Drive-Thru

Another Bad Day

Heads up, another Karl and Axel blabber. I swear, I need to write more stories other than them...

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Karl really thought that day was the last of his interaction with Axel. Turns out, he was wrong.

Very wrong.

Sure, he saw the guy pass by the halls, and they exchanged the usual "Hi" and "Hello," but he never really expected to be friends with Axel. Close friends, in fact. Not the Mina level. They were almost seatmates at one laboratory, but that was the closest of their proximity to each other.

He didn't expect a phone call from him on a Saturday night.

Karl didn't travel to his home that Saturday since he was busy on binge-watching How to Get Away with Murder, a (super cool, in Karl's taste) American series. He didn't download enough episodes that would last for at least three days, so he stayed one day grabbing all the episodes he could retrieve. He also re-downloaded Game of Thrones, since his sister would want to watch it as well.

Wearing only his boxer shorts and nothing on top, it was a leisurely night for Karl. The streetlight outside stretches to his window, illuminating the room with his lampshade on his study table. His laptop rests on his mini-table while he was lying down in his bed, with his chips and cookies next to his hand. Good thing that his roommates left for the weekend. He had the place to himself alone.

It was an intense scene when his phone blasted its sounds. He almost jumped out of his bed, or he could've thrown his phone at the window.

It was an unknown number. Chills in his spine. The middle of the night and an unknown caller... this could mean either a serial killer or...

"Hello?" His voice was hoarse, after hours of not talking and just munching food down to his stomach. Good thing that he had a fast metabolism.

"Where are you?"

He held his breath for a while before answering.

"Axel?"

"Yeah. Who else could I be?" the guy replied with a matter-of-fact tone.

"What do you want?" Karl asked, dismissing the guy's previous remark.

"Are you at Elbi?" Axel asked.

"Why?"

"Just answer the damn question."

The boy sighed before answering. "Yes. Why?"

"Great. I'm coming over at your apartment."

Karl toppled his bowl of chips as he spoke. "WHAT?"

"I'm at your street already."

"Are you out of your fucking mind?" His voice could even be heard to Axel's position, but he didn't care.

"Maybe I am."

What aggravated Karl more was the guy's casual tone, as if this was a natural occurrence to his life. But Karl never had anyone come to his apartment. Even Mina. This was his haven—a place that soothes him despite the hardships and stresses the university threw at him. He was afraid—no, terrified—that once he let others in, his place could be ruined.

Or worse. Messed up.

The horror.

"Why? And why, of all places, my apartment? Don't you have your own apartment?"

"Well yeah..." Axel began. "But, uhh... I lost my keys."

Karl did a mental eye-roll. "You have to make a better excuse than that."