Haru, that rat bastard knew I would hang up on his call.

The unexpected yet expected visitor Aoi stood in front of me, grinning, waiting for further instructions.

The man stood at about the same height as I did but even I could tell that we were in no way similar. It didn’t take an expert to put a finger on what makes me, a 27 year old shut-in different from the man outside my door. Aoi at first glance has all the makings of popular man. Anyone could  tell you he was handsome. He exuded a sense of sureness and I sensed no self-doubt from the man, even though he had come to stay in the house of a man he’s never met before. It could be worse I thought to myself. He could be a blubbering idiot who wasn’t capable of doing anything alone, and the last thing I needed was to take care of someone.

“Hm. Well come in.” I beckoned him in.

Aoi took his shoes off, neatly scooting them to the corner of the entry way with his sock cladded feet before stepping into the apartment.

“This is my apartment. That is the kitchen. This is the living room.” In one fell swoop, I rotated my body as I gestured out my arm towards the otherwise obvious parts of my apartment. As I pointed out the various rooms in my two bedroom apartment, Aoi followed behind me quietly, taking in my apartment still with a grin plastered to his face. Was this guy an idiot? He looks too at ease in someone else’s house. I couldn’t help but think he was the type to get taken advantage of often.

My apartment was above average in terms of size for an apartment in the middle of Tokyo. If there was something I wasn’t willing to settle for it was a comfortable living space. When you work a job like mine, you find that there isn’t much to spend money on except necessities, letting me save up quite a bit when I was still a young rookie. Although honestly speaking, I could probably do just as well in a one-bedroom officetel.

“That is my bedroom. Also where I work so I’ll be there most of the time.” I looked at Aoi as I pointed towards my room.

“The room across from there is the guest bedroom. You’ll be staying there. The bathroom is at the end of the hallway.”

“Thank you for agreeing to let me stay here again.” Aoi looked me in the eyes and grinned. “I won’t get in your way! I know my brother probably coerced you into this.”

I let out a small laugh. He was Haru’s brother for sure. A taller, more attractive brother but with the same self-assured shameless makings of his older sibling.

“So what it that you do? I’m guessing you work from home.” Aoi asked while turning his head around, looking at the rest of the apartment.

“I’m a writer.”

His head quickly flipped back towards mine, like a puppy that caught a whiff of a treat.

“Oh! A writer! That sound’s exciting. What kind of writing do you do?”

“Horror.”

“Mysterious! You must be popular with the ladies Mr. Writer. How old are you?”

“27.”

“Oh I’m only two years younger than you. I hope we get along well!” Aoi ricochets my replies with even more questions and statements, each question asked with more intrigue than the last.

I couldn’t help but find him odd. Is it normal for someone to be so chatty? How can you be so talkative with someone you’ve never met before? He had all the making of a TV host with his seemingly unending curiosity. and There wasn’t an ounce of hesitation in the man’s voice. His words were confident and in no way deterred by my less-than-ideal responses. I scratched my head and pushed these thoughts out of my mind, trying to find an escape. Aoi stood next to me, looking around the apartment.

“Hm..well I’m going to work. Try and not set anything on fire.”

I dragged my feet back into my room, closing the door behind me and leaving the sprightly Aoi alone in my living room. I sat down in my chair and lit a cigarette. What an odd man. I can’t remember what I looked like at 25. A lot less motivated, that’s for sure. I guess if I had a face like that..

Whatever, how much can things really change? I spend most of my day locked in my room anyways. I assured myself of all these things but still found myself curious as to what kind of character Aoi would play out to be.