"No! I hate you, Arden. You lied to me!" Tyler cried out and started to pack his things.

We were in the living room and everything was set up: the whiteboard, the markers, the projector, and the computer. Tyler also finished cooking three bowls of popcorn. I'm not sure how he managed that in the time I was setting up what I needed. He even managed to cozy up his space by draping a soft blanket over his couch and placing two pillows on each side of the armrest.

"Come on, Ty. We'll have a movie marathon; just help me out first." He stopped folding his blanket and turned to me with a sharp glare.

"No! By the time we finished, my popcorn won't be fresh and I will be sleepy. I don't want to stay up past bedtime." Tyler put his blanket inside his duffel bag and was about to transfer his popcorn into a paper bag when the doorbell rang.

"Are you sure, Tyler? You'll leave?" Tyler nodded furiously, looking so determined. "Even if I tell you that I ordered three containers of super-duper cheesy mac from B.C.?"

Tyler gasped out loud as he slowly turned to me, his jaw slack and his eyes wide as saucers. "C-Cheesy mac?" I nodded with a proud smile. "The most premium stuff that I can only afford to eat twice a month because it's so expensive?" I nodded again and I didn't miss his hard gulp. "You bought me three orders?"

"Yes, with extra bacon strips. I remembered that you also loved their apple pie so I bought a whole piece. I also added the coffee house blend that you loved so much and--"

"You don't need to sell it so much, Arden! I love you to the moon and back so you better pick up the orders or I will destroy everything in this house and eat your flesh and bones afterward." The seriousness in his eyes brought chills down my spine.

Most of the time, Tyler is a very rational human being with a heart of gold, but when it comes to food, he goes berserk. Especially when it comes to his favorites. Those foods that I ordered? Those are only for him. He never shares his food, not even with me, and that's saying something since he adores me so much. The only food he shared with me was a piece of candy which he gave to me because it melted and he hates melted candies.

"Goodness... chill, Ty. I'll get them." I held up my hands in surrender and ran to the door, gave the delivery man a generous tip, and dashed to where Tyler is who snatched the bags from my hold as he bared his claws and fangs at me as if I was going to harm him. Gosh. So testy. I let him get settled as he placed bags of food on the table. Then, he pulled his blanket back and draped it again over his couch.

He looked so happy while making his couch comfy and I felt guilty for not telling him that we won't have a movie marathon. That's why I spend almost two thousand dollars worth of food. That restaurant is very pricey but seeing Tyler get so happy from receiving his favorite food makes it all worth it.

The reason why Tyler only eats his favorite treats twice a month is that he's still paying for his student loans. His parents passed away when he was young and he was transferred into one foster family after another. His last foster family didn't have enough to pay for his college, thus, the student loans. I offered to pay half of his loans but he gave me the cold shoulder for two weeks. After that, I never attempted to bring up the topic again.

"Okay, I'm done. Now, tell me the real reason why we're here." Thank the heavens he's already in a good mood. Tyler reached for his coffee and motioned for me to explain.

"I promise to have a movie marathon with you but can you help me first with Mariano? Let's stalk his social media accounts."

"Sure. Hand the laptop over." I give him the laptop and connected the projector. "Where to, first?" Tyler speedily typed on the computer.

"Instagram." People these days love to document what happens in their lives and if you want to brag about your life, do it on Instagram. Mr. Il Volo's profile flashed on the whiteboard but aside from his profile picture, there was nothing on his feed. "Ten million followers and all he has is one picture? Come on. That's not fair. I watched those tutorial videos on how to make my feed aesthetic but all he did was post a photo of him in a black suit." Those two days were grueling, especially the editing part and figuring out what kind of color theme I should go with. After all that effort, all I have is a thousand followers.

"I agree. Let's check his Twitter account. Maybe we can find something about him." Well, there was no luck. Mr. Il Volo has millions of followers and he only posted one tweet: Hello. It got retweeted three million times. Just how famous is this man?

"Ty, how is it that he can keep his life private while amassing millions of followers? It doesn't make sense." I flopped on the sectional with a pout. "How about the dark web? Let's go there."

"Arden, let's not do that and check quora or Reddit. Maybe there's a thread about him. You know how people are... gossipers are all over the net." Tyler typed a few times and we both looked at each other with huge grins when we found a thread about Mr. Il Volo.

"Okay. Mariano Il Volo, 27 years old, and the CEO of-- that's public knowledge, Ty. There's no other way. I have to stalk him." This means that Mr. Il Volo has an excellent PR team. It makes me wonder if he's hiding something since he's too private. Even with celebrities, you are bound to find their dirty little secrets online, but not Mr. Il Volo. Tyler did a little more digging but all we found are proofs of Mr. Il Volo's fame and affluence.

"I'm sorry, Arden. I tried my best. Anyways, good luck tomorrow. I'll put my leftovers in the freezer and reheat them. Good night, best friend." Tyler gave me a brief hug and went upstairs. He also has a room here; it was River who insisted. He told me that I need to take care of Tyler more since he's the only friend I have, except for him, of course. Sometimes, I wonder if River is sick of my face. Why, though? I'm attractive and men are lining up for me but ewww... if not for my search for a perfect sperm donor, I won't even go on blind dates.

But yeah. My mom told me that my best asset is my rare eye color: hazel. I got it from my grandmother on my mother's side. Mom tells me that my eyes are so expressive, it's enough to hypnotize someone.

With a tired sigh, I closed my eyes and let my brain rest. No one ever told me how mentally exhausting it is to stalk someone. If not for my future child, I won't even do this. Would Mr. Il Volo agree to my request? Isn't it creepy for a stranger to come up to you and request you to become his or her sperm donor? I'm just hoping that he won't call the cops on me or River will disown me.

There's no use overthinking this. I'll find out tomorrow.

****

Okay. I asked my boss for a sudden leave and he understood. In the three years that I worked there, I never asked for a leave. They had to force me to take it so they didn't complain when I asked for my leave without advance notice. Tyler sent me the location of the restaurant earlier and based on Mr. Il Volo's schedule, he will have his meal at exactly eight in the morning. His reserved table is in the far right corner to avoid unwanted attention.

I parked in the restaurant's designated area and went inside. The hostess asked for my name and she led me to my table which is four tables away from Mr. Il Volo's seat. A waitress came over and handed me the menu. Fuck. I think my eyes almost popped out when I saw the price of the food. I already went over my weekly spending limit because I hired Tyler's services. He should find a wealthy daddy dom because his food choices are boring a hole in my pocket.

Maybe Mr. Il Volo has a friend who will be interested in Tyler. Not only that, but he should also be a foodie so Tyler will have company for his food adventures. He should also not judge Tyler's hobbies like cosplaying and going to Comic-Con. Tyler can be loud sometimes... wait, that's an understatement. He's loud and annoying at times and he should be able to handle that. Also, Tyler doesn't share his food so he should have the proper self-defense techniques for when he accidentally touches Tyler's food and Tyler goes crazy.

The list could go on for about ten minutes, but I hope that he will be able to accept Tyler's quirkiness and everything that he is as a whole. I may tease my best friend frequently but I can kill someone if he tries to hurt him and take advantage of him.

"Sir, are you ready for your order?" I was snapped back to the present and took another glance at the menu before closing it.

"Give me your best seller. It's okay if you don't rush my order. I prefer to have my food prepared thoroughly." I still have to wait for Mr. Il Volo; I didn't come here to eat, but I admit that their dishes look appetizing.

The waitress nodded and grinned. "Noted, sir. I will bring you our complimentary treats while you wait for your order." The waitress walked to the kitchen and after a few minutes, she brought me a glass of iced tea and some crackers.

I was on my third cracker when the door opened and two men in black suits appeared. It's not Mr. Il Volo so I went back to scrolling on Instagram. However, my curiosity was piqued when I heard soft gasps and muffled screams. When I lifted my head, my mind went blank and my breathing stopped for a second when I saw my future sperm donor... Mariano Il Volo in the flesh.

My chest pounded nervously as he walked to his table as if he owns the place. He was wearing a gray vest over a white shirt, paired with black pants and black dress shoes. He exuded a powerful and authoritative aura and when he looked in my direction, I hope not, I smoothly turned to my left and found the exit of the restaurant incredibly interesting.

Not yet. I'm not prepared to look into his eyes. What if I pass out here? My plan would be ruined and my order would be a waste. As much as I would like to propose my plan to him, I think I would like to have a taste of those pricey dishes.

Well, they were delicious. Too delicious that I didn't notice that Mr. Il Volo left because I was busy inhaling all of my food. I asked for my bill and left a tip before rushing outside. I caught a glimpse of his car but I didn't catch him on time.

"Oh, fuck. Good job, Arden. You spent a thousand dollars for nothing. Just great." I groaned in frustration and threw a lingering look at the retreating car. His next schedule is in two days. I'll just have to wait then and pray that this time, I won't get distracted.

Only that, fate played with me this time when I noticed the name of his favorite gallery: Monasterio Art Gallery, my favorite place in the world and coincidentally, the gallery where I work at.