Page 26 of Collateral Omega

Holi didn’t believe that anymore. If it was meant to be, it wouldn’t be this hard. His father wouldn’t be stressed out, he wouldn’t be getting sicker and crying because of him.

“Come,” Saki said, offering him her hand. “You and your father are depressing me. We should have a mini-party to cheer ourselves up. I think there’s a bottle of Red Amber somewhere in the house.”

Saki dragged Holi to the door.

“Father can’t drink,” Holi said.

“It doesn’t matter. As long as we’re not sitting around and moping. I can’t stand it. You two need to snap out of it.”

Saki dragged Holi to the cooking station. Holi’s father looked up as they walked in, a smile on his lips.

“I think I found something,” he said.

“Nope. Put that away. We’re going to have fun for one day. We can worry about everything tomorrow.” Saki stashed the data reader in the cupboard and took out a bottle of Red Amber. “Holi and I will drink this, and Lile, I have a nice fruit juice for you. Are we you guys in?”

Holi turned to his father.

“Fine,” he said grudgingly. “We can have a picnic in the backyard.”

“Perfect!” Saki shouted, jumping into action. She got everything ready for their picnic. The mood in the house lifted, and Holi found himself smiling as they moved around the house, carrying food and blankets to the backyard.

“Are these for me?” his father asked, pointing to the flowers Holi had placed in the middle of their picnic blanket. Holi nodded. “They’re lovely. Thank you, baby.”

“You’re welcome,” he said shyly.

“Uhhh…that’s so sweet,” Saki said. “Now, let’s get this party started!”

“Why are you shouting?” his father whispered, but he was smiling. “Pour me my juice.”

“Yay!” Saki said excitedly. She poured them their drinks, and they spent the entire afternoon drinking and having fun. Saki became crazy the drunker she got. She made jokes, and at one point she was dancing around the backyard without music. Holi joined her, laughing so hard his sides hurt. His father started to sing, adding to the fun. Holi went to his father and pulled him to his feet. They danced and laughed. The moment was so beautiful, Holi forgot that he was sad. He felt light and weightless, his life a little brighter.

“Oh, shit. I forgot to RSVP,” his father said, suddenly running back into the house. Holi stared at him, his spirits plummeting.

“Don’t look like that, the night is not over yet,” Saki said, twirling around. But the moment was gone, replaced by anxious feelings that plagued him whenever he thought of attending another party.

Master Aeryl’s party was the last straw. Holi had never been so mortified in his entire life. If being wealthy meant you treated other people like trash, he didn’t want to be part of that world. But his father was on another level. He wasn’t going to stop until Holi was bonded.

***

Xaine

Xaine groaned as he slowly opened his eyes. He looked around him and was surprised to see that he was in one of the VIP rooms in the health centre. A few tubes and a beeping machine were attached to him.

What the fuck? Xaine stared down at himself. He was even wearing the clothes the centre gave to their patients.

“How are you feeling?” Dr Micha asked, stepping close to the bed.

“I don’t know. I’m a little confused,” Xaine said. “What happened?”

“You fainted.”

“I fainted. When?” Xaine asked.

“Don’t tell me you don’t remember?” Dr Micha stared at him, a strange look in his eyes. Xaine nodded. “You don’t remember anything?”

“No.”

“What do you remember?”

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