As he knelt over the toilet bowl, Azazel racked his brain, trying to recall what he had eaten for lunch that day. Has anything expired? He couldn't remember.
Whatever it was, it likely caused his sudden illness.
—
"Hey kids!" Azazel called out to everyone."How's school?"
"Not bad," Isabella answered cheerfully.
Azazel quickly counted the number of students present and realized that one was missing.
"Lilly, did Jet come to school today?" Azazel asked.
"Yeah, he did," Lilly replied.
Azazel found it odd that Jet's parents didn't notify him of his absence. Just then, the doorbell rang, and Azazel went to answer it.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Zel," Jet's mother greeted him anxiously. "I'm sorry Jet is late, but I need your help."
"Is something wrong, ma'am?" Azazel asked, concerned.
"I have an important meeting today at my office, but Jack's daycare isn't open, and I need your help to take care of him for the day," she explained hurriedly. "Please."
Azazel agreed. "I'll take care of them."
"Thank you!" she exclaimed, before rushing off.
Jet quickly joined his classmates and began eating his lunch, while Jack followed Azazel.
"What's your name, little guy?" Azazel asked softly, kneeling down to Jack's level.
"Jack," the boy answered with a shy smile.
"How old are you?" Azazel inquired, turning to another child.
Jack slowly counted on his fingers before proudly showing Azazel two fingers.
"You're so young!" Azazel exclaimed, gently lifting Jack up. "And so cute with your chubby cheeks!"
Azazel carried on with his day as usual, but now with a two-year-old in tow. With his nausea still there, Azazel guessed that it was because he wasn't eating well. Jack seemed to notice some things and uttered words that Azazel couldn't quite understand.
"Shh! They sleep!" Jack whispered at one point. "Gibe luv to boo!" he said another time.
As Azazel sat down to mark the kids' tuition books, Jack wandered over and climbed onto Azazel's lap.
"Hey buddy," Azazel smiled, ruffling Jack's hair. "I wonder what you've been saying all day."
Jack looked down shyly as he sat on Azazel's lap. Suddenly, he reached out and patted Azazel's stomach.
"Fend fend!" he exclaimed with a giggle.
Azazel was now even more confused by Jack's words, but he didn't dwell on it. When Jet and Jack's mother arrived to pick them up, she tried to give Azazel extra cash for taking care of Jack. Despite Azazel's attempts to decline, she insisted on leaving it.
"Ma'am, may I ask a question before you go?" Azazel inquired, holding the cash in his hand.
The woman nodded in response.
"What does 'fend' mean for Jack? He kept saying it all day," Azazel asked, curious.
"It means 'friend'," she replied with a smile, before walking away with her two sons.
Soon, Kreo and other parents arrived to pick up the remaining children.
"The deal is off after the gala ends," Kreo joked, teasing Azazel about their agreement.
"Don't you dare," Azazel retorted playfully.
Jane ran out with the other kids, all sweaty and hugged their parents and older siblings.
It usually was a happy sight for Azazel to see, but the smell of the children sweat suddenly made him gag as he rushed to the toilet.
Kreo immediately noticed Azazel's distress and told Karla to go to the car first as he caught up with Azazel.
"Are you alright? Did you eat today?" Kreo asked with concern, squatting down beside Azazel.
"I'm fine... I'm fine..." Azazel answered, his head throbbing. "I didn't eat much."
"Why?!" Kreo asked with worry in his voice.
"It's bad for your health. You're already so thin, why didn't you eat?"
"I wasn't hungry," Azazel replied, feeling a surge of energy returning.
"Don't make excuses," Kreo insisted. "Let me get you dinner. Can you get up?"
Azazel chuckled at Kreo's persistence. "There's no need for that," he replied. "Karla's waiting for you, go."
He gently pushed Kreo towards the door, but Kreo refused to leave. "I'm not leaving until I know you're alright," he declared, halting his steps.
"I'm fine, hero," Azazel reassured him, growing slightly annoyed. "There's no need to worry, I'll eat dinner."
Their exchange continued, with both of them repeating themselves until Azazel eventually relented. "Alright, alright," he sighed. "This Friday night, 2 more weeks before the gala."
"Where do want to-"
"Anywhere!" Azazel shouted.
He turned and headed back into the daycare to gather his things. As Kreo made his way to the car, he couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation just for dinner.
Friday came faster than they knew it. Kreo arrived at the daycare earlier than usual with other parents.
"I'll be picking you up at 8 later," Kreo whispered into Azazel's ear.
Azazel rolled his eyes at Kreo as he left with Karla. He couldn't shake off his regret about this decision.
As promised, Kreo picked up Azazel from his apartment and drove them to a restaurant.
"I'm screwed," Azazel thought to himself.
He had just joked about going out for dinner to get Kreo to leave him alone, but he forgot how dense the hero could be.
Despite that, Azazel thought spending time with him wasn't too bad. Kreo arrived in an average-looking car and wore a giant grey hoodie with black jeans.
He was quite talkative, sharing thousands of stories that Azazel listened to until his phone buzzed with a notification.
As Azazel smiled at his phone, Kreo noticed and asked, "What are you smiling at?"
"Nothing," Azazel replied, putting down my phone. "Just got a notification about my clothing order finally arriving."
"But you still won't tell me what it is?" Kreo complained.
"Nope, you'll have to wait and see," Azazel teased, giggling.
When their food arrived, they continued to chat, with Kreo persistently asking about the suit Azazel was going to wear. Azazel kept giving vague answers like "I don't know" to every question.
"Come on!" he whined.
"Nope!" Azazel laughed. "Just eat your food. I'll be back in a sec."
Instead of going to the restroom, Azazel discreetly went to the cash register and paid the bill, mimicking what his uncle always did during family dinners. His grandma would always scold him for it.
Returning to the table, Kreo attempted to pay, only to be disappointed when the waitress informed him that Azazel had already taken care of it.
"Seriously?" Kreo said as they walked out together.
Azazel laughed. "I'm not letting you pay for my problems," he told Kreo. "Now, take me home. I want to see my delivery!"
As Kreo drove Azazel home, still curious about Azazel outfit, Azazel told him he'd have to wait two more weeks to find out.
"See you then," Azazel said as he closed the car door. Grabbing the package from outside my door, Azazel couldn't wait to see what was inside.
He sat on the floor, eagerly opening the box to reveal the dark red velvet outfit inside, neatly wrapped in a clear plastic bag.
Pulling it out, he admired the rich colour and quality of the fabric.
"Look at you," Azazel murmured, a smile creeping onto his face. "I can't wait to wear you out."