32 SET OUT (1)
When they were in the kitchen and the food was placed on the table, he just stood there and watched them before smiling again at the woman named Debina, but inside he was screaming at her to hurry up as he really was starving.
Debina seemed oblivious to his thoughts, but she excused herself after asking Arren if he still needed something and told him to call them only if he truly needed something. Arren simply replied politely and nodded to her. With that, Debina and the hotel staff exited the room.
Arren only ate the food when he was alone. He was completely stuffed when he finished eating. Arren sighed contentedly and leaned back in his seat. Food was sometimes the best form of therapy. Arren was suddenly lethargic; it had to be the food coma. Of course, he restrained himself. He did, however, believe that he had overdone it. He didn't regret eating too much, though.
Arren rested for a while before cleaning the table and putting all the plates in the kitchen. He debated whether or not to call room service again, but decided against it because it was too inconvenient. He decided not to because the hotel staff's enthusiasm was suspicious.
So he returned to the living room and watched television. For the most part of the day until night, Arren didn't see even the shadow of Spade. Which Arren found reasonable. The alpha was busy, and being able to give him some time even though they didn't have any sort of relationship was enough for Arren. He wasn't a clingy person, to begin with.
While Spade was extremely busy, his main reason for not visiting Arren in the hotel was due to his special identity. Spade was the Emperor, and going outside the palace was not always convenient for him. If he was always going outside, news of him meeting an omega would eventually reach some people.
Spade wasn't afraid; he just wanted to keep the news a secret until he revealed his true identity to Arren. Even Spade knew he couldn't keep the news hidden for long, and perhaps some of it had already landed in the ears of those people. The only thing that made him feel relieved was that no one would know the omega's true identity for a short time.
Arren decided to return to his bedroom when the clock struck nine o'clock at night. Coincidentally, he saw his phone on the bed ringing, and he answered it without thinking once he saw who was calling.
Speaking of his phone, because he had a fever, he had only recently discovered its existence and discovered a slew of missed calls from his father. When his father did not call back, he wondered if his father was upset with him. He just felt sad and didn't reach for his father, as he still had something he wanted to do.
Returning to the present, Arren answered the phone while sitting in bed. The dim light in the room outlines his beautiful features. He didn't say anything, and neither did the person on the other end of the line. A few breaths later, Arren heard the deep, attractive voice resounding through the phone. While listening, he unconsciously bites his lower lip.
"How are you? Your fever?"
"I'm fine," Arren responded softly. Unbeknownst to them, the atmosphere surrounding their phone call screamed ambiguity, which they failed to notice. Perhaps they are already aware that they are in this ambiguous period. It was as if they had made an agreement beforehand to speak low and softly to each other.
"Mn. You still need to rest," a pause followed by Arren hearing the alpha continue, "I will not be there to accompany you because... I have matters to attend to."
Arren nodded, then realized they were on the phone and hummed in response, indicating that he understood. The silence was then extended for a few seconds until Spade broke it.
"About what we agreed on... let's just go tomorrow afternoon. You still need to rest and recuperate in the morning." The deep but soft voice rang from the phone, making Arren sleepy. He hummed once more in agreement.
Arren lay down in bed and closed his eyes as the phone call continued. The other end of the line had also gone silent. Their breathing had evened out, and that was all they could hear. This time, it was Arren who broke the stalemate.
"Mister Investigator," he said softly.
"Mn?"
"I'm sleepy,"
The other fell silent and then hummed, "Then sleep... I'll just be here."
Arren, who was already falling asleep, smiled. "Good,"
The call didn't get dismissed and a few minutes later, the other end of the line already heard breathing indicating that Arren was asleep. However, as Spade had promised, he did not hang up and continued to accompany the omega in his sleep. Soon, only the two's soft breathing could be heard in the line. Spade and Arren fall asleep together.
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Arren woke up the next day feeling both peaceful and energized. He sat up and looked for his phone as memories from the previous night surfaced. When he saw it, the phone was already shut down. Arren sighed, but he still felt happy inside. Damn, could it be he really was falling harder and harder to the alpha?
Thinking of their conversation just last night, his cheeks burned up. The exchange between them seemed simple, but Arren's heartbeat still raced. His reaction last night was so out of it that he only realized it this morning. He shook his head and smiled as he regained his normal expression.
He was also reminded of their agreement today. He didn't need to fantasize about the alpha because he'd be seeing him anyway. He quickly recovered from the effects of what happened the night before. He went to the bathroom as usual and took a shower. He still wore the clothes the alpha had given him the day before.
After all of that, Arren ordered from room service once more. He wasn't surprised when Debina accompanied the staff who delivered again, unlike the last time. He even managed to ignore her always the cheerful and respectful demeanor. He just let it be and didn't think too much about it, not like he was going to lose. He simply smiled and nodded, then dismissed her again.
Overall, Arren's other half of the day seemed peaceful, as he rested and watched some shows for entertainment. The monotonous day continued until the alpha returned after Arren had finished his lunch. When Spade arrived, he was in the living room, eating dessert and watching TV.
Arren had no idea the alpha had returned because he was so preoccupied with what he was watching. The television was not loud, and neither were Spade's footsteps. What was even more hateful was that the alpha made no noise despite the fact that he was already behind him. Arren only discovered his existence when he decided to go to the kitchen.
Arren's startled scream echoed throughout the room as his heartbeat increased upon seeing Spade standing just behind him. Fortunately, he didn't have a heart condition like in his previous life, or else such stimulation would have sent him back to the hospital for another round. He couldn't help but touch his chest, and after calming down, Arren glared at Spade, who had slightly curved his lips and an obvious smile in his eyes. As a result, his glare became even more intense.
"Fuck, are you a ghost? Why aren't you saying anything now that you're back?" scolded Arren, and he couldn't help but curse. He had been completely taken aback earlier.
His voice was a little harsher and louder than usual. If someone was there and saw Arren talking to Spade like this, they would be astounded at how bold the omega was, even cursing the Emperor like that.
Well, it wasn't like Arren knew Spade's identity. Also, it appeared that Spade's tolerance for Arren had always been low, as he didn't seem to mind Arren's attitude.
The alpha's suppressed laugh caught Arren's attention, but before he opened his mouth and cursed Spade again, the alpha spoke first. Spade cleared his throat and pretended nothing had happened. "I didn't want to disturb you," his tone was calm and normal, then the alpha skillfully changed the subject, "Get ready, I'll bring you to meet him," Spade didn't need to say who because it was obvious who he was referring to.
Arren did indeed calm down after hearing that. While Arren was aware that the alpha was simply changing the subject, he chose not to pursue the matter further. He understood what was more important and went along with it. Nonetheless, he gave the alpha a threatening look, which Spade didn't take seriously.
"OK, I'll get ready," Arren said as he walked toward the bathroom, but he didn't forget, as he walked by Spade's side, that he still had a small bowl in his hands, which he had intended to put in the kitchen.
He came to a halt in front of Spade, who gave him a puzzled look; Arren gave him a sweet smile and extended his hand, placing the small bowl he was holding in Spade's hand. The alpha raised his brows at him.
"Please return this to the kitchen, Mister Investigator," Arren said, giving Spade a sweet smile before leaving him alone. The alpha really thought he'd just take a loss like that. No way. Arren smiled as he walked leisurely to the bedroom. Unfortunately, he didn't see the speechless look of Spade in his action, which was a rare expression of his.
