Chapter Text
Your eyes flutter open as you feel a cold breeze graze your body. It feels as though there’s a presence near you. Your room is dark, but as you glance to your right, you see a dark figure. You feel like your mind is playing tricks on you, but it seems like something is really there. Before you get up, you turn your head to the left, looking for your lamp. When you turn it on and look again, the shadow has seemed to vanish. This paranoia took over your body and made you afraid of your own home.
It was early in the morning, specifically 9 AM. You had a job at your local library; it was a peaceful job. You could have a clear mindset there without fear of anything ruining it. You got ready in a timely fashion and put on your work clothes. This day was colder than usual, making you inclined to wear more comforting apparel. You walk out the door and fade into the cold wind towards the library.
You wait at your desk, waiting for citizens to approach you for help or questions. During this wait, you sit and reread your favorite book. On this day, however, in your peripheral vision, you can see a familiar figure by a bookshelf. You glance over, thinking that it might be a fragment of your imagination, but you realize it's your neighbor. You lock eyes with him, but he quickly looks away. Some time passes before you can feel him hovering over you. You slowly look up from the page and meet his eyes. He's holding out a book, most likely to check out.
“Hi there, dude. Here to check out?” you ask him while closing your book and setting it aside.
“Y-yes, uh, here,” he mumbles, visibly shaking as he hands you the book. You take the book and scan the barcode on the back. While scanning, he asks you something.
“May I take you on a date?”
“Huh?” you say this unprompted, although you had heard what he said.
“Can you go out with me, perhaps to a record store?” he states. You two had a lot of interest in music, so this isn't a revelation.
“I-uh, sure. I wouldn't mind. I'm free Thursday.” You hadn't had much to do that day, so you figured spending your time with him wouldn't be that bad.
“Great, uh, I’ll see you then.” Before you could respond, he rushed out the door with his book. The encounter seemed a bit odd, but you thought it was nice of him.
You soon arrive home. The day you had was quite tame, other than the interaction you had with your neighbor. You undress and get in your shower; the water is warm on your skin, making you calmer. You breathe in and out the steam and close your eyes, pondering what Thursday has in store for you. The Dude was a sweet guy to you, just a bit awkward, but it isn't a bad trait. You imagine him holding your waist, guiding you to the record of your favorite musician. A slight creaking noise snaps you out of your thoughts. You quickly turn off your shower and step out. The paranoia makes it nearly impossible for you to focus.
You step towards your bed and lay down, thinking about him for the final time before you drift off to sleep.
It's Thursday, and the one thing on your mind is him. When you step into your kitchen, you make yourself breakfast. You figure it would be nice to gather some energy before you go to his house. Once you're done eating, you brush your teeth, shower, tidy up your hair, and put on a pretty and casual outfit. You grab your jacket faster than ever and rush out your door.
You step towards the Dude's house; it reminds you of the first time you stepped to his door with a cake and card in your hand. When you're close enough to his door, you raise your hand to knock. Before you can, he already swings the door open. He's handsome; he has on a maroon sweater with denim jeans.
“You look very gorgeous,” he says, rubbing his hands in a nervous manner.
“Thank you, you look really nice,” you respond back.
“Shall we go?” he asks.
When you two arrive at the record store, the Dude walks over to the guitars. The store included records and instruments. You walk over to him and see him pick up a black electric guitar; it had a nice shimmer to it.
"It's beautiful,” you tell him. He takes a few steps to a chair and plugs it into an amp. He plays a few chords before playing a song you hadn't heard before; nonetheless, it was very impressive. You were wowed by his performance and clapped for him.
“I-I played it for you,” he says to you.
“Really? Thank you, Dude.” He was a really kind person, but there was something dark hidden behind him; you just couldn't tell what.
He puts up the guitar, and you walk over to the rows of records. You go and search for a few of your favorite artists. You love analyzing the designs for the covers; they were always very pleasing to look at.
“Do you want that one?” Dude points to the one you're holding.
You gaze up at him. You really don't want him to spend his money on you; you figured you could just buy it yourself.
“I insist.” His face was solemn while saying it, so you gave in and allowed him to buy it for you.
Dude walks to your front door; he is right behind you. You reminisce about the day, remembering all the times he looked deep into your eyes like he wanted to say something but stopped by a force.
“I had a nice time with you today. I thank you for the record you got me,” you tell him warmly.
“Of course, [name],” he says sincerely.
You turn away from him and walk closer to your door. Before you can pull your keys out, you feel something tug at your hand. You look back and see Dude holding onto your hand. He seems like he doesn't want you to go. He pulls you closer to him, turning you around until you two are an inch apart. He looks down into your eyes, his mouth slightly agape. He looks as though he might kiss you. Dude breaks the silence by embracing you in a hug. His body warms you, and it's over before you can realize it started. Dude backs away and rushes to his house, shutting the door behind him.
It takes you a while to regain composure and open your front door. You step into your home and shut your door. You lean against the wall and breathe in and out slowly. You wonder what he really meant by that hug.