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Anthony slipped back to sleep because his body demanded it. He woke up in the safety of his own bed, thinking he must be hallucinating. Dima would likely appear at any minute with another form of torture. Memories of last night began to resurface, convincing Anthony that this was indeed real. The sun was already in the sky, the apartment quiet except for the low humming of his old refrigerator. He never imagined he’d miss that annoying hum so much.
His head spun when he pushed himself to sit with his back against the headboard. Looking down, his ribs poked out, a disturbing sight. He couldn’t remember getting back home the previous day, just flashes of riding in the back of an Uber.
It was strange being so weak yet feeling better than he had in days.
The sound of movement came from the living room. Anthony held his breath in anxious anticipation, only breathing when Chris walked down the hallway, his hair untidy from sleep.
“You’re up?” Chris asked, voice sleepy.
“Yes.”
They watched each other in silence, until Chris finally said, “I thought you were dead.”
“He didn’t want to kill me, just break me.”
“He failed.”
“He didn’t.”
“Ant.”
“I was willing to do anything to make it stop, so no, he didn’t fail.”
Chris seemed like he wanted to argue, but instead, he said, “I have vitamins for you to take, and I made soup. It tastes bad, but it’s healthy.”
Anthony took the colorful vitamins and drank the worst soup he had ever tasted, but food was food, and it would be days until he’d be picky about that, if ever.
Chris sat on the bed while Anthony ate, and when he finished, he took the bowl and said, “About a week ago, Tobias sent messages from your phone to Ethan and me, saying you need time alone and you don’t know when you’ll be back. It wasn’t like you, so I went to the club and watched Tobias closely. He looked normal like nothing happened, and that was when I knew he had you. I…” He rubbed his face. “I was petrified.”
“Were you?”
“What? Of course.”
A bitter feeling grew inside Anthony, tasting worse than the soup. “And to think, the last time you ever saw me could’ve been when you fucked me while I was drugged.”
Chris’s mouth opened, but he said nothing. There was hurt in his eyes.
Anthony looked away, refusing to take back his words. And why should he? The truth wasn’t there to be nice and polite. The man who had ended up rescuing him was the one who had brought him to the club in the first place.
“You and your damn photos,” Anthony hissed. “I knew it was wrong, but you… you have a way of getting what you want, to make me doubt myself.”
“Ant—”
“I gave you everything, fucking everything.”
“I didn’t mean for any of this to happen. I tried to warn you that Tobias was—”
“It’s not about Tobias! He’s a monster, but he was never my friend.” Anthony put his face in his hands. He wasn’t going to cry because the thought of losing precious fluids scared him. “Leave,” he said without raising his head. “I want to be alone.”
“You’re not strong enough.”
“Don’t tell me what I am. Get out, I’m done with you.”
“Ant—”
“Get out!”
He did.
