New World with Four Husbands

"Pardon?" Alhai mumbled, too surprised to feel mad at Coco's selfish decision.

"Heiren will come with me, Zaque, and Quizen." Coco stated, the sound of her voice laced in a matter-of-fact tone, "Which means you'll be left here, alone."

"Yes, and?" Alhai's face scrunched up in confusion, not sure where Coco was going with this conversation.

"Well, I don't want that." Coco answered, pulling her hand away from Quizen's hand and crossing her arms in front of her, leaning forwards to the table, just enough for her to not bump into her teacup.

"I would rather bring you with me in a city I'm unfamiliar with than leave you in a house where none of us would be stopping by for a month or two." Coco kept her gaze at Alhai, the unwavering pointed stare making Alhai want to shrink back to his chair.

"And no, I don't care if Jacques and Renaldo or Joachim, or Jonathan could check on you everyday." Coco hums, "I want to be near you or the other husbands to make sure that all of you are well taken care of."

Alhai's heart skipped a beat as soon as Coco mentioned that she wanted him to come to the city with her and his friends.

A mixture of emotions washed over him— surprise, hesitation, and a flicker of hope— he never expects her to include him in her plans, especially not after all the pain she had caused and all the disregard he had shown towards her.

His heart fluttered for a brief moment before he caught himself and suppressed the feeling, but despite his attempt to suppress his emotions, Alhai couldn't help but feel a flutter of anticipation deep within him.

The idea of accompanying Coco and the other husbands to the main city seemed both exciting and dangerous, a mixture of excitement and anticipation that sent a jolt through his body at the thought of potentially gaining new experiences, or possibly making new, meaningful connections.

It was too alluring to ignore, a nagging thought in the back of his mind that he was unable to fully banish.

On the other hand, Coco watched Alhai closely, her gaze studying his expression as he remained silent, his face was stoic, giving away nothing, but she could sense the tension in the air, the subtle shifts in his body language betraying his inner conflict.

She waited patiently, her eyes fixed on him, trying to decipher the thoughts churning in his mind.

However, Coco was so engrossed in observing Alhai's reaction that she hadn't noticed the reactions of those around her, her eyes remained fixed on him, trying to gauge his feelings and thoughts, her concentration so intense that she was oblivious to the subtle shifts around her.

She was unaware that Zaque stood frozen in the kitchen, his hand pausing on the bread he was slicing, his heart skipping a beat as he heard Coco's words.

Coco wants to make sure that me and the others are well taken care of, and wants to be around to see that? Zaque thought, his bottom lip getting caught between his lower and upper teeth.

His cheeks flushed slightly, a warm hue spreading across his face, not expecting Coco to utter such a bold confession.

He tried to compose himself, continuing the slicing motion as if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred, but he was acutely aware that he was blushing faintly, the heat searing under his skin.

Coco had no idea that Heiren's eyes widened in surprise, an electric shock coursing through his body as Coco's words rang in his ears.

A wave of anticipation and excitement washed over him, stirring something deep inside his chest at the words he had just heard— did Coco say that she wants to be near them at all times to make sure that they're well taken care of?

He did hear that right, didn't he?

He swallowed hard, his heart fluttering in his chest, an unfamiliar sensation, almost like an electric current coursing through his veins.

No one had ever expressed such a desire for his well-being before, except for Zaque and the other two, so the simple words carried a heavy impact to him.

He tried to control the heat spreading across his face, his cheeks burning with a mixture of embarrassment and something else he couldn't quite place because the idea of someone caring for him, and not just for his skill or usefulness, was both overwhelming and strangely comforting.

Coco didn't see how Quizen flushed brightly— a soft pink tint creeping over his cheeks— as he sat next to Coco.

He felt her words pierce through him, her wish for his well-being stirring something within him and he found himself struggling to look at her, his eyes darting to the table before him, trying to steady his rapidly beating heart.

I didn't know that Coco wanted to be near me at all times. Quizen quipped in his mind with his gaze on the table as he tried to compose himself, his heart pounding in his ears, the beat so loud he thought everyone could hear it.

"Alhai?" Coco called out, raising an eyebrow.

The mediators were snapped out of their thoughts when they heard Coco calling out to Alhai, their hearts pounded, the sudden interruption jolting them back to reality.

Quizen's eyes widened, his head perking up while Zaque's grip on the knife in his hand tensed, the sharp blade almost slipping from his grasp with Heiren's body jerking, a jolt of surprise coursing through him in response.

They all simultaneously turned their focus to Coco.

Alhai was jolted out of his thoughts as well, his mind abruptly snatched back to reality by Coco's call.

"Oh, good, I have your attention again." Coco smiled softly, "Back to what I was saying, you have to pack your things, too, okay?"

"What—"

"The same goes for the three of you." Coco hums, informing the other husbands, clueless about how her words affected the four of them.