Intrigue

Chapter 2

Chapter 2 - Sean's POV

"Good morning, sleepy head," I said when Malcolm opened his eyes. I was sprawled on the bed next to him, keeping myself busy with a book. I'd woken up almost two hours before, and had had time to shower and make breakfast before going back on the bed to wait for him to wake up. The drug would only wear off after around ten hours, and I'd carried Malcolm home around midnight... and it was now precisely 10am.

He blinked at me, as if barely recognising me. "Where the heck am I?" He tried sitting up, but seemed to find it more difficult than he'd anticipated.

"I wasn't just going to leave you on a bench outside, I brought you to my apartment," I explained, raising an eyebrow. I hoped he remembered at least a little bit from last night, hopefully enough to know who I was. I could reconstruct some details later on.

He regarded me suspiciously. "I'm sorry - what's your name?"

I chewed on my lip, thinking that with the way things seemed to be going, using a fake name wasn't going to work with him. I'd have to change my occupation too, perhaps tell him the truth, that I worked with the police, hopefully without him working it out where he'd known me. Too much lying will get you nowhere. "Sean," I said, "and you're Malcolm, right?" I treaded carefully.

Malcolm nodded, glancing down at himself. He seemed to be relieved that he was fully dressed. I kept my smirk to myself, knowing that my suspicions about him were true. "Was I that out of it that I don't even remember you bringing me here?"

I turned to look directly into his eyes, and seemed to have startled him. "I don't know. What's the last thing you remember?" I asked.

He held my gaze. "My friends ditched and we got talking. You were insistent, then somehow I started feeling sick and you helped me?" he said, but seemed to be asking me rather than knowing. Good, I mused. I can twist and turn any way I want to.

"Yeah. You were out of it. That drink seemed to bum you hard."

"Were there- were there drugs involved?" Malcolm sat up quickly, looking at me. I felt my pulse quicken at the pressure.

"We smoked a joint to calm down," I conceded. Malcolm didn't look pleased, so I'd be wiser to omit the detail on showing him my drug stash, which I'd gotten for him, but which I do admit that I used every now and then when things didn't seem to go my way. Cue Ella and her teacher-boyfriend. I grimaced at the memory, then remembered that here I was, with her brother Malcolm, about to make him pay for her actions.

"Bloody hell," Malcolm cursed, getting up from the bed. "I promised myself I'd never touch drugs again."

"Hey, hey, it's harmless," I said, also getting up.

He shook his head, and suddenly seemed to notice the king-sized bed. "Did I sleep here, with you?" he asked. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Twenty questions. I chuckled instead.

"Not quite with me, but next to me, yes." I held his gaze.

Malcolm blinked, breaking eye contact with me. "Can I run to the bathroom before I grab a cab? I'd like to freshen up before I go home."

I nodded towards the ensuite. "Take your time, I'm not in a rush. I'll be in the kitchen." I turned and let him have his privacy as I made my way towards my kitchen and living room. I heaved a sigh of relief. It was good to have such a large space for an apartment. I'd appreciated it ever since Riley moved out. That was one good thing that had come out of the whole Ella ordeal. At eighteen years old she may have been a kid, but she had given me good advice before turning into a bitch on me.