"Aaa..."
'Nothing like being at home!'
Lucian, once he finished his work, hurried home as quickly as possible.
On the way, he noticed a convenience store and decided to go in and buy some cleaning products. It had been a month since he had deep cleaned his home.
With all the work he had lately and his father's continuous requests, he hadn't found the free time to reorganize his apartment.
His apartment was very small, consisting only of a large room connected to the kitchen, with a bathroom and a small balcony. As small as it was, Lucian still considered it a home. As soon as he rented it, he managed to model it as best he could and clean spaces that had remained untouched.
He still remembered perfectly how he found things he had never seen in his life. And all kinds of dirt surrounding the place were not to be forgotten. That's why he decided to get to work and start turning that desolate and neglected place into an acceptable apartment.
On the balcony, he only left a small table with a chair where he occasionally sat to get some air or read a magazine or two.
Inside the apartment, he only placed a small table next to the kitchen and in the center of the room, a bed with a comfortable armchair next to it.
Lucian thought this was enough for now and that he didn't need anything else.
Although in truth, he was lying to himself.
Looking at the room, he sighed and, without waiting any longer, got to work.
Since his space was small, cleaning wasn't a problem. He could afford these kinds of arrangements every month, pretending one was better than the other and playing the role of an interior decorator. These insignificant things made him happy.
After tidying and cleaning, the most important part was always to perfume specific areas with a little natural air freshener or perfume.
A step that should never be skipped.
"And... done!"
He hadn't really moved much around, but even so, in his mind, he wanted to think that his apartment now looked much more spacious and cozy.
Having finished, he headed to the bathroom to shower.
"Haa..."
Once he lay down on his bed with his hair damp, he closed his eyes for a second. What he didn't expect was to be more tired than he thought, and thus he ended up sleeping for a good while.
An hour later, if it weren't for the sound of his phone ringing, he wouldn't have woken up.
With his eyes still closed and little strength, he stretched out his arm to answer the call.
"Yes?.." His voice was a little hoarse and muffled; after all, he had just woken up.
"..."
The other party remained silent, surprised by the voice. With a trembling voice, Lucian continued.
"Who... is...?" He was falling back asleep, if it weren't for the other person letting out a soft chuckle.
"See? You didn't keep your promise after all."
Lucian suddenly sat up in bed instantly upon hearing those words. Fully awake, he carefully looked at the name displayed on his phone.
'Nathan'
"...Uhm, I swear I had your number saved-" before he could finish speaking, the other person interrupted him.
"And to think I warned you, yet you still didn't know who was calling? That's why I ended up having to come look for you," he said in a mocking voice.
"What? Look for me?" Surprised, Lucian didn't understand what he meant.
"Look outside your balcony," Nathan simply said.
Lucian very quickly opened the balcony door and stuck his head out to look. In front of the condominium was a black car, and leaning against it was a person dressed in a dark blue suit, with neatly styled hair and a defined face. On his wrist, a refined brand-name watch. We're talking about a CEO, after all.
He was holding his phone to his ear when he noticed a presence high up.
Raising his gaze, it met Lucian's.
"There you are," Nathan replied, looking steadily at Lucian with a sweet smile.
"Are you coming down?" His tone wasn't demanding; rather, he said it in a sweet way, as if asking for a favor.
Lucian, without waiting any longer, quickly headed to his door, put on his shoes, and began to hurry down the stairs, his breathing labored.
As soon as he saw the figure of the man waiting for him again, he couldn't help but call out to him.
"Nathan!"
"Why the rush, Lucian?" with a mocking look.
"What are you doing here? It's really late, why didn't you tell me you were coming?"
"I was calling you, but you weren't answering, and by the time you did, I found out you still hadn't saved my number. I told you I'd come for you if you didn't save it, didn't I?"
"Don't joke, I know very well that's not the case, and I did save your number. Look!"
Without wasting any more time, Lucian showed Nathan his phone screen. His name was clearly visible on it.
"Okay, I believe you."
"See... I do keep my word. No, but seriously, why did you come so late? Did something happen?"
Lucian looked at Nathan with worried eyes, and the latter could only focused his gaze on Lucian's disheveled hair, his wrinkled comfortable clothes, and his ill-fitting shoes.
Nathan thought Lucian looked very vulnerable at that moment. He seemed very relaxed. And he had run down the stairs as soon as he realized Nathan was waiting outside his house.
'Cute...'
"No. Nothing in particular happened, I just felt like seeing you, that's all. I don't think I need a specific reason to want to see you, do I?" He leaned slightly, bringing his face closer to Lucian's. The latter couldn't hide his slight blush.
Nathan, satisfied with his reaction, decided to stop making him uncomfortable. "Aren't you going to invite me in for something to drink?"
"?"
"Mmm?" Nathan looked at Lucian with a resentful face.
"Should I invite you in?"
"Yes."
"To my apartment?"
"Yes."
"To drink something?"
"Well, isn't it common to invite someone in and offer them something to drink? I've had a very tough day today."
'Then why didn't you go straight home?!'
That's what Lucian wanted to reply, but it would definitely be very rude.
He had no choice but to invite him in.
Anyway, there shouldn't be any problem. Besides, he had just cleaned everything, so whether it was presentable or not wasn't an issue.
"Okay, only because you had a busy day. Afterwards, you can't say I'm not a considerate person, okay?" he said, winking.
Once inside the apartment, Nathan couldn't hide his surprise at Lucian's small space. He wondered if anyone could truly live peacefully in such a tiny area. Even if it was for only one person, it was still very small.
"Do you really live here?" he commented in surprise.
"Hey, don't be rude! Of course, I live here. Unlike you, not everyone has the luxury of living in big, privileged places like yours," he said mockingly, although he actually understood the reason for his surprise.
After all, he worked almost every day so one would expect at least a salary good enough to live comfortably.
That wasn't Lucian's case.
He had debts to pay and matters to resolve.
His father still bothered him asking for money, and there were certain creditors who were still looking for him.
He had to solve all those problems first before he could live securely.
"Why don't you come to my place then?"
Out of nowhere, upon hearing those words, Lucian turned surprised to look at Nathan.
"What? Your place?"
"Yes, my place" he still looked seriously at Lucian.
"What? No, hahah I shouldn't bother you like that…"
'Are you crazy?!' The last Lucian thought within himself.
"You couldn't bother me at all." Said Nathan as if having him at his place was actually something completely natural.
"What about you mother…she wouldn't like it…"
"I'll tell her that it helps regain my memories. She couldn't possibly negate it."
"..."
Lucian was stunned. He didn't know how to refuse when what Natahn said was actually reasonable.
"Ok, If your mother approve…" he said hesitantly.
'There's no way she will.'
"She will." Responded Nathan confident.
"..."
"Earlier you told me everything was fine. Now I'm asking you the same thing. Is everything okay?" Changing the topic Nathan asked Luacian this time.
Lucian, changing his focus, realizing Nathan's genuine concern, was truly touched. He thought it was truly incredible how this person in front of him now took the trouble to worry about him.
Suddenly, these kinds of things brought back memories from the past. It was like when they used to be friends. When there was no annoying discomfort and uncertainty. No fear that something really bad could happen.
"Yes... everything's fine."
He couldn't look him in the eyes. He didn't want him to notice the expression he was making. He squeezed his hands with all his might to avoid showing more than he should.
"Anyway! Let me get you something to drink. Is tea okay?"
Nathan had no choice but to let it go for now. If he didn't want to let him know about his personal problems, he wasn't going to force him to share them.
"Yes. Tea is fine."