Bittersweet Arrangements : A Sugar Dady Affair

Early in the morning, Devan was startled by a tiny hand encircling his body. Devan's body froze instantly as he stared at the small hand. Trying to piece together the fragments of memories from the previous day before falling asleep with a woman. The scattered pieces slowly merged into a complete 100% recollection. Yes, he had been busy working yesterday, and it had been a while since he visited a nightclub. So, who was the daring woman now on his bed?

The warm breath caressing his bare back further puzzled Devan. In the dim light, he scanned the entire room, ensuring whose room he was in. Soon, a sigh of relief escaped Devan's lips as he recognized it to be his own room.

With a heart that started to beat faster, Devan held the small hand and carefully lifted it from his body. Still curious, Devan slowly shifted his body to free himself from the woman hugging him and took a sitting position. Glancing at someone under the blanket, revealing only long, dark brownish-black hair, he reached for the bedside table to find the sleep lamp switch.

"Oh God, Elena!" Devan exclaimed after partially unveiling the face of the girl, instantly recognizing her as Vanessa and Jeremy's daughter. Devan had completely forgotten that the beautiful girl with hazel eyes would be staying with him temporarily from yesterday afternoon until the next four days. However, what puzzled Devan was why she moved to his room when he had prepared a guest room specifically for her to feel comfortable during her stay.

Devan was relieved to find out that the woman in his bed was Elena, a girl he considered as his own daughter. Perhaps Elena was scared to be alone in her room or simply not accustomed to sleeping in a strange place. Devan knew Elena well; she was a bit timid and spoiled.

"You probably think Uncle Devan is your daddy, huh?" Devan said in a hushed tone, smiling gently as he looked at the sleeping Elena. Devan carefully got off the bed after adjusting the blanket on Elena. He headed to the bathroom to perform ablution.

Devan put on a traditional shirt with a sarong that he had just taken from the wardrobe. He also grabbed a prayer mat and a black prayer cap, which he placed on his head. As usual, he would try his best to join the congregation for the obligatory prayers at the mosque not far from his house.

In a bit of a hurry, Devan descended the stairs, not wanting to keep Erick waiting for too long. With a blossoming smile, Devan approached Erick, who was already standing at the bottom of the stairs.

"Let's go!" Devan invited, embracing his adopted son. Realizing Erick didn't move from his position, Devan turned and stared at his son, full of questions.

"Did you not wake El, Dad?" Erick asked innocently, still looking towards the door not far from Erick's room. Devan was surprised by Erick's unexpected question.

"Um... El. Ah, let's go. I'll wake El when we get back from prayers," Devan replied with a hint of hesitation. It was not the right time for Devan to tell Erick that Elena was curled up under his blanket.

"Okay," Erick replied, then looped his arm around Devan's waist. They walked together out of the house towards the place of worship.

***

After returning from prayers, Erick went straight to his room, as did Devan. Devan's steps halted when he saw one of his household assistants named Dona cleaning the kitchen.

"Dona, has Elena woken up?" Devan asked, and the woman replied immediately.

"Not yet, Mr. Devan. I haven't seen Miss Elena come out of her room."

"Oh... Alright, thank you," Devan replied and promptly headed upstairs to his room.

Upon reaching the room, Devan found Elena still sound asleep. He shook his head with a chuckle. Normally, El was used to waking up early and performing the dawn prayer with her family. If El's parents knew that Devan let her miss her five daily prayers, they would surely be angry. So, Devan turned on the main light in the room to wake the girl up. True enough, shortly after, she wriggled, covering her eyes with her hands to shield them from the light. She followed it with Elena's groans as she pulled the blanket over her, burying herself in it.

"Come on, El, time for prayers. If your Mommy and Daddy knew about this, they'd be mad at Uncle," Devan said, pulling the blanket covering the girl.

"Oh, Uncle Devan, just let me be. It's still early!" protested Elena, rubbing her eyes, which still felt very sticky.

"Get up. A good girl doesn't sleep in!" Devan retorted.

"Alright, Uncle, you're so naggy!" Elena assumed a sitting position, slowly opening her eyes. Faintly, she began to see the handsome man in a traditional shirt and sarong, wrapping his athletic body. With an annoyed snort, Elena started stretching her legs to the floor, attempting to stand up straight.

"Tomorrow, you're not allowed to wear pajamas like this again," Devan remarked upon seeing Elena's minimal sleepwear. She was only wearing very short pants paired with a sleeveless shirt that revealed her body's curves. "And you're not allowed to enter my room without my permission either," Devan added, gently but firmly.

"Okay, Uncle, sorry. I couldn't sleep last night. I miss Daddy," Elena said with a soft voice, then quickly pressed the doorknob she was holding.

After the door closed tightly, Devan breathed a heavy sigh. Devan realized that El was no longer the little girl who used to play with him. She had grown into a beautiful young woman with a doll-like face. Looking at her body, El was more suitable to be a model like her mother when she was young. However, Jeremy's genes were more dominant physically. Her brownish-black hair combined with a pair of beautiful hazel eyes made her resemble Turkish actresses.

Devan understood El's usual way of dressing up and daily routines. Usually, like any teenager. But seeing El in minimal sleepwear like earlier clearly disturbed his and Erick's peace, especially as Erick was entering adolescence. Devan just wanted to take good care of both of them. Wouldn't it be better to be safe than sorry? Taking care of what we have to prevent unwanted things from happening. Moreover, with the advancement of technology today, Devan was well aware that he was not a perfect father for Erick. He couldn't watch over Erick 24/7 because he also had to work. But Devan believed that what he had taught his son so far was the best effort he could make.

Under the stairs, Erick was surprised to see Elena coming down from the upper floor, where his father's room and workspace were located.

"Why are you coming from upstairs?" Erick asked, full of curiosity as he looked at Elena from head to toe.

"Don't tell me you sneaked into Dad's room last night?" Erick interrogated without giving Elena a chance to answer.

"Noisy, I want to pass through!" El replied casually, then quickly entered her room. Erick's jaw tightened as he followed Elena's steps until she disappeared behind the door. Suddenly, Erick felt uncomfortable with Elena's presence in his home. Erick lifted his face, looking towards his father's room with an uncertain feeling.

The teenage boy shook his head. Trying to dismiss the soft whispers from his heart. But it turned out not to be that easy for Erick to push away the negative thoughts that were gradually filling his mind. The teenager unconsciously walked towards the stairs. He paused after climbing five steps, unable to stop staring at his father's room door. Caught between doubt and fear.

Still trying to reconcile his heart and mind, which were in a fierce battle, Erick then turned his body and descended, heading back to his room to get ready for school.

***

Now the three of them were sitting in the dining room. Devan in his neat attire, and Elena and Erick in their school uniforms. Devan stopped his hand, which was about to feed himself, when he saw Erick just playing with his food in front of him.

"Erick, what's wrong? Are you sick?" Devan asked with concern. It was unusual for him to see Erick's gloomy face like this. The teenager seemed to be only stirring his food without interest, even though this morning's breakfast menu was his favorite.

"No, Papa. I'm fine, Pa!" Erick glanced briefly at Devan, shaking his head slightly, then quickly scooped up the food and chewed it quickly. Meanwhile, Elena remained silent, attentively listening to the conversation between the father and son in front of her.

After finishing his breakfast, Erick quickly stood up and was about to shake Devan's hand in farewell. "Dad, I'll take you both to school," Devan said, instantly widening Erick's eyes. It wasn't something unusual for Erick because Devan himself usually drove him to school every day. For the return journey, Erick was usually picked up by their family driver. But this morning, Erick felt annoyed because he had to be in the same car with Elena.

"Uncle, you don't have to bother taking me to school. Daddy has arranged a driver to pick me up every day," El explained casually. The girl slung her backpack over both shoulders, then stood up to bid farewell as well.

"No, El, I already told your Daddy that while you're staying here, I'll be the one to take you to and from school," Devan asserted without wanting to be contradicted by the two teenagers in front of him.

"Okay, whatever." El responded, then embraced Erick's shoulder, which was immediately pushed away by the teenage boy. Erick stared at El, who just smiled. El was fine with it; after all, Erick had always been closer to her younger brothers, Ivand and Viero, than to her.

"Let's go!" Devan quickly finished the last sip of his coffee and grabbed the car keys on the dining table. El followed Devan's steps without paying attention to Erick, who was still glaring at her.

"Such a strange girl!" Erick muttered softly as he followed Devan and Elena towards the exit door.