Bittersweet Arrangements : A Sugar Dady Affair

Elena played with her phone half-heartedly. Since earlier, her phone had been continuously blinking with hundreds of notifications from the chat groups she joined. Her hazel eyes moved up and down as her fingers scrolled through the messages. She missed Mommy, Daddy, and her two younger siblings who were currently in Kediri, East Java. If she wasn’t facing the Final Exam, she wouldn’t need to stay with Devan and Erick.

Elena sighed heavily and got up from her bed. Her distress multiplied as her cousins, Kia and Nafla, took turns sending fun pictures of their time together in the WhatsApp group “The Angel.” To soothe her suddenly dry throat, Elena decided to get a drink. However, once again, she felt irritated as her water bottle was empty. Reluctantly, she had to leave her room to get some water in the kitchen.

In the dim light, Elena walked towards the kitchen, carrying her water bottle to be refilled. While waiting for it to be filled, she glanced at the clock on the wall, which already showed 11 PM. She should be asleep by now. However, her longing for her family kept her awake. Her thoughts wandered, imagining what it would be like if she were with them. Elena then sat quietly in the pantry chair, sipping water from her bottle. This wasn’t the first time she had been separated from Daddy. Many times Daddy had to go out of town for his business, especially to Surabaya, his birthplace. Not just for a day; sometimes Daddy spent extended periods there with his grandparents. However, it had never been an issue for her.

This time felt different. Usually, she was never left alone. At home, there was still Mommy, Ivand, and Viero to accompany her, even though Mommy often went with Daddy. Suddenly, tears rolled down Elena’s cheeks as she realized she was truly alone. Well, not entirely alone. There was Om Devan and Erick, who had become like a family. Especially Om Devan, who was very attentive to her. But not Erick. Since this morning, the two-year-younger teenager had been staring at her coldly, as if declaring a silent war without any apparent reason. Erick was usually a quiet and reserved teenager. Only when he was with the PTT Club could Erick laugh freely.

“Mom Dad, I miss you!” Elena whispered, unable to hide her sadness.

She pushed the bottle she had just closed and folded her hands on the pantry table. She buried her face there, sobbing. Elena stayed in that position for quite some time until a hand touched her shoulder.

“El, why are you sleeping here?” Devan said, feeling surprised.

Earlier in his office, Devan suddenly felt uneasy, thinking he hadn’t locked the front door. Devan, who was looking back at the photo album with Gita, had to stop. He hadn’t finished admiring Gita’s beautiful face in the photo. Devan had carefully and neatly kept all the memories with Gita. Gita was his love and his life. If it weren’t for Erick, he didn’t know how he would be living now. Erick was the purpose of his life.

Devan could feel Elena’s body tensing up. The girl then lifted her face, giving a smile.

“Hehehe… Why did Om Devan wake up?” Elena asked as she got up.

“I’m asking, why are you up?” Devan chuckled.

“It’s late; go to sleep! You have an exam tomorrow!” Devan instructed with a remaining smile. However, Devan was instantly stunned when he saw wet marks on Elena’s cheeks in the dim kitchen light.

Worried, Devan quickly searched for the light switch and turned it on. As expected, Elena’s eyes appeared wet and red. As the light illuminated the room, Elena forced a smile to conceal her inner turmoil.Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.

“El, why are you crying? Is something wrong?” Devan asked, holding both of Elena’s shoulders with concern.

Instead of answering, her hazel eyes welled up again, followed by the sound of sobbing. Devan grew more anxious. He had only lived with Erick, another male. Now, suddenly, he was faced with a saddened teenage girl.

“I miss Mommy and Daddy, Om,” Elena said, hugging Devan tightly.

“Oh God, you scared me. It’s only been 2 days since they left, and you’re already crying. You really surprised me; I thought something was wrong,” Devan responded with a laugh, patting Elena’s shoulder affectionately.

Once Elena calmed down, Devan escorted her back to her room. Elena obeyed and quickly got onto her bed. Before leaving, Devan adjusted the room temperature, which he found too cold. He lowered it to 20°C. Perhaps in industrial cities like Surabaya or Jakarta, such room temperatures might be common due to the heat there. But this was Yogyakarta, and as the night progressed, the air became cooler.

“Sleep! You have school tomorrow,” Devan said, covering Elena with a blanket. He also took her phone and placed it on the nightstand.

But before Devan could leave, Elena grabbed his hand, looking at him with a melancholic gaze. Devan sighed and smiled.

“Okay, rest. I’ll stay here until you fall asleep,” Devan said, gently stroking Elena’s head affectionately, similar to what he often did with Erick.

A smile blossomed on Elena’s lips. Quickly, she closed her eyes, trying to fall asleep for real, savoring the gentle caresses on her head. It didn’t take long for Elena to drift off. This was how it was every time she went to bed – receiving affection, words, and kisses from her parents before sleeping. For the kiss, Elena didn’t need to ask Devan since, in any case, he wasn’t her family.

After making sure Elena was genuinely asleep, Devan went outside and returned to his room to rest. Just as he closed Elena’s bedroom door, a voice interrupted him.

“Why did Papa go to El’s room?” Erick said, looking towards Elena’s door with a disapproving look.

“El was sad, Erick, missing her parents. So, I comforted her to prevent more tears,” Devan explained as he approached Erick, playfully messing up the teenager’s hair.

“You’re so spoiled!” Erick grumbled, then returned to his room without acknowledging Devan, who remained there.

Earlier, Erick woke up to the sound of the door opening. He went out of his room to check the front door and the main light, something he often did before going to bed, as his dad sometimes forgot to lock the door and change the night light.

Devan just watched Erick walk away until he disappeared behind his room door. Now Devan understood what made Erick act coldly towards Elena. Erick felt uncomfortable with Elena’s presence among them. Being the only child and always receiving his dad’s love, Erick felt jealous. Erick believed that his dad’s attention was now divided with Elena, but that was clearly not true. How could Devan divide his affection for someone else? Devan was just fulfilling Jeremy and Vanessa’s request to take care of Elena during the four days they were away.

Devan headed to his room. Tomorrow, he would talk to Erick.