CRAVE

Eyes lazily open, Narco got up after a series of knocks on his bedroom door. Those thuds from the door were too loud as if there was a killer inside the house. His pair of golden orbs looked at the glow-in-the-dark wall clock on the ceiling and it was two in the morning. He was about to go back to bed when someone outside his door screamed.

"Narcoooo!" Sumire shouted loudly like a landowner as if the young man owed her a debt. Fury made her feet strike the ground in heavy clomps.

With messy bed hair, Narco stood up in his boxers not bothering to cover himself with a towel or sheets. He then proceeds and opened the door to see the maiden blushed with anger. Cheeks grow scarlet and swollen from shouting. Her scorching death glare was directed at him and both hands were on her waist.

"I want to eat." Sumire greeted him with a scowl as if Narco had the pot of food with him.

The young man raised his eyebrows. Stand taller than her, Narco's eyes went blank and hovered over her. He didn't understand why was he the one to wake up when there is so many maids in the manor.

"Tell the maids," Narco responded sarcastically. Her mouth was tight and grim, Sumire raised an eyebrow at him.

"I want you to get my food."

Sumire said in a commanding tone as Narco flash a visible frown. He still couldn't fathom why Sumire chose him to disturb late at night. He badly wants to sleep.

"No, get your own food," Narco replied. He was about to close the door when Sumire started chewing on her lower lip and her eyes welled up with tears while holding her stomach.

"What should I do? My babies... My poor babies... My poor little babies. They just wanted to eat but their bad brother won't get them food." Body wracked with an onslaught of sobs and tears, Sumire said emotionally.

Narco's jaw and shoulders dropped altogether. He was torn between slamming the door in front of her face or rolling his eyeballs counterclockwise because of her cajole act. Heaving a deep sigh, the young man chose to ride her craziness, especially since all she wanted was food. It's not that difficult.

"What do you want to eat?" Narco patiently asked. The reddened corner of her eyes and nose disappears in just a blink of an eye. Sumire's tears quickly subsided and her face brightens.

"Anything. As long as the food is not from here at home. I want you to buy it outside." She said calmly making Narco's eyes widen in disbelief at her response.

"Sure, I'll buy everything you want. Just fucking name it. Where can I buy it?" Narco asked as he gently massage his temple.

"Maybe in the countryside or overseas?" Sumire replied unsurely making Narco's face turn sourly.

"Is this a new brand of humor? Or is your brain really unhinged? Are you nuts? You're just pregnant, Sumire. Not a sicko from the mental hospital." Narco said in a reprimanding tone.

Hot tears started to cloud her vision. Sumire had a doleful look on her face. She craves any food. What can she do? She can't name what she wants to eat. Maybe she can name that food when she can see it with her own eyes.

"I don't know. Just buy me food. Anything. Not with the same food that I see here. I don't like them." Sumire said with a reddened eye making Narco heave a sigh.

The young man doesn't want to argue anymore. He can already feel his defeat. Narco was left with no choice but to get dressed to go out. He drive around the city and entered the high-end restaurants that were still open.

The city was glowing beautifully in the night. It is serene and quiet. The picturesque kaleidoscope of shimmering lights flickers in the distance as the starry sky sweeps over the city. The little winds of the night blew closed flowers and gently stirred the trees. Only a few cars are running on the highway. Though the streets are empty of people, Narco feels the place is crowded.

He has done a lot of shopping but he has a bad feeling when he comes home. So, Narco buys more different cuisines. He even asked the managers what is the best-selling item on their menu for pregnant women. Though others are unsure about their answer, he purchased all of it. He doesn't want to go out anymore and wants to sleep. He has more things to do tomorrow. He wanted to tie himself to the bed and sleep without waking up.

While Narco was driving home, his phone suddenly rang and vibrated. The young man looked and someone made a video call on his messenger. It was his dad, Mort. Narco answered the call but it was Klauss who was holding the phone with the twins who looked like they were fighting over Mort's phone. Narco asked himself where they were.

"Let me speak to him first," Leroy said as he snatched the phone from Klauss but in just a smooth and swift move, Lyric got it first.

"I should be the first one to talk to him. We are closer than you think." Lyric quickly opposed and barricade the phone with his body from his twin. Klauss roll his eyes and grabbed the phone.

"I'll do it," Klauss said and look brazenly at the phone that his face almost covered the screen. He was too close to the camera.

Klauss prefers that he talk and meet Narco in person but he knows the young man has no plans to meet them yet so he will let him roam around to his heart's content. No matter how many days, months, or years, Narco will come back home with them.

"What do you want?" Narco asked rudely, moving the phone away from his face.

"Where is dad?" He added, hands busy on the steering wheel and eyes now focus on the road. Narco could feel the dagger glare from Klauss but he choose to ignore him.

"How rude of you. You disappeared on us without leaving a trace and now you're acting like you don't owe us an apology?" Eyes narrowed piercingly, Klauss replied that he had no intention of answering Narco's question.

"If you don't have anything senseless to say then I'm gonna hang up or hang myself. Your choice." Narco said making the man on the other line's nostrils flares.

Klauss was about to speak when Narco hung up the call making him flustered in anger. Mort's phone almost broke from his tight grip. The twins who had been bickering like seagulls suddenly fell silent when they feel the air of madness around Klauss. They wittingly choose to zip their mouth shut or a thwack in the head is inevitable.

"That brat." Klauss angrily hissed as his mind warped with dark ideas and thoughts on how to torture Narco.

When Narco arrived at the manor, Sumire was waiting for him at the main door. Feet jumping on the floor, her face immediately lit up with joy when she saw Narco with hands full of bags of food. Narco immediately put it on the table and opened everything he buys for her.

The maiden helps him with a big smile. As Sumire opened the boxes, the joy on her face gradually disappeared. Her smile slowly faded from her lips when she saw the food in the boxes. Not a single one suits her tastes and the smells make her sick. She is pregnant. The food doesn't stink, her stomach just doesn't like the smell and it made her want to throw up.

Face twitched and nose covered with her hand, Sumire wave the food away. "I don't want it. Throw them away or do whatever you want with them."

It was as if freezing water was poured on Narco as he was nailed on the ground like a cracked frozen statue in his place with what he heard. All his efforts and time just gone to waste. He was even woken up at two o'clock in the morning for this and then knowing later all the food he buys will be ended in the trashbin? At this point, not to talk about how many millions of dollars he spent on food that in the end it will not be eaten.

'I wanna kill her but okay... She's pregnant. I need to understand her.' Narco said to himself as the corner of his eyes twitch in annoyance and flashed a forced smile.

"So, what is it that you want to eat?" Narco asked calmly but firmly which made Sumire beguilingly smile. She, herself, doesn't know what she wants to eat, but she seems to know what her twins want.

"This time, buy me fruits. Any fruits." Sumire replied as she caressed her tummy. This time, Narco eyed her suspiciously.

"You have to specify it, Sumire. I can't just buy any fruits like you said and in the end, you won't like them. You are wasting my time and ruining my sleep." Narco responded which made Sumire arch her eyebrow again.

"Should I call your dad? And tell him that his son-" The maiden threatened him when Narco crossed his arms across his chest and smirked.

"Go ahead. I dare you to call him." Narco replied. Lips formed into a thin line, Sumire blushed with anger and annoyance. She squinted her eyes at him.

"Whatever, just buy me fruits!" Sumire shouted as she turn her back on him and walked out.

Narco just shrugged his shoulders and then took his car keys and left again. This time, he searched on Google for fruits that are suitable and not for pregnant women's taste buds. He did a lot of research but he chose to go to the ranch of his acquaintance who owns the largest plantation in the country with hundreds of hectares of land planted with various fruits. His acquaintance was also the number one supplier in Francois and is among the top 5 suppliers worldwide. Narco made a call to that person who answered him immediately after a second ring.

"Remember when I saved your ki-" The person on the other line didn't let Narco finish what he had to say.

"Don't worry, I didn't forget that. What do you want?" Narco smirked at this question. This man had a deep rough voice.

"Fruits." Narco directly replied. A moment of silence reigned between them. The young man could even hear the blows of the wind from the other line.

The man frowned and then checked the name of the caller, confirming if it was really Narco who called him. He knew the young man too well. Based on this rare request, he was unsure if Narco was truly the one on the line. Maybe he was just hallucinating or it was just a prank made up by Narco.

"Narco, is this some kind of code? Like you are in a situation right now that you needed to use code to avoid scaring someone? Like fruit stands for a corpse? Or someone in your hitlist with a fruit name?" The man asks in a serious tone making Narco sigh heavily.

He wants to blow up this man's property with a nuclear bomb right now.

"I fucking need fruits. Someone in our house is pregnant. What do you call it? Cravings? That's it. I want it freshly picked right now, Zoie." Narco said that, Zoie quickly got up from the bed, especially since Narco seemed to be very pissed off.

Narco's voice is now threatening, which is very unusual, and was far from being playful. But the man is confused about who is pregnant since Narco's lover is a man. Zoie doesn't mind it anymore, in his pajamas, he went to his farmers' quarters and woke them all up.

"I will give you a bonus and one day leave as long as you harvest the best and special fruit we planted. All the kinds of fruit that we have." Zoie commanded and all the farmers were mobilized to harvest the fruits in the middle of the dawn.

When Narco arrived at Zoie's ranch, the new and fresh pick fruits were already prepared. It was even arranged in a big basket. Zoie's crew loaded three huge baskets into the monster truck that he thought of bringing today, especially since he knew that he could carry a lot of this thing.

"This is funny. It never occurred to me that you would request fruits. You killed a lot of people for me without asking a single cent but Narco... Fruits?" Zoie teasingly said as Narco's eyes narrowed in annoyance.

"If you don't mind giving me your brain she might eat it." Narco sarcastically responded making Zoie let out a sexy chortle.

"You are welcome." The man replied with a smirk and Narco left the place without a response along with the baskets of different fruits.

4:00 AM. Narco arrived at the manor and Sumire was already there, waiting at the door. Blanche was now with her in his pajama with a worried smile on his lips and eyed Narco questioningly who just shrugged his shoulders in response.

"Wow, I love it! I love the arrangements!" Eyes sparkle in delight, Sumire said in a shrill voice when she saw how pleasing to the eye Narco's baskets with lots of fruit were.

Narco entered all the baskets of fruit inside the manor and put them on the table. Sumire excitedly looked and dig at the fruits like a kid. One by one and humming joyously, she pick on the fruit she wanted to eat and smell it.

"Where did you get this?" Blanche asked, taking fruits from the basket as well and smelling it too as his eyes curiously darted on his cousin who was now smiling from ear to ear.

"Someone I know," Narco replied that his eyes were half-closed due to drowsiness. Blanche turns his haze on Narco and looks at him in pity.

"Finally!" Sumire exclaimed in exuberance as raised one of the fruits in midair. She took a glass bowl and separate the peaches, pomegranates, and strawberries into three big bowls.

"You know what to do." Sumire backhandedly complimented him and Narco rolled his eyes.

"And you still have the energy to roll your eyeballs. How about you go back to your room and sleep?" Sumire added to annoy him. She then motioned the three maidservants that Blanche had woken up earlier to help her.

"Bring them to my room and don't wash them." She ordered them. Sumire started to walk back to her room and the three maidservants followed her carrying the bowls of chosen fruits.

Narco and Blanche have left in front of mountains of different fruits on the table that the maiden discarded. The silence reigned between them again, wondering what to do with the remaining fruits.

"What do you think is her demand again today?" Narco asked looking so defeated making Blanche adorably chuckled.

"You wanna bet?" With a smirk, Blanche challenges him. Narco stood taller and mightier than him, raised an eyebrow.

"I want to sleep," Narco mumbled and yawned. Blanche was about to reply when Chadwick arrived home from the hospital. He is still in his business white suit and carrying a briefcase.

"What's the occasion?" Chadwick asked when he saw plenty of fruits on the table. His eyes peruse each of the baskets as if searching for something behind the bundles.

"Sumire asked me for this," Narco answered as he stand next to Blanche. Chadwick picks one of the green apples.

"Ah, right. She might ask you again for a milkshake, ice cream, and marshmallows." Chadwick said leaving Narco's mouth hanging open in disbelief and doubting him.

"How can you be so sure about that?" The young man asked and eyed Chadwick in skepticism. Chadwick sounds certain that was what Sumire would order him to do.

"Hunch," Chadwick replied, tossing the green apple in the air and taking a bite of it. He leaves them alone and went straight to his library room. Narco's shoulders dropped after hearing his frugal answer.

"If only I knew he was this good, I should have just asked him."