Venom

《 Ten 》

"You didn't have to do that." Lorenzo said.

"Let's pack." The tiger walked back into the bedroom and the shorter man stood outside in shock. His husband had ignored his words completely. Yifan had just fought his ex and acted as if nothing had happened. Was he an alien?

Lorenzo snapped out of his trance and walked back into the bedroom. Yifan had packed all the books and accessories into the boxes. Lorenzo walked to the bed and began packing his clothing. The couple worked in silence. The elder filled two suitcases with clothing and handed them to the taller man who picked them up and left the apartment to go to his car. Lorenzo filled another suitcase with shoes and slides while the tiger set the two suitcases in his car's trunk. He went back and began grabbing the boxes. Lorenzo handed the taller man his car keys so he could set some of the boxes in his vehicle. All his stuff couldn't fit in one car. Yifan took the key and picked up two large boxes with ease. It took them one more hour to pack and move boxes and suitcases into the two cars. Lorenzo locked the apartment and went inside the elevator with the younger man.

"I'm not going to take much stuff because I will still use this apartment. Let's go, my dear husband." The shorter man said tiredly.

He got inside his car and Yifan got inside the Dodge. The two started their vehicles and rolled down the road. The sun began to set as Lorenzo followed the direction Yifan was going in. It took another hour because of traffic. They finally reached two familiar black gates and the two cars rolled into the place. Lorenzo and Yifan parked the cars and got out to see Jia, Maelin, and Zhen waiting for them at the main entrance. Bella came running and began to lick Lorenzo's hand. The elder smiled and rubbed the side of her cute face. The female dog ran to Yifan and jumped up. The younger man caught his adorable pet and smiled as she wagged her tail.

"Welcome to your palace, Lorenzo." Jia teased as she walked towards them and greeted the shorter man with a hug.

"How are you, Grandma Jia?"

"I'm doing well. We've been waiting all week for your arrival." She held his arm and smiled brightly. "You must be so tired, let's go inside."

"But my stuff is still in the cars." He said and the old woman giggled.

"Your husband and his siblings will take care of it. Let's go inside, hun." She held his arm gently and guided him inside. Lorenzo smiled at Zhen and Maelin and they both had excitement shining in their eyes. The old woman took him to the living room and the two sat down. Jia handed him a glass full of cold juice. He took a few sips of the delicious orange juice and set the glass down.

"From now on, this house is yours as much as it is ours. Welcome to the Zan family." She said and the shorter man smiled. "How about a tour?"

"Why not?"

The two stood and began walking around the grand place. They wandered around the whole place for a good twenty minutes and Lorenzo found out how big the house was. He had already seen the garage and backyard last time he had visited. Today, he found that the second floor had six bedrooms, each having its bathroom and walk-in closets. There were two guest bedrooms while the four were occupied. Yifan had his gym room next to his bedroom. Downstairs, they had the kitchen, living room with a heavy chandelier above, lounge room, dining room. Underneath, there was a basement and laundry room. Even Bella had her large doghouse on the side in the backyard. All the family members had their respectful space. The elder wondered which guest room he would get.

"The house is so beautiful." He complimented as they walked on the shiny black marble tiles.

"It really is. Yifan bought it with all his hard work. He wanted to make sure this is our little paradise." That was impressive. Yifan was one of a kind.

"Yifan is amazing." Lorenzo said sweetly, an act to fool Jia.

"Let me show you your room." The old woman smirked and they walked upstairs again. The two walked inside the large dark blue hallway and Lorenzo felt himself pale as they stood in front of Yifan's bedroom. Oh no. How could he forget?

"This was your husband's room but now it's also yours. Come in." The old woman grabbed his hand and opened the door.

Lorenzo saw brown and nude colors all over the master bedroom. There was a large Californian king set against the wall in the middle of the room, covered in expensive nude silk sheets and fluffy light brown pillows. Each side of the bed had black nightstands, decorated with nude cylindrical lamps. There was a balcony facing the left side of the bed. There were two large glass doors, covered in bisque lace curtains. Through the lace, Lorenzo could see many kinds of plants surrounding two boho wooden swivel chairs and a round wooden table. The balcony showed the view of the beautiful garden. The shorter man observed the inside of the room, there were two coffee-colored doors facing the right side of the bed. One door led to a walk-in closet and the other one was a bathroom. In the walk-in closet, Lorenzo noticed his boxes and suitcases set on the side neatly, waiting to be unpacked. The one thing that caught his eyes was the gorgeous makeup vintage vanity settled against the wall on the side of the balcony. There was a large vintage lamp next to it and there was a huge mirror along with a little one set on the fancy table. There was a nude open arm pull-up chair facing the space, set on top of a fuzzy white rug.

"You like it?" The man was too amazed by it so he could only nod.

"I had Yifan purchase it for you. He set it up in the morning before you came." Jia said proudly.

"I love him." The shorter man said happily. He hugged Yifan's grandma and thanked her. "Thank you, Grandma Jia."

"I told Yifan to create space for you to settle your stuff. You must be tired, I made dinner before you came. Go freshen up and come downstairs to eat with us. After that, you and Yifan can unpack your stuff." The old woman said and the shorter man gave her a nervous smile. Jia left the grand bedroom and the elder felt his heart drop.

'How did I forget that we would stay in the same room?'

He thought while opening a small box that had his brush, towels, and other toiletries. He picked up the box and went to the other door. When Lorenzo opened the door, his jaw dropped. If the room was grand, the bathroom was even more luxurious. The ceiling was high with lights dangling down. The place was very spacious and the features were all dark. There was a tinted glass shower stall in the left corner and a toilet on the right. In the middle of the bathroom, there was a large black stone tub shaped like a square. Lorenzo stood next to the tub and turned around. He saw a vanity along set against the wall next to the door and he saw a large mirror, illuminated by small lights. There were a few cabinets underneath a stone black sink shaped like an oval. Seeing all this made the elder feel suspicious. He decided to take a quick shower and dressed in a simple white shirt and black sweats. The man dried his hair and applied a night cream on his face. As he walked downstairs, a silly thought crossed his mind.

'How can Yifan afford all this if he is just a mechanic? Is he in the mafia or something?'

Lorenzo shook his head and reached the dining room. He saw Jia setting up the table but the others weren't here yet. "Let me help you, Grandma Jia."

The old woman smiled as he followed her into the kitchen. He picked up a large tray and brought it to the table. The others came in one by one and Lorenzo watched Maelin and Yifan fill a large bowl of food for Bella. Zhen helped bring the utensils and once the table was set, they all sat down. The younger man pulled out a chair for the elder who smiled. Jia began to tease the couple as they ate and the siblings laughed. Dinner wasn't awkward. Lorenzo didn't feel like an outsider with these people. After dinner, Lorenzo offered to help Maelin to wash the dishes. The two were at the sink as Yifan and Zhen cleaned up the table. After the dishes were done, the elder said goodnight to Maelin and went upstairs. His heart was beating like crazy. When Lorenzo opened the door, he saw Yifan sitting at the edge of the bed. The taller man was dressed in black sweatpants only, black ink decorated his delicious upper body and his hair was wet, almost covering his dangerous noir eyes that stared at the shorter man. Lorenzo gulped and he couldn't bring himself to step inside the room.

'Why is he staring at me like a predator?'