One Shots

Dawn

He wrestled with the sheets one more time before finally kicking the warm material to the floor.  He saw the clock blinking three o'clock.  He rubbed his eyes and smiled softly to himself.  Despite having little sleep he felt suddenly energized. 

Slowly sliding out of bed so as not to wake his snoring roommate, he slipped into his cool slippers setting neatly beside his bed.  He slid his toes into the slippers, wiggling his way to the ends.  Smiling gently, he stood up in the darkness of the room.  He walked quietly over to the desk chair where his clothes for the day were draped carefully across the back.  Picking them up into his hands, he quietly left the room, heading to the bathroom to wash up and get ready for his meeting with his friend.

He turned the light on only when the bathroom door was shut, squinting his eyes till they adjusted to the bright lights. He leaned close to the mirror and instinctively scrubbed his large hand across his face and chin. He studied his reflection and sighed. When would the dark circles go away? His soft palm rejected the pricking of the stubble on his face and he sighed as he pulled out his electric shaver. Sometimes being a male idol was the most inconvenient thing on the planet. When he retired, he'd forgo shaving for a month or maybe even forever. He felt it was a job never accomplished.

He smiled absentmindedly as he thought of his friend. They had made Thursday mornings their morning since forever ago, basically since they met. He ran the shaver over his face, a twinkle forming in his eye as he remembered the Thursdays of the past.

Sometimes it was just coffee and a pastry. Sometimes it was a jog along the Han River. Most of the time, though, they sat on bench on a hill and watched the sunrise. They would discuss songs, lyrics, crazy fan hashtags, the things they wanted to do someday, their dreams and goals, what they'd name their future children, all of the things best friends talk about when they're alone and sharing their hearts with each other.

He finished his morning routine and fluffed his chestnut hair with his left hand, staring at himself in the mirror one last time. He glanced at the clock on the wall. It was now half past the hour. He needed to hurry.

He quickly rushed to the front door of the dorm. Slipping on his charcoal gray coat and a light brown beanie, he headed out of the dorm and to the elevator. He slid a black face mask out of his coat pocket and hooked the loops around his ears, tugging the beanie over them gently. It was early fall but the morning air was brisk and cool already.

The elevator was quiet as he rode to the ground floor, hands shoved deep into his coat pockets.  He nodded at the security guard as he shoved the main entry door open, the cool air hitting his breath and turning it immediately into a wispy vapor.  Turning to the left he headed to the secluded part of the city where he and his friend always met.  They always agreed to meet at that spot, but never before the meeting time. It was just their thing and how they did it.

He spotted the bench where they always waited for each other. His friend wasn't there, of course. The full moon was still enjoying the last few moments of its time in the sky, its soft light shining down. He looked up as he sat on the bench, legs spread and stretched out in front of him. He slid the mask down off his face and let the cold air wash over his entire face. He smiled and turned his gaze to the orangish light beginning to peak over the distant hills.

He lived for these moments. The darkness of life, softly disappearing in the light of something as simple as a new day. He glanced down at his phone. It was four o'clock on the dot. He sighed heavily and looked around to the empty spot beside him before returning his gaze to the sunrise.

He watched the sun creep up higher. He felt it's light bathe his face. The steam coming up from the cold ground in contrast to the warmth of the giant, burning, orange star created a lazy fog that drifted across the low places between the hills and mountains. It hugged the tops and blanketed the bottoms. He watched it as the birds sang even louder in the trees behind the bench.