With a sharp gasp, his eyes snapped open, locking on the cracked ceiling above him.
His chest quickly rose and fell in ragged as he tried getting his breathing under control.
It took him a few seconds to realize that he was back in his own room.
"…That dream again," he muttered, his voice still groggy and half-dazed.
It had started on the night of his eighteenth birthday. And ever since, the same nightmare replayed itself at least once every few days.
He didn't recognize who the woman or kid was or rather he couldn't since her face was always covered in a layer of darkness, as if someone was deliberately trying to hide her identity from him.
But strangely enough, he remembered one thing....her scent.
He didn't know how it was even possible to recognize a scent from a dream, but he did and she smelled really warm, comforting and more importantly.... very familiar.
"I really should stop watching horror movies," he muttered as as he passed a hand through his messy black hair before finally sitting up.
How else would he explain a dream such as this, if not his brain's representation of his sudden weird interest in horror movies.
Getting off the bed, he walked to the bathroom. Entering the small bathroom, he was immediately faced with the mirror that hung above the sink.
His reflection greeted him as he moved a bit closer, for an eighteen year old, he was taller than average, standing at six feet.
But that height made his skinny self stand out even more, but who cares, well no one would've cared how he looked if he didn't have two weirdly attractive silver eyes that seemed to glow in the dark.
Why did people find it attractive? He had no idea, neither did he care.
Brushing his teeth and taking a quick shower, he walked out the bathroom and towards his living room which was completely messy right now.
It was filled with pizza boxes laying here and there, alongside some takeaway packs. It seemed like he had a party the previous night but…
The truth was far less glamorous.
He was the only one who had eaten it all....
Yep, he was a glutton, a trait he didn't appreciate since all the money gained from his part-time jobs was always spent on food.
He let out a sigh, scratching the back of his neck as he stepped over a toppled box. "If anyone saw this, they'd think I was feeding this entire building."
It wasn't really hunger per say, it was just this perpetual emptiness in his stomach that food never seemed to fill.
He hated it... But he was also stuck with it.
Picking up a trash bag, he began tossing the empty boxes and packs into it one by one.
A few minutes later he was done picking it all up and his silver eyes scanned the living, though he had picked up the trash laying around, it didn't make it room any more attractive.
The cracks on the wall and his broken clock stood out like a sore thumb but as if to tell him that he had a bigger issue to worry about, he stomach suddenly let out a growl.
This caused his eyes to twitch as he stood there with the trash bag in his left hand.
He ran a hand through his damp hair again and let out another sigh. "If I don't find another shift this week, I'm dead."
His wallet was already thin, his fridge nearly empty, and payday was still a week away.
And yet, even with all that, he knew—he was going to order takeout again tonight, a hell lot of it at that.
He tossed the trash bag by the door with a dull thud and moved toward the couch, collapsing into it like a man multiple times his age.
He stared blankly at the ceiling, his stomach growling again in protest.
"Shut up," he muttered to himself.
Yes he hadn't had breakfast yet but that didn't mean it had the right to be demanding one this early, the sun had barely even risen past the horizon.
As if on cue, his phone buzzed on the cluttered coffee table.
He stretched an arm, snatched it up, and squinted at the screen. A group chat message caused the display to light up:
[Noah]: Yo Eden, don't forget tonight. Haunted house at 9. You're not chickening out, right?
Another bubble popped up immediately after:
[Maya]: Yeah, Eden, if you bail again I swear we're dragging you there ourselves.
[Leo]: I said it once and I'll say it again, interfering in the domain of the supernatural is never a good idea.
[Noah]: And I'll also say it again, ghosts aren't real. Your 'supernatural guru' is just another conspiracy nut.
Eden blinked at the messages, the corner of his lip twitching.
"As if my dreams weren't enough already." He muttered to himself before sighing and typing.
[Eden]: why the hell are you guys up this early?
[Noah]: To remind you not to chicken out.
[Eden]: Sigh....I won't.
He couldn't back out since this was a plan agreed on by them all....well, except Leo but even he would be joining them even with his dislike for the situation.
Speaking of him,
[Leo]: You take that back right now, Dr. GhoulTube is completely legit.
It seemed that he just returned online as he replied to Noah's previous message.
[Noah]: Bro, his name is literally Dr. GhoulTube. How is that even remotely legit?
[Maya]: LMAO, I still can't believe you follow that guy.
[Leo]: Laugh all you want, but when a vengeful spirit drags your souls out tonight, don't come crying to me.
[Noah]: If a 'vengeful spirit' shows up, I'll livestream it. Bet I get more views than your guru.
[Maya]: Priorities lol.
Eden sighed, staring at the screen for a long moment before dropping the phone onto his chest.
He knew that they'd argue for hours, so he wasn't interested in jumping in.
Groan~
His stomach let out again but louder this time, forcing him to get up.
"Fine fine, you win," he grumbled, "I'll make something for us to eat."
But before he could reach the kitchen, a knock was heard on his door, causing him to pause.
He wasn't expecting anyone, especially this early so who could it be.
Knock.
The person knocked again, so Eden had no choice but to walk towards it and open up. The hinges of the door let out a creak as he swung it open, only to freeze when he saw who was on the other end.
Standing before him was a girl with short raven black hair, a long black hoodie on and a bento bag in hand.
What really drew attention to her or rather would've drawn attention to her were her golden eyes but for some reason, apart from Eden, no one else seemed to notice them.
"Aya?" Eden asked in surprise.
"I brought you breakfast," she simply said as she lifted the bag, showing it to him.
For a long moment, Eden just stood there, blinking. His brain struggling to catch up or even make sense of the situation.
Aya tilted her head ever so slightly, her expression completely unreadable as always.
Then she thrust the bento bag forward again, a little too forcefully this time.
"Breakfast," she repeated, as if the single word was enough to explain why she had shown up at his doorstep at the crack of dawn.
Eden finally shook himself out of his daze. "Uh… thanks? You didn't have to, y'know."
Aya frowned, eyes darting away from his. "I… didn't know what else to bring."
That made him pause. "…What?"
"I mean—" She stopped, pressed her lips into a thin line, and tried again. "You're always… hungry. So, I thought food was… correct."
"Correct?" Eden repeated, both amused and bewildered at the same time.
Aya nodded as she explained, "well, I watched a video on ViewTube that said a way to a man's heart is through the stomach, so I decided to make you breakfast."
Yeah, Aya was Eden's girlfriend... How? Even he had no idea.
All he knew was that he was dared by Noah to ask out the transfer student and although it was a stupid dare, Eden accepted anyway.
But what he didn't expect was that she would say yes.... Though, thinking about it now, he realized that she might've misunderstood what he meant by going out.
Or maybe she did, judging by the situation right now.
Eden let out a sigh and rubbed the back of his neck. "Aya, you can't just—show up out of nowhere like this. Normal people usually text before they knock on someone's door at six in the morning."
She frowned at his words as if he had just suggested something completely illogical. "…Texting wastes time. Walking here was faster."
"Not the point." Eden pinched the bridge of his nose, but he was already reaching out to take the bag from her. "…Ugh. Fine. Come in."
He immediately regretted the moment those words left his mouth, but it was too late to take it back now, so he just sighed and made way as she entered.
Having basically zero survival instincts, Aya just walked through the open door causing him to sigh.
Aya's eyes scanned the messy living room—the pizza boxes were still stacked in the trash bag by the door, every single thing seems to be deliberately trying to stand out.
For a second, Eden thought she might comment on it, but instead she simply said, "It's… warm."
Eden raised a brow as he closed the door behind her. "That's one way to put it."
Aya sat down at the edge of his couch like it was some kind of formal ceremony, then placed the bento neatly on the coffee table.
She opened the bento box, revealing a neatly arranged breakfast. On one side were mini scrambled egg muffins, golden and fluffy, sprinkled with a bit of chopped chives.
Beside them lay tiny triangular pieces of toast, each lightly buttered and stacked like a tiny pyramid.
In another section were caramelized breakfast sausages, and a small portion of roasted sweet potato cubes.
To finish it off, Aya had tucked in a small assortment of mixed berries—strawberries, blueberries e.t.c.
She pushed the box towards him and said, "eat."