11. The Man

As Ravi walked to get some fresh air, he felt the breeze blowing on his neck, wrapping around him uncomfortably. He paused for a moment and turned around, but found no one there. Ravi waited, expecting that someone would appear. But nothing happened.

The gentle wind caressed his face, anda he took a deep breath, recognizing the familiar scent. Ravi's lips formed a thin line, disappointed with Raymond for not following his instructions.

"Come out, Raymond!" Ravi ordered, his voice filled with disappointment.

Ravi sighed, his hands in the pockets of his sports pants, as he watched Raymond emerge sheepishly from his hiding spot behind a tree. Raymond even followed him without wearing any shoes.

"I told you to stay at home," Ravi said. He still felt guilty about his rough behavior from the previous night, even though he hadn't intended to act that way. Ravi didn't know what was wrong with him at that moment; it was like he had lost control of himself. But it had all happened.

Raymond stood tall, his face full of fear and his hands intertwined. "I want to be with Ravi."

Ravi approached Raymond and looked into his teary eyes. He shouldn't have been harsh with him, but with the disappointment caused by everyone, Ravi didn't even know how to react anymore. Daniel remained locked in his room, even though Ravi had pounded the wall hard that night. Ravi was deeply worried about what was happening to Daniel.

"Raymond, I'm just going out for a short walk around here," Ravi explained in a soft voice, not wanting to make him even more afraid. Ravi looked around at the quiet neighborhood and pulled Raymond's wrist gently, leading him to a garden chair nearby.

"I'm sorry about last night, Raymond. I really didn't mean to be so harsh. It just happened, and I didn't want to do it, but I couldn't control myself," Ravi said, but he didn't want to justify his actions.

Raymond blinked, listening carefully, his gleaming eyes staring at Ravi with pure sincerity. "No, Ravi, it's my fault. I can't tell you; I promised, and I can't break that promise. I'm sorry for disappointing you, Ravi."

Ravi's heart felt a pang of guilt. He had no right to blame Raymond, especially when Raymond had made promises to someone else that Ravi didn't know about. Ravi just felt confused. He nodded weakly. "Can we just forget about this?"

Raymond nodded as well, and his shiny black hair caught the sunlight as he moved his head. Then, out of nowhere, he said, "Daniel will be fine, I promise."

Ravi sighed, straightening up in his chair to get more comfortable. He felt the tight knot in his chest slowly unwind, and he had no choice but to trust Raymond's promise. What else could he do?

"So, now you should go home," Ravi asked, looking at Raymond, who shook his head. "Why don't you want to go? I need some time alone. I can walk you home."

"I want to be with Ravi always," he replied as if he had said it dozens of times before. Raymond also extended his legs, mirroring how Ravi was sitting next to him. "Do you want to leave me alone?"

"No, I was just out for a moment."

"I don't want Ravi to go alone." Raymond's eyes never left Ravi, making Ravi squirm uncomfortably.

Ravi turned his head away from Raymond, sighed, and stood up. "Alright, let's go home now."

In an instant, Ravi was hit by that scent again, right in his face, stronger than before. Ravi's knees went weak, and he ended up sitting back down in the chair, panting for breath. He had no idea what was wrong with him when he smelled the fragrance emanating from Raymond's body, but why was his reaction like this?

He took in as little air as possible. Ravi's cheeks turned red, not because of the gentle sunlight bathing his skin. No, it was for an entirely different reason, as his entire body heated up with an unreasonable desire that had suddenly emerged.

"Ravi, what's happening?" Raymond asked, looking at Ravi with concern. His hand reached up to touch him but quickly pulled it back. However, Ravi quickly shook his head to answer Raymond and clear his mind.

"Nothing. Just, what's wrong with you?" Ravi responded, a little stuttering while brushing a few strands of hair that tickled his face.

Raymond stared at Ravi, his eyes widening in surprise, and he quickly replied, "What did I do wrong, Ravi?"

Ravi took a slow breath when the sweet scent emanating from Raymond's body became even more subtle than before. He shook his head, and slowly he got up. "It's nothing; it's just my imagination. Let's go home quickly."

Raymond stood beside him, and Ravi glanced at him to notice his restless behavior. "Ravi is disturbed by—"

"No, let's go," Ravi quickly interrupted, not wanting Raymond to continue his sentence. Ravi blushed with embarrassment over his own reaction. Then, he realized that Raymond didn't have any footwear on until they reached here, following Ravi like an inexperienced stalker. "I forgot to get you some shoes for outings."

Raymond walked beside Ravi, his steps short despite having long and sturdy legs. He occasionally nudged Ravi's arm, almost accidentally, and Ravi felt his gaze from time to time during their journey back home. However, when Ravi turned to look at him, Raymond openly averted his gaze. "What's wrong, Raymond?"

Raymond paused, staring at Ravi with his differently colored pupils, looking as though he'd been caught doing something wrong. However, he responded with a small shake of his head.

Ravi shrugged indifferently as they were just a few meters away from the house. Raymond suddenly moved ahead of him.

"Why are you here?" Ravi shivered slightly upon hearing how different Raymond's tone was - sharp and cold. He peeked from behind Raymond and felt his throat tighten as he saw the silver-haired man again. However, the wings he had didn't emerge from his back. The man stepped firmly on the ground, his chin lifted, and his narrowed, hateful eyes seemed to seep into his veins.

"I just wanted to see." The man's eyes met Ravi's, and he grinned, forming a crooked smile. Raymond growled and was ready to attack the man at any moment, but when Raymond was about to step forward, Ravi pressed his body close to Raymond's side and held his wrist tightly to prevent anything from happening.

"Go!" Raymond ordered, speaking softly yet pressing with his deep voice.

The man seemed unfazed by Raymond; he instead stepped forward to stand right in front of Raymond. His jaw clenched, and his sharp, narrowing eyes were filled with hatred that seemed to be seeping into his veins. "Look at your position before you drive me away. You're no better than a mere human, here and there, you're nothing more than a servant or even a pet."

Raymond appeared tense in Ravi's grip, which quickly ignited his anger. How could this man use such degrading words? Ravi's chest felt tight listening to that sentence, and his eyes began to heat up.

"Who are you to come and insult him? You're the one who's low with those words. Didn't Daniel warn you that there's no place for you here, even to speak?" Ravi panted after finishing his sentence, his face reddened with anger, though he wasn't sure about the man's issues with Raymond and Daniel.

The man shifted his gaze to Ravi, and with Ravi's anger, he had the audacity to face him. Ravi stared back at the man with a challenging look.

"How dare you, a human, speak to me." The man growled, his fists clenched at his sides. "You yourself started to immerse yourself in trouble. Let's see what will happen."

Raymond still had the presence of mind to pull Ravi back behind him, and Ravi didn't like the way Raymond was treating him as if he were weak.

The man chuckled, and in an instant, his face became a blank mask as he refocused his attention on Raymond, tilting his head toward Ravi. "Is he the one you're going to kill next?"