Page 63 of Play Room Actor

The last time I was here, I had dropped Kilian off after my shift at Red. To my surprise, the front door was open, so I went inside and climbed the stairs. It felt almost eerie how familiar the creaking of the wooden steps was to me.

After I rang the doorbell, it took a while before I heard any movement from inside. Then the door opened, and Kilian appeared in purple boxer shorts and a white T-shirt. His hair was messy, like he had just rolled out of bed, his face hidden behind his glasses, and his expression was tired and empty.

“Shit … What are you doing here?” he asked in a flat tone.

I furrowed my brow, puzzled, wondering who I was looking at. Kilian’s expression was frozen, and in the depths of his dark eyes, I searched in vain for that mischievous spark and zest for life. It was like I was facing some bizarre twin of his.

“I was worried.” I cleared my throat and took a tentative step closer. “I’m here to check on you.”

“I’m still alive. So you can leave now.”

I froze, my lips parting in shock. When he moved to shut the door, my body acted on its own, and I stepped inside.

“No chance.” I walked past him toward the living room.

“Please,” he said as he followed behind me, his voice flat and indifferent. “I’m fine. I just need to sleep.”

I stopped in my tracks the moment I entered his living room. The blanket draped on the couch, the laptop on the coffee table, and an open box of Mövenpick ice cream with a spoon stuck in it caught my attention.

“Ice cream?” I asked, confused. “Do you have a broken heart?”

“Fuck,” he muttered, brushing past me. “I was just trying to treat myself.”

“You don’t expect me to buy that, do you?” I said, setting the orange juice on the table. “I brought you something.”

Kilian stood next to the table, looking bewildered. The way he adjusted his glasses and massaged the bridge of his nose made it clear that my presence was making him uncomfortable. The fact that he didn’t crack any jokes only made the situation feel even stranger. Instead, he turned away, avoiding eye contact. His eyes were glossy, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that he was going through something incredibly tough.

“If you want to talk … I’m here.”

Kilian stared at the old wooden floor. “I’m fine,” he lied. “Just let me sleep.”

“I’m sorry to say this, but you don’t look fine to me.”

“This … it’s just a phase,” he said, forcing himself to look me in the eye. “It’ll pass.”

“What can I do?” I asked, moving closer. “Please … It’s killing me to see you like this.”

Kilian avoided my concerned gaze, and if I wasn’t mistaken, he was fighting back tears, skillfully hiding them by adjusting his glasses and rubbing his eyes.

Fuck! I had never seen him like this before. And to be honest, I never wanted to witness him like this again. It terrified me because I felt completely helpless.

He did say he wanted to sleep. That I could do. So, I gently guided him to the bedroom. He sighed with relief as he crawled onto the bed. As soon as he took off his glasses and placed them on the table beside him, he collapsed into the pillow.

It seemed like he had fallen asleep instantly. Meanwhile, I sat on the bed for what felt like forever, watching as his breathing evened out. His body lay still, almost lifeless like a stone, but he was breathing, and that reassured me.

When my phone vibrated in my pocket, I left the bedroom, closed the sliding doors behind me, and sat down on the couch. It was a message from Nico.

“Hey! Do you need anything? Still at Hector’s, but I’ll head out soon.”

In seconds, I decided how the rest of my evening would go and texted Nico back.

“I’m still here with Kilian. He’s not feeling well. I think I’ll stay here tonight.”

“Oh no! What’s wrong with him?”

“Honestly? I have no idea! But it seems serious.”

“Make sure you don’t catch anything.”