"Azael…"
"Azael…"
"Azael…"
A choked breath echoed through the room as several more followed after.
"Haha… ha… hah… ha…"
Alex jolted upright in his bed as his chest heaved and his eyes turned wide due to chills.
Sweat clung to his forehead, and for a second, he wasn't sure if he was awake or still trapped in that same damn dream.
His breathing grew heavier with time, and his heart pounded so hard that it felt like it would burst out at any time.
"Arhghh....'
It was the same old panic, the kind that didn't knock before barging in.
Since he was a kid, this panic had stuck with him like a curse.
The nightmares came with it too, they were so vivid that they felt almost real to him.
He had always woken up feeling like a boulder had been pressing down on his chest, like something ancient and heavy had clawed its way through his sleep just to whisper his name.
Calming himself, he did—
Deep breathing.
In… and out.
He took a few deep breaths and slowly exhaled.
Little but surely, he felt better than before.
He looked at his hands that were clinging to the bedsheet, he didn't even realise when he strangled the poor bedsheet in his sleep.
His fists unclenched then his shoulders sagged as the panic finally loosened its grip.
Ring tong tong.
His alarm rang; it was right on time.
"Urgh.."
He groaned, reached over, and smacked the top of the clock with a practiced hand.
Silence again.
Dragging himself out of bed, Alex headed for the bathroom.
His tiredness was evident in his movements, even though he had slept for a straight 7 hours. It was pretty much due to the nightmare and panic attack he had.
They had a great toll on both his mind and body.
Standing in front of the mirror, he gently splashed some water on his face as he took a couple of sighs, ending his internal pep talk.
------
Alex's apartment was a small one, nothing fancy but not shabby either.
Just enough space for one person to live, eat, study, and occasionally dance in their underwear with zero judgment.
It was quiet, clean, and entirely his.
He dressed quickly, wearing a plain white shirt and blue jeans which fitted him perfectly.
He liked comfortable clothes, and the pair he had worn was the best choice of all.
Whether it can be the date or just an outing, it fits the criteria perfectly.
Stopping by the mirror, he took a second to look at himself. Dark eyes, short black hair, and sharp chickbones with a face that he'd once heard a classmate whisper looked like it came out of a drama series.
He smirked at his reflection.
"Handsome," he muttered. "Definitely handsome."
He wasn't being cocky—well, maybe a little. But when you've grown up alone, you kind of learn to be your own cheerleader.
If he didn't hype himself up, who would?
Today was a rare day off for Alex. The café he worked at was closed, and college had given him a breather since there were no lectures for the day.
There was only one thing on his free shedule which he didn't mind having it, a blind date.
Yep. A real, honest-to-goodness blind date.
He wasn't exactly bouncing off the walls about it, but he had to admit that he was curious. It had been a long time since anyone had shown interest in him like that. And maybe, just maybe, today would turn out better than expected.
He grabbed some cologne, gave himself a quick spritz, and ran a hand through his hair one last time.
"Alright," he said to himself, "let's not screw this up."
Just as he reached the door, he paused.
There, on the small shelf by the entrance, sat a photo frame.
It was an old one, a little dusky but still bright.
He could see his parents' smiling faces behind the glass, it felt like they were really smiling at him.
He stared at them for a moment.
Then he also smiled.
Sad or happy....or something in between, he didn't know.
"Hey, Mom… Dad," he whispered. " I am heading out today for a bit since I got a date. Can you believe that? Your son might actually find someone crazy enough to like him."
A soft chuckle escaped his lips.
"I think my luck's peaking, honestly. Feels like something big's waiting for me today. Not sure if it's good or bad… but I'll figure it out."
He waved at the photo, then hesitated as if expecting them to wave back.
"Don't worry, okay. I'll take care of myself. Hope you guys are doing okay up theere. I'll let you know about my date when I get back. See you!"
With that, Alex opened the door, stepped outside, and left the small apartment behind.
-------
The café buzzed with soft murmurs and laughter as people enjoyed their quality time while chatting and sipping drinks.
The atmosphere was warm and light, filled with students cracking jokes and enjoying each other's company.
A waiter approached a group seated in the corner, noticing they hadn't ordered anything yet.
"Sir, would you like to order something?" he asked politely.
The first to respond was a young man with blonde hair and striking golden eyes. His features were sharp and handsome, and he looked to be in his early twenties.
"Oh, sorry for not ordering anything yet. We were waiting for someone who hadn't arrived," he said with a friendly smile, turning to face the two girls sitting across from him.
"Anything you two would like to drink?" he asked.
"I'll have an iced coffee, and Maya likes tea," replied the girl with brown hair and green eyes, speaking on behalf of the girl next to her.
The other girl, who was also blonde, simply nodded in agreement.
"Max, I want green tea," said a guy sitting beside him, a young man with dark hair and blue eyes.
Max gave him a look.
"Rody, I know you're trying to be cool here, but let's not waste our one shot at a good impression, okay?"
Both girls giggled at Max's comment.
"Ahem… sir?" the waiter prompted again.
"Oh, right! So one iced coffee, one tea, and three espressos, please," Max said.
The waiter gave a nod and walked off.
"Sorry about Alex," Max added, looking at the group. "He lives pretty far from the city and alone, so sometimes he runs late."
"It's okay, it happens. Right, July?" Maya said casually.
"Yeah, yeah, we understand," July replied, then added with a playful grin, "But you know, girls hate waiting… so minus ten points for Alex."
Everyone chuckled at July's silly scoring system.
"Anyway," Maya leaned in slightly, curious, "I know about you two,since we're in the same class. But I wanted to know more about your friend Alex. What kind of person is he?"
It was a normal thing to ask especially on a blind date. And no, Max wasn't part of the matchmaking. He already had a famous girlfriend who worked as a model.
He was just playing the middleman for his two poor friends.
"Alright then, since the topic's here…" Max leaned back, a thoughtful smile tugging at his lips. "Let me tell you a few things about him."
Max smiled softly, and began speaking in a casual tone as his tone caried a bit of pride in it.
"I met Alex on the first day of college. At first, he looked like one of those timid individuals who appeared to be quiet otaku types you know, headphones in, eyes on the floor, kind of guy who wouldn't even look your way unless spoken to. But man, once you actually talk to him, he's completely different."
He chuckled lightly.
"He's kind and loyal, one of those rare guys who doesn't just say things but shows them. He's the kind of friend who'd jump into fire without asking why. He had always been calm, but only I knew the real him, his funnier side, his ever composed side, his narcissistic side, and other side which he didn't show easily to others."
He continued, "Alex had always backed whenever I needed his help for any problem I faced, he understood me and tried to help me in best way he could think."
Max paused, his gaze drifting to the window for just a second.
"Even at that time…"
"Max?"
The sudden silence made the others glance at him, noticing something strange in his tone; it was a flicker of sadness that hadn't been there before.
Max blinked and shook it off with a smile, waving one hand casually.
"Ah, sorry! It's nothing. Anyway, to me? Alex isn't just a friend. He's my brother. My comrade in arms. A guy I'd trust with anything because I know he'd never let me down."
"Aw, Max, what about me?" Rody whined with mock hurt as he leaned closer toward Max.
Max turned to him with a grin.
"You're just an idiot. But a useful one, I guess."
Laughter bubbled from the girls again, the mood lifting just as the bell over the café door jingled.
"I'm sorry, guys! Huff… huff… I'm late!"
A breathless voice broke into the scene, it was none other than Alex's voice.
He was standing there at the entrance and had caught the attention of the entire coffee with his loud entry.
Noticing the people's gaze on him, he quickly bowed and started moving toward the group feeling embarrassed by his behaviour.
Alex quickly took the seat, trying not to embarrass himself further than he already had.
He slipped beside Max who was clearly enjoying the expressions dancing across his friend's face a little too much, his grin wide with silent laughter at Alex's expense.
The conversation picked up again without skipping a beat as Alex leaned forward a little with arms resting on the table.
His voice was soft but clear, "You guys aren't mad at me, right?"
His dark eyes shimmered with that subtle pleading, not the dramatic kind but the kind that would make someone feel like a single disapproving look would sit heavy on his heart for the rest of the day, and he really didn't want to mess up the first meeting like this.
July, who was sitting across with her usual light air, tilted her head.
Her lips curled into a smile; not the friendly kind, but the teasing one that gave away she was enjoying every second of his unease.
"No problem," she said, stretching her words a little. "We got to have a nice little chat about you while you were running late, so it's not all bad."
"What?!" Alex nearly yelped, eyes flickering between Max and Rody, clearly fearing what kind of legends had been told in his absence.
He could put some hope in Max, sure, but Rody? That guy was a walking chaos engine.
He leaned toward the girls, "You didn't believe anything weird, right?"
"Don't worry," Maya replied casually while stirring her tea. "Just the basics. Max told us how he became friends with you."
"Oh," Alex sighed in relief, his shoulders visibly relaxing as he leaned back with his fingers drumming lightly on the table, "That's fine then."
But July wasn't letting it go that easy. Her smirk widened, and her voice dropped into mock suspicion, "Is there something you're hiding? It's okay, you can tell me. I won't judge, I promise."
Alex narrowed his eyes slightly, caught between amusement and mild panic, while Max let out a quiet chuckle beside him.
"Stop teasing him, guys," Max said, holding back laughter. "Alright, anyway, you can ask anything you're curious about, these two will answer truthfully. I'll make sure of that."
He said it like a teacher announcing a quiz, while Rody just grinned and leaned forward, clearly too excited to watch the chaos unfold.
Alex, on the other hand, could only offer a nervous laugh, silently praying this blind date wouldn't turn into a roast session.
They chatted for a while, the air growing easier with each passing moment as if they had all known each other far longer than they actually had.
Then, as though she had quietly come to a decision amid the laughter and warmth, Maya leaned forward just slightly.
Her calm eyes found Alex's with such directness that even Max paused mid-sip of his espresso.
"Alex, I like your personality… your kind nature. And I can guess you're not faking it either." Her voice was soft and certain, clear in its intention.
The words hung there, suspended in a silence that overtook the table.
"Let's go on a date and see if it works for us."She continued as her gentle words reached him.
Alex blinked.
Once.
Twice.
His mind had already blanked entirely. He sat still, like someone who had just been handed a treasure map but couldn't believe it was real.
Maya, a beautiful and composed girl who was completely out of his league, had just asked him out.
Not the other way around. She asked 'him'.
He didn't even realize his mouth had opened slightly, unable to process the sudden jolt of reality.
"Hey bro… Are you still alive?" Max's voice was half amused and half concerned as he reached over and lightly shook Alex by the shoulder.
"Ah—!" Alex snapped out of it, blinking rapidly, a faint redness blooming on his cheeks. "Y-Yeah. Sorry."
Then, without wasting another breath, with a burst of determination he opened his mouth.
"Yes! I'd really li—"
WHHAAAAAMMMMM!!!!!!