Match

15: A Not-So Early Bird

Whoosh!

Cole slips in and out of a dreamy subconscious. His brain can't communicate if that was a sound from a dream or something else.

Whoosh!

He parts his eyes slow. It takes his ears a few seconds to register that it's his ringtone making that noise. Somehow it feels a lot earlier than he's supposed to wake up. Did I set my alarm like that? And then he realizes that's someone calling him. He reaches for the buzzing phone and lifts it up from its own slumber. His eyes blur until they focus on the name: Hayden. Above is the time: 6:12am. His finger taps the red button, halting the noise. He rubs his eyes then slips his bare arms under the covers more. Peace and quiet.

Not for long.

Whoosh!

He reaches for his phone again and sets the ringer to silent, then shifts to face the other way. His glazed eyes are soaked in fatigue and ache in pain.

Ding!

What the hell?! He shuts his eyes tight. I set the phone to silent!

The dinging won't stop. He abruptly sits up, irritated, and checks the phone screen again. It's a message on one of his social media accounts.

haydens___thinktank:

Answer me, asshole.

Cole stares at the screen until it dims. It lights up again.

haydens___thinktank:

Pls :( Its rlly important... I'm wasting data calling u

The screen fades into yet another incoming call. Then use Skype, dumbass. Knowing how persistent his roommate can get, he gives in and answers. Despite his eyes and knocking headache begging him not to.

"Cole?"

"This better be good," Cole says in a croaky morning voice.

"Whoa, dude. You sound sick."

"It's six in the morning. Now tell me why you called."

"Wait really? It's ten at night here, I thought... anyways, I'm at a convenient store," shuffling is heard on the other line, followed by other voices. Hayden hushes them then continues, "and I'm trying to get you some kind of snack. Have you tried Japanese candy before?"

Cole runs a hand through his cowlick hair. "No, or maybe I did during Japanese Studies years ago. I dunno, my brain is still in sleep mode."

"Hm okay," crinkling of packages is heard, "you're not picky when it comes to, preference? Yeah?"

Cole sighs. "As long as it's edible."

"Okay."

"Is that it? Can I go back to sleep now?"

"Wait," he says. "Check my stories. I've posted like five of them in the past couple days. They're really nice tourist spots I think you'd like to see."

"Fine. Later, though. I got work in a couple hours and you're messing up my sleep schedule."

"Okay! My bad man, I didn't know-"

"Bye."

He sets his phone down then yawns. His jaw makes a painless cracking sound from the big yawn, then he slides back into his bedsheet cocoon. It doesn't take him long for his body to suddenly feel awake, and refuse to fall back asleep. So he just lays in his bed, angered, for another forty minutes.