The Office

I opened the papers.
More fell out. And more. And more.
I read the first line.
Then the heading.
And in a burst of rage I started going through everything on the desk.
Oh my God.
Oh… my God.

01:15
I could barely get through to Colin.
— Hey.
— Hey.
— Baby, what’s wrong?
— I don’t know.
— Will you stay with me?
— Of course.

01:21
I ran to the edge of the woods as fast as I could.
Colin was sitting on the hill.
— Hey.
— Hey.
And I threw myself into his arms.
I hid.
And he, like always, wrapped me in his jacket.
I curled up like a kitten
so he could shield me from the world.
Colin just sat there calmly.
And I kept hiding from everything.
It reminded me of childhood.
When I used to hide in bed, pulling the blanket over myself as tight as I could
so my parents wouldn’t find me.
I started shaking.
Colin just sat there.

02:18
I came to.
— Colin?
— Oh. You’re awake.
He kissed my hair.
— Let’s go.
— Where?
— For pizza. You love it.
I awkwardly fixed my hair.
God… I must look awful.
Colin looked at me.
— You’re beautiful.
I blushed.

04:11
— I’m scared.
— Me too.
Colin took a bite of pizza.
I suddenly laughed.
— Colin, you’re such an idiot.
He smiled
and lightly bumped my shoulder.
— Colin.
— Yeah?
— I ran away from the estate.
He took another big bite.
— So… you’re on the run now?
I smiled.
— Looks like it.
— But what happened?
I lowered my eyes.
— Hey…
Colin gently lifted my chin.
— I don’t know, Colin.
And I threw myself into his arms again.
The tears turned into a breakdown.
I just kept crying and crying.
Colin, true to himself,
just held me.
— Baby.
— Mm?
— You have to talk to him.
I swallowed.
— I don’t know if Caleb will understand.
— He has to, sweetheart. He has to.
I pulled away.
Colin pretended something fell.
And I saw the tears in his eyes.
I started backing away.
— I’m sorry, Colin.
— I’m so sorry, I… I’m sorry, I…
He looked up at me.
Drop. Drop. Drop.
My tears gave me away again.
— Colin…
I understood. He was waiting for words.
But what could I say?
Sorry I came to you for comfort?
Sorry you held me, stayed with me…
and I’m going back to Caleb anyway?
How was I supposed to say that?
I didn’t know.

05:15
I came back to the estate.
Caleb was furious.
— Where were you?!
He went straight to yelling.
— Caleb, I…
I wanted to explain.
He had a right to know.
But not like this.
My face changed instantly.
— That’s none of your business.
He grabbed my arm.
— Stop.
— It is my business. Where were you?
— Don’t you dare talk to me like that!
He leaned closer. Sniffed.
— Is that…
His eyes widened.
— Is that a man’s perfume?
— Caleb!
He snapped.
— Where the hell were you?! WHERE?! Answer me!
I swallowed.
Is that how he spoke to her?
Caleb froze.
Shook his head, not believing what he heard.
— What did you say?
I repeated it, slowly, clearly.
— Is that how he spoke to her?
— Who?! What are you even talking about?!
I ran upstairs.
Caleb rushed after me.
— Stop! I said stop! Explain where you were!
He burst into the bedroom.
— Answer me!
He grabbed my arm again.
I turned sharply.
Caleb froze.
He stood still.
— What are you doing?
He shook his head.
— Look at him.
Caleb stepped back.
I was holding the mirror.
— Look at him! — I screamed.
Caleb shrank again. Hurt. Scared.
— Baby, I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…
I pushed the mirror at him like at a wild animal.
— Look at him! Did you see him?! DID YOU SEE HIM?! Answer me!
I started hitting him.
— ANSWER ME!
I hit him with my hands.
He covered himself.
Then fully hid behind his arms.
He sat down, covering his knees.
I was crying.
But there was no choice.
I had to close the session.
— ANSWER ME!
I kicked him.
— I’ll kill you, you hear me? I’ll kill you if you ever talk back to me!
— I’ll kill you, you little bastard!
— You filthy bastard. I’ll kill your mother and then you.
— Don’t you dare defy me!
— Your mother is a whore and you’re not even my son.
You hear me?
— You’re not my son.
— That whore got pregnant from one of her little friends…
— I’ll rip all her hair out…
and then I’ll strangle you too, you disgusting little creature…
Finally I staggered.
My vision rolled back.
And I fainted.

4 days later
08:17
— Auntie?
— Hey.
She gently kissed me.
— Where is…?
— Shhh.
She covered my mouth.
— Quiet. They’re all here.
Give me time to tell you, or they’ll ruin everything.
— O-okay…
— They don’t want Caleb near you.
I tried to understand what she meant…
and why she was on his side.
— Auntie… but why?
— He’s not good. There’s darkness in him.
It lives through him. It drains. It destroys.
I started crying.
— Nazokat… — she hugged me — I know you love him.
I nodded.
— But I’m not sure he can handle it.
— Me neither…
Suddenly I got scared.
— Auntie, what do I do? They said Caleb only has one chance…
She hesitated.
— He might have another chance…
but I’m not sure he’ll make it.
I swallowed.
— But Auntie…
She stroked my hair.
— Baby… there’s too much going on with him.
You need to think very carefully…
are you sure it’s Caleb?
I nodded.
And then all my boys came rushing into the room.
The noise exploded instantly.
I laughed.
So I didn’t die.
And I’m not planning to.
— Guys…
Come on, quiet down.
You’re insane.
They calmed down a little.
And the conversation, as always, quickly turned friendly—
and we started laughing,
talking about something
14:15
Caleb walked in with flowers.
— Hey.
He lowered his eyes.
— Hey…
— Baby, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have acted like that.
I was really worried about you.
He started crying.
Yeah… here we go again. — Hades
I started thinking.
What am I supposed to do…
Truth is, Caleb’s jealousy had been crossing the line for a while.
But what happened back then…
It scared me.
If it wasn’t for therapy, he might have hit me.
Isn’t that normal for you? — Hades
I slowly shook my head.
No.
— Caleb…
He stepped closer, cautiously.
— Listen, you need to get your head in order.
He just nodded obediently.
— Did you see him?
Caleb lowered his head.
And nodded.
I drifted into thought.
Therapy was clearly pulling up Caleb’s childhood again.
In that moment, I took his father’s place.
But he…
In the mirror, it was his father looking back at him —
only… in a new version of him.
In other words, Caleb was replaying his father’s script.
Unhealthy jealousy. Violence.
He repeated exactly what his father did to his mother.
I tried to breathe.
And I hated myself for that kind of loyalty.
I should’ve chosen someone easier.
Why is it Caleb who matters so much to me, damn it?
Why can’t I just love someone else?
God…
Caleb just sat there, crying.
I took a deep breath.
Damn it… being with Caleb is a constant swing.
Up, down — never stable.
— Baby… I’ll understand if you decide to leave.
I let out a hysterical laugh.
— You’ll understand? Caleb, I really don’t care about your feelings right now.
I’m trying to not lose my mind here.

The next day
18:17
I’m sitting there, drinking.
Colin next to me.
Nate too.
— So?
— “So, so?” — I mocked them.
— How would I know? I’ll dump him. Serves him right.
They exchanged looks.
— That’s not you.
— Oh, screw you. I’ll dump him, just watch.
I don’t love that bastard. I don’t.
— Uh-huh.
Nate took a sip of beer.
I made a face.
— Since when do you drink beer?
— You interested? — Nate started flirting.
I smiled.
God… Nate is charming.
I smiled again.
No wonder all the girls are always into him.
Except one. — Hades
I waved it off.
Alright… what do I do…
And I laughed to myself.
God, what do I even do?
Nothing.
Deal with it. What are my options?
I don’t love Nate.
I don’t love Colin either.
I only love Caleb.
And that comes as one big “important ass” with a massive pile of problems.
Thanks, daddy. — Hades
— Exactly.
And we bumped fists.

00:17
We were walking side by side with Caleb.
— Kitten…
— Yeah?
— Listen…
He stopped.
— Why do you love me like this? Why do you even need me?
To wipe your ass. — Hades
I held back a laugh.
— Um… honestly? I don’t really know.
Caleb smirked.
— I mean, I have a few theories.
Yeah, two: he’s hot and damn good in bed. — Hades
I laughed.
— Not just that.
— Caleb, you know… sometimes… I—I don’t know.
Sometimes I just can’t explain it.
— You’re different.
And I know you’re meant for me, and I’m meant for you.
— It’s just… time plays its games.
And it’s in on it with fate.
— So we have to… uh… adjust to each other in this relationship.
Caleb nodded, sniffing.
Oh God, is he crying again? — Hades rolled his eyes
— Caleb…
I took his hands.
— Baby…
I took a deep breath.
— Baby, right now we’re young. Everything feels amazing, you know?
He stayed silent.
— But later…
— Later, things might come. We’ll get older and… uglier.
Caleb smirked.
— Sit down.
He sat. I held his hand in mine.
— And then, my love… that’s when we’ll see if this is real love.
Caleb froze.
I shrugged.
— The world wants speed.
Everything has to be fast. Everything had to happen yesterday.
— But me…
I lifted his chin.
— Me, my love… I’m not rushing without you.
Caleb covered his face and started crying.
I continued.
— I don’t need a single life. Not one. Not a hundred.
With you — yes.
Without you — no.
Caleb was shaking from it.
And I realized — we’re both learning.
Caleb is learning to trust and not run from love.
I’m doing the same.
The question is simple.
Will Caleb stay just as loyal when I fall?
Deep breath.
Only time will tell.
— See, about speed…
— It’s easier to throw things away, replace them, buy something new — sure.
But you, my love, you’re not a thing.
You’re my Caleb. Right?
Caleb kept crying.
— I love you.
And I want this relationship.
— And relationships… they’re messy like this.
Until we heal the trauma, we’ll have to go through things like this.
— But hey… when it settles, we’ll be happier.
It’s just a phase. We need to work through the sharp parts.
— You’ll see, it’ll get better.
I smirked.
— Yeah… would be easier to just run away from relationships.
Sometimes it feels like I’m forcing you to stay.
Caleb wiped his nose.
— That’s not true.
I shrugged.
— Let me know if I become too much.
He threw himself into me.
— I love you so much, baby. So much.
I hugged him back.
— Baby.
— Yeah?
— Will you go to Egypt with me?
I pulled back.
— Egypt?
— Yeah.
— But… why?
— I want to go on a dig.
— A dig? What are you even talking about? You never said you liked that.
— I’m saying it now. Will you go?
— Uh… y-yeah… yeah… yes! I love digs. I love them to death.
Caleb lit up.
I still couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
— I absolutely love Ancient Egypt. I really do.
God, this guy is insane. — Hades
— Yeah.
And that’s what makes it damn good.