As he pays the bill, memories of the past with his friends flood back. Whenever they felt bored, they would head to Eryx's private villa, bringing along ingredients for cooking. Braylon was always the one who did the cooking, with Revilla helping out. Eryx and Alex knew nothing about cooking, so they stayed out of the kitchen. They would spend a day there and then go home. These cherished memories are what keep him grounded; otherwise, he would have struggled mentally long ago.
The shopkeeper taps his finger, snapping him out of his thoughts. He pays the bill and gathers his belongings. Before leaving, he turns to look at the shop one more time. It was their favorite place because of the high-quality items it sold.
The previous shopkeeper was friendly towards them, but the new shopkeeper doesn't even know him. This makes him feel depressed, and he misses the old days.
When he gets back to his apartment, Alan is wandering around. Braylon puts the bags on the table and starts cleaning the vegetables. It's already late, but if he starts cooking now, he'll finish on time.
While cooking, he keeps an eye on Alan. Although Alan isn't very naughty, Braylon can't let a three-year-old play unsupervised. He worries a lot, being a single parent. Sometimes, he wonders if Alan will be disgusted by him if he ever learns about his gender.
Society expects them to conform and change everything for others' comfort, not because of who they are, but because they were born into a judgmental world.
He lets out a deep sigh and continues cooking. After some time, he finishes.
"Alan... Come and eat your food before it gets cold," Braylon shouts as Alan runs towards him. "I'll eat after Dad sometimes. I'm not hungry at all," Alan says, looking at Braylon with his big bunny eyes. Before Alan can slip away, Braylon grabs his shirt and drags him to the table.
"Let's eat. It's already late," Braylon says, raising his eyebrows. "You're a baddie... You're bullying a kid. If you force me, I'll call Aunt Zaneta," Alan pouts cutely. Braylon sighs.
"Don't be stubborn, Alan. I have work tomorrow and need to review my documents. Eat your dinner and go to bed early," he says, patting Alan, but Alan pushes his hand away. "I hate you," Alan groans.
Braylon is at a loss for words. Even though he is Alan's father, he struggles to take care of a little kid.
Alan eats as much as he can and then washes his hands. Braylon can tell how angry Alan is. Alan leaves the dining hall and goes to his room. The sound of the door shutting makes Braylon flinch.
The anger Alan shows is exactly like Eryx's. Braylon sighs, finishes his dinner, and then goes to his room. He takes some files from his bag and sits on the bed.
Opening the file, he begins to study the case. After finishing his studies, he worked in a detective section. When he decided to return to his hometown, the local police, impressed by his intelligence, assigned him a new case.
As he examines the case, he finds some suspicious details and marks them in the file. He analyzes the case details until midnight before finally going to bed.
Braylon is sleeping soundly when he suddenly feels a heaviness on him, making it hard to breathe. Eryx's words echo in his ears. He wants to forget that night, but Alan's presence constantly reminds him of Eryx. If he hadn't had sex with Eryx, Braylon wouldn't have become pregnant with Alan.
Braylon wakes up abruptly, breathing heavily and drenched in sweat. He looks around and realizes he's in his bed.
He drinks a glass of water and falls back onto the bed, rubbing his forehead. He can't forget that night. He gets up and walks towards the door, hesitating before opening it. Finally, he steps out of his room and goes to Alan's room.
He opens the door to find Alan sleeping soundly. Seeing this, he feels relieved and goes back to sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NEXT DAY
"Senior, I heard that an officer is coming from abroad to take over your case, but we've worked hard on it. How can they just hand it over to someone else?" Franklyn shouts, startling everyone.
"Can you not shout near our ears? We aren't deaf," Alex replies, annoyed, as he checks the case files. Revilla chuckles.
Eryx closes the file and looks at Franklyn, who is standing behind Alex, gasping for breath.
After completing their master's degrees in forensic criminology, Eryx, Alex, and Revilla joined as police detectives. As talented individuals, their achievements are notable and highly regarded.
"Do I care? Whoever that person is, just let him take this case. I know it's a simple case, but I'm just annoyed with handling it," Eryx says, closing the file.
"So, you're really going to hand over the files to him? Arghhh... I'm annoyed," Franklyn pouts.
Eryx is the head of his team, with Alex and Revilla as his teammates. Franklyn, their junior, is super active and dedicated, and he admires Eryx the most.
"Go back to your seat, Frank. I'll send you the pending documents. You have to go through those before you get off work," Eryx says, passing the file to Franklyn. Franklyn takes the files reluctantly.
As they were discussing something in the meeting hall, the door clicked open. Everyone's gaze turned toward the door as someone entered, exuding a strong, professional aura.
"Braylon..." Alex nearly choked. After four years of no contact and unanswered emails, Braylon's sudden appearance was a shock. Eryx had been stubbornly avoiding calling him.
Alex and Revilla got up from their chairs, but Eryx remained unmoved, as if he had known this moment would come.
"How are you, man? It's been four years," Alex and Revilla said, hugging Braylon. But Braylon's eyes were fixed on Eryx, who sat with a blank expression. Fate had brought them together again after four years, but they felt like strangers.
Eryx tapped the table and stood up abruptly. Braylon's gaze followed him closely, filled with love and care, but Eryx remained indifferent.