chapter 23: Knots In Stomach

Blaze was drinking a cup of black coffee to which Emerald raised an eyebrow and said, "Drinking coffee on an empty stomach isn't good for your health, Blaze."
"I know, right, Grandma? I tell him that all the time," Diva chimed in, earning a glare from Blaze. That was a big fat lie. She never told him that before, neither did he drink coffee first thing in the morning every day.
But today was different. Thanks to a certain gamer, poor Blaze couldn't sleep the whole night, until Diva went to bed, and that was around five in the morning. It was taking everything within Blaze to not shut his eyes and fall asleep on the breakfast table right then.
"Then, instead of telling him only, why don't you put some effort into feeding him something healthy and nutritious?" Emerald retorted, and Diva let out a nervous chuckle.
"Uh, no, it's fine. I don't feel like eating anything, anyway," Blaze told them. He was getting nauseated due to lack of sleep. He was sure he would throw up if he ate anything other than coffee.
"What fine? Grandma's wish is my order," Diva declared. "Also, it's not like I don't feed you often."
Blaze arched an eyebrow at that. As if he would allow her. It was not like Diva was really eager to do it. Just for the sake of Grandma, she was pretending to be a dutiful wife who took good care of every need of her deity husband.
"Mrs. Adl��Grandma, I really don't feel hungry this morning," he urged.
"Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. You should intake more fibers and carbs. You should know that as a professional, right?" Emerald added.
"Yes, but��"
"No more talking, Blaze. Only eating now," Diva said and pulled his plate of breakfast towards her, cutting the avocado and poached egg toast into a smaller piece before holding out the fork in front of his mouth.
Blaze narrowed his eyes at her. "Diva."
Diva put on a pleading face, begging him to take the bite, otherwise, she will be embarrassed and Grandma will suspect something is wrong with them.
Heaving a sigh, Blaze reluctantly leaned forward and ate from the fork she was holding. Diva grinned happily, and Emerald smiled at the couple. Blaze couldn't explain how embarrassed he felt.
As Blaze chewed on the food in his mouth, he snatched his plate back and said, "I can eat on my own." Even though he felt like he would throw up, he still fed himself, at least it was better than Diva feeding him.
"See, Grandma? He's so shy!" Diva exclaimed with a giddy smile.
"Then, you should pay more attention to his needs. You need to take better care of your husband, Diva," Emerald advised.
Please I'm better off without Diva around, Blaze cried in his mind.
Diva smiled and patted his shoulder, which made Blaze flinch slightly in surprise. "Of course, Grandma. I know that."
To escape the awkward situation, Blaze quickly finished his meal and got up to leave for office. "I shall be taking my leave now," he announced and was about to walk out of the dining hall before Emerald spoke up.
"Diva, hurry up. Blaze is leaving."
The couple furrowed their brows in confusion.
"You go to the office with Blaze, right?" Emerald asked.
Diva's eyes widened as she nodded frantically, gulping down the food in her mouth.
Please no, Blaze rolled his eyes.
Although Diva was planning to work from home today, she picked up her bag and put her things in it before dashing out of the mansion with Blaze, out of her grandma's fear.
As Diva got in the car, she let out a sigh of relief, only to find Blaze shooting daggers at her.
"Start the car," she urged, putting on the seatbelt.
"We really don't have to go together. She won't know about it," he retorted, motioning at the car Diva always used for traveling.
"C'mon, since we're leaving at the same time, you might as well as drop me," she reasoned out.
Blaze huffed and pressed the accelerator, driving out of the parking lot of his house. Diva played the music on the radio as it enlightened her mood.
Blaze frowned and asked, "Doesn't your office start at nine?"
It was 7 A.M. at that time.
"Oh, it's okay, I'll pass my time playing games there."
"Game addict," he muttered under his breath.
Crossing her arms across her chest, she said, "Hey, I'm offended."
"Okay."
"You can be really annoying, sometimes," Diva complained.
Blaze didn't bother replying to her anymore as Diva divulged herself into the music. Even though the blasting music was getting on Blaze's nerves, he quietly drove the car to her office. His head was pounding more than ever. Was it because of a lack of sleep or loud music?
Probably both.
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That day, Blaze returned home early due to the hammering he felt in his head. He could swear there was a smoke train inside his skull.
As he walked in the living room to catch a breath first before going to his bedroom to freshen up, he noticed Diva was already back from her office and was watching drama like always. Meanwhile, Emerald was writing a book in her room.
Diva completely emerged into the game until she felt the sofa dip beside her all of a sudden. She turned her gaze to find an exhausted Blaze who had plopped down beside her.
Blaze tilted his head backward and leaned his back against the sofa, relaxing while unbuttoning the first few buttons of his shirt. He had already discarded his blazer in the car.
"Hey, welcome back," Diva greeted cheerfully, making Blaze glare at her.
"It's all your fault."
"How come?"
"You didn't let me sleep last night," he rebuked.
"No, it's your fault for overworking yourself." It was partially true, but still, Diva felt a little guilty. She had no consciousness of the outer world when she played games, but she really didn't think her sounds would affect him that much.
He frowned. "Whatever."
"Would you like some water?" she asked, and he nodded. Diva reached out for the glass of water on the coffee table and handed it to him. He chugged down the whole glass of water, still, a frown was creased upon his forehead. "Does your head hurt? Do you want me to massage it for you?" she blurted out before she could stop herself.
"Why would you bother?" Blaze arched an eyebrow.
Diva bit her lips and thought of an excuse immediately. "Grandma," she whispered into his ears. "She's right behind us, so let me do it for you," she lied. She wanted him to rest a little, that's all. Plus, Grandma did tell her to take better care of him. Not to mention, he deserved that.
Blaze wondered for a while before nodding his head. "Do whatever you want, just don't increase my headache," he warned.
"You can count on me." She rolled up her sleeves dramatically and scooted closer to him. "It may not look like it, but I can give pretty decent head massages. I did that for Grandma all the time," Diva told him and started massaging his forehead.
"I can guess the reason behind those headaches," he taunted.
"Meanie," Diva mumbled.
Blaze didn't say anything anymore and just relaxed as her fingers threaded through his forehead, lightly massaging it. He could feel his headache subsiding gradually and sleep overtaking him. Before he knew it, he had fallen asleep.
As Diva was massaging him and watching the television at the same time, she squeaked when she felt a sudden weight on her shoulder. Her body froze, along with her fingers, as she stared at his peaceful sleeping face through her peripheral view. Her heart started to beat crazily as if it would blast inside her chest like a time bomb at any moment.
She slowly turned her head towards her right and looked down at his slightly pale, exhausted face. An immediate gush of guilt hit her. It was really her fault that he wasn't feeling well. She thought sleeping on her shoulder might not be that comfortable. Thus, to compensate for her mistake earlier, she carefully made him shift his position, making his head lie on her lap.
A smile cracked on her lips as she stared at the always-grumpy Blaze sleeping peacefully. Diva had an urge to run her fingers through his hair, but she resisted. She knew her limits, after all. He was only her friend, nothing more than that. She wouldn't dream of ever crossing that line until he allowed that.
Therefore, lowering the volume of the television, she continued watching her drama while Blaze slept. Diva would be lying if she said that it didn't make her form knots inside her stomach all the while.