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Time 7:30 pm
Day 26/5

What had happened in my past was not anything short of gaslighting and someone being a Mama's boy; for I met him in a cat cafe, on an early spring morning, a perfect average day for a person who had finally found her beat in the world. I had my balance. A small business running slowly but steady, a small apartment, a little money to spare, and friends and family to make my day. It was okay to say the least. Boar Canyon had only opened recently as the new competitive steakhouse to Good Hunter. Competition was a bit rough with my restaurant not located near the main market plaza, but alot of people were fond of our take out offer and fast delivery, despite covering a small diameter.

My worries had eased for the first time in a long while, and the shadows of my eyes had been proof of me trying to follow up on the daily dinner rush of the afternoon. Gifting myself with a warm cat shaped latte was only obligatory. That is until he came along, Kamisato Ayato, a beautiful man with the sweetest smile and gentle eyes that formed crescents whenever he got shy or flustered. He was a calm person, soft like the wind and steady as the flow of water. He had apparently taken notice of a book I had been reading ever since I got to the cafe, he opened up the discussion of the theories he had on the story's plot and at the time I got so caught up in the moment at meeting a fan of such a book. Things were simple. . . every morning we often came to have breakfast together, before parting ways. It was nothing strange in my eyes. Just friends. . . until he got "romantic".

He wrote me cheesy poems, left me flowers, sweets, and plushies and everything my heart had laid out to him about my interests. Like fool. A love struck fool, I danced with him on the board game of life, spinning and twirling till the world became a blur and I was then sitting at the center of my restaurant with him on one knee and a ring held out to me.

With a rose in hand he introduced me to his family: father and mother, sister and maid. . .and all those who served at his place. An estate. He was rich, flooding with money and wealth to the point I got scared. He never mentioned any of this, I did not even know what his family worked, and when I asked they seemed to all grow. . . Distant. Strict. Cold and cruel.

Not knowing what I had done I tried to please his father and mother, while he stood at the sidelines watching me with those pitiful eyes I had noticed, like I was a child begging for attention. They excepted so much, yet I could offer only so little materialistically. With the stress and his mother and father chasing after me. . . .my mental state wavered, and my body fell apart. Nothing felt okey anymore. Infact, everything was anything but okay. My suppliers were refusing to work with me and the harder I searched for alternatives the higher the prices went. . . Until the restaurant fell into a mess. . . And then Ayato came. He held me in his arms one night when I was checking the finances of the restaurant. I cried that night, held onto him like I was bound to fall. . . And then I signed the restaurant to him like he advised me, " Sign it in my name and I'll finance everything, we'll work together."

I was foolish. Naive. . . I trusted him. The next day I woke up to find his family in the restaurant . . . And him demanding to break off our engagement. His parents who had pressured me seem to pity me themselves. . . But Ayato. . . He did not even blink. He stared me dead in the eyes and asked again and again for us to break our engagement. Those eyes of his were numb to emotion and he did not waste a minute to change the whole place from a comfy wooden cabin like steakhouse. . . To building a second floor building with stages and poles that reached the roof.

" He took everything. . ." I gasped, clutching at my chest and sinking my nails into Childe's shoulder. " He didn't care. . . I was nothing but a convenience."

With an unspeakable rage clawing at my heart, my eyes staring into nothingness, and the world fell on to my shoulders, leaving me to sink into the deep blue sea. Pathetic . . . Utterly pathetic. To lose one's dignity and self-worth. To fall and be left to pick up the broken pieces. All was gone. God only knew how lucky I was to manage to borrow a decent amount of money to create B.B.P.

"At least it's something . . . "

A choked laughter echoed in the room, crackling and shaking. I had snapped out of my thoughts expecting the voice to be coming from Childe, but the ginger only looked up at me with a pitiful gaze, like I was a hurt kitten pulled into the rubble of life's problems. For that was my woeful laughter and the salty flavor against my tongue were but sorrowful tears. "My . . . Lady?" I swallowed with difficulty as Thoma's raspy voice reached my ears. " Where are we? What happened ? . . . Why is there a man passed out on the floor?"

He sluggishly lifted himself up while I tried to wipe away the water-works of my swollen and red eyes and lick my champed lips. Childe remained surprisingly silent as one of hands caressed my knee., until the blond man in the side locked eyes with him. "He is perhaps dead," the ginger cruelly teased, watching fear flicker over the other young man's face.

Trying to ignore the ginger, Thoma struggled to lift himself. Elbows pressed against the bedsheets, his legs remained buckled under him , face turning a pale shade of yellow sickness. " My lady . . . " anguish came over his features as he turned to the side of the bed and coughed out the many beverages that he had shot down his throat despite his child-like tolerance .

"Thoma!" I had rushed to his side, rubbing circles over his back as he gasped for a breather between his gags, eyes teary and nose filled with the sickening stench of vomit." Childe! "

Childe stared for a moment, unfazed . . . Or maybe even annoyed; for his face wrinkled in disgust and lips parted to say something spiteful, but held it back his tongue upon catching my gaze. "Fine," he sighed, leaving the room for a second, before returning with a plastic bucket. "Puke in this, I doubt the water here is water anyway."

After managing to take a proper breath , Thoma weakly chuckled , eyes barely open, yet the smile still there and tears running down his now red flushed cheeks as he looked up at the blue abyss eyes staring down at him. Childe almost felt pity, but hardened his jaw and let out a scoff as he grabbed a fistful of Thoma's hair and forced him to bend down and continue releasing the retched liquids ripping his guts apart.

***

Time 8:35 pm

Spending another second in that ball of drunkards sounded like a death wish. Despite Childe chatting among staff and customers like it as his daily dose of steroids, I kept my gaze on the sickly blond dragging himself through the body of Boar Canyon's beating heart of music and flashy lighting. Heck even my guts had started to twist form the cheers and sweaty bodies as we stumbled out, hoarded by dancers and drunken prostitutes urging us to join them for a cup of apple cider and butterscotch. Hard pass.

By the time I managed to drive us to B.B.P , Thoma collapsed into one of the booths, panting and cheeks flushed red with heat. " I'm guessing sake wasn't the only thing he drank in those shots he took . . ." I spoke to Childe from behind the counter as the ginger stretched his long arms over his head while making himself comfy in on of the bar's stalls.

" Honestly he'd have had himself screwed if we were not there," he sighed while eyeing me as I poured all three of us cups of iced water.

" You don't think we're gonna be sued for property damage ,right?" My question only made the ginger laugh, soon followed by a snort.

" Maybe hospital fees," he joked , unbuttoning the first few buttons of his shirt and placing his red jacket down on the wooden back frame of the stall next to him." More importantly. . . You owe me a date lil miss ~ Since this one ended on an awfully. . . Unpleasant note."

He laid down an unfolded piece of paper before me and winked cheekily, smoothly picking one of the glass cups and carefully laying the rim to his pale- pink- lips, sipping elegantly.

Thoma on the other hand was a mess compared to the ironically calm and collected nutcase drinking water as if it were wine. " My lady . . ." Voice fading and dry, Thoma lad his upper half over the table, face held low and his hands sluggishly hanging over his head as he brushed them through the tangled locks of his blond hair. " Everything is spinning. . . "

Moving deeper into the booth I placed the two cups down on the dimly light oak table, before turning my attention to him. " Everything is okay Thoma calm down," my words of reassurment had little to no effect, for he only looked up at me with those big, cute, puppy eyes of his . " I'm sorry . . . " He swallowed, guilt dripping with each word. " I'm sorry my lady. . . "

One second he was sluggishly moving his fingers through his hair, and the next he was pushing him off the table and throwing himself into my arms. " I feel horrible," he moaned, face buried in my neck as I tried to remain as still as possible.

Was this what restaurant owners always delt with their workers crying on their shoulder ? " My lady . . . " His lips became awefully close to my ear to the point I could feel his breath brushed against the tender skin. " Can I . . . Kiss you again?"

"Well. . . ." I inched away a little, not because I did not want to kiss him, but because I could still smell the scent of vomit and alcohol rolling off of him. " Maybe when you're feeling better tomorrow?"

He sulked further in his seat, before turning to the glass of water I had placed on the table specifically for him. "Okay. . ." His shoulders fell in disappointment, alas he lifted the cup and drank it down messily with one gulp, before sinking back down on the table. " I wish. . . Things could be different."

With that he was gone. Passed out on the table, with head down on the hard oak surface, and his fingers still clasping the empty cup of water. A sense of relief washed over me at the sight of him finally asleep and hopefully to be sober in the morning without a too-painful headache.

"What about me ?"