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Nothing is more frustrating than waking up at 6 a.m from the annoying sound of the alarm and the worse part is, it wasn't even yours. It came from the dorm room next door, maybe because the walls weren't thick enough.
One time, you were so exhausted that you couldn't wake up on time and almost got late from your work. It wasn't your fault, you had to babysit in the morning and do tutoring in the afternoon. Your life was hectic and you had little to no time for yourself.
No matter how annoying your neighbor's alarm was, you were still thankful because without it, you probably wouldn't survive until now. It was the thing that helped you keep your job and you thought of thanking the person behind it one day.
-
Today was your payday and you wanted to buy a little gift of appreciation to your neighbor. On your way home, you passed by many shops but only the cake shop caught your attention. You went inside the shop and bought a small simple cake, then went home afterwards.
You didn't drop by your dorm anymore, you just went straight in front of your neighbor's door. Taking a deep breathe and plastering a smile on your face, you gently knocked on the door and waited for a reply.
You heard loud sounds from inside, it sounded like a person running and bumping into things on the way. When the footsteps stopped, you heard the person clear their throat too loudly that you could hear it from the other side of the door.
Finally, the door was opened by the owner of the room. As soon as he saw you, he became very much surprised.
"Hi, may I know who you are?" He managed to ask you.
"Oh, I'm your neighbor from next door. I just wanted to say 'thank you' for helping me wake up on time for work, you may not be aware of it but I really appreciate it." You told him, confidently.
He had the most confused look on his face, when he heard your intentions. He shook his head, as if to make sure he wasn't dreaming, and turned to you again still with a confused expression.
"For what?"
You scratched your nape, feeling shy to admit the real meaning behind it. "Well, do you perhaps own the alarm that rings very loudly at 6 a.m?"
His body stopped moving once he understood your question clearly. That stupid alarm, I really have to throw that away. I don't want to keep annoying this pretty neighbor of mine anymore. Wait...pretty?
"Sir, are you okay?"
"Yes!" He suddenly exclaimed, "Yes, I own that loud alarm. I'm very sorry if I caused you any trouble, it wasn't my intention to do so. Don't worry, I'm planning to throw it away."
He gave a reassuring smile, but you insisted. "No, no. You don't have to, it's fine. I'm actually thankful for it, you shouldn't worry."
"Oh, haha..." He nervously laughed.
Then, you remembered the cake you bought him, "Oh, I bought you a little gift to show my appreciation. Because of you, I still have my job."
You smiled and handed him the small cake box. He didn't know whether to accept it or not but you looked so sincere for him to reject your gift, so he took it. You thanked him one last time, before turning away to leave.
"Wait!" He called and when you looked back at him, he almost forgot what he was supposed to say. "Um, why don't you stay for a while? You know, we can share this cake. I live alone anyways and I feel lonely eating this by myself."
You wanted to reject the offer politely and catch some sleep which you missed a lot, but you also didn't want to leave him alone. He sounded honest and he really looked like he needed company, so you walked your way back to him.
He let you in his room and told you to sit on the dining table, while he went to get two plates, two forks and a knife. After taking the cake out from the box, you looked around and noticed how organized and decent his room looked despite hearing him bump into things a while ago.
He came back and sat down across from you, cutting the cake into small slices and serving them to both of you. Once he had settled, he lent his hand for you to shake.
"I'm Hendery, by the way."
You nodded and shook his hand, "I'm y/n."
Both of you proceeded to eat the cake and talked to each other about what happened.
"Once again, I'm sorry. My alarm was broken and I thought you were mad because I saw you run away one time."
His words made you let out a chuckle, "I ran because I was rushing to work. If it wasn't for that alarm, I don't know what I'd be doing now."
Then, it became peacefully silent. You watched as he took a bite from the cake clumsily, getting some icing on his cheek. You didn't do anything at first, as you thought he would notice it by himself. Don't do it, y/n.
You tried hard not to wipe it off his face yourself, but he never bothered to do anything about it. So, you got up and leaned towards him to remove it with a tissue. Hendery flinched from your sudden action and looked at you in surprise.
"Sorry, there was something on your cheek." You apologized quickly.
Hendery laughed shyly, but suddenly bursted into laughter causing you to laugh as well.
"Were you flirting with me?" He asked in a teasing way, wriggling his eyebrows up and down with a smirk.
"I wasn't." You defended.
He laughed one last time before smiling, "I'm not complaining, though. I'm glad to know that I have such a beautiful neighbor. If only I knew you earlier, y/n."
_______
it's not even a month of online class and I'm already stressed. damn, my body feels so heavy.
