Going with the Flow

02: Weather or Not

                                                                                     ~A Month Ago~

                   ''You haven't even started unwrapping me. Am I gonna be thrown away just like that?''

     It's Azure Echo Day. Rafayel had the brilliant idea to throw a party for all of our friends to relax and unwind for the day at his place. He called me over to help pick out some decorations and help set everything up. I wondered why me, of all people. Bodyguards don't usually help set up for parties, they help guard them. Why didn't he call Thomas instead? I brushed away the thought and worked for a good portion of the day helping him put everything into place. As we worked meticulously, I glance out the window every once in a while, watching the snow flurries drift down to the surface. I wasn't too keen on the idea before, but I was actually getting pretty excited about the party and getting to mingle with more people. In the back of my mind, I thought about telling Tara how the party went afterwards, but she might start interrogating me about any cute guys I might've talked to. It probably wouldn't be a great idea if I told her about Rafayel, given his status. Word would get around the office quickly and soon around town if they knew I was ''bodyguarding'' a high-profiled person. It's best if I keep that one to myself and just tell her that there wasn't anyone interesting here. 

            Evening is just about here, and almost everything was now in place, decorations and food alike. I felt my stomach growl a bit, having worked up an appetite. The smell of the appetizers and strawberry cake danced around my nostrils and made my stomach speak to me even louder. I look over to Rafayel, whom of which had a cheese-eating grin on his face. What the hell is he up to? I wondered. Rafayel wasn't one for having parties, so I felt it a bit too odd for him to spontaneously up and decide to throw one. And invite PEOPLE. Something he wasn't fond much of. Throughout the days of me watching over him and essentially doing his bidding, he's complained to me numerous times about how he didn't get why he had to be at his own art exhibitions, or how he hated boring parties and being around a lot of people. ''I just don't get it. What do they need me for? They already have my art, what more do they need?'', is what he'd say. There was even the entire song and dance we had to go through when Thomas enlisted me to retrieve him for an exhibition/fragrance crossover. He tried EVERYTHING in his power to get out of going. I suddenly recall some of that night...and blush intensely at what went on after Rafayel took a wiff of that perfume I was wearing. I didn't DARE think anymore about it...I narrowly dodged a bullet that day. But oh, what could've been...

       My focus jumped around a bit after that thought. I didn't want to recall that specific night again, but now that I think about it...the sexual tension between Rafayel and I lately has been so thick that you could cut it with a knife. Not only that, but he also started calling me for mundane things. Instead of me simply being his bodyguard or his fighting partner, he's called me to help him look for a paintbrush. Or to help him fix his phone that he dropped in the bathtub. Not to mention the absolute big, baby rage he throws if I'm late to see him. Today doesn't feel much different. I glance over at him again as he's hanging some garland up around the wall surrounding the fireplace, his back towards me. I don't...entirely dislike the fact that he's calling me constantly for all of these things not regarding what I was enlisted for initially. I like the company, and it gives me something to do when I'm not off fighting Wanderers. And honestly as of late, I don't have anyone else to spend time with. Tara usually spends time with her family, and Zayne is away tending to some medical duty elsewhere. And Xavier...well, I have no damn idea where Xavier even is because he just doesn't tell me. I just know that he's not at home. And I kinda...like seeing Rafayel often. Like...a lot. I glance over at him again as he's bending down picking up more pieces of the garland from a box. Mnngg...I find myself staring at his ass perked up in the air and his slight girlish figure. ''NNNGG!!'' I shake my head rapidly and try to focus on laying the wine glasses on the side table next to the cabinet. 

       Finally, we're done. We stand in the middle of the room, smiling at each other and noticing our handy work with all the perfectly placed decorations. But then, I glance over to one of the huge living room windows and...''Uuhhh....'' I looked at Rafayel, dumbfounded. 

  ''What?'' He tilts his head in confusion, his multi-colored eyes fixed on my equally confused face. I pointed at the window, directing him to look out. ''...Oh fuck...'' He turned his head slowly to look out, noticing that the once flurries we saw earlier in the day had turned into a full-blown blizzard! We both rushed to the window to get a closer look, hoping that we were imagining things. Indeed, we were not. The entire ground was covered with inches of snow and it hadn't slowed down. The wind was blowing and it has started snowing sideways. How neither of us noticed that was beyond me. We looked back at each other and then the highly decorated room surrounding us. I pulled my cellphone out of my pocket. Great, I forgot to turn it off silent mode and noticed that I missed a weather notification. I hold the phone up so both Rafayel and I could hear the weather notification together blaring out from my phone's speaker.

  -Due to the blizzard, some roads are under traffic control and are temporarily closed.-