My one room apartment looked slightly more lonely than usual. I sighed and got a jacket from my closet, preparing myself to go outside. It was nine o’clock at night on a Saturday, but the bars were still open and my friends were waiting. They never minded that I showed up late so I took my time cleaning up the single mug left in the sink from my morning coffee.
Putting the cup on the rack to dry, I thought a bit dishearteningly to myself that they actually never really cared whether I showed up or not. I really didn’t want to go out, but I also dreaded the idea of spending my Saturday night here alone and reading more comments.
At least with some company I won’t feel so down in the dumps.
With a quick glance over my shoulder, I made sure my computer went into sleep mode and locked the apartment door behind me on my way outside. The air was slightly chilly, nipping at my nose. I could see my breath fade away in the wind and was glad I grabbed my coat.
I crossed a couple of streets, minding the traffic lights as I passed. Soon I was standing in front of a booth at Tabby’s Witch Experiment, one of the bars I’d frequently visit with this group of friends.
The warm cozy atmosphere greeted me upon entering. Two of the three men, sitting in the booth nearby, I recognized immediately. The last one, however, caught me by surprise. Oh right… he was the first person that was ever nice to me.
I even based my character Leon on him. I wonder if he knows about it? The thought was embarrassing, but at the same time, I secretly hoped that he did. Standing by the side awkwardly, I grew a bit self conscious of my shabby sneakers and heavy coat.
“Hey closet man! Glad you could make it,” said my friend Marcus while throwing me a big grin. His tawny hair was combed back neatly and he wore something completely scandalous for the winter.
“Well, he did say he might show up,” Ruffus said while cooling, sliding his glasses up the bridge of his nose. He had black hair and the rest is unimportant. He’s usually the most rude if I’m honest so I didn’t take much notice of him.
“Have a seat,” Marcus said brightly and gestured to the quiet blond-haired man under his arm.
His eyes were blue and gentle like I remembered. He wore a fancy coat, paired with fur boots.
“This is Leon. I think you guys met once before.”
I nodded, locking eyes with Leon and offering a pleasant smile. My heart thumped a bit wildly at a thought crossing my mind. What if he recognizes me? What if he thinks what I did was gross? On the other hand, if he doesn’t recognize me, I feel like I’d be at a loss too. If he decided to hate me I don’t think I could write about his character anymore with the same interest.
“Cassian, right?’ He smiled lightly in return, “I’m pleased that I can meet you again. You’ve been on my mind.”
I felt my breath escape me and knew I was staring for too long, but really, he was just so perfect that I wanted to pull out my notebook right here and write about him more detail.
“You alright buddy?” Ruffus finally asked while sipping on his yellow drink.
Marcus squinted at me with a doubtful gaze, “Any way you look at it, he still reminds me of a closet man.”
I forced a laugh so I didn’t feel so awkward. Sadly, I was used to their poor sense of humor.
“Would you like to order, sir?” The waitress asked. She appeared out of nowhere and smiled at me gently.
“Yeah,” I decided after giving my order some thought. “But just a small amount of whatever they have.”
She nodded at me and turned around to leave.
“Waitress,” Leon suddenly called to stop her. She returned within a moment and Leon whispered something in her ear. Her expression was of understanding before she left.
I was really curious what he spoke about but I chose not to ask.
I kept glancing at Leon throughout my conversion with Marcus. It was basically just Marcus telling everyone how he reached a million followers today on the live app GTube, short for GamerTube, but everyone called it that. I offered him congrats, but by the end of our talk I was left feeling jealous. He’d only been on GTube for three years and was already this famous.
It’s not that I craved attention from being popular, but followers meant I was doing well and ensured a profit. They meant I could continue doing something that I loved. I thought about how I was editing my story with 200,106 words and the invisible pain accumulating at my temple formed again. Maybe I didn’t love it all the time… but I didn’t hate it either.
The waitress returned with my drink, a yellow liquid in a shot glass. She also left another much taller drink in front of Leon. It was clear and bubbling, almost like mineral water with a lemon hanging from the top rim of the glass. Overall, it was quite a pretty arrangement. He passed it to me without a second thought. “It’s not alcohol, don’t worry,” he gave a reassuring smile.
He probably said that because of the look of confusion on my face. What he didn’t know was that I was more shocked he bought a drink for me. I was moved that someone considered something I might want… he probably picked up that I wasn't much of a drinker with my choice of glass size.
We somehow ended up him walking me home after spending four hours at the bar talking and getting along. I bid goodnight to Ruffus and Marcus who had to leave in the other direction.
“So, you're an engineer…” Leon commented with interest. “You must like to build things.”
Snow was falling around us with an inch already settled on the ground. I looked up at the sky, my hands resting behind my head and sighed in content, feeling peaceful for a rare occasion. Cold snowflakes gently fell against my lashes and bare skin. “Yeah, I guess that’s why I’m into world building too, from my writing,” I quietly peeked at his expression while we walked.
He seemed to be thinking, but otherwise had a normal reaction.
“What’s it like being a teacher? Doesn’t it get stressful?” I asked him, giving his job some thought.
He laughed and it was the most soft, serotonin inducing sound I’ve ever heard. “Sometimes,” he admitted. “But I really think it’s a wonderful job. To give people knowledge is a rare blessing.”
He sounds like he really loves his job. For some reason, knowing that made me happy. “Hey, why don’t we grab drinks again sometime?” I tossed out the idea I’d been thinking out there like rolling dice. We were close to my apartment so I knew we’d have to part ways soon. He could probably be the first real friend I’d ever have and I didn’t want to lose the opportunity.
He locked his gaze with mine, his blue eyes brightening like the idea excited him too, but they quickly became sharp and wide, revealing fear. “Watch out!”
A sharp pain went down my back as a giant object slammed into us from behind.
I was sent crashing into Leon, unable to feel the sensation in my legs anymore as we both flew through a store window. Glass pierced parts of my body that I knew weren’t supposed to go that deep. An alarm was going off too but I could barely hear it.
Despite feeling dazed from the pain, I searched for Leon, my stomach twisting into knots.
He lied beside me with his eyes closed and his coat beginning to soak with fresh blood. I cried so hard that I barely heard the sound of my own voice.
I choked back another sob I had buried in my throat. Even on the verge of death, I still reached for the one person that was ever kind to me. Like a flower thirsting in the drought, I begged whatever god that existed, “Please! Please let him live! Don't let him die...” Who knew the gods were listening.
Most people think death is the end of existence.
I think I could count myself among the few that hoped they were wrong.
But when I imagined the afterlife, this was not what I had in mind.
Several words flashed before my eyes on a transparent digital screen.
*Ping*
“You have been assigned a male body. Your name changed from Calisaya to your real world name Cassian. Your last name changed to the default Alistar.”
*Ping*
“You are now the main protagonist! Please enjoy your new life~!”
*Ping*
“Protagonist halo automatically disabled.”
