Light

I wake up to my alarm releasing the insides of hell from its annoying, monotonous beeping.

I groan, not knowing why I bought that alarm in the first place. It's to be my best friend during the weekdays, but on Sunday mornings like these it's worse than being woken up by cold water. Believe me, I've experienced it once in my childhood, but it's another story.

Fighting the ear-piercing noise from the alarm, I change sides on my bed and reach my hands to the bedside table. I find my alarm exactly where it is and press the snooze button, all of it without even opening my eyes fully. I collapse back to my pillow unconscious, glad that I can be lazy once in a while. I mean, it's Sunday after all, right?

When I thought I can be left in peace, my phone rings.

"I swear to myself I'm going to-"

I open my eyes and reach for my phone that's right beside my alarm. I answer before I can finish cursing - because, well, I don't know who and what to threaten.

"Hello?"

"Hey!" A sweet, gentle voice reached me from the other side of the line. "Are you ready yet?"

"A-...Alice? Hi, uh, what's up?"

"Oh dear, you silly! Don't you remember what we planned for today?"

Plan? Sunday morning like this? What plan?

Then my senses hit me. I'm going to have a date with her for breakfast... because Alice forced me to. "Oh yeah, right, I'm ready, I'll meet you up soon."

"See you!" She says, and with that the call ends.

I put down the phone slowly and look at my alarm clock. It's 6:30 and I promise to see her around the bus station at seven.

I quickly go to the bathroom and shower, then change into a comfortable shirt and black jeans. To be honest, I only have a few proper t-shirts, and I've used them all for the past week and I haven't done the laundry either-

Never mind about that. It's another story.

I put my phone into my pocket along with my apartment key and my wallet. That's all I need to carry, really. I take my usual coat from the hanger and head out.

I walk for two minutes and is greeted by the sight of her. Today she lets her bright auburn hair loose and it falls on her shoulders gently. Her hazel eyes lights up as she saw me approach to where she stands. She waves at me, and I wave back.

"You're too early!" She says.

"Look who's earlier," I point out. She laughs.

As usual, we take the 7:20 bus to the city.

We stop at a usual station where we go off, but when I'm about to stand up, she gently puts a hand on my lap. "Not in here. It's in another area."

"But I've never really went past this one..?"

She chuckles. "You really are terrible. That's why I'm bringing you there."

---

I stare blankly at my cup of coffee, examining the black liquid as its heat turns into little swirls of steam under my face. I eventually get bored waiting, and I wrap my fingers around the warm paper-like surface of the cup. I immediately drink a third of this bitter stuff, and put it down abruptly.

Alice stares at me, clearly shocked. "Y-you... that's still very hot! And you haven't put anything in it, at all! You ordered black coffee, right?"

"Yeah, I did." I stay silent for a while, and then realise that I'm reliving my old habits. I don't drink coffee in the morning because I enjoy it. I drink coffee only to wake me up. And to be honest, it tastes disgusting. I don't even know why I keep doing that for many years of my life.

Well, that was before I met Alice, anyway.

"Well, at least slow down and enjoy your time here," she says, holding back a grin. "This is my usual place to sit down and think. It's my favourite coffee shop."

We sit by the window, and I feel comfortable as the morning sunlight warms me from the cold morning air outside. After talking with her a lot, I end up lost in my thoughts and daydreaming. I think I'm not so awake yet. I don't feel like I'm fully awake. I feel like I'm still stuck in my old routines. This date feels unreal, this place feels unreal, and what's real is me on my desk doing more and more work.

But this is real. And I'm always happily welcome to accept it.

"Hey, what are you thinking about?" Alice's voice reaches me.

"Nothing... it's nothing." I look at her and manage a little smile.

"Oh, fine." She rolls her eyes playfully. "I guess I can never see what's inside your head."

"Please don't get angry at me now," I tease.

"Hopefully?"

There is a calm moment of silence before she speaks again. "Hey... thanks."

"Hm? For what?"

"For making me have hopes about being alive... keeping me alive..."

I don't know what she's talking about, at all. "I-"

She laughs. "Sorry, I spoke some nonsense back there. Never mind about it."

I start to speak awkwardly, but I don't mind if it's her that listens. "Well, it's not you who needs to say that, it's me. You... just changed my life to a better one."

"I know, but still..." She looks at me and smiles. There's something about her current smile - it feels sad, bittersweet...

"Thanks, Micheal. Thank you so much."