Chapter 20: Her night and His Morning

'Aww~, he's so cute!'

Eiz fell asleep nearly instantly, which was kind of sad—but I'm sure his day was way busier than mine. His mom and siblings were going on a trip, and managing a house that big on his own can't be easy.

I kept my phone propped up, showing my face while I sat up. My laptop was on the drawer to my left, and I wanted to get to work. This essay wasn't going to write itself!

'Why do we even have an essay two days in?!' I complained, but got everything ready nonetheless. A prestigious university really is different right from the start. Thankfully, it's graded on effort for the first one, which is nice. Otherwise, I wouldn't have the free time to be flirting around.

"Pfft~" Thinking about it made me laugh, but I had to cover it. I didn't want to wake Eiz up.

"Write a four-page essay on the current state of culture in present times."

'Ugh...'

I wrote my thesis pretty easily and structured my introduction smoothly after that. That was all I had the energy for and looking at the clock only showed that 15 minutes had passed.

'It's fucking 12 a.m., I'm not doing this.'

I laid back down and stared at Eiz through the phone. Seeing him sleep so peacefully had a strong effect on me. I was kind of cold, despite my repertoire of blankets keeping me warm.

Anyway.

'His body is better than I thought it'd be!' The image of his naked body randomly popped into my mind. Despite how lanky he looks with clothes on, he's actually more lean and muscular.

Actually, that might be because of his upcoming role. I don't think they'd hire someone who didn't at least look like the character even if he is the son of one of the world's biggest actress.

"AHHH~"

A big yawn slipped out of me. I was more tired than I thought. My mind slowly but surely drifted off… but unlike all the other nights, this time I had someone I liked with me—making me fall asleep quicker than before.

.

.

.

{Eizkel's POV}

"UGAHHHH~!"

I stretched so hard it felt like my spine might uncoil. The sudden flood of white light pierced through my eyelids like knives.

'FUCK, IT'S SO BRIGHT!'

Squinting, I threw the covers off and stumbled to the window like a vampire caught off guard. The sun wasn't just up—it was waging war. A full frontal assault, no warning.

I yanked the blinds shut with a little more violence than necessary. The room dimmed instantly, shadows reclaiming their territory. My eyes finally stopped burning, but now my heartbeat was way too awake for this early.

I exhaled hard, dragging a palm down my face.

"Thanks, sky demon."

Trudging back toward the bed, I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and grabbed my phone off the mattress. 

'O-Oh yeah, Kate and I were on call.'

She was still asleep, completely unaware of any struggle or stress. She looked like an angel.

Unfortunately, I was going to have to ruin her peaceful sleep.

[I wouldn't recommend that.]

'Why not?'

[I'm sure she's responsible. Just let her sleep—if she had to get up, she would have by now.]

'I feel like I shouldn't listen to you… but fine, I'll go with it.'

I unplugged my phone and brought it to the bathroom. I had to get ready for the day—my only goal was to explore and wander. The power of having a completely free day!

Muting my mic, I brushed my teeth and styled my hair with a simple slick back.

'Maybe a haircut is something I can do today…'

I washed my face, slapped on some deodorant, then made my way to my absurdly massive closet.

Blue. Black. White. Gold?

'Who the fuck puts gold on a shirt?'

Anyway, white long tee and jacket, black pants, socks, and shoes. Best casual combo I could throw together.

'I'll add shopping after the haircut!'

Eiz didn't have bad taste—it was just so… bland. It looked fine, but it said a lot about his personality. Me, not being a bland person, needed to filter through all this.

'I'll just donate it or something.'

No need to waste good clothes, and I'm sure a charity would appreciate it. Honestly though, they'd need some serious storage. I estimated at least three to four big boxes of stuff I was gonna toss.

But one good thing about this collection? The shoes.

He had so many types and varieties I couldn't believe it. It was like a shoe exhibit in this damn closet.

Leaving it behind, I walked back to my bed where I'd tossed my phone. Kate was still fast asleep!

'Guess you're coming with me, Kate!'

I headed downstairs and left the house, locking up behind me. Just as I turned around, I suddenly remembered something important...

'I can't drive…'

[HAHAHA~]

'Tch. You can't drive either, bitch!'

[I'm not a mortal. I don't neeeed to drive.]

'Shut it.'

I opened my phone and texted Jack—courtesy of my mom giving me his number. Actually, it might've already been saved, but Eiz didn't store names. The only number he had saved was Mom's—which, honestly, valid.

["No worries, sir. I'll have a driver there shortly."]

["Thanks. Keep Mom on a leash for me."]

["I don't get paid enough for that, sir."]

["XD. Fair enough!"]

'I didn't know Jack had a sense of humor!'His little joke was actually hilarious.

"Why are you laughing so early in the morning?"

Kate's voice was groggy and sweet, the kind that dragged sleep behind it like a blanket. Her hair was a messy halo, strands falling over her face as she squinted at the phone screen, one eye still mostly closed.

"Ah. Good morning, Kate!"

"Mornin'..." she yawned, dragging her words. "Ugh… I don't want to get ready."

She flopped her head into a pillow, burying half her face while her free hand limply reached for her blanket like it owed her something.

"Well, you've got to. Better to just hurry up so you can relax before going."

"Shut it, idiot! Let me complain," she whined, her voice muffled by cotton and sass.

"Hmmm, I guess~"

"What do you mean, you guess?" she shot back, her eyes finally cracking open as she gave the screen a half-glare. Her cheeks were still tinted with sleep-warmth, lips parted in a pout that was probably unintentional.

"I could let you complain, or I could aggravate you…"

Kate's eyes narrowed, her pillow still hugged tight to her chest. Her lips twitched—half a pout, half a smirk.

"Y-You dummy!" she huffed, cheeks pink with a leftover blush from sleep. "Just shut it and appreciate my beauty or something!"

She flopped dramatically to her side, letting her hair spill across the sheets like ink. A single strand stuck adorably to her cheek, and she didn't even notice.

'…'

[ … ]

'She may be more confident than I thought.'

[At least she's not the downer type.]

'So real.'

I leaned back against one of the pillars while waiting for the driver. Kate didn't do anything but squirm and complain, which was honestly really cute to watch. I didn't hide my laughter or amusement—if anything, I think it spurred her on more.

Minutes passed and turned into a half hour, which wasn't a big deal. The only issue was that I was starting to get a little hungry… but I could just go back inside. Actually, I'll do just that—

Honk~ Honk~

Never mind, they got here just in time.

"Who's that, Eiz?"

"My driver."

"God, you're so pathetic."

"I haven't had a need to get a license yet!"

"It's okay, I'll drive you around! Today's just an exception…"

"Haha~ I wouldn't mind a beautiful driver like you one bit! But I won't burden you like that. I need a license anyway."

Kate hid her face with her pillow. She mumbled something, but it was too muffled to catch.

'Probably something like "you idiot" or "you dummy."'

[Probably.]

A tall, olive-skinned man stepped out of the car. The car itself was some brand I didn't recognize—again—but if I had to compare it, it was definitely high-end. Most similar to a… yeah, I don't know. But it was black and clearly some kind of SUV.

The driver wore sunglasses, so I couldn't see his eyes, but his silver hair was tied into a sleek ponytail that rested along his back. This dude was definitely good-looking underneath it all.