~Archer~
"You were supposed to call me!"
"I'm here, aren't I?"
"I told you to call me when you touched down"
"I wanted to surprise you!"
"I hate surprises. And I thought we agreed you were going to listen to me for your safety's sake!"
"Don't. Don't do that!"
"Don't what? Don't care about your safety?"
"Don't use my safety to control me!"
Silence
Felix and I had been dating for two months. Above is a snippet of one of our arguments. It was two months after the Vasiliev brothers were killed along with Konstantin. I thought things were back to normal, but it only made Felix more paranoid. I had to call him whenever I went somewhere without him. I usually didn't mind but that time I had thought of doing something nice.
I had just returned home from Christmas break. Felix had "instructed me with love" to call him as soon as I arrived at the airport. He probably had plans to pick me up, but I thought I'd just surprise him and rock up at his apartment. Things didn't go so well.
He knew my flight number and he knew when I'd landed.
He'd been about to call me when I knocked on his door. I had the widest smile on my face. I was happy to see him after the break. I thought he'd be happy to see me too. He chose to be pissed off instead. My words didn't help.
"I don't mean you control me, it's just..." I started after my outburst.
"No, you said what you mean".
"Felix", I said softly.
He shrugged, just before his phone rang. He answered and spent a great deal of time on the phone. I waited for him to finish, only for him to tell me he had to go. He wouldn't let me explain.
For two days we didn't talk. He was still mad at me and I was mad at both him and myself. I'd said things I didn't mean only because he being paranoid was frustrating.
He did background checks on my friends and their friends. He had to know where I was at all times. I couldn't surprise him and I hated that. I wanted to be spontaneous, do something he didn't expect. He knew my schedule off by heart. He was really seconds from putting his little bugs on me. At times I suspected he did because he made comments like, "I can't listen to Stella sing" minutes after Stella had sung while with me. Maybe I was the paranoid one.
The two days without Felix were torture. I'd already spent time without him owing to the Christmas break so I missed him terribly. I called on day two and he didn't answer. He was obviously giving me the silent treatment.
On day 3 there was a knock on my bedroom door. I was still sharing the apartment with Alex. I hadn't heard a knock on the main door so I assumed it was him.
"Can't a person sleep in peace?!" I shouted.
"I'm glad you are, I'm not", a voice drawled outside the room. I knew instantly that it was Felix.
I got out of bed quickly and nearly tripped on the sheets. I opened the door to a gorgeous sight. Felix was standing there in a well-cut navy blue suit and a black shirt. His jacket was open, showing his strong chest. His hair was slicked and parted to the side, creating several bangs in front.
"Hey...um...I thought it was Alex", I said licking my lip.
I looked down at my feet. I'd slept and woken up in Felix's arms many times. He'd obviously seen how I looked straight out of bed but I was suddenly a bit shy.
"You look great. Where are you off to?" I asked quickly, certain his sharp mind was wondering why I was looking down at my feet.
"To the bank", he said curtly. "Can I come in?"
"Of course, sorry" I said sheepishly.
He walked in and I closed the door. He took a seat at my desk, spinning the chair to look at me.
"Do you think I control you?" he asked clearly, going straight to the point.
I shook my head. "No".
"Then...why'd you say..."
I interrupted. "I know that being with you is risky and that I agreed to listen to you, it's just...I was upset. I wanted to surprise you. I was happy to see you. And you were mad at me. I'm sorry that I said that. I don't feel like you are controlling me", I said.
He sighed.
"Babe I..." I started and he shook his head. That silenced me.
"I know I can be too much sometimes and I'm sorry. I'm trying to be more flexible. I didn't tell you this because I didn't want to alarm you but I've been talking to Marx. The Vasiliev brothers didn't just have business partners, it was a family business. I'm not saying their family members will want revenge, but...I don't know. I just want you safe Pancakes. The past two days I was angry with myself, not you. To an extent you are right, I really need to lay of...just a bit", he said.
My eyes were glued to him, stunned by his revelation.
"When were you going to tell me about what Marx said?" I asked softly.
"So you can tell me I'm paranoid?" he asked grinning.
"Yes!" I said grinning back. "And I would also tell you that I get it. It's not easy for you and it's not easy for me but I get it. I don't mind telling you where I am. I just hate that that cancels out spontaneity in our relationship"
"We are spontaneous!" he said with a wink.
I blushed. "Of course you'd go there. I mean I can't surprise you if you always know where I am".
"Um...we'll work on that", he said.
I knew he was just saying it. He was adamant on no surprises. I guess it was wired in him. He always planned things to the tee. He was always on top of his game. Anything that threw him off wasn't welcome. I understood it was part of his previous "job" but I hoped overtime he would be less rigid.
I gave him a small smile.
"Pancakes, are you sure I'm not controlling? I mean, I don't want to come off as that. I want you to be free with me", he said adorably.
I grinned and walked over to him, standing before him. I put my arms around his neck.
"If you were controlling you'd be single, or at least dating someone else", I said.
He pulled me down onto his lap.
"I don't want to date someone else", he said.
"Great! It would be shitty if you did", I said giving him a sheepish smile. "And Stella would hit you".
"I love you", he said softly.
"I love you too"
Without warning, he crushed his lips against mine. At first the kiss was as soft as rose petals in the morning and slow but quickly gained momentum.
I pulled out of the kiss slightly.
"Don't you have a bank to go to?"
"It's my money, they can wait", he replied, placing his lips where they were before.