscious."
"Likewise." I replied politely.
" I just have a few questions and then we'll let you go."
Angel was seated beside me, her posture relaxed but her eyes sharp.
"Can you tell us what you remember from the night you were taken?"
I paused, glanced at Angel, then back at him. "I was following up on a message from Angel. She seemed off. I went to the place we agreed to meet… and that's when they jumped me."
" They?"
" I didn't see faces. Just felt the hit to the back of my head. Next thing I knew, I woke up tied up, already injured. I couldn't see well. My head was bleeding."
"And you don't know where they took you?"
I shook my head. "A warehouse, maybe. Lots of metal, concrete… that's all I remember."
He scribbled something down. "Angel says you were unconscious when she escaped."
I nodded. "She's not wrong. I was in and out for most of it."
"You didn't see anyone's face? No details you can recall?"
"No," I said firmly. "It was dark. And I was out of it. I barely remember her carrying me out."
The detective looked at Angel. "You said they turned on each other?"
She nodded. "The guy in charge started arguing with someone—possibly his right-hand man. It got violent fast. That's when I made my move."
"And you didn't see what happened to them afterward?"
She shrugged. "I didn't stick around to find out. My only goal was getting Samuel out alive."
Detective Rowe studied us for a beat, then leaned back. "You know, this story isn't exactly airtight."
Angel tensed slightly, barely noticeable but I felt it
"But… we don't have any evidence to prove otherwise," he continued. "The warehouse is burnt out, the bodies you mentioned—if there were any—are gone. No CCTV. No fingerprints."
"So we're free to go?" I asked cautiously.
He nodded. "For now. But if anything new comes up…"
"We'll cooperate," Angel finished.
We left the station with the sun already dipping below the horizon. The sky burned orange and red, a perfect mirror of the chaos we'd just escaped.
Angel didn't speak as we got into the car. She just stared out the windshield.
"What are you thinking?" I asked.
"That it's not over," she said quietly. "Even if they believe us now. Even if we covered our tracks. Something about this… it still feels unfinished."
She wasn't wrong. I felt it too. But I didn't know what it was.
But I didn't say that. I took her hand instead.
"Then we stay ready. Together."
Her fingers curled into mine.
"Together."
"Since you agreed we're together, there's no backing out" I say in an attempt to lighten the depressing atmosphere between us
"I didn't mean that. You moron."
" Ouch."
" You deserve it"
" So you don't wanna be with me?"
She pauses slightly " I didn't mean that too"
"Then what do you mean?" I pout unhappily
"Shut it. I don't wanna talk to you about this."
"Are you seriously not even going to consider me?"
"No. I won't"
"I'd make you change your mind, don't worry" I say and I meant every word.
" Let's go home."
" Yeah, my place or yours?"
" Uh, yours obviously"
" That isn't obvious now" I pout
" How is it not obvious?" She argues " if I don't go to your place, how else am I going to take care of you?, are you sure your brain wasn't removed in the hospital??"
" Of course not. I'm just deprived of love "
" Then stay deprived. And yeah, your parents are gonna come over tomorrow or so"
" Oh no, tell them I'm still in the hospital or something. I don't wanna see them" I all but whine " they're gonna be freaking out over something not important especially since you told them I was suicidal "
" I'm sorry but your health is important so it's worth freaking out for. Now let's go home"