Regrets

The day before Ivaylo's release, he was sitting in his hospital bed, with Rose annoyingly lingering around. A huge military-looking guy entered the room. Black and tan in color, ears cropped, tail docked. A Beastman of 3,05-meter height, very intimidating looking. Rose froze in place as soon, as she spotted him. She didn't know, why he came to visit Ivaylo. He is a business Beastman, so why?

"We need to talk... NOW!" Kay's eyes darted to Rose. It was obvious, he wanted to speak with Ivaylo between four eyes. Any other pair of prying female orbs were unwanted. Rose collected herself, took the handbag lying on the table, one last peek at Ivaylo and she closed the door behind her.

Kay waited for a while, he wanted to be sure, she was gone and then his focus went back to Ivaylo. "What sick game are you playing with Paetyn this time?!" Ivaylo was confused. "What are you talking about? What matters more, is she giving me now the silent treatment? I am not sure why."

Kay made himself comfortable in the chair under the window. "You sure about that? She didn't say anything and just left the city completely. And even I can't reach her, right now. What happened between you two and why are you in the hospital again in the first place?!"

Ivaylo rolled his eyes and pulled up his shirt to show him the stitches, which will be soon pulled out. "Don't you remember? Your punch, which I took? It was almost fatal for me... breaking my ribs, puncturing my lung, and then sending me almost onto a way over the river Styx."

Kay stayed silent and pondered. Was he really, the cause of Ivaylo's hospital stay? "Did I do this to you?" Ivaylo nodded. It took him aback. Kay didn't know what to say. He abruptly stood up and had to apologize. "I didn't know that... I am really, sorry! It's all my fault!" Kay began to pace up and down the room. Ivaylo didn't hold a grudge and tried to calm him down.

He reached out with his hand. "So let's get our stories in one... Most, before I woke up, I don't remember. I woke up here in the hospital with Paetyn holding my hand and my family walking on us. I wanted to reveal my relationship to them, to be finally done with it and deal with the aftermath at once. I regret not doing it..."

Ivaylo's head sank. "After she left, I didn't get any messages nor visits from her side. I tried to call her but to no avail." Kay was tapping his claw on his muzzle thinking. "She was distraught when I saw her the last time. She said, she needed to leave for some time, but didn't tell me where. I called her grandmother, but even she doesn't know where she went. That makes me worry the most and then, her phone is off..."

Ivaylo swallowed hard and he decided to go home one day earlier. He asked Kay for a ride, who gladly obliged. He had to repay him the forgiveness he was given. To keep in touch the two shared their social media profiles and added each other as "friends". It felt a little awkward but useful if they needed to contact each other.

Exiting the car and standing back in front of the Outskirt's apartment, he hoped to find her there... Entering the dark empty flat made his heart sink even further. She wasn't home.

Ivaylo was about to make some green tea. He noticed something... some part of a package sticking out of the bin. The candy was scattered all over, mixed with the coffee he gifted her for Christmas. What was this about?

He rushed into the bedroom and found the dress ripped apart and the jewelry missing. Did Paetyn do all of this? That's not her habit of behaving in that way... Standing in the middle of the bedroom over that torn dress staring at it, Ivaylo was speechless. His heart was broken to pieces. Did she see him as a nuisance and left him for good?

The sound of the keys entering the lock and twisting snapped him out of his thoughts. He rushed into the living room meeting halfway with... Rose. Paetyn's keys in her hands and wearing the jewelry. She was the culprit. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!"

Nonchalantly, she put her handbag on the TV table. "I took care of your place for the time being. I saw the presents you bought for me. The nasty cheap candy and coffee, at least you could remember, I told you I don't like them. The dress was too tiny and it ripped as I tried to fit into it, right on the start, but I love the jewelry." She tapped it excitedly with her fingers.

Now he got the whole picture of what happened to Paetyn's gifts. "Not that, where is the human girl?" Rose sneered over Ivaylo mentioning her. "I told her, she is fired and to stay away from you... maybe little in a threatening way." Rose giggled over that.

Ivaylo's open hand met hard with Rose's cheek leaving a red mark on it. He was fed up with her selfish antics and one-sided obsession. Basically, she was a stalker, who didn't let him breathe. He pushed her against the wall and ripped the jewelry from her neck.

Rose tried to open her mouth but he grabbed her by the jaw and brought his face close to hers. Rose was trembling out of fear. Ivaylo Beasthandled her quite roughly. Something, he never did to any female before.

"Listen very carefully, to what I am about to say to you... I will say it only once! You will leave this place, never-ever come close to me again. I am not your boyfriend nor lover. You will stop bothering my family and don't you dare to come near Paetyn! If you break any of these... I WILL personally punish you!" He snatched the keys out of her hand and threw the handbag into her arms. "Now LEAVE!"

After the door shut with a loud thud, he regretted the slap. That wasn't him... He also regretted leaving Paetyn on her own and not checking on her earlier. What if something happened to her?! What will he do without that human girl? He looked out the window into the snow-covered streets.