The sun hitting my face woke me up the next morning.

What...

It took a moment for me to get my bearings.

Damn, I really did fall asleep super early in the end. Oh well, at least I feel well-rested now. Also, it's hard to remember, but I think I had dreams about Alice all night, mostly of the sexual kind...

I looked down at my not-so-little tool, standing tall and proudly creating a sizeable tent in my thankfully loose boxers, and was glad that I hadn't accidentally "wet myself" while sleeping. I probably would have, had I not released my... pent-up lust, over a day before.

Grunting, I leaped off the bed, wincing slightly as my still tired muscles protested at the sudden action. They hurt much less than the day before, though, enough that I thought myself capable of getting some light exercise in, if the chance arose.

I took a deep breath, and immediately winced as a musky scent entered my nostrils. A few more sniffs confirmed I was the smell's source. I needed a shower, badly.

I won't do it just yet, tough. I should take advantage of the time I've got thanks to having woken up early, and go for a run. Then, when I come back even sweatier and more gross, I'll shower. Sounds like a plan.

Nodding to myself, I made for my wardrobe and dug out my one set of sporty clothes, which I used to wear when I went to the gym. In absence of actual running clothes, these were a good option. Putting on my only pair of sneakers, I walked out of my room and down the stairs.

As I passed by the living room, the stray black hairs peeking past the sofa's backrest betrayed Alice's presence, meaning she was still asleep. Not wanting her to worry in case she woke up while I was gone, I quickly wrote up a note telling her I'd gone for a run, and left it on top of a chair I placed right on the room's only entry. I briefly debated going over to see her, but decided against it. If she didn't want me to see her face or whatever it was, I'd respect her wishes.

A moment later, I was out of the house, my phone in my pocket playing a playlist of my favourite songs, reaching my ears through Bluetooth earbuds.

Another moment later I was back inside, trembling, inwardly cursing mother nature, Earth's elliptic orbit, the tilt of its rotational axis, and whatever other culprits my mind could find, for making winter mornings so freaking cold.

A minute later I was back out, inside a thick, comfy, warm anorak, wearing a woolen cap and mittens, though my unprotected legs still suffered in the biting cold.

Oh well, no way around it. I'll just have to deal with it.

Thankfully, the chill abated slightly once I'd picked up the pace, finding a good breathing rythm. After settling into the groove, I conjured my Status Screen and, after confirming I had no more points than expected, opened the Missions screen.

 

Upon seeing the new Mission, I couldn't help but feel slightly dismayed; there was no way I'd be able to complete it, leaving only one of the three open for completion.

It seems the System, or whoever gives out these Missions, learned from their mistake. There's no way to cheat or get around this one. Oh well, I more or less expected this'd happen eventually. You can't just go against the express purpose of an all-powerful being and expect everything to somehow work out and for it to still give you the same benefits. I should feel lucky I can at least do one Mission, maybe more after it if it's also some kind of Chain Mission, with the next ones focusing on improving other aspects.

I shook my head, clearing my thoughts. No matter how many times I mulled it over, it wouldn't do me any good. It was best to just focus on running.

My body still ached, but as I kept running, I was pleasantly surprised to find myself getting considerably less winded than I'd expected. My Endurance hadn't increased, at least not by a full point, but I was already feeling the effect of the several hours of exercise I had done. With a ten times boost, it equated to ten days of very intense training, the kind you would have to take two days to recuperate from, and although it wasn't dramatic, I could definitely feel how my stamina had increased.

As I was mentally praising the System's Stat Booster, I felt my phone buzz in my pocket.

I wasn't surprised. I received a lot of texts and calls on a daily basis, mostly work-related, and although it was rarer for me to get any this early in the morning, some people worked weird shifts, or were working overseas and thus in different timezones.

Let's see who it's from. I'll read it later if it's not someone important.

As I saw the name of the sender, however, I stopped dead in my tracks, moving my phone in front of me and unlocking it in a flash.

It was from Alice.

<(I didn't know you went on runs, Ryan. [6:53])

As I finished reading the short message, though, I wasn't sure what to think about her words. Were they cold and biting, like the weather, passive-agressive, or simply straightforward?

(I don't, just woke up early and felt like moving my body. [6:54])>

I debated leaving it at that, but since I would probably be going running a few more times until I reached the required 20 miles, added a second message.

(It's nice. Might make it a habit [6:54])>

Despite it hurting me, I told a lie. She couldn't know about the System, at least not yet. I knew she was already insecure and scared about me leaving her for someone else; a supernatural entity that egged me on to do just that would make things much worse. Her mental state was already very fragile, I needed our relationship to be stabler, and for her to understand that I would never leave her under any circumstances, for her to be ready to know about it.

A message came, cutting off my rampant thoughts.

<(I'm sorry for being rude. [6:54])

Don't worry, I'm used to it. I obviously won't reply with that, though. Let's see...

A second message stopped me as I was about to type a reply.

<(I had a nightmare. [6:55])

I smiled as I saw it. She'd clearly been reluctant about telling me, since she didn't add it to the first, but she summoned the courage to type it anyways.

(Don't worry, I'm not angry [6:55])>

(And thank you for telling me Alice [6:56])>

She took a moment to reply, and I saw the "typing" symbol appear and disappear repeatedly.

<(No, thank you for being so understanding, Ryan. Really. [6:57])

I smiled at her soft words. I felt like she was finally opening back up, slowly peeling her thorny shell off and baring her vulnerable self to me, even if she was still reluctant, and I only caught mere glimpses.

Now, I just need to give her time... and maybe some gentle encouragement.

I didn't have much time to mull over it, though, as the next message came almost immediately.

<(By the way, have you had breakfast already? [6:57])

The sudden change of pace caught me slightly off-guard, but I replied quickly nonetheless.

(No actually. I forgot [6:57])>

<(Then, I hope you'll have worked up an appetite by the time you get back. [6:58])

(Oh, you'll make it? thanks! [6:58])>

<(Don't. [6:58])

The message came immediately. The next took longer, and was seemingly scrapped several times.

<(Be thankful, I mean. This is nothing. I owe you everything, even my life. And I treated you terribly. But I am going to make it all up to you, when I am ready, no matter how long it takes. This is just a drop in the ocean. [7:00])

I was shocked frozen—and not because of the freeing temperatures—as I read her message.

If I wasn't misunderstanding things... she had just implied she would've killed herself if not for me. That was an incredibly scary thought. If I was the only thing preventing her from giving up on life, what would happen to her if... something happened to us? It wasn't healthy to live solely for somebody else.

I was so stunned, I couldn't even get my fingers to move and write a response. And even when I finally got them to move, my brain had short-circuited so much that it couldn't come up with anything smart to say. Not even with Eloquence.

(You don't have to do that I forgive you, Alice. [7:02])>

Yeah, great job, Ryan. As if you hadn't told her all of that already. She pours her heart out, and you respond with two pathetic, thoughtless, run-on sentences. You even forgot the fullstop. You couldn't have asked if she was doing OK, or said "you staying with me is enough repayment" or "don't try to rush things, I will wait for you as long as you need", of course not! Shit.

I berated myself for a while longer, but she didn't message back, despite having read the message.

Of course. What response could she even give?  I completely ruined the conversation. It's already beyond redemption... but I should at least try to make her feel a bit better.

Putting my embarrassment aside, I typed three quick words and sent them before I could have any second thoughts and back out of it.

(I love you. [7:03])>

She read it immediately, but again, didn't reply. After a moment, I decided to turn off my phone and tuck it back into my pocket.

I didn't see as two ticks appeared next to the last message I'd sent in the spur of the moment, almost without thinking.

(I'll never leave you [7:03])>