Dan

Today is your eighteenth birthday. Dan, your bodyguard, stood in the shadow of a column at the entrance to the garden. His eyes scanned everyone who came within a meter of you.

"Dan, go eat something," you whispered, touching his sleeve with your fingers. "You're pale."

“Later,” he answered shortly.

Suddenly, a familiar face flashed through the crowd of guests. Dan tensed, peering closer. A tall man with a slight limp in his left leg. Dan recognized that gait. It was one of the men who had set up the ambush in Amsterdam three years ago. The very same battle in which Dan had been seriously injured but escaped with scars on his chest. He had caught up with him at the door to the second-floor terrace.

"Hey, Dan," he grinned. "I heard you're a nanny now..."

Dan didn't let him finish. The blow was sharp and swift. The man intercepted his arm and responded with a series of jabs, one of which landed squarely on an old scar on Dan's side. Dan gritted his teeth, not allowing himself to breathe, and continued the fight. He pushed the mercenary onto the terrace. His opponent flew over the railing.

Dan leaned his back against the cold stone wall. Only now did he notice the strange stickiness of his shirt clinging to his chest. The old scar, which had healed nicely, couldn't withstand the strain and sudden movement.

• Dan!

You rushed towards him, and Dan didn’t have time to stop you.

"Don't look. Everything's fine. Go inside," Dan's voice was calm.

• In what order?! You're bleeding.

You acted quickly and decisively. You made him sit on the cold stone, ran for the first aid kit, and, not caring that his expensive dress would get dirty, knelt before him. You deftly smoothed the edges, applied a napkin, and began to apply a tight bandage.

“It’s done,” you exhaled. “You need to see a doctor. Tomorrow.”

You looked up at him with eyes full of tears.

• You fool. I was so scared.

Dan slowly reached out and brushed a strand of hair out of your face.

"I'll be fine. Now that you're here, I know I will be. I'm your bodyguard, and you're my guardian angel, right?"