MILE
No one enters my property without me getting alerted so when my house managers show up at my office in the hours I've specified that I don't want to be disturbed, I know something is up.
"What is it, Chirawan?" I ask, shifting my gaze from the screen of my computer and to her.
"I'm sorry sir but someone is asking for you. They said you were expecting them."
My brows draw in confusion. It's close to eleven and I rarely bring work home. Whoever is out there is lying and I almost want to give Chirawan the job of dealing with them but I have been working for three straight hours and could use a break.
"Fine, I'll deal with them," I say, pushing back from my desk and walking out of the office. I'm rolling my sleeves trying to figure out who could be seeking me this late.
I walk into my foyer to find Apo pacing restlessly and I am taken aback to see him here. He could have easily called instead of showing up here but he seems to be in a hurry.
"Apo," I call out and he whirls around to face me.
"Is Barcode here?"
God, not this again.
"What's going on?" I ask, folding my arms in front of my chest and staring firmly at him.
"Answer me Mile, please, Is Barcode here?"
"No."
"Has he contacted you or anything like that?" he asks, his brows drawing in confusion. "Everyone is sick and worried about him. His mother said he went to his room after dinner but when she went to check up on him, he was not there. We think he snuck out. I called Jeff and Bible and everyone I could reach but no one knows where the fuck he went."
"And why, pray tell, are you doing all this?"
Apo seems taken aback by my question, blinking at me in confusion. "I... everyone is worried about him. Did you not hear me?"
"But why?"
"He is just a kid, Mile. Something could have happened to him or maybe someone kidnapped him. I don't know. We need to find him."
"But he snuck out on his own."
"He's just confused."
I shake my head at him, trying to make sense of his words. In essence, I understand him and everyone else viewing Barcode as their younger brother but this is insane. I don't remember people fanning over me like this when I was nineteen.
"Look," I say with a sigh, raking my brain for the right thing to say. "Did you contact him?"
"Yes, but he said he needs time away from everyone but we need to know where exactly he is. We're worried, Mile."
"At least he can contact you. Now just give him time. Go home and rest, he'll reach out to you when he is ready to talk."
Apo doesn't seem convinced and I can read the worry in his eyes which I understand. Apo and Jeff adopted Barcode like he was their own little brother, dotting on him and loving him like they would their own brothers. No, they adopted a more fatherly role over him as he became their responsibility.
I'll admit that Barcode is lucky to have them but what Apo doesn't understand is that Barcode needs a friend, not another father but I refuse to tell my friend this. I would be hurting him with my words just because we don't see things the same way.
"Hey," I say, placing a hand on his shoulder. "He's probably crashing at a friend's home and needs a day or two to gather his thoughts. As long as his phone is on, then you can be sure that he is safe. Okay?"
Apo nods but I can tell he is not ready to leave yet to I invite him for a drink. We sit down and discuss our upcoming projects and I advice him on some of the best places he can invest right now. We are well through a bottle of whiskey when Apo announces that he needs to head back home.
I don't want him driving home even a little bit tipsy so I call my driver to take him home. I slide my hands into my slacks and watch him wave at me before climbing into the back of his car.
The car pulls away and I watch it disappear through the iron gates before walking back inside. I contemplate going back to finish my work but as it is, I am not in the mood to work anymore. I didn't get enough sleep last night and I need a lot of that.
"I am done for the night. I'll head to bed now," I tell my house manager as I climb the stairs, already tugging at my tie.
I am stripping my shirt off when I enter my bedroom and head straight to take a shower. I've had a long day with a mile-long schedule and I could really use the rest. The hot water on my back feels amazing, relaxing my tense muscles and when I am done, I am already feeling much better.
It's a few minutes to midnight when I finally approach the bed. I tap the screen of my personal phone and note that there are no missed calls or messages that need my immediate attention.
I stretch my arms over my shoulders before climbing into bed. I bite back a groan when a hand slips to my side and and traces the lines on my chest.
"Not now, Kitten," I whisper, my body reacting strongly to the smaller body that rolls to my side. A mass of soft curls fall to my chest and I find myself dipping my fingers into the thick hair.
"But, I want -"
"You need sleep, we both do," I rasp, leaning down and pressing my lips on his forehead. "Now, be good for me and sleep."
"Fine," he says petulantly, nuzzling my chest and soon, his breath evens out. Despite all the talk about needing to sleep, I find myself staying up well into the night and listening to the sound of his breathing.
Tonight, I was going to end our arrangement.
I was going to tell him that we couldn't do this anymore but then he showed up at my doorstep, his eyes brimming with tears and one look into those innocent brown eyes and I was sucked in.
I told him that he was mine and that remains true... at least for the next three days.
As long as Barcode is mine, then he can come to me for anything and I will give it to him. He just needs to ask and it's his.
Including me.
