One more month until the War of Throne and people had swarmed the shooting center to get even a speck of training in firearms and its basics. As a result, both me and Haide didn't get a chance to train in our usual place and had to opt for other place with a more expensive membership.
And the only area available for use was the VIPs – meaning, a more private space for their members, including us.
Feeling the hand hovering on my waist, I glanced at the grey-haired man beside me, "How am I going to practice if you keep sticking to me?"
I already had my Cecily in hand and was ready to shoot before Haide suddenly rubbed his hand all over my body – making my focus shattered.
Grinning widely at me, Haide replied, "I'm just feeling touchy all of a sudden."
I sighed as I looked around. Haide wouldn't act like this with no reason. Even though it was called a more private space for VIPs, it was more like a space separated from the regular one that offered more perks like snack bars and such. So it's still an open area with other members walking around.
Maybe this was why Haide was fidgeting, he's overthinking about a scenario that wouldn't happen.
Ruffling his head, I assured him, "What are you afraid of? I'm bathed in your scent from head to toe. Do you think anyone would snatch me away from you or something?"
Leaning to my touch, Haide closed his eyes. A short sigh – almost like a huff came out from him.
"You're just that lovable, who knows what kind of bastard would take their chances and flirt with you?"
He grabbed my hand and gently kissed my wrist, giving it a little lick as he lazily opened his eyes to lock his gaze with me.
"I will take no chance of allowing that kind of thing to happen to you, just like that bastard in the alley."
"Cassius is like a little brother to me."
Though they only met once, Haide had already declared Cassius as his sworn enemy. Weeks later and he was still holding a grudge over my heat incident in the alley.
Even when I was speaking with Cassius on the phone, Haide kept watch like a hawk – watching from a distance while glaring at my phone like he could kill the person on the other side of the line with his stare.
I kicked Haide on the shin to snap him out of his thoughts, "Alright, enough of your flirting. Go and do your own training."
I shooed him away and steadied Cecily in my hand once again – signaling my unwillingness to talk more. He looked a bit dejected, but soon meekly nodded and held his Glock to start training.
One of the features in this VIP room was a moving target, so I used that advantage and utilized the facility to its fullest.
BANG!
Trigger was pulled and bullets hit their target.
That was my first test bullet.
I refocused my gaze, calculating the trajectory as memories of the battlefield in my previous life came out from the back of my mind. As the past and present converged, I fell into a state of trance.
What if these targets were my enemies?
BANG!
What if they ran and hid behind an obstacle?
BANG!
What if they used tricks and poisonous gas to hinder your focus, like how I did in my past life?
BANG!
What could I have done better in my fight against Keith back then?
BANG!
What if… it was Haide instead?
CLACK!
"Ah."
I snapped out of my trance when my last bullet missed the shot. Glancing at Haide on my left, he was still emptying his magazine with his continuous shots. He's also using a moving target like me, but his marksmanship was still as great.
After the last bullet hit its mark, Haide smiled as he turned to me.
"How was it? My shooting skill is incredible right?"
'Look at those puppy eyes, he must be expecting praise from me.'
I scoffed at his cheeky behavior, this time I wouldn't fulfill his wish and just rolled my eyes – intending to tease him. Haide seemed to catch that and pouted his lips, which made me chuckle.
Turning my head to observe the metal plates he had shot, I clenched my fist. The last question that made me lose focus surfaced in my mind again.
What if it was Haide?
Haide's shooting skill was excellent. In terms of intellectual strength, both Keith and Haide were both on par but in terms of physical and shooting skill, Keith was far below Haide's standard.
So what if my opponent in my last war was someone like Haide? Someone who had both the physical and skill advantage far superior from Keith?
What kind of weakness could I exploit to defeat them?
It took me years to defeat Keith because I had to find every single weakness in his system and shut them down one by one. He was a meticulous planner, the total opposite of me.
After my regression, things had started changing bit by bit, so I wasn't sure of the probability that Keith was going to be a King even in this life. It would be great if he did become one, but if the opposite happened and the worst-case scenario emerged, I needed to do everything in my power to protect the ones I loved.
"What's on your mind?" Haide asked as he walked closer. Touching my partially loose bang, he smiled, "You can always tell me if you need something."
"Nothing, just some silly thoughts about you." I tapped his hand as I returned a smile.
Haide tilted his head cutely and urged me, "Silly thoughts? About me? What is it?"
Seeing his eager face, I smugly raised my chin, "I won't tell you."
Haide rolled his eyes at my answer before pinching my cheek as he took revenge. Sliding his fingers across my neck, Haide suggested, "Since we've already done our training, how about we refresh our minds?"
He grinned, "Let's go on a walk, shall we?"
.
.
The low hum of radio playing in the background and the dim light faintly illuminating the place brought a melancholic feeling to this place. Ornaments of various shapes decorated the walls, with rows of champagne and old wine lined up on the shelf. The place's opulent interior felt almost excessive, yet, the clinks of glass and soft murmurs of people crowding this place indicated how popular this bar was.
"You sure have a taste for a fancy place like this, huh?" I asked Haide as I glanced around, there were almost no empty seats available in the building.
Pulling me closer to him, Haide smirked, "It's one of the popular couple spots, it also has a private room if you want things to get spicy."
His tone at the end was one of enticement.
"You sex maniac, even if you drag me there, I will kick open the door and run away from you." I jabbed Haide on his side with my elbow, which made Haide heave for breath as he let out a breathless laugh.
"You don't want to do it with me?"
"If you do it too often, you're an addict."
It's not about morals, living in a country like this would surely bring your sense of morality down to the sewer. Instead, it was because the act itself meant something more intimate to me – something you do when you're feeling in love.
Something I did to pour my love into the person I love.
In my previous life, because of the kidnapping incident, the first impression of it wasn't great, so the act disgusted me. But now I'd found love, I couldn't help but attach meaning to that act of shared intimacy.
After all, I was a helpless romantic.
Sweeping his gaze around the bar, Haide stopped his head on one of the areas – telling me that there's a space available for two in front of the bartender.
"Are you a lightweight?" Haide asked, to which I replied, "No, are you?"
Haide grabbed my hand, pulling me to the table before smiling mischievously, "Then it's decided. Let's get wasted tonight."
"Sure, having a talk in between would be nice too."
Sitting down on the stool, we ordered some drinks and enjoyed it in silence.
I glanced at Haide. All this time we had not have a deep talk, just a few banters of flirt. Moreover, Haide's carnal desire to jump at me at any given moment made me miss the chance to ask more about him. As alcohol started to invade my brain, I asked Haide a question I had been curious about.
"Back in the alley, what were you doing before you met me and Cassius?"
"What do you mean?"
Haide feigned ignorance, sipping his drink while acting innocent.
I turned to him, "You know exactly what I mean. You should have known by now that we are both in the same line of work. You're using the black market too, aren't you?"
Putting down the glass in my hand, I asked Haide once again, "Do you also wish to join the War of Throne?"