Switchblade

Chapter 32: Apologies and Explanations

She faced the counter and placed her item on top.

"You guys are cute." the cashier snickered and scanned the item.
"Hm?"
"Is that your boyfriend?" she asked.
"No. He's just a guy I know."
"Oh. Never mind, I thought you were together."
Tati's brows furrowed in confusion and a bit of disturbance as she slid in the card. "Why?"
"You guys don't look alike and you're pretty together."
Tati just stared at her.
The cashier snickered. "Sorry." she said as she bagged their things.
"Yea."
"Have a good night." she handed the bag to Tati.
"Thank you, you too."
Tati took it and faced Killian.

"We can go now." she stated and walked past him to head back to the car.

They both got inside.
"Give me my cigarettes." he instructed.
Tati went through the bag to grab them. Killian watched. His eyes caught what she was hiding before.
She handed him his cigarette carton.
"You know I know what a woman is, right?" he asked.
"Yea?" she answered, confused.
"So then-..."
She realized.
"Why did you try to hide buying pads?" he asked.
"Stop!!!" She yelled and moved the bag further out of his view.
"You hid it like you were buying crack." he said while he turned on the car.
"Leave me alone! Shut up!"
"Nobody cares that you get a period." he said as he opened his new cigarette carton.
"Oh my god!!!" she shouted and covered her ears.
Killian chuckled with a cigarette between his teeth and began backing out of the parking spot.
She looked at him to make sure he'd stopped talking while his hand smoothly turned the wheel.

"You're so annoying." she said and put her hands down.
He moved the gear shift and drove forward. "You only think that because you're on your period."
"No I'm not, shut the fuck up!" she whined. "You act like a child." she complained.
"You're the one who can't hear the word period."
"I just don't want you talking about what goes on in my vagina. That's not a conversation we should have."
"I don't care about what goes on in your vagina."
"Good."

He took out his lighter and lit the cigarette as he drove.
He inhaled then held it between two fingers in the hand that held the lighter.

"Especially if it's your period." he exhaled.
Tati slapped his arm and he snickered.

She stared down at her lap in thought.
If she didn't say anything about it, she felt like wherever they were going would be even more awkward and uncomfortable than necessary.

"I'm sorry." she stated.
"What?"
"About...what I said to you. Whatever you do with what's between your legs is completely your business. I just wanted something that I could hurt you with since I was so mad at you before. I know you showed me a lot more kindness than any other kidnapper would've. Which I hope you realize is a weird fucking sentence for me to say and I sound insane. But I was also in a tough situation. How am I supposed to react to the guy that hurt my mom but is being generous to me? I wanted to hurt you back and I knew it wouldn't be in a fight and that was the first thing I ran into so I used it."
"Mm." He took another puff of his cigarette. "You really won't let go of this kidnapping thing, will you?" he asked.
She didn't answer.
"Do you realize that anyone else would have died for not having that money on time? But instead I gave your mother an extra week and then an extra six months to make up for it? I wasn't supposed to do that."
"I know."
"And I could've gotten the guys to do some terrible shit to you, filmed it, and sent it to your mother as a threat but instead they gave you gourmet waffles for breakfast and steak for dinner then let you get drunk on alcohol you didn't have to pay for?"
"Yea..."
"Your mother owes me that money because of principle. Not because I'm a dick that wants to make her life hell. They weren't supposed to make a deal with her. We don't target older women or men past 70. I took you because if I would've left with nothing, my uncle would've done worse. But I had the idea to send you back safely."
Tati nodded. "You did cut my face though."
"He would've shot you if I hadn't. And me."
She didn't argue.

Tati noticed that the car slowed down and Killian rolled down his window in front of a keypad. He typed in the pin to the gated entrance.

Tati watched marveled by the pretty black gate as it slowly opened.

He drove onto the long driveway and she saw it. The large geometric black house that Killian called home.
She saw two other black vehicles in his carport.

"Are other people here?" she asked.
"No."

He parked and she continued to stare.
Killian got out and Tati excitedly followed with her bag in hand.

The front door had a keypad instead of a keyhole. He entered the code then pushed the door open.

She walked in after him. The house lit up with its dim lighting Killian adjusted using the dial on the wall.
"Take your shoes off." he instructed as he did the same then slid on a pair of slippers.
Tati began to take off her slippers to walk around barefoot.
"Is that as bright as your lights go?"
"I hate bright things. It's annoying to the eye."
"But it'll always look like night in here..." she argued gently.
He flicked a switch and she heard a light roaring sound.

Then noticed a good few of the walls were actually just windows covered by a black shade. The shades were sliding up into the ceiling and the house was being lit by the sunset.
"Wow..." she sighed.

"Your room is downstairs. Down that hallway and to your left." he stated.
She ran off to go see it and he was surprised by her speed.

Tati used the dial to adjust the lighting and saw the Queen sized bed and a black love seat in the dark room. She had a black chandelier and another one of those walls with the window shade. She lifted it.
There was a walk in closet and bathroom with a shower.

She sat on the bed and it was as comfortable as she'd imagined a cloud would be.
She got up to go ask Killian a question.

"How many bedrooms do you have in here?"
"Two bedrooms, two bathrooms, one half bath."
"What's a half bath?"
"That bathroom you had where it's a toilet and a sink with no shower or tub."
"Oh..." She spun around curiously, still looking around. "I expected your house to be bigger." she admitted.
He looked at her.
"I mean this is super big but you seem like a showoff so I thought it would be like a mile wide. With a parking garage and seven bedrooms."
"I don't need that much space. It's just me here."

She continued to stare around. "This place is beautiful. There's kind of an echo."
He didn't answer, he just went into his fridge and grabbed a bottle of water.
"How long will I be here?" she asked.
"I don't know. A week at most for extra precaution." he stated.
She nodded.

They were quiet as he sipped and she looked around his large modern kitchen.

They were interrupted by a light rumbling sound.
He side eyed her.
She stood there, embarrassed.
"Are you hungry?" he asked.
"All you gave me in the past two days was a sandwich and bottle of water..."
"I'm not cooking."
"I can." she stated.
"You can cook?"
"Yea. I kind of had to know."
"Mm."
"Can you?" she asked.
"No."
"Really?"
He looked at her.
"Hm. I'm gonna make dinner. Can you get my stuff out of the trunk?"
"I'm not your errand boy."
She rolled her eyes. "You're dramatic. Please?"
He set down his bottle of water and walked towards the door.
She scoffed and began raiding his kitchen to figure out what she could make.