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“Are you sure you need all this?” Cale looked down at the trolley he was pushing, the things that were stacked in there had almost toppled over several times already. It was almost getting dangerously full and worrying.
“Of course,” Barrow didn’t even need a second to answer the question,
He had to get all sorts of stuff in order to make sure the company party he was hosting was grand and memorable to the shareholders. He would leave it to Sayeru, but that old man would break his back and keel over before even finishing half of the required list.
Barrow also didn’t want to leave it to the hands of the branch heads since they were already busy dealing with the external affairs and the deals with the international company they somehow managed to pull in for advertisements overseas.
It was only a matter of time before the White Star company rose and became the top Gaming company once again, just like how his predecessor had done long ago.
“But don’t you think it’s still a bit excessive knowing we just brought a normal car and not a whole truck?”
“We can just call one if needed later”
Cale looked at Barrow incredulously;
He loved his darling, and even considered the other man to be one of the smartest men alive at times. But he was seriously reconsidering his last statement right at that moment.
Any normal CEO would have simply glossed over the order list that was prepared by his subordinates later on and just ordered the items by phone. At least, that’s what Cale had done when he hosted a party–
Heck! He even let a president of another company help him deal with those troublesome things and he only had to review and make sure nothing was oddly ordered…
And then there’s this guy,
His supposed partner and rival;
Ordering and buying things personally and manually. Is he born before 1994 or something? What was his phone use for? Does he even know he can order things online?
At that point, Cale was starting to worry about his future of easy living if he was staying under the same roof as this guy if this was how it was going to be everytime they needed to buy something or prepare for a party.
‘May I please have your attention, the Mall will be closing in five minutes. Please bring your items to the check out now. We thank you for shopping with us today’
Cale looked up when he heard the announcement, then he looked around. He hadn’t really realized it before, but now that the announcement had brought his attention. He did notice that the place He and Barrow were standing right now was basically isolated.
There wasn’t a single other customer at sight, even the clerks that were usually stationed in every corner weren't there.
“We should get going, Barrow…” Cale shifted his feet and started pushing the trolley to the direction the checkout counter was at.
But before he could even move a centimeter, his sleeve was tugged by his boyfriend who had his eyes glued to his phone. “Wait, we still need to get several other things before we check out!”
Cale could see how Barrow darkened eyes were frantically scanning through the list that was written in his phone’s notepad software. It was truly worrying, especially how Cale had never truly seen how Barrow had handled his hosted parties in the past.
Has hosting parties always been this anxiety inducing for Barrow?
Well, that’s more than worrying …
Cale could only glance at the phone screen that had a dozen sets of sectioned lists and paragraphs and paragraphs of notes and reminders of what to buy and their specifications.
Just how many things was he planning to buy?
“Barrow,” Cale grabbed Barrow hand that was gripping his sleeve and held it, making Barrow look at him directly in his eyes “The store is already closing. Let’s get back and let me deal with the rest of the list, okay?”
He was already tired and wanted to head back as soon as he could and sleep in his cozy bed with his lover in his hold; and he also had his other reasons to add. They had gone out first thing in the morning just as the mall opened and stayed the whole 12 hours in a shopping spree.
He was more than ready to just faint right then and there honestly.
“But– ‘The mall is closing now, Thank you for your visit. We hope we will see you again next time!’
Ding…ding…Bleb-bleb
The sound of the Mall’s bell closing was accompanied with the sound of the lights turning off.
“...”
“...”
“...”
“..Great,”
.
.
.
They both ended up having to walk around for several minutes trying to find any employee or any security to ask them to open one of the doors, but to no avail. It was as if the whole store itself had become a ghost building.
Barrow sighed deeply, scratching his neck from frustration. His shoulders were slumped down from the build up fatigue he had been accumulating since the morning.
Since it was Christmas eve, he had already planned to simply go out on a date and go back early to their shared penthouse so they could enjoy their holiday carefreely and leisurely– Never had he thought that they had to go out and do something that was more taxing than doing paperwork.
It was never even, in his intention, to waste Cale’s day like this. But someone had to still do the shopping–
And shopping manually like this for an event preparation was the tradition that he had placed himself in the company, a Tradition that was made because he wanted to make sure at least some practices of the old White Star company were still there.
“Give me a moment, let me call my assistant Ron– wait, no, maybe not him… Maybe Rosalyn can deal with this,”
Barrow saw Cale pull out his phone out of his pocket and dialed a number,
Tuut–
Tuut–
It doesn’t seemed like anyone answered,
Barrow also saw Cale trying to call several times again, but all the results ended up the same. Was she busy doing something?
…Of course she would be, it was Christmas eve.
. . .
Maybe he should just call Ron?
It was the best option he had, the others might not seem like during the day. But they were all a family person. They were probably all busy spending it with their own family members.
As Cale pressed the call button, he heard a small mutter from beside him, “...are you pissed?” it was a monotone voice, a tone that others can even think was rather indifferent. Yet Cale knew better.
It was the same tone his cute little lover had used to confess to him when he had admitted defeat for the first time in their rivalry. It was also the same tone when he was feeling particularly guilty, yet can’t bring himself to say sorry because of that huge pride of his.
Not that Cale had mind. The hot and cold attitude of his had a certain charm that Cale found to be quite attractive.
‘ Hello young master, what can this Ron do to help you at this time of an hour? ’ The other line that Cale had dialed sounded, Ron had sounded as respectful as ever, but by how he worded things, he was definitely irked and pissed.
The old secretary was probably enjoying his rare break with his wife and son.
Cale brought the phone next to his ear and opened his mouth, “Sorry Ron, it seemed like I accidentally called the wrong number”
‘Is that so? Then please excuse me’
Tuutt–
The call ended just like that.
“What? Why did you say that?!?” Barrow couldn’t believe his ears, they finally had an answered phone call and Cale said it was an accidental call?
Cale closed his phone and pocket it into his pants, and with his now free hands he pulled Barrow’s hands that were fiddling with his phone earlier. Barrow’s face was still baffled,
“Huh?” Barrow was gently dragged away by Cale to match his own pace, “Where are you heading to?”
“The furniture section, somewhere where there is a bed or a sofa.”
“...why?”
Cale stopped and turned around, “If we are going to be stuck here until morning, we might as well find somewhere comfortable to sleep in,” the most serious face was placed upon his face like it was his life goal. “Let’s go!”
.
.
.
…Come here!” Cale petted the spot next to him on the displayed bed that was already covered partially with his coat.
Barrow didn’t need a long persuasion session before he had relented and sat next to Cale. He was also quite tired to begin with and didn’t even have the energy to argue back how unsanitary the bed could be.
So he simply laid down and rested his head on Cale's arm that was already making itself a pillow for Barrow to rest on.
His list wasn’t done yet, but what can he do right now? He might as well just rest and finish it tomorrow.
…Or was what he thought,
“Give me your phone,” Barrow could feel Cale’s hand stroking his hair.
“What for?”
“Let me check what else you need, I’ll take care of those for you,”
“Unnecessary…”
Barrow was already too tired,
He had pulled up an allnighter the night prior to this and the night before that because of the work piling up.
“Please Barrow?” a sweet whisper echoed in his ear, like a lullaby that was trying to convince him, which it probably did
Traditions be damned, He was already too tired to think anymore.
“...Fine,” Barrow mumbled, “And sorry..”
“For what?”
“I made you work today,”
Barrow didn’t receive an answer after that, and he was ready to just close his eyes and sleep it off. He didn’t want to see whatever look Cale was giving him at the moment–
A soft peck was placed on his forehead, “I got to spend time with you, that is enough of a compensation”
.
.
.
Cale slipped his free hand into the other’s coat pocket and took out Barrow’s phone from it.
A lock screen password?
Cale typed several odd numbers and… yup, as he expected. It was the date of the White Star company’s founding date. Just how obsessed was Barrow with the company and it’s ancient predecessor?
“...”
…Maybe, it was better for that question to not be answered .
Either way, he had to start ordering now so he can also get some shut eye before the sun rises up. There were still several things that he had to place an order on, but at least Barrow had got all the urgent and those that needed a pre-order out of the way.
Cale dialed another number,
“Hello?”
“ ...Yes, sorry about that”
He honestly could have just called Bud earlier and gotten them both out of the place. But that would also mean that Barrow would have access to his computers and will probably pull another all nighter.
As a good boyfriend, he can’t let that happen right?
.
.
.
“...Can you help me a bit, Bud?”
. . .
Barrow didn’t know what Cale had done in the morning while he was still asleep.
Because all he knew was the fact that he somehow saw a familiar ceiling and sight when he had woken up. Even his clothes had been changed, as if whatever had happened yesterday was just a nightmare.
“Cale..?” Barrow sat up and rubbed his temples, his headache was the only thing that indicated that he even had pulled several all nighters.
“Morning starshine” Cale was sitting next to him on the bedside chair, wearing a yellow sweater rather than his usual black attire, “How was your sleep?”
He was holding a plush of a bunny or some sort. Barrow couldn’t really make of it from his view at the moment, but with those long ears, he supposed it was a rabbit? Why was he even holding that in the first place?
“Decent,”
“Everything for tomorrow’s party is already dealt with, you can just relax for today.”
Barrow had to double take, “What?”
His brows were furrowed and scrunched together, forming a thin line in the middle of his forehead.
“What do you mean by that!”
He was sure that there were at least several things else that he had to do. Something that should have taken the whole day. But instead of an answer, All he got from Cale was a chilling smile.
That smile that brought the White star company to the brink of collapse three years ago.
“You just relax today,”
.
.
.
Safe to say that Barrow didn’t just relax that day.