Chapter 11
Kilo
As soon as his last order was finished for the day, Kilo closed up at the graphics shop. He checked his watch. If everything went according to plan, Jules would pick India up from daycare and they would have just enough time to get dinner together before heading home for the evening.
He stopped short and picked up the pile of brochures that he’d left sitting on the shop’s front counter. There was a traveling fair coming to town next week, a local food festival this weekend, and a charity run that allowed strollers at the end of the month. He’d also been going through his financial records and seriously contemplating whether or not they could afford to take a vacation right now or not.
As he left the shop and climbed in his car, he breathed a soft sigh and smiled at the picture of Jules and India that he had taped to his dashboard. It was at India’s second birthday party, just a few weeks ago now. Jules was holding her up and trying to help her blow out the candles. Seeing the two of them together, with their cheeks puffed out and their eyes as big as saucers, put a smile on Kilo’s face every single time.
His phone chimed softly, alerting him to an incoming text. He glanced down at the screen and smiled.
“Just picked Indy up. Where did you want to eat?” asked Jules.
Kilo grinned. Jules’s nickname for India had emerged after they’d watched some old Indiana Jones movies together. He seemed tickled by the idea of her being an explorer of ancient ruins.
“I was thinking the Vietnamese place,” Kilo typed back. He’d eaten there once before and had loved the food. He remembered Jules mentioning that he’d never tried it before.
It took several minutes for Jules to respond. When he did, it wasn’t the answer that Kilo had been expecting.
“Could you maybe just pick up some takeout instead?” asked Jules. “I’m kinda beat.”
Kilo nodded slowly to himself. Jules had had a couple of large back-to-back orders to fill over the last few days. It would make sense for him to feel a little worn-out.
“Yeah, why don’t I just pick up some Chinese and meet you at home?” offered Kilo, opting for something a little easier and more familiar.
“That sounds great,” Jules quickly replied. “See you soon. XOXO.”
Kilo dialed up the Chinese restaurant right there and placed their order. With them running two different shops full-time, they’d fallen back on eating takeout more than once over the last several months. It had gotten to the point where Kilo knew their preferences inside out, and could order without even looking at the menu.
By the time he reached the restaurant, the order was ready and waiting. Piling the collection of Styrofoam and takeout boxes into the front seat, Kilo turned the car back towards home.
The thought of Jules and India waiting for him to return put a smile on his face. In truth, every day of the last couple of months had been blissful. The house no longer felt like an empty void that served as little more than shelter. It was a home. Jules had added touches of his own personality, and had contributed a great deal to the overall coziness of the dwelling.
As Kilo pulled into the driveway, he couldn’t help but grin at the gaudy pink flamingos that Jules had bought to “brighten things up a bit.” It was true that neither of them had much time for gardening and making the yard look nice, but the flamingos were woefully out of place amidst the other yards in the neighborhood. Kilo hadn’t wanted to leave them up, but over time they’d grown on him. They were unique, just like Jules.
“Can you get the door for me?” Kilo texted Jules before loading up his arms with takeout boxes and heading towards the front door.
“Well, hello there, handsome,” Jules called out as he opened the front door. “Have you brought us sustenance?”
“I have,” said Kilo with a broad grin as he reached the front door. He gave Jules a quick peck on the lips before slipping inside. “I brought all of our favorites, and got India her special order as well.”
“Daddy!” India shouted from the living room. She no longer made any effort to hide her ability to climb in and out of the playpen undetected and came running out of the living room with her arms widespread.
“She apparently drew on another kid at daycare today,” said Jules with a little laugh.
“Oh no...” breathed Kilo, shaking his head and chuckling as he moved into the dining room.
“With a permanent marker,” continued Jules.
“How did she—”
“She pulled it out of a closed desk drawer that should’ve been out of her reach,” continued Jules. “If they hadn’t had the camera footage, I wouldn’t have believed it. She pushed a chair up against the desk, climbed up on it, opened the drawer and got the pen, all while everyone’s back was turned.”
“You are way too smart for your own good,” said Kilo, looking back at his daughter as she followed them into the dining room.
“Here’s the thing,” Jules pulled out a chair and sat down across from Kilo as he began unloading the takeout boxes and trying to organize them.
“You mean it’s not over?” asked Kilo with a little mock exasperation. India stories, as told by Jules, tended to be long-drawn-out affairs that continued to build up.
“Well, no...” Jules shook his head and smiled, before stifling a yawn. “She apparently had two different victims.”
“You said another kid. That’s only one victim,” Kilo pointed out.
“Yeah, well the first victim was herself.” Kilo pulled India into his lap. “Hold out your arms. Show Daddy your drawings.”
India eagerly lifted up her arms and showed him the black ink scribbles that ran down the length of them.
“They should fade after a couple of baths,” Jules reassured him. “She seems proud of her work.”
“India, sweetie...you’re not supposed to draw on yourself,” said Kilo, doing his best to sound serious. He hated chastising her, and he rarely had to do it. Unfortunately, there were still some behaviors that needed to be corrected.
Her expression fell and she buried her face against Kilo’s chest.
“Don’t worry,” said Jules, smiling up at Kilo. “She did get a timeout when she was at daycare and I talked to her about it too. She knows she’s not supposed to do it anymore. Right, India?”
“Yes,” she said, sniffling a little.
“Okay then,” said Kilo, grabbing the back of a nearby chair and leaning over it. “So who was her other victim?”
A broad grin spread across Jules’s lips and he looked like he was biting back his amusement. It took him a moment to respond without laughing. “The mayor’s son,” he managed at laughed.
“No...” Kilo’s jaw dropped open and his eyes went wide as his gaze shifted to India.
“Yes,” insisted Jules. “She grabbed his arm and started scribbling on it. He started screaming. The daycare people swooped in and our little rebel got put in timeout until they could figure out what to do. Apparently they were going to call you, but since it was so close to pick up time they decided to just let it be.”
“Are they going to kick her out?” asked Kilo. He wasn’t sure there were any other daycares in the area that were up to the same level of quality as that one. He didn’t like the idea of skimping when it came to India’s care.
“No, no. As far as I can tell, they found the whole thing very amusing. They also told me they were updating the child safety locks on the desk drawers,” said Jules.
“The desk was safety locked?” Kilo shook his head in disbelief.
“Apparently she figured it out somehow,” confirmed Jules. “If anything, I think it’s a testament to just how smart she is.”
“Well, let’s get this smart girl in her high chair. I’ll get the plates from the kitchen and we can start eating,” said Kilo. “I’m absolutely famished.”
It only took a few minutes for them to get everything ready. India was eagerly eating her meal while Kilo and Jules sat on either side of her.
“So I picked up a few more brochures today,” Kilo said, digging them out of his pocket and setting them on the table between them. “There’s some really fun activities that we might be able to squeeze in between everything else.”
Jules looked at the brochures warily but made no move to pick them up.
“Is everything okay?” asked Kilo with a frown. “If those don’t look interesting to you, we can try something else.”
“No, it’s not that.” Jules offered him a soft smile. “We’ve just been going pretty nonstop lately, y’know? There was the 5k last week. The family sports day at the park. The family free day at the wave pool. The bakery tour. The museum. It’s just been a bit much, that’s all. I’ve been feeling pretty tired the last few days, and I think I’m just not getting enough recovery time between all of these events that we’ve been going to.”
“Sweetheart, why didn’t you tell me?” said Kilo, reaching across the table and touching Jules’s hand.
“I really appreciate all the work you’ve been putting into this stuff,” said Jules with a smile. “It’s been really nice doing all these things as a family. I didn’t want you to think that I didn’t like it.”
“I understand if you’re feeling tired. I’ll ease up on the schedule. We don’t have to go to so many things. If you’re feeling run-down then I understand completely.” Kilo offered him a sincere smile. “I don’t want you making yourself sick. I want you to be honest with me if you’re not feeling up to something.”
“I will, I promise.” Jules picked up his fork and dug into his pork fried rice once more. “I really enjoy spending evenings in with you and India,” he said after a moment of silence. “All of these family activities are really fun, and I enjoy going to them, but I feel most like a family when we’re here like this.”
Kilo felt his chest swell with happiness. “I do too.”
Another week passed. Kilo decided that the best solution to Jules’s exhaustion was to take a break from outings entirely. They spent their evenings at home together. Other than a brief visit to see Jasper on the weekend, they spent nearly all of their free time at home as a family.
Despite easing up on the activities, Jules didn’t seem to be recovering. Most mornings, he slept in until the last possible moment, and he admitted to Kilo that he’d been taking naps in his car during lunch.
“Look, I just...I’m worried about you,” said Kilo one evening as they were sitting on the couch together. Jules was curled up in the crook of Kilo’s arm with his head resting on the Alpha’s chest. India was in bed, fast asleep.
“I know you are, but other than being tired, I feel fine,” Jules insisted, stifling a yawn. “I think it’s just adjusting to family life. Caring for India, caring for you, being a part of a routine that concerns more than just my own needs. It takes a lot out of you.”
“Maybe...” said Kilo, who still wasn’t convinced. “I’d like you to cut back on your hours at the shop,” he said after a moment of silence. “If you’re feeling that tired, your body must be trying to tell you to slow down and take it easy. You can sleep in and open at noon, or close at noon and come home early. Either way, you’ll be able to take it a little easier.”
“I think...” Jules’s voice trailed off for a moment, as if he was considering something. “I think I’m just going to close the shop.”
Alarm ran through Kilo’s veins and he immediately frowned. “Are you sure?” He looked down at Jules with concern in his eyes. “I know how much that shop means to you. Your grandma’s cookies...”
“Aren’t selling as well as they should be,” Jules finished for him. “I’m certainly not making enough to justify keeping the door open. Business has never been particularly good, and I just don’t have the energy to handle advertising right now.”
“But...Jules, this...” What had started as mere concern had been elevated to a low panic for Kilo. “Jules, I know how much that shop means to you. I don’t think you’d be doing this unless something was actually wrong,” said Kilo, shifting slightly so that he could look his Omega in the eye.
“Kilo, I just need to get some sleep. I’ll be fine, I swear,” insisted Jules with a soft smile.
“Jules, please, listen to me,” said Kilo, his tone was grave as he tried to pick his words carefully. Two immediate concerns presented themselves to him. The first, most likely, scenario was that Jules was struggling with depression and was unable to admit it. He knew that depression could rob someone of their energy and their will to do things that they once loved doing. After giving up his desire to have children, it wouldn’t be that far-fetched for Jules to have fallen into a bout of depression.
The second scenario was much more grave, and while unlikely, it was still bad enough to have Kilo spooked.
“I don’t want to scare you,” said Kilo as Jules slowly sat up and looked at him. “I just...before I got my cancer diagnosis, the first sign we had that anything was wrong was that I was tired all the time. I was exhausted; I didn’t feel like doing anything. I know that your baking is important to you because of your connection to your grandma. The fact that you’re willing to give that up makes me feel that something must be really wrong.
“I could be worrying about nothing. You could be right and it’s just all the changes that you’ve had to adapt to lately. I just...I would feel a lot better if you would agree to go see a doctor. Please?”
Jules nodded his head slowly and reached out to caress Kilo’s cheek. “Okay,” he said at last. “I didn’t realize you were so worried about it. If it’ll make you feel better, I’ll call the doctor and schedule the appointment in the morning. I still think you’re getting worked up over nothing, but getting a checkup won’t hurt. I’m overdue for one anyway.” He grinned at Kilo, despite the fatigue in his eyes.
“Thank you,” said Kilo, pressing a kiss to the palm of Jules’s hand. “I would like nothing more than to be wrong about this.”