Khan resumed attending lessons the day after the social meeting, and his arrival at the embassy gave him a better idea about the public reception of the footage. The Headmistress had depicted it as a heroic act that granted him more popularity, but some lingering fear had appeared due to the nature of his actions.
The situation was different inside the advanced classes. In theory, Khan's battle had directly benefitted those wealthy descendants since they believed themselves to be the targets of those criminals. Some still had reservations, but no one dared to announce them publicly.
Khan limited his answers and contained himself in those public situations, using Monica or his injuries to spend as little time in the open as possible. The day went by quickly thanks to that, but the arrival of the night brought new tasks, and not only for him.
Monica was alone in Khan's flat when the elevator opened to bring a friendly figure. She left the bedroom in a hurry, and a smile bloomed on her face when she saw a confused George in the main hall.
"George!" Monica exclaimed, trying to adjust her messy hair and creased tracksuit. "I wasn't expecting you."
"Right, Khan is with Professor Parver tonight," George recalled. "I'll return in a few hours."
"No, please, stay," Monica exclaimed. "I'll get you a drink right away."
George didn't have the chance to refuse since Monica stormed away, hurrying outside the main hall to retrieve one of the many bottles. He could only sigh and approach a couch to wait for her return.
Monica came back in a few seconds, handing a clean glass to George before pouring booze into it. She had a cup for herself too but waited until she reached the couch on the opposite side to attend to it.
"You know you don't need these ceremonies with me, right?" George commented when Monica tried to assume an elegant sitting position and adjust her hair again. "I thought we were past that after I've seen your underwear and bra all over this flat."
"I'm sorry," Monica stated, diverting her gaze in embarrassment. "I just don't know how else to approach this."
"What is it?" George asked, bringing his glass to his mouth.
"I wanted to apologize for yesterday," Monica explained. "It wasn't my place to lecture you about relationships."
"What?" George frowned as if he couldn't understand what Monica was talking about.
"It wasn't my place to speak about Anita and you," Monica clarified. "I'm sorry."
"Oh," George finally understood. "Anita is your friend. It would have been stranger if you stayed silent."
"But still," Monica pressed on. "I shouldn't have spoken to you like that just because my relationship is doing well. I had no right."
George scratched the side of his head before opting for a straightforward question. "Monica, are we friends?"
"Of course!" Monica promptly replied.
"Then, you had every right," George continued. "We can't be friends if you don't speak your mind."
Monica smiled. George was rarely serious, but his wise moments always carried truth. Monica had also developed proper respect for him after Nippe 2's events. He was Khan's closest friend for a reason, but thinking about that reminded Monica of the problems the potential break-up could cause.
"I'm surprised you didn't go with Khan," George commented. "Professor Parver can't really refuse you, can he?"
"We agreed it was better for him to go alone," Monica explained. "My presence would have lowered his chances of getting answers."
"Better for me," George laughed. "I can steal his booze freely."
"You are richer than him," Monica pointed out.
"Stealing gives an additional taste," George claimed before looking at his half-empty glass, "And the Headmistress is sending him excellent stuff. Such a lucky bastard."
Monica didn't take offense at those words. She knew George meant no harm. He was probably the only one who could talk about Khan like that.
"You can bring his bottles to your flat," Monica suggested, lowering her voice to hide her lingering worry. "Anita might want some too."
George looked at Monica, but she hid her gaze. The signs were there, and anyone could see them. George had come to Khan's flat alone, hinting at a bad outcome.
"We didn't break up," George announced, making Monica's face snap back up. "We talked, I played dumb, and she got angry, but we eventually understood each other. We don't know if we'll separate, but we are still a couple for now."
Monica smiled again but decided to remain serious. No matter what George said, she still planned to leave his relationship alone. It simply wasn't her business.
"If you do break up," Monica mentioned, "I can leave some nights to yourselves. I know how you guys like to drink together."
"Weren't you the clingy type?" George joked.
"Did Khan tell you that?!" Monica snapped before shaking her head to calm down. "I'm serious. I don't want Khan to have to choose between you and me."
"We can just drink together," George pointed out.
"But you know how we are," Monica voiced without hiding how pleased she was about her connection with Khan.
"A true man would never stop his friend from getting laid," George claimed, slamming his fist on his chest to add value to his statement.
"George!" Monica cried.
"What?" George wondered. "The entire Global Army knows that you have sex. Khan even promised me a chance to pick your child's name."
"We are not calling him George Junior!" Monica complained.
"He actually told you," George snickered. "You two really are a married couple."
George expected Monica to snap even further, but she diverted her gaze to play with her curls. Her behavior didn't say much, but George knew her enough to understand what she was hiding.
"Are you getting married?" George gasped.
"No!" Monica shouted before showing her shy side, "But I did tell him I wanted to spend my life with him yesterday. Sort of."
"How long have you been together exactly?" George questioned.
"It's too early, isn't it?" Monica asked, placing both hands on her cheeks. "I made a mistake, right? Did I scare him away? I'm going crazy."
"No, no," George shook his head. "You're already crazy, alright."
"What do I do now?" Monica pleaded.
"Knowing Khan," George laughed, "Get crazier. He loves that stuff."
"But what about you?" Monica asked.
"You should have seen him on Nitis," George smirked. "He used to ignore his surroundings to whisper jokes with Liiza. You are just louder."
"George, please," Monica whined.
"You are lucky he isn't the polyamorous guy," George continued. "He would have had a harem by now. Such a waste."
"George!" Monica shouted.
"This is way too easy," George chuckled. "No wonder he is having so much fun with you."
"I still have Anita on my side," Monica reminded George.
"Hey, I'm joking here," George lifted a hand to signal his surrender. "Still, I hope that you get my point. I never expected Khan to be so happy after Nitis. I'd never get in his way."
"How," Monica voiced while calming down. "How was he there? How was he before?"
"Didn't he tell you?" George questioned.
"I want to hear it from you," Monica stated. "He doesn't hide anything from me, but his perception can be distorted."
"That's a nice way to put it," George scoffed before a sigh took control of his voice. "He was different, even on Istrone. He had this force that made him react faster than anyone. I'm not exaggerating when I say the rebellion would have had far more casualties without him."
"I know you had it hard after Istrone," Monica uttered. "I can't imagine what you must have seen down there."
"You kind of can, can't you?" George replied. "I read Milia 222's reports. That was an outright mess."
"You were kids," Monica pointed out.
"We still are in many ways," George exclaimed. "Well, I was pretty lost after Istrone, and Khan was no different. Yet, he still had that strange force pushing him forward."
Monica knew about the nightmares and desperation, so she could immediately connect the dots. However, that understanding saddened her. Her education was nothing compared to Khan's life, but those events had affected him anyway.
"Don't get me wrong," George continued. "The guy is an idiot. He is the dumbest man in the entire Global Army. He is so stupid that he thinks he can take everyone's pain on his shoulders and go on with his life."
"His protective side surprised me too," Monica agreed.
"It was probably worse back then," George explained as his gaze wandered through the room. "Khan believed himself to be the only one entitled to pain. Luckily, Liiza was there for him."
Silence fell into the hall as the two let their thoughts wander. It almost didn't seem real that Khan had gone through so much at such a young age, but his profile didn't lie.
"You know," George smirked. "He initially felt guilty about Liiza. He had this girl on Ylaco-."
"Martha," Monica interrupted. "I met her on Milia 222. She was nice."
"Right," George recalled as a curse left his mouth. "He really had the harem ready for him."
Monica glared at George, and he felt forced to show a shameless smile, but she quickly calmed down. She would rather hear more about Khan than let her emotions get the better of her.
"How can I be better than Liiza?" Monica couldn't help but ask. "I know I'm not supposed to fill anyone's shoes, but I still want to do my best."
George didn't expect that question, but Nitis always made some of his seriousness appear. Besides, Monica looked beyond resolute, which deserved an honest answer.
"You probably can't," George admitted. "Not because you are inferior or anything. The two of you are simply different. He isn't even the same anymore. In a way, he reminds me of Liiza now."
"So, what am I supposed to do?" Monica questioned. "Being myself around him is easy, but I want to do more, and you know him better than anyone."
"Can't you just stick to that kinky play I spotted the other night?" George wondered. "I can give you more ideas too. Most women don't want to try it because it hurts, but you probably don't apply."
"What are you even saying?!" Monica shouted, taking off a shoe to throw it at George. "Stop it with this stuff."
"Hey, it's perfectly natural," George pressed on. "Just some lube and-."
George had to interrupt his line since Monica threw her other shoe at him before moving to her glass. He had to jump behind the couch to protect himself, but his laughs continued to resound among Monica's angry shouts.
"There might be one thing!" George shouted, daring to lift his arm past the couch to attract Monica's attention.
Monica stopped shouting, and George mustered the courage to peek past the couch. She stood with the bottle firmly held in her grip, ready to throw it at him, but her expression gave him enough confidence to leave his hideout.
"You know Khan will never stay put," George cleared his throat. "It's not in his genes. So, when the time comes, don't leave him alone. Don't make him relive what happened with Liiza."
"I won't be able to follow him everywhere," Monica muttered.
"Not in that sense," George clarified. "You'll understand once the situation arrives."
Monica didn't fully understand, but George had spoken honestly, so she nodded in agreement.
"You are a good friend, George," Monica exclaimed, putting the bottle back on the table.
"I'm the best of friends," George announced. "Well, that title probably belongs to Khan. He saved me in many ways, so make him happy. He deserves it."
"He really does," Monica sighed before showing a genuine smile. "Drink with us as many times you want, even if something happens with Anita. He is happier when you are around."
"My heart will always follow booze," George proudly claimed. "Anyway, the backdoor isn't as dirty as everyone thinks. You can have a lot of fun with it."
Monica frowned, but her eyes widened in anger when she understood what George was saying. Her hand instinctively went on the bottle on the table, but the flat's walls lit up and interrupted her gesture.
"Is it Anita?" George asked.
"The flat knows her," Monica shook her head while heading for one of the menus. "Who is this?"
"Monica, it's me!" A male, pleading voice came out of the menu. "Please, let me in to explain myself."
Monica immediately recognized the voice, and a headache threatened to appear. She knew exactly who was speaking. Francis Alstair was right inside the building.
