When Dante finished cleaning the office and returned, he found the kid had already fallen asleep. He smiled softly, stroking Enda's hair.
He didn't know if it was a psychological effect, but now, looking at Enda's face, he didn't find it ugly anymore. On the contrary, he felt the features of Enda's face were quite adorable. It was just that this adorableness was hidden by the dense layer of acne, large and small, on his face.
The doorbell rang; it was the shipper delivering food. Considering Enda's physical condition, Dante had only ordered some nutritious porridge. Luckily, there was a porridge restaurant open 24/7 near this apartment complex.
Dante poured the porridge into a bowl, waited for it to cool down a bit, then brought it into the room and shook Enda awake:
"Enda, Enda, wake up, eat some porridge."
"Mmm-mm, I won't eat. I want to sleep…"
"Be good, wake up and eat just a little."
Enda stubbornly pulled the blanket over his head. Dante, afraid he would faint from hunger, had to peel the blanket off, lift him up, and let him lean on his shoulder. With one hand, he scooped the porridge, blew on it to cool it, tested the warmth to make sure it was just right, and then brought it to Enda's lips.
Although Enda was dead tired, the hunger in his stomach couldn't be ignored. He closed his eyes while opening his mouth, enjoying being served hand and foot.
The bowl of porridge was quickly finished. Dante fed him a small cup of water and then laid him back down. The moment his back touched the bed, the kid buried his head in the blanket and began to snore softly.
He really wanted to sleep straight through until tomorrow morning, but around six in the evening, Dante woke him up again.
"Enda, the locksmith is here, wake up quickly."
Enda sat up groggily, half-asleep as he crawled out of the blanket, suddenly feeling a bit chilly. The smile on Dante's face froze; he almost couldn't control himself.
"Huh? Where are my clothes?"
Enda wasn't fully awake yet, instinctively touching his body and mumbling. He didn't know that his body was currently covered in hickeys and blue-purple finger marks, yet he unconsciously ran his hands over himself as if caressing his body.
Dante looked up at the ceiling, chanting *Namo Amitabha Buddha*, then took the clothes that had been returned in a bag and gave them to him.
Enda gave a long yawn, sluggishly put on his clothes, and looked up to see Dante's blurry silhouette. Suddenly, Dante leaned in close and gave him a deep kiss.
When the kiss ended, both were panting. Dante scolded softly:
"You fox spirit."
Enda: "…"
This poor monk is innocent.
A while later, the two walked out the door. The apartment security guard and the locksmith had been waiting until they nearly grew mold. Enda scratched his head in embarrassment:
"Sir, I'm sorry. I slept too soundly."
The two men laughed it off. The security guard confirmed he was indeed the owner of this apartment before the locksmith started breaking the lock. As the locksmith removed the lock, he grumbled:
"Look what year it is, and you still keep this kind of lock; one twist and it opens. Look at your neighbor's house, locked with an electronic lock—safe and no fear of forgetting keys."
Enda dared not argue, only saying yes and nodding. Finally, under the locksmith's nagging skills, he agreed to change to an electronic lock costing twenty-six million dong. In reality, that amount wasn't much compared to the inheritance his grandmother and parents left behind, along with the monthly allowance his uncle gave him. But Enda still felt the pinch.
Holding his phone with teary eyes, he transferred the money to the locksmith, seeing the man off with a distorted grimace.
Dante burst out laughing. When he offered to pay, the kid said no need and even glared at him; now what was with that pained expression?
"What are you laughing at?"
"Laughing at how cute you are. It's getting late, want to have dinner with me?"
Enda worried about his body's condition. Right now, his whole body was still aching; if he went out to eat, his waist would probably break. He shook his head:
"I won't eat, I'm very tired. You go ahead and eat; I'll cook something for myself later."
"Hmm, how can I let that happen? Let me order food for us to eat together."
Enda thought for a moment and nodded. Dante spoke again:
"Not inviting me in?"
"Of course, my house isn't very beautiful, please don't mind."
Dante smiled without saying anything, following him inside. He had thought that for a guy living alone and introverted like Enda, the house would be messy, but surprisingly, it was quite neat and clean.
Although it didn't have as much luxurious furniture as his place, it was still quite nice.
"Did your parents buy this house?"
"No, my uncle and grandmother bought it for me, it's under my name. Please have some water."
"Yeah, leave me be, you sit down before you get tired."
Enda forgot his body was injured and plopped down onto the sofa. A pain like a knife cut shot from his anus, and his face instantly turned pale.
"What are you doing? Why aren't you careful? Let me see."
Dante ran anxiously to his side, quickly undoing his pants to check below.
"Luckily, no bleeding. You have to be a bit careful."
He scolded Enda gently, his eyes full of worry. Enda blushed and hummed in agreement, thinking to himself, *If your hand wasn't stroking and kneading my butt, I would be more touched.*
Just then, Enda's phone rang. He picked it up and looked; it was his upperclassman. With mixed feelings, he stared at the name, only pressing the answer button when the ringing was about to stop.
"Hello."
[Enda, why couldn't I reach you since yesterday? I went to your house and no one was there; I almost went to the police!!!]
"Ah, yesterday I went out and dropped my keys, and I forgot my phone at home, so I went to stay at my neighbor's house... Yes... yes, I changed to a new lock... It's fine really..."
"..."
"I know, I'll come early."
…
Enda chatted idly with his upperclassman. As soon as he hung up, he turned and gave the man who was playing tricks on his body a smack.
"Will you stop it?"
"Hehe…"
Being teased by him like that, Enda even forgot the pain. Dante probed:
"Who was that just now? Your mood doesn't seem very good…"
Enda lowered his eyes slightly, hesitating for a moment before saying:
"It's my upperclassman. He and my best friend are getting married, and I haven't had time to prepare anything. There are only two days left; I don't know if I can prepare a gift in time."
"That's not all, is it?"
Dante rested his chin on Enda's shoulder, asking softly. He noticed the kid was very different when talking on the phone with that person.
Enda gave a somewhat forced smile and said:
"I used to like him."
The air between the two seemed to stagnate for a moment. A moment later, Dante laughed it off:
"Wedding gifts aren't that hard; just giving some sexy lingerie is enough."
"What??? Are you crazy? Who would give things like that?"
"You don't know; giving that is practical. Maybe after the honeymoon, they'll even come together to thank you."
"Get lost!"
Enda glared, grabbing a throw pillow and hitting Dante.
In this moment, all the uncomfortable feelings in his heart seemed to have vanished, leaving only the sound of laughter echoing in his heart.