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>>>> Side-story: A glimpse of their lives

2.5 years later

Azalea and Nora talked over the video calls, chatting about different stuff. Like they had once promised they talked to each other almost every day. If there wasn't something very important to stop them they would set and time and call each other.

"How's life there?" Azalea asked while she sat on the bed in her room.

"Oh It's good." Nora replied, "The people are really nice and it's fun to hang out. I've gotten used to stuff here and unexpectedly I adapted really well. What about you?"

"Oh nothing much, the usual here."

"How's Athena?" Nora asked as she laid down on her bed. Neither of them had their kids with them so they were relaxing as they talked.

"Oh God! I think she's getting more and more spoiled as the days go by." Azalea stood up, "Let me show you something." She began to walk somewhere, "Arius does everything she asks for! Like literally anything she wants, he gets it for her." She stopped in front of the door and showed Nora a sign hanging on the door which stated.

'Do not disturb unless there's a very serious emergency'

"Now try guessing what's happening in there?" Azalea asked.

"Uh, a meeting?" Nora asked.

"Yes." Azalea answered, "A very important meeting. Wanna guess what kind?"

"Ummm... I don't know?

"A tea party meeting of Arius and Athena."

Nora laughed, "That's so cute. Oh My God! A mafian boss having a tea party with tiny toys, sitting on a pink chair." She laughed again, "Wow, this is hilarious."

"He even wears a party hat for her." Azalea groaned, "And you know what? I'm never invited to the tea party!"

Nora laughed again, "Why not?" She wiped the tear from the corner of her eye and took a deep breath.

"I just tell them not to overdo stuff but according to them I'm a party pooper!"

"Booooy!!! I can't!!" Nora laughed harder, "I get why Athena is getting spoiled. Is that why you're planning another child." She was laughing so much she started feeling her jaws get stiff.

"Athena alone will be a mess." Azalea went back to her room.

"Well good luck to you."

"Yeah." Azalea walked to the lounge and sat down on the couch, "How's Noah and Caesar."

"Oh let me show you!" Nora took her camera and went to Caesar's office to show her best friend how her son had made Caesar's shoulder his favorite sitting place, "Just look at him. He's six months old and loves that place."

"The view is very cute." Azalea smiled

"He grabs Caesar's hair so that he doesn't fall off but Caesar's constantly on the edge because he fears he might." Azalea noticed how Caesar's eyes were on the laptop screen while both his hands were hovering around Noah.

Clearly he was worried Noah might fall.

Caesar noticed his wife, "Nora, take Noah with you. I can't focus on work." He practically begged her.

"Okay." Nora went ahead and picked Noah in her arms.

"Ahhhhh!" But like each time Noah gave a small fit when he was being taken away from his favorite sitting spot and like each time since he was grabbing Caesar's hair he pulled them along with him.

"Ow..." Noah's father groaned at the pain and even though he felt it each time he let Noah sit on his shoulders again because he loved him more.

After taking her son in her arms she went to her room again and showed Noah the screen where he could see his aunt.

"Noah say hi to your aunt." Nora waved at the screen but Noah was just intrigued and kept staring.

"Hey Noah!" Azalea gave him a virtual kiss, "How're you doing?"

"Uwa!" I'm good, was probably what he said.

"Yup that's how it is!" Nora said, "I'm going to give Noah a bath now. We'll talk tomorrow."

"Yeah sure! Bye. Bye Noah."

"Un!" Noah bid her farewell too.

Nora chuckled, "Bye."

Both of them ended the call and went to do their respective work.

It was like this everyday.

They were busy with their lives and family but always made time for each other even if it was for a few minutes.

****

>>> Side-story: A Tea party

Arius loved his daughter so much, he put everything aside just because Athena wanted to have fake tea with her dad.

He sat on the small chair for a while but it was too uncomfortable for him so he put it aside and sat on the floor. It didn't make much of a difference because all the stuff there was for Athena and so he was still big for the table.

"Daddy tea!" Athena brought in her tea pot filled with water and poured her father some tea.

Arius looked at the water in his cup. Somehow it had an odd color.

"Athena?"

"Yesh?"'

"Why is it brown?"

"It's tea!"

"No, I mean I get that it's tea but did you mix something in it?"

"Pwaint"

"..."

"You not dwrinking?"

"Ahh… Athena, you're not supposed to add paint. It turns bad."

"Bad?" Athena didn't like the word and pouted. Tears started brimming her eyes, "But it tea!"

What she meant was that tea is supposed to be brown, that's why she added paint but now that she thinks her father thinks it's bad she couldn't help but cry.

On the other hand, if there is really one thing Arius can't bear to see, it's his daughter crying.

"Yes it's tea!" He stated, "Of course I'll drink."

He sipped the 'tea' thanking God that the cup was tiny.

Athena stopped crying and giggled.

"It good?"

"Yes… Very good… How about I make tea now?"

"Okay!!"

Oh thank God! Arius took a breath of relief and made proper tea, that was just water.

He poured it for Athena then and offered her a cookie too.

"I'll do it fwor daddy!" She took the pot from her father poured him some tea, "Daddy wants eyes?"

"Eyes? In my tea?"

"Ywes! Eyes tea!"

Arius laughed, "Athena, It's ice."

Athena didn't quite catch the difference. It only confused her, "Eyes?"

"Ice." Arius spoke again, "I-c-e."

"I-y-es!"

Even after she made a change. Her pronunciation was pretty much still stuck on eyes.

Arius laughed, "Okay. I'd love eyes in my tea." He couldn't help but chuckle.

Eyes in my tea…

He felt like a monster.

Yet still he had his eyes tea and enjoyed it, after all he loved spending time with her daughter.

For him, the thing he feared the most, turned into what he loved the most.