Ebun had left Sean’s house after their big fight and returned to her base, Khovrino Hospital. One would judge her for going back to a domain where murdering people was the order of the day, but she had nowhere else to stay. She wasn’t attending to any of the patients – irrespective of whether or not they were criminals.

She just slept and woke up in her office every day. It was the perfect opportunity for her to ask Nurse Zoya to say what she’d meant to say the other time, but she wasn’t in the mood for conversation. Ebun felt like she would snap or yell at anyone if she interacted with them for more than five seconds. 

Lately, all of her discussions with people had fueled nothing but rage within her. The best thing for her at the moment would have been to go home – away from the country and the bad air it emitted, distant from any chat that had to do with her resolve towards vengeance and the dwindling unpredictable pendulum which was the current state of her love life. However, the Russian-Ukrainian war had gotten worse. Russian troops multiplied daily, invading villages, towns, and even airports in the country. 

So she remained in her office, locked away from everyone else. She had to think because there were many things to ponder on that could not be avoided. She had to make decisions. There was no shying away from them. 

Thus, Ebun wondered, was this how everything she’d shared with Sean would end? Was her stubbornness and rigidity worth that kind of loss? Over the years, Sean had been the kind of person who did everything in his power to gain her trust and affection. Actually, he didn’t have to do too much.

It started right from the time they met at the boxing ring when she was eighteen years old, and he’d asked her to follow him to Russia. He’d spent the subsequent days coming to the boxing ring, competing with her in more ferocious matches, and instigating random conversations. 

That was why she remained with him and allowed him to supervise her when they weren’t really getting along in Russia. Perhaps it was also because she’d always been attracted to him and felt a great sense of gratitude for him. But the more time passed, they blossomed.

Both of them grew to become better versions of themselves, and their understanding made their growth something worthy of cherishing. Because of Sean, Ebun believed she could do anything she’d set her mind to doing. As a result of his efforts to take her away from Hostel Pavlov, he’s used his connection to provide a bigger turf for her. All she had to do was complete her education. 

Although she loathed school, she didn’t mind going through it because of the bigger plan he had in stock for her, and that ‘bigger’ thing was Khovrino Hospital. Sean gave her big dreams. All she had was a tiny seed, but he took her by the hand and helped her build a big garden. He gave her more.

All she’d dreamt of was to kill, but he taught her how to murder with grace, confidence, authority, and even with a group of bad-asses and like-minded people. If it weren’t for him, she wouldn’t have her territory; her league of professional killers. She wouldn’t have Khovrino Hospital. She couldn’t just let him go like that. 

However, what was on the other side of the pendulum for her was guilt, and that was just as heavy as the weight of her love for Sean. The channels of her shame bled into her affection for him. Genuinely, she didn’t want to continue with her vengeance mission and wished that he too, would stop.

She was hurting so much that she didn’t want the person she loved to have even a slice of that kind of pain. And if that involved her leaving him so she wouldn’t watch him suffer, that was an exhibition of her love for him. Sometimes, love was also about letting go. Ebun knew this very well. 

Still, she felt like she wasn’t doing the right thing. 

There had to be something she could do, a compromise she could make. She didn’t have to be so objective, right? Life was not always about this or that. There were gray areas. She could try to look for a way that would demand something from both of them but still leave them content in the end. She had to try. Even if it involved being a hypocrite, it was alright. It was OK to be one sometimes.

It had taken Ebun some days to come to this conclusion. It took her time to accept that compromise was a viable option. For the better part of the time she’d spent alone in her office, all she’d done was drink, smoke, and cry as guilt ate on her insides like cancer. Then it got to a point where she could no longer wrestle with herself.

It was as though she was merely a body hosting two distinct versions of herself; one version represented thoughts, and so did the other. Both thoughts involved her decision to resign from assassination and her relationship with Sean. She didn’t know which would win, so she gave up on trying. It was tiring. That was when concession, the rejected cornerstone, became the pebble of the block. 

She decided she would see Sean and discuss what they could do to reach a bridge. It had been two weeks since the argument between them took place, and Ebun was grateful that he hadn’t for once called, texted, or tried to look for her.  She didn’t care what he was up to while they remained distant from each other, provided that he wasn’t sleeping with some girl.

She knew she was supposed to care, but if he’d carried out any of the aforementioned acts in a bid to reconcile with her, she probably would have gotten more confused. It would make it more complicated for her to think clearly.

Besides, she was the one who’d walked out on him without answering his question as to whether they were breaking up or not. She was the one who ought to go back to him to patch things together and give him the clarity he deserved. Perhaps, he was waiting on her to do so, hence the silence from his end. 

Once she concluded, she began to prepare to leave her office. First, she pulled her shirt from the chair and slipped it on. Then she brushed and flossed her teeth to eliminate the smoke stench in her mouth. Afterward, she grabbed her car keys. As she raced down the hallway, she made intentional efforts to ignore the greetings of the nurses that passed her by. 

She knew they weren’t pleasantries of affection. It was just an indirect way of commenting on her absence from her medical duties. She remembered meeting Zoya along the line, probably because the petite nurse had tapped her shoulder gently from behind, babbling in her Russian accent that she had something to tell her. But Ebun yanked her hand away, telling her to keep the information for later even though nurse Zoya seemed ready to talk this time. 

When she got to the lawn outside, she saw a black Hyundai car parked adjacent to her clinic. She didn’t need to try and decipher whose vehicle it was as she'd sat in the car's front seat two weeks ago. Shortly after she spotted the vehicle, Sean stepped out of it. When he straightened, he saw her too and froze where he was, just like Ebun did. 

When Ebun found Sean to be the most handsome, it was often the wrong time to stare because why on earth was his moisturized face and cleanly trimmed beard so attractive to her when she was seeing him for the first time since their fight? That was not supposed to be her focus, but it was.

She blamed him for looking so clean when she’d spent her time smoking like some destitute urchin and crying her eyes out. Once her admiration wore off, astonishment came in next. The fact that he was right here, right now, when she’d stepped out of her hospital on her way to see him was pretty shocking. 

And surprisingly, she was happy that he was here. It meant that he too had been thinking a lot about her. She didn’t want him to think about her or at least make it obvious that he’d been doing so. It would make her feel awful for putting him through that pain, for making him consider forfeiting the pleasure of his dreams for her sake. 

However, here she was, pleased that he’d valued their relationship to this extent and was perhaps also willing to work out some solution with her. 

“I was on my way to your house!” Ebun raised the bunch of keys above her head and jingled it as she smiled. She remained on the same spot. 

“I should have let you come then,” He spoke loud enough for her to hear. He didn’t move either. 

“Exactly,” she shrugged. 

“Now, I regret it,” He pouted his lips and shook his head pitifully. 

Ebun tried to hide her cheeky grins as she jogged away from her spot, moving towards him. 

“I’m sorry about that,” She said when she was standing next to him, but didn’t mean her apology – or at least she didn't pay much mind to it.

She was too busy trying to memorize the little details of his face – perhaps there was something new, something she’d not been graced to see for the past fourteen days. She missed him so much.

“Are you?” Sean lifted an eyebrow while also trying not to smile. 

“No, I’m not,” she was now studying his mustache, how the tufts of hair on his dark skin loped into arches. “It just felt nice to say. Or maybe I am,” she tore her gaze away from his beard for a moment.

“Well, thanks for nothing.” 

In a swift, blissful and free moment, they released it – the laughter. The sound of their collective chuckling was the music that the tranquil red sky needed. Once the duration was over, Ebun’s countenance changed to a remorseful one. 

“For real, though, I sincerely apologize,” she ran her forefinger against the edge of his shirt sleeve. “I’m so sorry for doing that to you.” 

His mood changed too. He could no longer behold her eyes. Instead, he took a sudden interest in her finger’s business with his sleeve, staring at it intently. When he finally mustered the courage, he looked up and tipped her chin with his finger so she would look at him too. 

“I did some thinking after you left, and I realized that perhaps I’m being too rigid. Aunty Bethany is dead after all. Even though I’m still interested in continuing what I do, I should be able to cut down on it a little.” 

“Because of me?” Ebun’s eyes widened with anxiety. Now, she was no longer sure of how that sounded anymore. 

“Yes.” 

“Don’t do that. I think you will resent me eventually. Now that I think of it as I’ve heard it from your lips, I see the whole situation in a new light. My selfishness has been exposed.” 

“That’s why I said I’m only going to cut down on it a little. I’m not letting go of it completely. But I should still consider your opinion because it matters. I’ve decided to take a one-year break from my job. We can utilize that hiatus period to think thoroughly about what we want. I feel like both of us are being irrational with our desires. Perhaps, a part of you still wants to find the leader, but the waves of your emotions are causing you to make a hasty, in-the-moment decision. 

It’s probably the same for me too. What makes me so sure that killing evil women and the likes are the only things that can keep me sane? Why do I feel like I cannot stop this and do something better? How am I sure I won’t regret it all in the long run? In summary, I want us to have a year to ourselves, reconsidering everything. Whatever our convictions are at the end of the day, we will try to work around it in a way that could please both of us.”

Ebun felt pity as she watched him try so hard to understand her. It was clear that he saw nothing wrong with what he was doing. It was evident that he still thought she was the one making the big mistake. Still, he was willing to lay aside those differences just to be on the same page with her. That alone was beauty.   

“How about we use that spare time to look for something else we can do? Something temporary that can help us know what steps to take?” She proffered what she believed was a better solution. “I understand and appreciate your sincerity behind your suggestion, but I don’t think we should spend twelve months thinking.

I’m tired of thinking. Besides, that might not help us much in terms of moving forward. Let us make efforts to make decisions now. We’ll think as we make the choices. For starters, I think we should try doing something different – something that does not involve us killing people.”

“What do you mean?” 

“We could try something that’s not so dangerous but somewhat still related to what we do. It’s a win-win for us. That way, you don’t get to stop what you are doing completely. Your target might change, but you will still be helping a set of people attain justice which is the most important thing.

That would be good for me too, since I don’t want to take lives anymore. It might serve as a good time filler to help me decide if I really want to give up looking for the leader or not.” 

“Hm. I thought you said you’ve made up your mind about the leader.” 

‘I’m reconsidering it… because of you,” Ebun smiled even though she was untruthful. She’d genuinely made the resolve. She was only making this compromise because of his dreams that were at stake, not hers.

She just wanted to ensure that Sean wouldn’t stop what he was doing because of her. So she had to pretend that she was going to revisit her decision. Perhaps in the process of doing so, she’d be able to give it a real second thought. 

“Thank you,” He smiled as he grazed his fingers over her elbow. 

“Maybe we could join the police force? That’s an effective and legitimate way that might help us with pursuing our goals further. It might even help me change my mind.” 

“I’m sorry, but no,” He shook his head with disdain. “That will be a catastrophe for the psycho barracks. I’ve committed numerous illegal actions that are more than enough to disqualify me from enrolling in the police academy. It’s the same for you too. Besides, I don’t like the police.” 

“How about robbing a bank then?” Ebun bathed her eyelashes as she tilted her head suggestively. “For instance, a financial institution that’s famous for illegal dealings like scamming people with spam text messages, fake promo deals, and the likes. Of course, the bank won’t be legally recognized. It has to be one that’s not supposed to exist.” 

“Robbing a bank?” Sean laughed like a little girl. 

“Yes!” Ebun’s voice was high-pitched and showed her confusion. She was slightly offended that he thought her idea was laughable. “You know, we can ensure that the majority of the money is returned to the people that were scammed. Then we can take what’s left.” 

“Doesn’t that make us thieves ourselves?” 

“Though we kill a certain set of people for justice's sake, does that make us any lesser than murderers?’ 

“Well,” he cleared his throat. “You’re right. As you said, we’re doing something close to what we do. The only difference is that we’re not taking people’s lives.” 

“Exactly. What makes this even better is the money involved. I need money,” Ebun pressed her lips into a thin line, reminiscing on how much of a pauper she was. “I don’t even own any property in this country except for the land that Khovrino Hospital is built on. I slept in my office for two weeks, can you imagine that?” 

“It’s obvious that you haven’t had a good sleep in days,” he ran his thumb gently on the dark circles beneath her eyes. “But will doing this make us feel better, though?”

“It might not. As I said, we’re just experimenting. You might spare yourself the stress if you decide to start from scratch by going out on the streets to look for a legitimate job. Do you want that?” 

“I’m not sure I do. I’m still considered mentally ill in my medical records as I never completed my treatment, nor was I discharged before the rehab center transformed into the barracks.” 

“I thought as much. So what would you rather do?” 

“I guess we could rob a bank,” he said the words as if each alphabet in it hurt his tongue. “But do you know you’re being a hypocrite, though?” 

“You like that, don’t you?” she shrugged. “Or maybe you don’t. I’m not sure I like it either, but hey, we’re just trying to remain together as a couple, aren’t we? Let’s try this first and see how it goes.” 

“Okay,” Sean smiled. 

The air was silent again, and the reddish sky was void of clouds. It would have looked like an endless carpet – one they could walk on if it weren’t for the birds that flew northwards in a linear motion towards their respective nests. The dull glow of the sunset shone on Ebun’s rough, ebony skin, and at that moment, Sean wished she would enter his body so they would be one. So she would never be apart from him. 

He couldn’t get enough of her. It was then he realized that he hadn’t even hugged her since they saw each other. He had not been in close contact with her for days. He’d done all that was in power to remember what her hair smelled like, even though the smell had faded away from the scarf she’d forgotten to take along with her as she left his house.  

“Come here,” he opened his arms, signaling with his fingers. 

Gladly, she walked into his arms, into his embrace. She delightfully permitted her torso to be squashed from the firm feel of his muscles. Then he released her a little and planted a kiss on her forehead. 

“Now we just have to look for that kind of bank.”

“That’s not going to be a problem,” he assured her. “There’s a group within the barracks that deals with financial crimes. All we have to do is ask for a case and then prepare ourselves.” 

***

Two Weeks Later

Ebun and Sean were in the living room of his house, pulling out stack after stack of cash from a brown briefcase as they took their sweet time to count each note carefully. They had to be extra sure that it was four million dollars bundled into the bag. Of course, they only started to count their share of the money after ensuring they’d distributed the quota of funds to all victims who the illegitimate bank had defrauded. 

The robbery at Solovyov Finance House had been one hell of an operation for the couple. The number one interesting thing about the illegitimate financial institution was how far they’d gone with stealing huge chunks from the accounts of the poor Russian civilians.

When Sean had asked one of his subordinates for the details of the case and why they were taking it on, the young lad had explained to him that the workers at the Solovyov bank had recently scammed a group of caterers at a restaurant in St. Petersburg. 

The bank staff had brought a juicy proposal to the cooks, convincing them to invest in S.F.H so they could get five times the amount they’d given. The naïve, well-meaning, and profit-oriented contributed the money they had and awaited their returns. But three years passed and they didn’t get a dime in return. When Sean learned of this, he was furious even though he had never been duped. 

So while they showed up at the bank by surprise to retrieve the money they’d stolen from the women plus the five-fold returns promised (including a ten percent interest), they learned of more notorious things the banks had done to other people across different states.

They robbed a group of artists in Yekaterinburg City of five million Euros. They’d defrauded a set of upcoming rock musicians just five months ago. Their sins were endless, but Ebun and Sean ensured to wreck the entire staff by retrieving every penny they’d stolen. 

They broke into their safes and warehouses with their weapons and packed all the money and gold bars they saw. By the end of the operation, Sean wished he’d brought a minivan or a truck because the booth of his car could barely contain all of the treasures. It would have been a perfect operation if it wasn’t for the siren blasting from a police van some meters away. Some officers were on patrol when they’d chosen to break into a bank and destroy the lives of some professional looters. They had been so close to getting caught. 

So Sean sped off even as the sound became closer. All the houses on the sides of the road passed by in a blur, and nothing could be seen until they’d gotten to his place. Finally, the chase was over. There was no way that the Solovyov bankers would snitch on them to the police since they were a menace and a bunch of thieves themselves. 

They let some days pass before they began to make accounts for how the day of the operation had been spent (This was after they’d transferred all the money to the victims and retained what was left, which was the bank’s gain).

“It was wild,” Ebun slapped a stack of money into her hands. Then she ran her fingers along each note playfully and brought it closer to her nose so she could inhale the scent of wealth. “I think I liked it,” she smiled at Sean with eyes that glistened with dollar signs. 

“I agree. I’m not sure if we should do it again, though,” he said with a chuckle. “I’ve never driven a car at such speed in my life. Someone like me should not be running away from the police like that. I’ve gone too far to be cowering like an amateur.” 

“It won’t always be like that. I think it was good while it lasted. It was nice to inflict the same pain the bankers must have caused the civilians to feel when they got swindled.” 

‘That’s right.”

“Sean,” She called his name with a serious tone and dropped the bundle of cash into the briefcase. Then she turned in his direction. “Remember one of the ways in which I told you I wanted to be loved? One of them was to do dangerous things with you. Robbing the bank ticked that list for me. I enjoyed doing it with you – including the part where we had to run away from the police. I’d like for us to do more of that.” 

“You’re one crazy woman,” Sean shook his head. 

“You made me that way,” She shrugged. 

Then there was a comfortable silence between them as they spent the moment staring at the pile of cash on the table and each other, smiling at intervals.

“I love you so much, Ebun.”

***

You guys, I don't know, but whenever I write romance/love scenes like this, I always cringe cause I feel like I don't do justice to it. So please tell me, how do you find the ones I've written so far? I need reviews on the dialogues especially. Do they sound mature? Loving? Or are there some things I need to work on? What do you think of them generally?