That same sound, which had freed him from the grasp of his doppelgänger, persisted for a while in his confusion. Soon, his train of thoughts were disrupted by the noisy sound of his alarm, and then it dawned on him that the rhythm of the alarm was the same as that which he had heard from his subconscious.
He stretched his hands towards the alarm and pressed down on the snooze button, breathing heavily in the silence, with his eyes moving round the room as though he suspected the presence of another.
"Holy shit!!" He whispered as he ran his hands through his scattered hair, running the hands down his face as he wiped off the sweat which rolled down his face.
"It was a dream…" He whispered again as he heaved a heavy sigh of relief, placing his hands against his throbbing chest with his eyes closed. He had this comfort when he realized that all that occurred were just imaginary, something which he had waved off as he turned his eyes towards the window.
As he admired the clear skies and the basked in the sweetened wind which blew against him, his eyes opened abruptly, and he realized that he was an hour away from resuming his job for the day.
Yes! There was that excitement gushing from within his spirit, one which was evident in the way he smiled so broadly, and how he shook his head and nodded it simultaneously while he vibed along to Pharrell Williams' happy.
"Because I'm happy, clap along if you feel like a room without a roof. Because I'm happy, clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth. Because I'm happy, clap along if you know what happiness is to you. Because I'm happy, clap along if you feel like that's what you wanna do…" He clapped his hands and sang with an almost perfect falsetto, holding on tightly to a bottle with his imagination painting a picture of himself with a microphone.
It was the first day of resuming his new-found job. This was after he had accepted the reality of his family's financial status and felt the need for a remedy. His best of friends had secured the spot for him in one of the most prominent café shops in Arcadia, and the thoughts of linking up with him was another cause of this excitement.
He had rushed into the bathroom, showered hastily, and walked out with his entire body wet. The sole of his feet slipped against the ground, but he maintained his stance, and then went on with humming and dancing vigorously to the song which was on a replay.
"Ethan…!" A feminine voice called out to him from the rooms downstairs, and he heaved a heavy sigh and rolled his eyes with a reluctant response.
"Yes, mom…!" He rolled his eyes again and looked at his reflection in the mirror. She uttered some words which he never paid attention to, still having his fingers run through his hair and his mind fixed on the song he played.
Soon he was done, and he walked out of the room, grabbing his backpack and running down the stairs with so much haste, holding his headphones with his right hand.
He walked through the kitchen, to the sight of a woman who stood akimbo, and her head tilted to the right. She wore a seemingly disappointed face, while the other wore a broad smile on his face as he approached her and wrapped his hands around her.
She was his mother, a bit plump in body size and blonde hair. She had the same color of baby blue eyes which he had, with a slight gap tooth which was seen when she was forced to smile due to her son's influence.
"You're late, young man.!" She said as she broke the hug and held the other by the shoulders.
"Your first impression matters, and you ain't doing yourself any good" she said again to him.
"I know mom. It's my first day. I'll make it worth it" he said to her. He leaned forward towards her and placed a light kiss on her cheeks, walking away from her towards the table where a little boy was seated.
"Hey, Alex. What's up?" He greeted the younger one by rubbing his hands on his hair. The other was of a very young age, about twelve years old, who never replied to Ethan's gestures but concentrated on the plate of food which was placed before him.
Ethan grabbed an apple from a basket, tossed it up in the air and took a bite before he waved at his mother and walked out of the house.
He hopped into one of the buses which headed in his direction and covered his ears with the headphones he had picked from home.
Soon he arrived at his destination, and he rushed into the building which had a large red sign at the top, heaving the inscription, "DINER".
His first gaze fell on his best friend who stood behind the counter, looking around with a worried face before his eyes also fell on Ethan.
"What the hell, man? It's your first day, and you're already late…!" His friend said to him as he turned from him, grabbed an apron and threw it at the other, who caught it swiftly with a pissed look.
"Uhmmm… Thanks. I guess?" Ethan said.
"Come on, Michael. You can't be so mad at me. I got so excited that I didn't take note of the time. I'm sorry." Ethan said after a few seconds of standing to watch his friend work with a tightly squeezed face.
The other heaved a heavy sigh as he stood erect, and turned around to stare at Ethan before he responded.
"Fine. Just put on the apron, and… get to work" Michael stuttered as he rolled his eyes and turned away.
The other dropped his backpack on the ground and turned around to concentrate on wearing the apron handed over to him until he was struck by a voice which swept him over.
"Hello. A glass of cappuccino, please?" he heard a feminine voice call out to him, and immediately turned towards the sight of what he would regard as beauty personified.