Norton sat alone in his huge bedroom at his bed. His hair was still dripping wet from the shower he had after he got out of the office. The same question was still circling his head.
All these expenses, are they really that important and necessary?
He had a huge house all to himself, maids to do the cleaning, expensive ornaments everywhere. But somehow, the estate always seemed devoid of something. Something that could cheer him up. Norton had always thought about adopting kids. He loved seeing them laugh and have a happy life he'd missed out as a kid. He wanted to help fill the gap where their parents had left, knowing how it had felt for him.
He had enough to take care of kids, but he lacked the time to do so. He spent his days in the office, tracking people who hadn't paid off their debts for Jack. He was grateful that his superior had introduced him to this job, but it always took up so much time. He lay back onto the bed. He could care less if his hair would soak a patch of the fabric. He felt weary all of a sudden, and wished for no more than to fall asleep.
Why do you spend so much money now?
The first time he got this much money, he had no idea what to spend it on. He decided a good meal was in order to treat himself. It was such a good meal, and not long after he returned, he longed for more. He began taking up more jobs from his superior, hoping for a pay raise. In the end, not only did he get a really high pay, he also got promoted to where he was now.
But it all seemed like he was still lacking something...
He fell asleep, not knowing how tired he was, and how much he needed a rest. Outside, the maids locked the huge front door as they finished their cleaning and left. It would be two or three more days before they come back again for cleaning, leaving Norton quite alone.
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Eli sat stiffly in his seat, still thinking about going to Aesop's home. The traffic had cleared a little now, cutting short his time to think of ways to avoid going to Aesop's home. The marked location on the GPS was getting closer and closer now as Aesop drove on. Somehow they were entering a slightly dense forest area with a path paved out. Small lamps illuminated the bricked path as they drove down.
As the trees cleared, a huge estate loomed out. The steel gates opened as a man pulled them aside to let Aesop drive in. Eli gawked at the white building with huge tinted windows. The pool beside it glimmered under the porch light, crystal clear water splashing over the edge ever so slightly to form an infinite pool. In the distance, he saw two vague, white objects zooming around his yard.
Aesop pulled in the driveway and parked his car right by the front door, lit by a small lamp with extravagant flowers around the arch. Eli looked around, taking in the sight. He noticed that there were a lot of yellow rose bushes around the estate, lining every corner of the yard. A greenhouse stood in the far corner, where the two cloud-looking objects were still dashing around wildly.
"Welcome. Please, make yourself comfortable when we go in. I have some things to settle outside."
Aesop said as he got out. He passed Eli some keys and his coat.
"Help me hang this up by the rack and leave the keys on the shelf. I'll get them when I'm done."
Eli nodded and shakily took the keys. Aesop noticed and reached over, closing his own hand over Eli's. The smaller male could feel his face warming up as he felt Aesop's hands. He watched as his boss proceeded over to the two clouds in the distance, rolling up his sleeves. Looking over the key, he made his way to the front door and slipped it in. There were a small click as the lock slid away. It took a lot of strength for him to open the door, which was surprisingly heavy. The insides were as grand as he thought it would be.
A glass chandelier hung from the ceiling above, casting a warm, yellowish light onto the interior. A white piano stood in the side of the living room, where a fireplace and huge couches lay. A grand dining table stood by itself in a room connected to the kitchen, where the counters shone with polish and shelves of jars and boxes lined the walls. The floor wasn't carpeted, to show off the elegant marble veins running through it. A slightly spiralling staircase was right beside him, along with the coatrack and a shelf with more yellow roses in it.
The sight was too much for Eli to take in. He'd never dreamed of being in such a luxurious home, let alone one this big. He shook his head, hanging the coat on the rack and placing the keys on the shelf as Aesop had instructed before looking around again. He'd been told to make himself comfortable, but it seemed weird to walk around somebody else's home.
Instead, he walked back out to the yard, where he found Aesop now struggling to hold down one of the clouds. He approached slowly, definitely not expecting to be knocked down to his side by the other cloud. He felt something wet on his cheek and looked up to see that the clouds were actually huge white dogs. The weight of it was unbelievably heavy considering how much of a cloud it was.
"Eli! Are you alright?"
Aesop let go of the other Samoyed, which bounded off with it's companion into the greenhouse. The small male got up slowly, dusting his knees and smiling.
"I'm fine sir. But I didn't know you had two dogs, or that you lived in such a huge estate."
He clamped his mouth shut after realising what he said. Of course he wouldn't know. Why would his boss reveal where he lived and all about his personal life to random people? But thankfully, Aesop shrugged and chuckled. He was covered in dog fur, sticking to his suit and pants. Unconsciously, Eli reached over and brushed off some fur. Aesop watched as his executive plucked fur off his suit, not saying anything. Eli reached his pants before he paused.
Ah shit...What did I just do...
Eli slowly straightened up and met Aesop's amused gaze. A small smile played on his boss' lips before he burst out chuckling. Eli's eyes widened as he realised what he had just done and started babbling apologies as Aesop continued laughing. Even the Samoyeds stopped to look at them.
"Ah...I never- Haha! I never expected you to do that!"
"I'm so sorry sir! I didn't mean to-"
"It's alright...Hah...I just didn't expect your reaction to be so adorable."
Eli stopped upon hearing that. He opened and closed his mouth as he stared at his boss, who sighed and began to get closer. The executive backed away slightly as the male approached before he tripped and fell back. Aesop knelt down and grasped Eli's chin, looking into his eyes.
"Who would've thought you stood out so much from the others..."
Eli's heart was going to burst.
Aesop got up again and cracked his knuckles, looking over at the Samoyeds. As he dashed after them, Eli slowly got up, holding his head in his hands.
What happened and why was he feeling so flustered?!
