Blake was packing light.
A pair of pajamas, a few sets of casual clothing, underwear, socks, toiletries, and nothing much else.
He crouched beside the open bag, folding another shirt before placing it neatly inside.
Behind him, Myles stood silently, watching.
For several minutes, he had said nothing.
"It’d be better if you didn’t leave."
Blake paused.
He glanced back over his shoulder.
"Yeah, I know."
He turned back to the bag and zipped one of the compartments shut.
"I know it’ll be a little stressful."
He sighed, waving at him dismissively.
"But I don’t want to get cut off financially."
Myles’ expression remained completely serious.
"I can pay for everything."
Blake stopped, slowly looking back at him. Then, he rolled his eyes.
"There’s a limit to nonsense!"
Myles didn’t even blink.
Blake stood up and turned to face him properly.
"I can’t just rely on you for everything!"
He reached up and flicked Myles directly on the forehead.
Blake rubbed his fingers together.
"What about university and stuff then?"
"It doesn’t matter."
Blake stared at him, shaking his head.
"No way I’m letting that happen."
Myles looked thoroughly displeased: slightly narrowed eyes, tension in his jaw and shoulders just a little more rigid...
Blake sighed and stepped closer, gently patting Myles’ head.
"There’s no advantage in rejecting their money anyway. They’ve treated me badly for such a long time."
Blake smiled faintly.
"So what difference would it make if they just continued for another year or something?"
Myles still looked tense.
Blake tilted his head.
Then, with another quiet sigh, he wrapped his arms around Myles.
He pulled Myles’ head down until it rested against his shoulder.
Blake raised an eyebrow.
"What’s with you lately?"
Blake rubbed his back.
"Since I got that fever a few days ago, you’ve been a little on my neck."
He chuckled.
"You haven’t left me alone."
But inside, he was genuinely perplexed.
’It’s not my first time being sick...is it because I cried in my sleep?’
Blake looked down at him.
’He’s such a softie.’
The thought made him strangely happy.
He kissed the top of Myles’ head.
Myles eventually raised his head.
Their foreheads met.
Blake smiled.
"Go ahead, no need to ask all the time."
Myles still didn’t seem entirely satisfied, but before Blake could say anything else, he leaned forward, kissing him on the lips.
Blake kissed him back.
When they separated, Blake smiled.
"I’ll miss you too."
His fingers brushed against Myles’ cheek.
"But it’s going to be such a short time. There’s no need to worry."
Myles leaned forward again, kissing the corner of Blake’s lips.
"I want you to call me every evening."
Blake smiled.
"Okay."
"And keep the call up all night."
Blake stared at him.
"All night?"
Myles hummed.
Blake laughed again.
"Yeah, sure. If that makes you feel calmer."
Myles hummed once more.
Ring!
Blake’s phone rang.
He pulled it from his pocket and glanced at the screen.
It was the secretary.
He sighed.
"That’s my cue."
He looked at Myles.
"I have to go now."
"Be careful."
"I will."
"Don’t stress yourself."
Blake smiled.
"I’ll try."
Myles gave him a look.
Blake chuckled.
"Fine. I’ll be careful."
He leaned forward and kissed Myles’ cheek.
’It’s not exactly something I can promise.’
He picked up his bag, then walked toward the stairs.
"Bye!"
He waved over his shoulder.
Myles remained where he was.
Blake waved again as he descended.
...
As always, the black car was waiting in a hidden spot.
Blake approached it, opened the door, and climbed inside.
"Good morning."
The secretary glanced toward him through the mirror.
"Good morning, young master."
The car began moving.
At first, the ride was fairly ordinary, just like last time.
The city stretched around them, busy streets gradually giving way to quieter ones.
Blake watched buildings pass by through the window, occasionally recognizing a shop or intersection from his previous trip.
After a while, the scenery also began to change beautifully.
The roads became less crowded.
The buildings grew farther apart.
Eventually, the car left the more familiar city streets and entered the rural side.
Blake straightened slightly.
He hadn’t paid much attention to this part of the journey the first time. It was just him staring out.
Now he found himself naturally looking at what was out there, as if his eyes knew where to land.
There were houses scattered along the road, each one sitting farther from the next than what he was used to seeing in the city.
Some were small, simple homes with little gardens out front. Others were larger, surrounded by fences or stretches of grass.
There were even a few farms farther away.
Blake watched a man working near a wooden fence.
A little farther down, he spotted laundry hanging outside one of the houses, moving gently in the breeze.
Blake rested his chin against his hand.
’Huh, if I were rich, I would also choose an area like this.’
He hadn’t noticed any of this last time.
The car continued down the road.
Then something caught Blake’s attention.
It was a dog.
It had appeared from somewhere beside one of the houses and was now running along the roadside.
Blake’s eyes widened slightly.
’Is that dog following us?’
The secretary glanced briefly into the mirror.
Blake turned toward the rear window.
The dog was running surprisingly fast.
Its ears bounced as it moved, tongue hanging out of its mouth.
It looked ridiculously happy.
Blake laughed under his breath.
’Look at him go.’
The car was faster, of course.
Little by little, the distance between them grew.
Blake watched the dog for as long as he could.
Eventually, it became smaller and smaller in the distance.
He turned back around, smiling.
’He looked happy.’
For some reason, the sight had lifted his mood.
The rest of the ride passed more quickly after that.
Eventually, the road curved.
And the villa came into view.
Blake’s smile faded into a more neutral expression.
There it was.
The enormous property stood beyond the gates, surrounded by carefully maintained grounds.
But this time, Blake noticed something else.
The house looked even more decorated than he remembered.
Blake stared for a moment.
’Wow, they really went all out.’
The car came to a stop.
Blake opened the door and stepped outside.
Everything was exactly as he remembered.
The unnaturally aligned flowers.
The perfectly maintained garden.
The old woman waiting near the entrance.
She stood there with the same composed posture as before, as though she had been waiting in precisely the same place.
Blake looked at her, then at the house, and shrugged.
’Well, whatever.’
He picked up his bag.
’Here we go again.’
He walked inside with the old lady.
Yet again, he found himself in his room.
The room at the end of the corridor.
The room on the last floor.
Blake looked around.
"This shit is going to be so boring."
He placed his bag down and began changing.
The closed was still big and full of clothes, fortunately, so he decided to change into something more formal.
Once finished, he looked at himself in the mirror.
His dark blonde hair fell naturally around his face, while his brown eyes gave him a surprisingly nice appearance with the outfit.
He adjusted his collar.
"Myles would be so amazed."
A few minutes later...
Knock. Knock.
Blake looked toward the door.
’Yup, just like last time.’
They were calling him down for lunch.
He sighed.
"Coming."
He opened the door.
The hallway was as silent as ever.
He stepped outside.
Almost immediately, he noticed something.
The servants nearby looked startled.
One of them even froze for a second when they noticed him.
Blake’s eyebrows rose.
’Wow.’
That uncomfortable vibe from them was still there.
If anything, it was worse.
He didn’t know whether they were uncomfortable around him, afraid of him, or simply didn’t know how to act around him.
Either way, it wasn’t exactly welcoming.
He walked toward the staircase.
The elevator was right there.
He glanced at it.
Then at the endless stairs.
"...No."
He chose the stairs, which were absurdly long.
Blake looked down.
’Why did I choose this again?’
He could have simply taken the elevator.
But somehow, walking felt better, a bit less suffocating. Less like he was being transported directly into something he didn’t want to face.
He continued down.
’It would feel more comfortable if they just behaved like their masters... seriously, what kind of horror story did that family get around about me, for them to be like this!’
Eventually, he reached the bottom, standing in front of the dining room door.
His hand hovered over the handle.
Ba-dump.
Ba-dump.
Ba-dump.
Blake sighed.
He placed a hand over his heart.
"Calm down."
His heart didn’t listen.
He lowered his hand.
Then opened the door.
The dining room was just as large as he remembered.
Everyone was already there.
Blake stepped inside.
For a moment, the room seemed to become quieter.
He smiled.
"Good morning."
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