Chapter 16 #3
Nikos was grateful for the distraction because he didn’t have an answer.
At least, he didn’t have an answer he wanted to give because deep down inside he knew the reason why he was here right now, accepting his father’s orders that he usually ignored.
An image of her face passed through his mind every time he thought of home, and until it didn’t, he wouldn’t return.
And right now, that didn’t seem like it would happen any time soon.
Besides, he was certain that his father at least wanted him here for a year at most. By then, Nikos was certain those feelings of guilt and regret would leave him.
“So, Marvel or DC?” Nikos asked, trying to change the subject. It seemed to work on Kai, who rambled about his favorite Marvel superheroes, but Honey saw through him, giving him a skeptical look before she continued to eat her food.
“Iron Man’s my favorite, though. He goes boom boom,” Kai said, making animated noises and faces as he mimicked Iron Man shooting lasers from his suit.
“But I’m Captain America, so he should be your favorite,” Nikos argued, acting as if he were hurt as he clutched his chest.
Kai giggled. “You’re not Captain America. You can’t be. You’re just Nikos.”
“Honey, tell Kai how I used my super strength to save you.”
“That guy was the one with super strength, and it seems like he used it to knock the sense out of your head,” Honey replied, and Kai started laughing.
“So, you’re going to laugh at me? I got something for you.”
Kai erupted in laughter as Nikos tickled him until he slid out of his chair, dropping to the floor in a heap of laughter.
“Okay, you’re Cap,” Kai said breathlessly, and Nikos let up, helping the boy back into his chair. When he glanced over, he saw the warm smile in Honey’s eyes.
“Nikos, which Cap movie do you like the most?” Kai asked. Nikos thought about it for a moment.
“Civil War.”
“That’s my favorite too!” Kai exclaimed before he turned to his mother. “Mom, can we please watch it?”
“Kai, it’s a school night.”
“Pleaseee,” Kai pleaded with puppy dog eyes, and then Honey gave him a look that said, ‘come up with an excuse to leave.’ But Nikos didn’t want to play the bad guy.
He actually liked the kid and didn’t want to be the one to disappoint him, so he put on his own puppy dog face, clasping his hands together.
“Pleaseee,” he said, joining in on Kai’s plead. Honey scuffed as she folded her arms together, and her sharp look towards them reminded Nikos of his own mother whenever she got annoyed with him after he tried to butter her up. And just like his mother, those sharp eyes softened under their pleads.
“Okay, but this is the only time,” Honey started to warn, but Kai was already hopping down from his seat and grabbing his plate.
“Come on,” Kai urged, and Nikos realized that he was about to get roped into watching a film over two hours long after working all night and taking a few hard punches from a man who looked like a bodybuilder.
His expression of despair must have shown because Honey laughed as she picked up her own plate.
“That’s what you get,” she whispered to him as she sat down on the loveseat.
“I thought you were supposed to be the bad guy.”
“Never with my son,” Honey said as she looked at her child fondly, who set up the app on TV for them to watch the movie.
It wasn’t long before the movie was on the screen, and Nikos found himself watching Captain America: Civil War with a beautiful woman a few feet from him.
But there was no Netflix and Chill, and they all watched the movie together, pointing out their favorite parts and stuffing themselves with Honey’s good food until Nikos dozed off.
He didn’t wake up again until the credits were rolling and his phone vibrated against his thigh.
Nikos blearily looked around him, processing that he was still in Honey’s apartment before noticing that she had dozed off too, with soft snores emitting from her as she snuggled herself on the love seat with a fur throw covering her.
Nikos then realized that there was a blanket thrown over himself and Kai, who was sprawled out next to him with his head on his thigh.
Nikos gingerly moved Kai’s head to grab his phone which was ringing for the second time.
When he saw Christos’s name, he immediately answered it.
“What’s up?” Nikos asked hoarsely as he yawned.
“The raid went wrong, and Antonis is in the hospital right now.”
Nikos’s eyes widened as he nearly stood up in shock until he remembered that Kai was there.
“Whatever you’re doing right now, drop it and come to the hospital now. This is serious.”
“Okay,” Nikos acknowledged.
“I’ll send you the address.”
Nikos remained seated, so stunned that he didn’t even see Honey shift in his peripheral vision.
“What’s wrong?” Honey asked sleepily. “It looks like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“I’ve got to go,” Nikos announced as he shook himself out of his stupor. He swiftly moved out from under Kai without waking him up before he gingerly grabbed him.
“You don’t have to,” Honey started to say, but Nikos ignored her as he picked Kai up.
“Where’s his room?”
Honey led him there, and Nikos put Kai into his hot wheels bed. Honey tucked her son under the covers tenderly, kissing his forehead before they both left the room.
“I would stay to help you clean up, but I have an emergency. I’ll make it up to you,” Nikos said as he grabbed his things.
“It’s fine. You’re my guest. Don’t worry about it,” Honey said as she looked at him worriedly. “Are you okay?”
Nikos couldn’t tell Honey that his uncle was in the hospital, especially without knowing the details of why his uncle was there.
But the cryptic way Christos called him said more than words ever could, and he knew that Antonis had to be in bad shape to receive a call like that.
But until he had confirmation, he didn’t need rumors and panic spreading at the club.
Honey didn’t seem like the gossip type and only had a handful of friends at the club, but this wasn’t the type of information that you could just tell anyone.
“I’m fine,” Nikos assured. “I’ll see you at the club tomorrow.”
Nikos took his leave without looking back as he raced out of the building, having a bad feeling building in the pit of his gut that he wouldn’t like the news he would receive when he entered that hospital.