Little Game

Chapter 13

Rafael pinched the bridge of his nose. He's had enough of the their antics. He always had to deal with it every single day. "Lucius, I swear, I sometimes think that you're a kid."

"Aren't you supposed to be happy about that?"

Rafael looks at him in confusion. What the fuck was that supposed to mean? Was that a joke? Was he supposed to laugh at that? But, why would he laugh when doesn't even know what that meant! "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, that means that you should also pay attention to me." Lucius said with a sad look on his face. His half-lidded and unfocused eyes pierced the depths of darkness in Rafael's confused beating heart. "Kids need a lot of attention, y'know. So, pay attention to me."

Lucius' voice lowered into a husky one as his gaze turned heavier and heavier. Rafael was trapped. He flushed red at his gentle demand. How could he say such things in front of Isabella?

"I don't need that much attention." Isabella said, breaking the weird atmosphere that Lucius had built using his sweet (disgusting) words.

Lucius sighed loudly, rolling his eyes before looking at Isabella in annoyance. "Do you have to be such an annoyance?"

"I learned it from you." Isabella replied almost immediately, unfazed by her brother's cold attitude towards her. Lucius grumbled.

"We were having a moment here."

Isabella tittered at her brother's words. "Really? Oh, wait, I don't care 'bout it 'cause you can't have Raffy!"

"And why is that?" Lucius was starting to get hotheaded now. He always had little patience about things and he's always so childish when it comes to his sister.

Isabella pouted and glared childishly at him. She clenched her small fist. "'Cause I know that Raffy's favo'ite person is me!"

Rafael laughed nervously and decided to change the topic before Lucius the shark comes back and bites them. "A-Anyways, why do you not need that much attention, Bells?"

Isabella confident facade faltered and she  fidgeted then. She looked quite nervous and was glancing between her brother and Rafael.

Rafael was now confused at her sudden attitude and reached out to gently place his hand on her cheek. "Hey, you didn't answer my question, honey."

"I don' wanna bother everyone." She said meekly, leaning towards her guard's warm touch. "I don' wanna disturb eve'yone 'cuz they're working so, so hard and I want them to work so hard 'cuz it makes me super duper happy 'cause they do their best and I'm not sad 'bout it."

Rafael and Lucius melted at her sweet and considerate answer. Their hearts just cried at how adorable and mature her answer was.

It's true that there were times where all of them were busy. Rafael wasn't just her personal bodyguard anymore. He was now a person working for Dante and there were times where there were tasks that were totally unrelated to Isabella.

"Were you lonely?" Rafael asks, sounding sad and quite guilty. Before, he could give Isabella his unwavering attention because it was his only job. But now, he's working for Dante and had become quite busy.

Isabella immediately shook her head.

"And why's that?" Lucius asked softly with a gentle look on his face. "Don't you miss us when we're busy?"

"I do." Isabella confessed with a meek tone. "But I have Ms. Fuzzy and I have other people to play with me so 'm not lonely." Then she continued with a more soft and quite tone. "And I don' wanna bother all of you..."