Fragile Hearts: Unveiling the Fear of Love (Kentell)

Chapter 23 : Ken's Uncle

Ken. (Third point of view)

Ken groaned as he fumbled to find his phone on the bedside table. His eyes squinted at the bright screen, momentarily blinding him. The incessant ringing pierced through his exhaustion, reminding him that he had now been awake for a mere five minutes.

"Hello?" he croaked out, his voice still heavy with sleep."Ken, where the hell are you?" his uncle's voice boomed through the phone.

Ken's heart skipped a beat as he shot up from his bed, instantly wide awake. In a panic, he glanced at the clock on his nightstand. He's already 20 minutes late! How did he forget about today? How did he lose track of time?

"I... I'm so sorry, Uncle," Ken stammered, trying to regain his composure. "I'll be there in ten minutes, I promise."

His uncle sighed on the other end of the line. "Well, you better hurry up. Kuro won't wait forever."

Ken mumbled his apologies and hung up, his mind already racing. He couldn't believe he had forgotten about today's meeting. He had been eagerly awaiting the arrival of his uncle's beloved cat, Kuro, for weeks now. How could he let something this important slip his mind?

Ken jumped out of bed, his feet thudding against the hardwood floor as he hurriedly made his way to the bathroom. He splashed cold water on his face, hoping it would chase away the residual grogginess that threatened to slow him down further. The reflection in the mirror showed a disheveled mess of brown hair and tired eyes. He needed to quickly fix himself up. 

After ten minutes of sprinting, Ken finally arrived at the café. Thankfully, it wasn't too far, but he still felt the exhaustion tugging at his muscles, threatening to make him collapse. He stumbled through the entrance, his chest heaving, and scanned the crowd for his uncle.

Amidst the sea of strangers, Ken finally spotted his uncle, who was already shaking his head with a bemused smile on his face. It seemed that his niece's breathless state was all too familiar to him. Ken mustered a weak greeting as he shuffled to the opposite side of the table and sank into the seat. 

His uncle couldn't help but chuckle at his nephew's disheveled appearance. "Always the same, Ken," he teased. "You never fail to keep me waiting."

Ken offered a sheepish smile in response. "I'm sorry, Uncle. Time just slipped away from me this morning."

His uncle waved off his apology. "No need to fret. I've grown accustomed to your perpetual tardiness. It's as predictable as the rising sun."

Feeling a sense of relief wash over him, Ken decided to make it up to his uncle by offering to pay for their breakfast. However, his uncle intervened before he could even speak. He shook his head and said, "Don't worry about it, Ken. I already took care of the bill. Consider it my treat for finally bringing Kuro to you."

Ken's eyes widened in surprise and gratitude. "You really didn't have to, Uncle. I appreciate it."

His uncle smiled warmly. "Think nothing of it, my boy. Seeing how excited you were to meet Kuro, it was the least I could do."

As if on cue, the waiter arrived, carrying a tray with two plates of delicious breakfast and a cup of coffee. Ken's eyes lit up at the sight of the food, and his uncle chuckled again.

"I remember how much you loved sweets, so I made sure to add an extra spoonful of sugar in your coffee," his uncle said, passing Ken the cup.

Ken's face broke into a wide grin as he took a sip. It was exactly how he liked it—sweet and comforting. The fatigue from earlier seemed to melt away as he savored the taste.