Chapter 4
Sevikas quarters were bare. Strictly the essentials, minus the scattered whiskey bottles. Some full, some half drank. Shes grown accustomed to a diet of surviving on practically nothing but the tawny liquor. Much to her liver's detriment..
Ten years..
It had been ten years since she last saw you. Why did this one instance shake her? Why does she still even think about you? You have a whole new life without her, a good life..
Dinner consisted of three deep swigs. The warmth soothing the ache in her chest. Her breath even tasted flammable between drinks. She slams the bottle a little harder than necessary on her night stand before flopping on the unmade bed unceremoniously. With a deep sigh she closes her eyes, the darkness swallowing her thoughts as she sinks further into the mattress, falling asleep.
Like a siren song your humming voice gently caressed the darkness of her mind. Her eyes crack open to an empty bed, sheets awry. Your humming persists, quiet but ever present. A smell wafts to her, hearty, sweet, salty.
She rubs the sleep from her face sitting up before swinging her legs off the bed and walking off into the kitchen.
There you were..
Your back turned as you continued to hum a tune sevika can't quite place. Sevika leans on the doorway, quietly observing you. You scoop a few things out of the pan discarding them on a plate. Pushing off the doorway sevika stalks over to where youre busy cooking.
‘smells good’ she says, tiredness laced in her voice
you turn around frowning ‘it was supposed to be breakfast in bed’
she huffs a short laugh taking her place behind you as she wraps her arm around your torso, resting her chin on your shoulder ‘i can always go back and pretend to be asleep’
‘its not the same’ you sarcastically sigh ‘but fine..’
Her eyes pull open, much to her dismay. The bed trying everything in it's nonexistent power to keep her locked within the sheets. Her eyes drift to the far part of the bed- the empty part.. An ache deep in her chest arises.
Work. She needed to get to work.
With a less than thrilled sigh she stands up walking over to the large mirror in her room.
Time has taken its toll on her. Her eyes seemingly permanently darkened with exhaustion. Her face an everlasting scowl. She looks weary, tired..
But she doesnt have the luxury of quitting, of taking it easy. The city never sleeps and if she had it her way, she wouldnt either. One day of seeing you and shes already thown off of her game? Pathetic. She had a city to run, her entanglement with you ended long ago. If you still had your hangups about it, thats not her problem..
Her scowl must've been extra bone chilling today, her underlings avoiding eye contact and or blatantly giving her a wide birth. Even her most trusted colleagues seemed on edge, bristling every time she answered their questions.
The lights were too fucking bright. Every noise was too goddamn loud. She chanted in her head ‘keep it together’ but the stress of this place is never ending. She swears she has to fill out an approval just for someone to wipe their ass. Is this why silco was always in his goddamn office? because no one can exist without her telling them they can? can people not fucking think for themselves anymore.
She slams the office door behind her. She just needed a minute- one fucking minute to herself. Just one. Her head falls back against the door as she sighs deeply trying to quell this molten rage seeping through her. The heat inside her burning from the inside out.
Meeting after meeting. Thats all she ever does. Talk and talk and talk and talk. Shes fucking sick of it. She signs all these papers and organizes all of these deals but are they even fucking doing anything? Is anything shes done actually helping anyone? Has it ever?! How the hell would she know? Because someone she pays is telling her it is??
She rubs the growing wrath and disdain from her face chest heaving with heavy breaths. She used to be feared. She used to fight handson for what mattered. Now shes stuck behind a fucking desk.
She needs to get out of here.