FATE\Deus Decipit

Chapter 19: Half-Past Noon

12:37, Glyfada, Monica's Apartment

Monica eyelids lifted like heavy curtains as the warm light of early afternoon came in through her window. She felt... empty. Her sleep was dreamless, and she was so tired that it was hard to believe that she had gotten any sleep at all. Groaning as she pulled the covers around her, she shifted her body towards the side of the bed as the events of the previous night began to push into her mind.

Maybe it was just a high. It felt so much like a dream now.

She would've sworn the world had returned to normal, except that the red, serpentine mark still sat on her left arm. She nearly called out for Chrysaor, but thought better of it. Given how the last night had gone, she already felt helpless, she didn't want to call for him like some needy toddler. She still had her pride, ignoring the possibility that she might have been calling for someone who only existed in her drug-addled imagination.

Slowly and with great temerity, she got up and opened her door, peering out into the small living space of the apartment. It was a small, square space with a kitchenette in the far right corner, a small circular dining table in the near right, and a living area with a dirty, stained couch and a modern-style coffee table across from a small but decent television. The bathroom was across from the bedroom, leaving a thin, pseudo-hallway between them with the living space now to her left and from an angle where the tv and couch were only barely visible. There was a balcony beyond the couch, but she hardly used it and kept the blinds closed for her own privacy.

No sign of Chrysaor. Maybe he left?

Continuing her child-like tip-toe, she walked into the living space, looking for any sign of life. Looking first to her left, she saw now five books on the coffee table. She recognized them all, being that they were all from her shelf, and recognized three in particular as being those Chrysaor had chosen the previous night. The other two were manga; a lesbian rom-com and a volume from a long-running Shonen, which she owned for nostalgia's sake rather than reading material. They were all face-down, and she could assume he had read them all. Manga aside, the novels were all around two or three-hundred pages- he must've been a fast reader, though, in fairness, he did have about nine hours uninterrupted.

She didn't see any other changes to her living space. She kept things pretty neat- not clean necessarily, but neat- and there was rarely anything left out except for some empty takeout containers or dirty dishes in the sink. Inspecting things more closely, the sink was empty, though in her half-awake state she couldn't remember if it had been the night before.

Looking at the table, she finally did see something. It was a plate of mini-waffles. They looked untouched, and sat at room temperature, meaning that they'd been left out for some time. She did have some mini-waffles in her freezer, so that must be where they came from, but why were they like this?

The balcony door suddenly squealed open.

Monica jumped in surprise and turned around to the balcony. Walking in from outside was the familiar Chrysaor.

"God- shit! Chrysaor!"

He flinched back, flustered, "What's wrong? What happened?!"

She sighed, her heart pounding, and leaned on the table for balance, "You scared me."

"Oh. Uh- sorry about that."

He scratched the back of his head, blushing apologetically- embarrassed.

"It's okay. Were you out on the balcony this whole time?"

"Ah- no, I just got back."

"What?"