MEERA

The apartment that Natalia lived in was nicer than I thought it would be. Way, way nicer. Almost to the point where I felt like was stepping on money wherever I went.

It was a refurbished apartment, meaning that it was brand spanking new with heating and great plumbing. Even the hardwood floors were new. With each square foot I explored, I couldn't help but think just how expensive it must've been for Nat.

A part of me cried just thinking about money and the other half of me rejoiced over not freezing in the winter.

I scuttled from room to room in excitement like a puppy off its leash, carefully checking over every detail. Hell, I even checked the water pressure.

There were four rooms. One master, two guest rooms, and an extra room that was an office.

Nat leaned against the kitchen counter when I returned, arms crossed over her chest with an anxious look.

"So?" She raised her hand, sweeping it across in a small arc. "What do you think? Not too bad, right?"

I closed the door to one of the bedrooms, hiding a smile. "It's better than I expected."

"Right. Newly refurbished too!" She patted the granite countertop proudly.

"How did you find this place?" I asked.

She shrugged. "My dad gave it to me. It was the only part of the inheritance that I liked so...I just fixed it up a little and decided to live here."

I nodded in understanding. "Oh, Nat." I placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry for your loss."

"Yeah. Don't worry about it." She sighed, brushing my condolences off like it was nothing. "It happened about a year ago. I'm over it now so don't walk on eggshells around me, okay?"

I chuckled nervously and raised my hands in front of me. "No need to worry about that."

Nat nodded once and reached into her bag to pull out a whole folder. I assumed that was the rental agreement. She slid the folder to me. "Look it over. Tell me what you think. Everything is written down including the rent and how we'll split the chores."

I glanced at her and then down at the folder. It looked heavier than I thought. I carefully flipped through the first few pages. "Nat?" I picked up the folder, pointing to one of the pages. "Why is my rent only 500$?"

"What?" She squinted at the page. "You want me to lower it?"

"No!" I protested, shaking my head. This was already low enough, unfairly low. "I should be paying you more than 500$! The places I've seen said that the rent was two grand. At least! Aren't you supposed to charge me more than that?!"

To my surprise, Nat started to laugh. "Are you kidding me, Doc?!" She said between the laughter. "I'm not gonna charge you that much! Who do you think I am? A heathen?"

"No, not really." I waited till Nat stopped laughing. "But—-"

"No buts. Just accept it." Nat pulled out a pen, uncapped it and slid it across the counter to me. "You're not gonna find an apartment to rent that cheap in New York or a landlady as nice as me."

I raised my eyebrow.  "Are you my landlady or my roommate?"

"I'm both." She tapped the paper. "Sign these and fill out the details. You can move in tomorrow."

"Nat," I whined. "Are you sure?"

"Uh, Hell yeah! You have a cat and you can fix me up for free!" She exclaimed, holding up her bandaged arm. "Out of the thousands of assholes I've interviewed, you're perfect! Plus, your single so I don't have to deal with any annoying boyfriends coming over."

Somehow, I should've felt insulted by that.

"Perfect is a bit of an overstretch." I narrowed my eyes, pointing the tip of the pen at her. "You didn't interview me."

She put her hand on her hip. "Uh, yeah I did. That night at the bar? You think I asked Haley about you for nothing?"

"I don't think that's how any interview works, Nat." I looked around the dining room once more. It was a nice place. I would be an idiot if I didn't say yes. Plus, I wouldn't have to buy my furniture. "Will Anya be okay with this? I don't want anyone to be uncomfortable."

Nat brushed off my concerns with a roll of her eyes. She got up from the barstool and went to the fridge to rummage for something. "Not every Farewell works for Anya and Ivan. I'm independent. Don't worry about it. If they have a problem they'll deal with me. So look over the rules, Doc, and don't worry too much about it."

"Rules?" I turned to the next page where Nat has kindly stated her demands. "Oh?"

"Er.......this is very specific." I looked up. "Can I add some stuff?"

"Sure." She pointed to the pen. "Have fun."

I grinned and started writing. "Great!"

"Okay!" I clapped my hands, presenting them to her. "What do think?"

"Huh?" Nat learned over the table and silently read the extra rules that I added. Her eyes snagged on rule 8. "I'll admit, these aren't the weirdest rules I've seen."

I shifted from foot to foot waiting for her. I took a look around me, my gaze is pulled to the bookshelf that had more knickknacks than actual books. I wondered if Nat would let me place my textbooks there.

"Fine!" Nat huffed. She pushed the paper back to me. "This is fine."

"Okay?" I asked tentatively, my hands clasped in front of me. From the corner of my eye, I could see Nat smiling.

"Yeah. Okay. I'm not super picky." The blonde rolled her eyes and walked towards the door. I followed behind her with the folder tucked underneath my arm. "You like coffee?"

"The sweeter the better."

It only took me three days to sign the agreement and move in.

There wasn't much to move in other than a cranky cat and a beat-up suitcase. And myself. Obviously.

Nat took the master bedroom on the second floor which was fine by me. She gave me the bedroom on the first floor. Pharaoh took some time to coax him out of the carrier. With enough treats, he carefully placed a paw on the wooden floors, his tail swishing anxiously as he took in the new surroundings. His little pink nose twitched before he took a tentative step out.

I picked him up and cradled him close to me, soaking in his warmth. My bedroom was small as most apartment bedrooms in New York were.

At least I had a closet and an en suite bathroom. The hardwood floors were cold as I walked across them, picking up random things from my very large suitcase and placing them where I pleased.

I had pinned up all the postcards my mother had sent me on the far wall where I had fairy lights strung up. The soft blue lights cascaded along with the moulding, making half of my ceiling glow blue and grey. The queen-sized bed was the largest thing in the room and the most comfortable thing I had seen. I sat down on in, one hand holding Pharaoh and the other holding a box.

Pharaoh made a sound of disapproval and leapt from arms, curling up on the comforter. I rolled my eyes at the grey ball of fluff before picking up my box. The box was rectangular and made of finely polished sandalwood carved with tigers and peacocks. I traced my fingers over the carvings before snatching my hands away immediately. I placed it inside the top drawer of my dresser and shut it, hiding away the postcards my mother had sent me.

Over the years, they had become my most valuable possession.

I turned my back and returned to my belongings where a new postcard lay on my bed. I carefully picked it up. The sunny and warm picture of Tahiti stood out with its lush trees and clear blue waters.

I rolled my eyes at the cheesy little line. This had come in just before Ivan and I talked a few nights ago. I flipped over the card, staring down at my mother's handwriting.

Her recent project had taken her to Tahiti. Along with the beautiful islands and the wonderful locals, she had been working for a local clinic. To others, it might seem like a dream come true. I could see it for what it is. My mother loved running away to the most remote places possible. The farther away, the better.

Blaming her was something I didn't have time to do. I ran away too. But that didn't mean that I didn't miss my mother. I missed her terribly. There were a lot of times I wished I could've had her by my side. I sighed and pinned the card against the wall, allowing it to become part of a misshapen memorial to my mommy issues.

The last time I had seen her was in London and that wasn't under the happiest of circumstances. And then once again in LA, where she dropped me off with Uncle Roma and took the next flight to wherever she was going. Three years was a long time to not see your loved ones.

I laid down on the bed, my suitcase and boxes be damned. The idea of getting up wasn't fun, I wanted to just lay here for the entire day and do nothing. God. I hated days like this. I felt like driftwood flowing down a turbulent river, being jerked in all different directions before sinking to the bottom.

Asking for help seemed pointless.

I turned my head, staring out the two windows as light from the street lights bled into my room, casting a saccharin glow over everything. One of the lights flickered for a bit and then came back on.

Pharaoh picked his head up, his yellow eyes transfixed by the lights. His eyes twitched slightly. I reached out to pet him, my fingers running through his fur. It was more of a way to reassure me than him. I closed my eyes and focused on the good things that happened this week, tucking them one by one.

Let's see...let me make a mental checklist of good things.

I found an apartment and a questionable roommate. There was a jacket on sale that I was able to buy so I didn't freeze all the time. And it was blue too! Nat and I had our first movie night. For someone who wasn't scared of anything, she looked a little scared when watching ghost movies.

I talked to Ivan.

Oh. Ivan...Ivan Farewell. Since when did I call him by his first name?

I opened my eyes and gazed softly at the windows.

Ivan was not what I expected him, awkwardness aside, he seemed nice. In my head, I expected someone aggressive, stone-faced, and a little bit intimidating. I expected a man who was a gangster through and through. Although, he is a bit intimidating...just not in the way that you expected.

I wasn't sure what to say to someone who looked so sad and alone. Grief was weird. It wasn't a simple emotion and it messed you up. I wondered how he has handled it. I remembered what grief felt like. It took me time to recover from that.

Ivan had sat there all alone in the cold night. Head bent downwards, eyes cast towards his leather shoes and a milkshake in his hand. His expression was cut off and almost worried. I don't know what about Ivan made me want to talk to him........maybe because I was intrigued by him. Or maybe, he looked like he needed someone to talk to.

Damn my bleeding heart. My mother always told me that my compassion would be my downfall.

It was a gamble to talk to him, a lot of things in my mind warned me to not say anything to him but he looked at me and I just wanted to smile at him. I was so nervous, I'm surprised no one could hear how loud my heart was beating. He could've been cold or he could've simply said nothing but that wasn't what happened at all.

I didn't think of him as Mr Farewell anymore. Ivan was dorky and kind and a little bit funny. He tried to play off his anger and irritation. He fiddled with his ring. He offered to wait with me even though he didn't have to. He asked me questions nobody had ever dared to ask me.

The business card he gave me was still in the pocket of my jacket, the top corner wrinkled from where I had been running my finger across it. I carried it with me all night, feeling it weigh me down. I shouldn't get involved with him. I really, really shouldn't. The wisest thing to do is to stay in my lane and keep my head down. Why did Ivan Farewell intrigue me?

Ivan was not the man who called me beautiful when he was delirious from blood loss nor was he the man who politely waited for me so I wouldn't be alone at a bus stop. He was...something. I just didn't know what. I would love to figure out more though.

I turned to my side, scooping up Pharaoh in my arms, and drifted off to sleep. I stared at my blue jacket that hung on the wall, till my eyes drifted close.

*****

I started awake at the sound of someone banging on my door. Pharaoh leapt up, his hair standing up as he hissed at the door. Nat barged in, her tee-shirt speckled with blood and her blue eyes widened in panic. She had a shallow cut on her cheek.

"Nat?" I gasped, tossing over the covers and nearly falling off in my haste to get to her.

I grabbed Nat by the shoulders, my sleepiness forgotten and started to check for any injuries. She brushed my hands away.

"It's not me. I'm fine," she said gruffly. "But someone needs your help. Get your stuff and get to the living room."

She turned on her heel sharply and left. There was a duffel back on the vanity labelled 'EMERGENCY' in large white letters. I had always kept the bag wherever I lived. It had never failed me before. I grabbed it, hoisted it over my shoulders and sprinted toward the living room where I could hear two people bickering.

On the couch was a man with the same blonde hair and same blue eyes as Nat. He groaned in pain when Nat sat him up roughly, grabbing him by the collar.
I winced on his behalf.

Half of his shirt was a bloodied mess. I didn't know if it was his blood or not. I reached out to move the fabric aside so I could see where he was injured. My fingers came away stained red.

"It's not my blood," he hissed when my hand brushed against his skin. He looked up at me with tired green eyes, the same as Nat's. "Do you think you could wrap up my shoulder, Doc?"

"What even happened?" I asked as I got to work, snapping on my gloves and grabbing my scissors to cut away the fabric over his chest. The skin underneath was sticky with blood, it smelled awful even through the mask I was wearing. I wondered if we would have to burn the couch after this. Pity, it was a nice couch.

"Oh, you know. Got beat up while drunk." He said casually. Nat smacked him upside the head. "Ow! What the fuck?!"

"You're supposed to stay out of trouble, idiot!" Nat growled. She smacked his head again, this time with a little less force.  "You're barely healed up from last time! What am I going to tell—-"

Nik's face scrunched up in pain. "Woman, I swear to god if you don't stop smacking me—-"

"You'll what?!" She asks incredulously. Nat loomed over him with an expression that had me shivering in fear. "What will you do?!"

He gulped and looked away, glaring at the coffee table. "Just don't tell, Ivan." He muttered angrily. "I don't what him to find out about this."

Smart man. He values his life.

Nat's face turned even redder. "Oh, hell yeah! I'm going to tell, Ivan! This is your mess! You deal with it!"

"Why are you such—"

"Will both of you shut up!" I yelled. Both of them closed their mouths at my outburst. "Thank you! Look you two can deal with your problems later but right now I need help so stop arguing or help me out!"

Nat gave Nik one last glare before turning to me. She didn't look pleased at all. "What do you need me to do?"

"You need to put pressure on his shoulder while I get the sutures ready." I cut off her protest with a glare. "And some hot water. There's a lot of blood."

She pouted. "Fine."

Cleaning the wound went quickly with Nat's help. Nik sat still, probably the best patient I've dealt with. His lips pressed down into a thin line as I dabbed on the antiseptics around the cut on his shoulder. The only time he made a sound was when Nat pressed down too hard on the cut. He took it like a champ. I gave him an apologetic smile by the time I was done.

The cut didn't run too deep thankfully. It was easier to clean. But that didn't explain the amount of blood that he was covered in. I glanced down at the red-stained shirt on the carpet and shuddered, thinking about whatever poor soul had gotten in Nik's way just gave me goosebumps.

It's hard to forget about who you deal with daily. I'm no stranger to blood and awful things but a normal civilian might take a break, go outside and smoke a cigarette to process their thoughts. There was a limit. I don't think I've reached that yet.

Nik was unusually quiet as I stitched him up. He was probably in less pain after I applied the local anaesthetic.

Nat sat by the fireplace, back to us and swirling the drink in her hand as she stared into the smouldering fire. Her hair looked like a halo illuminated by the firelight.
She had changed her shirt in the meantime, donning a cosy green sweater that matched her eyes. Her hair was pulled back in a messy bun; together by a hair clip. She hadn't said a word the entire time from start to finish which was worrying me.

Nik was staring up at the ceiling with a blank look on his face. The was a streak of blood on his right temple and cheek that was bothering me.

"Nik?" I called out gently, holding up a pillbox and shaking the pain med inside to get his attention. "How are you feeling?"

He slowly glanced over at Nat and then at me. Nik looked so tired but the pain must've been keeping him awake. "It gonna hurt like a bitch in the morning, Doc."

I smiled sympathetically. "You'll have to take a day or two off though."

"It's only a cut and a busted shoulder. No big deal," he murmured. "I'll be fine."

"Oh really? I didn't know you had a secret medical degree." I countered. I patted his arm which was held up in a temporary sling. "This could turn into a septic infection, then what are you going to do?"

He cracked a smile. "Come over here and visit you?"

"Funny." I held up a pill. "I'm not gonna give you ibuprofen, you need the cut to heal. I'm afraid you'll have to take good ol' fashioned Tylenol. I'll prescribe some antibiotics for later, okay?"

"Better than nothing." He held out his good hand. "Thanks, Doc."

I placed the Tylenol pill in the palm of his hand and handed him a glass of water that Nat had placed down. As I cleaned up the area around me, I snuck glanced between both of them. Nat was still firmly ignoring Nik. Nik was giving Nat sad glances that reminded me of a kicked puppy.

They look almost alike; the slender noses, the pale blonde hair, and the way they both hated people. The only different thing was their green eyes. Although the same shade, Nat's were ice-cold, like a pond frozen over in winter. Nik's were softer like fresh moss, emotion what written in them.

Twins. Fraternal maybe? Once you cleaned off the blood and did away with the bickering you could see that they were twins.

I left the black garbage back in the kitchen, promising to deal with it tomorrow. Nat walked in as I was washing my hands. She was quiet, fiddling around the kitchen as if she was looking for something. After a while of rummaging around, she placed her emptied glass down, leaned again on the island, and looked up at me.

"Thank you," Nat said quietly from her spot. "You know...for stitching that idiot up."

I could see her reflection in the window. I nodded. I didn't know if I should smile or give a hug or ask her if she was okay. Maybe I should've done all three.
Nat looked small with her twiddling thumbs and nervous glances. She usually hid it well but something was bothering her. I wasn't the type to extend someone's misery so I dried my hands off and turned around the face her.

"Nat, you don't have to thank me," I told her softly. "What's on your mind?"

"You're too nice, have I told you that?"

I shrugged. "Only about a dozen or so times."

"Right..." she glanced behind her towards the living room and then lowered her voice. "I need you to deal with my brother."

"Nik?" I frowned. Did she want me to kick him out? "I don't know, Nat...I know you don't like him but I can't just kick him out like that."

"No! Not that idiot!"

"Then who?"

She grits her teeth and looked like she wanted to scurry away and hide away in some dark corner.

"Ivan," She gritted out. "I know I shouldn't ask you to get involved but Ivan's gonna be here in about three minutes and I, really, really don't want to talk to him right now. And I'm not ready to—-"

"Hey, Nat. It's okay." I grabbed both of her hands, gently squeezing them. She didn't pull away. "Look. I understand."

"You're way too nice for your good." She looked guilty. I watched as she swallowed thickly. "I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you."

I smiled. "It's fine. I'm not complaining. I'll just tell Ivan you went out to get something for me." I nodded towards the stairs. "Go and get some rest. You can buy me takeout tomorrow."

"Chinese?"

"Definitely."

Nat gave me an apologetic look. "I'm sorry. I'm such a coward, aren't I?"

"I've only known you for a short time. You're no coward, Natalia." I reassured her. "Go on."

She nodded and speed walked to the stairs, not even glancing at Nik. I waited for the sounds of her footsteps to cease before turning around to go back into the living room.

Nik was staring into the fire, his glass of water still in hand.

"She's still mad, isn't she?" He asked without tearing his gaze away. It was strange how similar they looked. I picked up the blanket that had been draped over the sitting chair and tossed it to him.

"If it helps, she still cares about you."

"I know that, Doc." He sighed and closed his eyes. "She cares a lot. That's the problem."

I leaned back in the chair. Nik was dozing off while I took a well-deserved breather. The warmth of the fire chased away the cold.

Ivan had told me that he had a big family. I shouldn't be surprised really. So far I've met four out of the seven Farewells. I wondered if I would meet them by the time the year was over. I also wondered how many times I would run into Ivan. Now that was thought. I wrapped my arms around my knees, holding myself. I never told Ivan about where I was living. Anya had been surprised when I mentioned Nat's name but still approved. Would he find it weird that I was living with his sister? My plan of staying out of the way and being quiet wasn't working out.

"If you're worried about Ivan, don't be."

My head popped up. "What?"

Nik frowned, his eyes were open now. "I doubt he'll be mad at you. More than anything, he'd be happy."

I narrowed my eyes. "How long have you been staring at me?"

He chuckled. "Long enough to know that you're worried about meeting my brother."

"I'm not worried!" I protested.

"Sure." Nik dared to smirk. "The lady doth protest too much."

"Leave Shakespeare out of this. And that's not even the line!"

"It's fine by me if you want to go after my brother. But just letting you know, he's clueless when it comes to relationships." Nik pulled the blanket closer and got comfortable. "He can be a bit intimidating but he's a nice guy underneath all that tough, manly CEO stuff."

I snorted, ignoring my burning ears. "It's not like that, Nik," I told him gently. "I just have a lot to think about that worries me. That's all."

"So you're not interested in him?"

"That's not professional. I kinda work for your family, remember?"

"And that's going to stop you?"

I glared at him. "Yes."

"Hey, if you're not interested, let me know. I know a few nice restaurants in the area. Some of the owners owe me a few favours." He winked. "I can be nice."

"Thank you for the offer but I don't date the people I treat." I laughed, letting him down gently. "Go to sleep, Nik."

"Your loss." He turned over and fell silent.

And then it was just me, the fire, and the clock ticking away.