𝐑𝐎𝐀𝐃 𝐓𝐎 𝐘𝐎𝐔⭑.ᐟ 𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐎𝐔 (✔)

chapter 07

A few days has passed

Music filled my ears through my still kinda new wired earplugs, loud enough to drown out everything else, the bass steady and grounding as I leaned back slightly in my soft chair, letting myself sink into the moment without thinking too much about anything that had these few days, staring out into the window with a view over the beautiful city. It was rare for me to feel even a fraction of calm like this, especially after everything that had unfolded in such a short amount of time, and for once, I allowed myself to just exist without overanalysing every detail. My eyes stayed fixed on the view in front of me, my fingers moving absentmindedly as the rhythm of the music on the armrest kept me distracted from the chaos that seemed to follow me everywhere.

Somewhere in the middle of it, I thought I heard something, a faint yell, distant but close enough to break through the music just slightly. At first, I ignored it, assuming it was nothing more than background noise from the building or my imagination filling in the silence, but the sound lingered just enough to make me pause. Slowly, I slid one side of my earplug off, the music dulling in one ear as I tilted my head slightly, listening more carefully. For a moment, there was nothing. No voices, no movement, no indication that anything had happened at all. The hallway outside remained quiet, almost too quiet, and after a few seconds of waiting, I let out a small breath, brushing it off as nothing.

I was just about to put my earplug back on when something slammed loudly against the wall next to mine, the sudden impact sharp enough to make me flinch slightly as the vibration carried through. My gaze shifted toward the wall instinctively, my expression flattening as I processed it.

Rindou. It didn't take much to figure that out.

Another dull thud followed, something clearly being thrown with enough force to make it heard through the walls, and I leaned back slightly, eyes never leaving the high angle of the highly condensed city. Considering whether I should care or not. He didn't seem like someone who needed help, and from what I had seen so far, he was more than capable of handling his own problems, whatever they were. So instead of getting involved, I reached for my headphones again, deciding it wasn't my business.

The sound of a door creaking open stopped me. 

Footsteps followed, slow and deliberate, getting closer until they stopped right outside my door. There was a brief pause, just long enough to register, before three knocks landed against the wood, steady and unhurried. I looked down, a tiny grey tank, cartoon pajama pants, and slippers. Do I look presentable right now?

I've never cared how I looked, until this moment.

I didn't move immediately, my eyes still on the window as I spoke without looking back. "Come in." The door opened without hesitation.

"My AC is broken."

How direct.

I turned my head just enough to see him stepping inside like he had every right to be there, his movements unbothered as he walked further into the room before dropping onto my bed without asking, stretching out slightly as if it belonged to him just as much as it did to me. A blank white tee, grey sweats and hair tied up in a bun. For a moment, I just stared at him, processing the situation in silence before responding.

"...So?"

"It's hot," he said flatly, one arm resting behind his head as he glanced toward my window like he hadn't just interrupted me. "And I can't sleep."

"It's 4pm in the afternoon, you are already sleeping?"

I leaned back in my chair slightly, unimpressed, letting my gaze drift back to the screen as if this conversation didn't require my full attention. "Go to your brother," I said, my tone more of an instruction than a suggestion, stretching my arms briefly as I suppressed a yawn.