Keagan had cuddled with Mercy for so long it felt as though their bodies were glued together. He didn’t know why Mercy found comfort in his arms, but if that’s what she wanted, then that’s what he was going to give her.

Keagan eventually managed to rip himself out of her grasp and make his way to the kitchen.

The morning sun angrily made it’s way into Keagan’s eyes, but he didn’t mind the pain.

His body was feeling far better than before so a little sunlight was the least of his concerns.

Keagan then received a text from Dan as he drank some cool water.

[Oi, Keagan. How are you doing?]

Dan asked.

[I’m ok. Feeling much better than before, but I’m guessing you didn’t text just to catch up. What do you need?]

Keagan asked.

[I’ll never grow tired of your frankness. Anyway, we need a working prototype and we need to fast. Do you know where Mercy is? The guys down at the testing department have made some progress but I’d like someone to check if everything is in working order.]

Dan said prompting Keagan to look at the sleeping Mercy. She had been so stressed in recent days that Keagan couldn’t help but offer his help. Not to mention that Dan was the root of most of her newfound pain.

[I’m not sure where she is, but you could get Tommy instead. He’s basically her right hand man.]

Keagan said.

[Alright. He’ll do. But notify me if you hear from Mercy. None of my calls are reaching her.]

Dan said.

[Ok.]

Keagan said before returning to the bed where Mercy soundly slept.

Or not.

Keagan noticed that her foot was swaying left and right, so Keagan walked over to her foot and ran his index finger across the bottom.

Mercy trembled, but she didn’t give in. She maintained her sleeping façade.

Keagan chuckled internally before mounting her back. He could feel her soft butt beneath him as he lowered himself. He moved in towards her ear and took a nibble of the top part of her right ear.

Mercy continued to pretend to sleep.

“Mmm… I wonder how much pain a person feels when they’re asleep." Keagan teasingly said as he gently caressed Mercy’s hair.

“Pull it and I kill you.” Mercy said, although her voice was slightly muffled by the pillows her face was buried in.

“Kill me? I’d love that.” Keagan said as he pulled her long and curly brown hair.

“Ouch!” Mercy violently thrashed around throwing Keagan off her in the process.

Keagan hit the floor on his but and broke into laughter.

“You’re quite the aggressive one.” Keagan said as he jumped back onto the bed. He then grabbed her rather small arms and pressed them into the bed. He looked into her beautiful eyes and smiled.

Usually when Catalina or Karisa did something, Keagan’s stomach would twist and turn, but with Mercy, the only thing he felt was comfort and joy. He then realized why Mercy wanted to hold him so badly.

“Listen… I’m sorry about yesterday.” Keagan apologized.

“No. I should be the one apologizing.” Mercy said with a smile.

Keagan’s eyes sparkled for a moment, but that moment was interrupted by the sounds of knocking on the door.

Keagan frowned before hopping out of his bed, grabbing a nearby shirt and walking towards the door.

“Who is it?” Keagan asked, his irritation clear.

“It’s Roy! Hurry up, I made some stew for you.” Said a playful voice.

“Oh!” Keagan quickly opened the door and welcomed his buddy and personal chef.

“Why didn’t you call?” Keagan said as he walked towards the couch.

“Oh, I just wanted to surprise you-“ Roy stopped as he approached the couch.

“Kay...?” Roy droned.

“What?” Keagan asked as he yanked the lunchbox full of leftovers from Roy.

“Why is there a naked woman in your bed?” Roy asked, his voice monotone.

“Umm… that’s not some random woman. Look carefully.” Keagan instructed as Mercy sat up, revealing her modest breasts for Roy to see, although that wasn’t her intention.

Mercy quickly got dressed before she greeted the shocked Roy.

“Good morning. I’m sure you already know my name, but I’m Mercy Evergreen.” Mercy said as she shook Roy’s hand.

“Yeah, I know very well who you are, but I’m curious. What kind of relationship do you have with Kay?” Roy asked with a pout. Roy was also one of the few people who called Keagan Kay, but he only did so rarely when he wanted to emphasize something.

In this case. It was a burning jealousy.

“We’re friends… I think. I don’t know. We just have a lot in common.” Mercy said as she sat on the couch along with a pouting Roy.

In the background, Keagan microwaved some of the leftovers Roy had brought over.

“Oh? Mmm… ok.” Roy said as he turned to Keagan.

“What’s you secret bro?” Roy asked. His eyes intense.

“Who? Me? I’m not sure what you’re talking about, but the key to making friends is you always be kind and accepting.” Keagan said as he dished out the steaming hot stew for the three people present in the apartment.

Keagan took a seat beside Roy and ate away at the savoury goodness that was his stew.

Roy neglected his serving and continued staring at Keagan, while Mercy tried some of the stew.

“Nah, man. I’m serious. You know when was the last time I had a someone back at may place?” Roy asked.

“When?” Keagan asked with his mouth full.

“Before I met you.” Roy said bluntly.

“Aww. Then stop being friends with me.” Keagan suggested.

“No way. You… I know this may sound weird, but you complete me bro. When I’m lost, you help me find my way. When I’m angry you calm me down. Sometimes I wonder why you’re not my brother instead of Cory, but that aside. You seem to have a gift when it comes to…” Roy eyed Mercy as she stuffed her face.

“Women.” Roy said as he crossed his arms.

“Hehe, let me clarify something before your green shade darkens. Me and Mercy aren’t an item. At least, not at this moment. She came over because she wanted someone to talk to.” Keagan explained.

“Ok. Understandable. What about the super model and the executive?” Roy asked with narrowed eyes.

“You’d be surprised by how evil those two are.” Keagan said as his eyes rolled backwards. The stew threatened to make his heart seized up with joy.

“Oh? And you’d know this how?” Roy asked.

“I dare you to spend more than two seconds with them. They suck.” Keagan said.

“Mmm… ok. What about the milf?” Roy asked.

“Do you mean Karisa’s mom? First off, she’s married. Second, no. I’m not interested.” Keagan said as he finished the last of his stew. He then gave the fridge a predator like gaze as it held the rest of the leftovers.

“Arrg!” Roy groaned before noticing that a tear was rolling down Mercy’s face.

“What’s wrong with her?” Roy asked.

“No idea. Mercy?” Keagan called out, but Mercy’s tears continued to fall.

“It’s just… you guys are such good friends. It made me wonder if I’ll ever have anything so real… so tangible.” Mercy said.

“Bro I think your beef is too much for the common woman.” Keagan teased as he took the empty dishes to the sink.

“Sorry ma’am, but Keagan and I aren’t friends. He’s a parasite who’s been feeding off of me for several years.” Roy scoffed.

“See? That’s what I mean. I don’t have anyone like that to talk to or joke with. I’ve spent so much of my time trying to develop my research that I completely forgot about everything else and now I’m so bad with people I can’t even lead my own project. Keagan has to do everything and I fear that’s why he got hurt.” Mercy said.

Roy offered her his hand and she held it before her wrapped his arm around her.

“Look at what your stew did, hehe.” Keagan teased.

“Oh, shut up. She’s hurting. Oh and miss Mercy, you’ve got your whole life ahead of you. There’s plenty of time left to make friends and have good times-"

“And good food.” Keagan interrupted, only to have Roy throw a pillow at him.

“Really?” Mercy asked as she wiped her tears.

“Yep. Oh and don’t worry about Keagan. He’s a tough cookie. How do you think he helped redeem a ex thug like myself?” Roy retorted as he rubbed Mercy’s shoulder.

“He helped you too?” Mercy asked.

“He out right saved my life. I was part of a group of nasty individuals who did nasty things, but Keagan showed me that there was more to life than hurting others. That and he wanted easy access to my cooking.” Roy said.

“Whatever you’re going through is probably clearly visible to Keagan. He can see all of your pain and he’s probably trying to find a way to help. So cheer up. Keagan’s not always a womanizing pervert.” Roy said as he let go of Mercy.

Keagan completely ignored Mercy and Roy as they shared a tender moment. He then hopped into his bed and checked his phone to find several messages.

[Hi Keagan. It’s Silvia. I don’t know why, but I miss you so badly. Ever since I left the apartment, I’ve been in such lovely pain. I want you so bad which is unfortunate because we are not meant to be.]

Keagan’s eyes widened slightly as he read the strange text.

[Anyway, I’m going to savour this pain as I think of you, but I wonder. Are you thinking about me?]

Keagan put down his phone and sighed loudly.

“Yo Keagan. You should stop tormenting poor Miss Mercy.” Roy said before he threw another pillow at Keagan.

“You can call me Mercy.” Mercy said as she walked towards the kitchen to get some water.

“What do you mean by torment?” Keagan asked playfully as he thought about what Dan had said earlier.

“She said that you have a habit of teasing her and emotionally manipulating her.” Roy accused rather loudly.

“Is that so? Mercy, have I been manipulating you?” Keagan asked as Mercy sat besides him on the bed.

“Yes. Yesterday, I came here with the expectation of getting my brains fucked out, but you made me fall for you instead.” Mercy whispered before Roy jumped out of the couch.

“Dammit! I forgot about Cory.” Roy said as he walked towards the door.

“Gotta go, but don’t think any of this is over Keagan. One day you’ll share your secret. Otherwise I’ll never cook for you again!” Roy said as he stormed out.

Mercy giggled.

“I hope you’re not laughing at my friend.” Keagan said with narrowed eyes.

“No, it’s just that he’s so… beautiful.” Mercy said as she placed her hand on Keagan’s chest.

“That’s the first time anyone has used that word to describe Roy, but tell me. What about him is so beautiful?” Keagan asked.

“He’s so honest and pure-"

“Didn’t he just tell you that he was a thug?” Keagan interrupted.

“Yes, but the both of you made it through that and came out better, no?” Mercy asked as she flipped through the TV stations.

[I know right? It’s so weird! Those two look nothing like the bodyguards that usually accompany the Astali women.]

The talking head in the TV said.

“Umm… Keagan… look.” Mercy said as she pointed at the TV.

Keagan turned his head to the TV and saw a blurry image of he, Karisa, Catalina, Mercy and Roy as they entered the very apartment he was currently in.

[You know what I’ve always wondered what the Astali’s do behind closed doors. Do you think that building holds the answers?]

One of the talking heads asked.

[I think you’re jumping the gun a little there, but I share a bit of your curiosity. The last time Silvia Astali made a proper public appearance was about five or so years.]

Another talking head said.

[Wow, really? That was ages ago. I’m pretty sure you were in your thirties, right?]

[Oh, you!]

Keagan could feel his brows tens up as he saw various pictures of Roy, Catalina, Mercy, Silvia and Karisa as they entered and left the building.

Mercy snuck a glance at Keagan and saw an expression that quite literally made her tremble in fear.

Keagan whipped out his phone as the afternoon sun showered him in a bright orange reddish hue. He then punched in a certain number and waited.

[Wow. Colour me surprised. I never expected-]

"You saw the news didn’t you?" Keagan coldly interrupted and for some reason, he was overcome by the sudden need to drink coffee.

[Yes, I saw the news. What of it?]

Silvia asked calmly as Keagan got up to make himself some coffee.

“What should I- what should we do?” Keagan asked as he added seven teaspoons of sugar into his already sugared coffee.

[Absolutely nothing. Oh and I love that voice of yours. Being on TV must have really gotten to you. But I believe this isn’t the first time.]

Silvia said as she let out a weird noise.

Keagan ignored it. He didn’t want to deal with anymore Astali madness than he had to.

“That doesn’t matter. What’s Mr. Astali going to think? Also, you may not understand this, but I’m uncomfortable with the idea of having my pictures taken by random people.” Keagan asked as Silvia let out strange moans.

Keagan then realised that she was relishing in his angered tone and so he took a deep breath and sighed.

“Listen, I just don’t want to be caught up in some media scandal.” Keagan said calmly.

[Aww… I wasn’t finished…]

Silvia said and at this point, Mercy could see the blood vessels popping up on his face.

But Keagan needed to keep calm. After all, Mercy was there.

[Anyway, you don’t have to do anything. Just stay put and the media will get bored and move to the next scandal.]

Silvia said, her breath heavy.

“I see…” Keagan droned.

[By the way. Before you end the call, can you yell at me-]

Keagan ended the call and placed his phone in his pocket.

Mercy walked up to him and gave him a warm hug.

Keagan sighed.

His heart wouldn’t calm and his mind raced as he wondered if his life would be ruined by some cheesy or life threatening headlines.

“I suggest you go home.” Keagan said coldly.

Mercy flinched.

“And then then what? I leave you here to face this alone? No. I’m staying.” Mercy said as her voice threatened to leave her.

“Well, problems aside. Tomorrow is till Monday and you have a job to do. Oh and if Dan does something text me and I’ll be there.”

Keagan said.

“What? Do you really think I’m worried about that? I don’t think I’ll be able to work without you there.” Mercy said as Keagan turned to face her.

“No. I won’t allow you to do or say as you want. I know what you’re about to say. Some emotional stuff about how you and I are now suddenly inseparable, but I’m going to stop you right here and right now. Your research is more important than I will ever be.” Keagan said as he walked toward his bed.

“I know that. But I think you’re mistaking me for the two wretches who ruined you life. You don’t get to dictate who I let on and out of my heart.” Mercy said as her eyes burnt brightly.

Keagan would have been taken aback by her behaviour but he was honestly relieved to hear that Mercy wanted to stay by his side.

Keagan smiled weakly at Mercy as he laid back on his bed.

“Fine. If you want to be on this sinking ship, then I won’t stop you. Well… I tried, but you didn’t listen.” Keagan said as Mercy stood eerily still before him.

The sun slowly set and so deep shadows crawled all over the room.

Keagan looked into Mercy’s eyes and opened his arms.

“You’re not going to push me away?” Mercy asked.

Keagan shook his head.

“No and I’m sorry for being so-"

“Mean?” Mercy interrupted as she approached the bed.

“Hehe, yes. Now come.” Keagan said as Mercy crawled into the bed.

“You know what I’ve learnt over the past few weeks?” Mercy said as she rested her head on Keagan’s chest.

“No.”

“You’re not very good at expressing yourself. Yes, you frown and yell sometimes, but even as you sat in pain in the hospital, you didn’t cry. You didn’t ask for help or anything. “ Mercy said as the room turned dark, courtesy of the night sky.

“Is that so?” Keagan droned.

“It’s true. Don’t forget that I’m here if you ever need me.” Mercy said as she closed her eyes.

Keagan wondered if all he now knew was anger and pain.

If so then maybe Mercy had a point.