We're in trouble, ma'am

‘Is it Monday already?’

A long arm appeared from underneath a blanket and slapped the phone.

‘Wait, no, it’s Sunday. And that wasn’t my alarm.’

He raised his head from the pillow and tapped the screen. He struggled to open his still-sleepy eyes. As his vision cleared from the bright light, he made out a message. From Miira.

‘Good morning!’

He swallowed. A creeping feeling of unease unfurled. He pulled the blanket over his head after he threw the phone on the nightstand.

‘Sleep. Sleep.’

It was only 11 am. Yet his sleep efforts proved futile as heart raced and mind was too clear.

He should reply. It wouldn’t be very nice to ignore. He yawned and scratched his head while staring at the message. Not yet.

As he embarked on his morning routine, Kyu awaited him right outside the room, exuding pure excitement. He crouched down to meet him at eye level, planting a gentle kiss on the furry forehead and playfully ruffling behind the ears.

After a refreshing shower, he munched on a couple of cookies and washed them down with a strong cup of coffee. Then, a playtime with Kyu ensued. As the time slipped away, a sudden realization washed over. It was already 1:30 pm, and he still hadn’t replied.

‘Morning!’

‘AFTERNOON!’

That was a quick reply. Now there was no escaping. She knew he was online.

‘How are you?’ he asked.

‘Bored. Just scrolling through Discord. Did you see? We’re the latest gossip.’

‘You’ve always been the latest gossip.’

‘Blaaah. That’s just some girl drama. Everyone gets a taste of that. That’s boring. BUT! It’s about our static this time.’

‘What about it? We didn’t clear it first.’

He furrowed his brows. The next opportunity would be only after four months at least. Once again, a failure.

‘You know, first ones also get the most pressure. Take the benefit of not stressing out about your performance being monitored under a microscope. Anyway, it’s just as Deilo said. Henser’s party IS salty. They’ve been spreading about us using third party stuff, macros and what not. Can you imagine?’

‘Oh. Well, what does it matter? It’s not like it affects our party.’

‘Hm. Are you okay? You seem… off today.’

‘Do I? Oh, probably because I woke up so late.’

‘Right. Well, I won’t pester. I will take a quick nap before our runs. See ya later!’

***

After, they dispersed like a flurry of scattered flies once the banana peel was gone, each heading their separate ways.

‘Hey! I’m going out for a jog, probably dropping by the park on the way. Feel free to join me if you’d like. I will be there in an hour!’

He stifled a smile, prompted by Miira's unmistakable open invitation. He stretched out on his bed, gazing up at the pristine ceiling above, its emptiness disturbed by encroaching shadows. Strangely, Dave found himself developing a peculiar kinship with the very ceiling he stared at — both bare and waiting, as if something was about to unfold. A subtle, invisible force slithered its way into his thoughts, making his very core quiver.

Yet, despite the unease it brought, he couldn't shake off a feeling that declining this opportunity would lead to the irrevocable loss of something truly significant.

On the bed, he lined up a selection of pants. Black jeans, dark blue pants, or dark brown corduroy pants? Unsure, he shuffled through a selection of shirts, settling on a simple blue t-shirt. After that it was a no brainer — black jeans it was.

He checked himself out in the mirror, noticing a couple of stray hairs sticking out. He ran his fingers through hair, taming the stray ones. It dawned on him that he seemed to put more effort into his appearance than usual, and the thought irked him. He narrowed his eyes and pouted, leaving his hair be.

Just before putting the shoes on, he checked the weather forecast — 68% chance of rain and grabbed a lonely umbrella in the corner next to the exit.

***

Everything seemed different, as if his perspective had shifted, altering his perception of reality. The same turns felt less familiar. The light from the street lamps seemed a different shade. He halted in his tracks, a surge of anxiety racing through him. Within a few minutes, there would be only a hedge wall separating them, barely a meter apart.

‘What if… I meet her head-on?’

His heart rate quickened as he tried to make sense of the possibilities. The park had two entrances, and upon entering, you could choose which side of the main hedge to follow. What if they ended up using the same entrance and arrived at the same time? How would he react? How would she? Did he want it to happen, or did he dread the idea? What if she wanted to meet on the same side of the hedge?

The entrance to the park was only a minute away, and he could turn around still. Go home. Pretend he never had time. After all, he didn’t reply or confirm that he would come.

‘Turn around. Turn around.' But he was already grabbing the entrance gates.

Despite the occasional gusts of wind rustling the greenery above him, an eerie silence prevailed. Occasionally, he passed gaps in the hedge, yet he kept his gaze locked forward. His usual bench came into sight.

Before he sat down, he scanned his surroundings to ensure he was alone, and with a sigh, he took a seat. A massive tree stood not far away, its roots emerging unbothered as the grass tried to claim the ground. The branches were adorned with a fresh set of young leaves.

‘Were they like this last time, too?’

Just then, a sound emerged from the surroundings, disrupting the tranquility — a soft, rhythmic crunching of pebbles. Someone was running. The crunching ceased, followed by a lot of panting. It was right behind the hedge. Behind him.

Dave hesitantly called out. ‘Miira?’

‘Nope,’ an exhausted voice responded. ‘Emily.’

‘Hello.’

By the sound of it, Miira was doing stretches.

‘It’s so peaceful and refreshing here!’ She inhaled, deeper than ever.

‘I know, right? Doesn’t even feel like we’re in a city.’

Still catching her breath, she took a seat on a nearby bench. ‘So, tell me, what’s been bothering you?’ she inquired after a brief pause.

‘Bothering?’ he shook his head instinctively. ‘Nothing. Better tell me about yourself.’

A hint of surprise tinged her voice as she responded, ‘Myself? Waaait, Dave! Are you… interested in me?’

‘I-Interested? You’re… you’re my friend! And I know little about you.’

‘Hm hm. Indeed. You don’t. Well, what would you like to know?’

‘Uh…’ he hadn’t thought that far ahead. ‘Which entrance do you use to come into the park?’

‘What?’ she grinned and waited. ‘Oh, you’re serious. I use the Eastern entrance. Why?’

‘No particular reason.’

‘Right.’

‘Uh… How old are you?’

‘That’s more like it. I’m 24. What about you?’

‘21,’ he replied, considering his next question carefully, yet the mind drew blank.

‘Oh my. Are you writing it all down? Is this a secret investigation? Has there been a murder and I’m a suspect?!’ Miira playfully overreacted, and Dave couldn't help but smile.

‘Ma’am, I would like to ask for your discretion during this sensitive time of investigation. Tell me, what is your current occupation?’ he lowered his voice a couple of notches, playing along.

‘Unemployed! I just graduated last year from biomedical sciences and now figuring out what to do next!’

‘And what’s your dream, ma’am?’

‘I want to be a singer! Biology is cool, sir, and I love it but nothing opens my soul like music does!’

‘And last question. Critical to the investigation. Please think carefully before answering,’ he cleared his throat. ‘What’s your favorite color?’

She hummed thoughtfully, about to say something, but then changed her mind. ‘White!’

‘Is that even a color?’ Dave's voice returned to its natural tone as he cracked a chuckle.

‘If yours is black, you have zero reason to protest.’

He gasped as his eyes widened. ‘How did you know?’

‘Hahaha! Lucky guess, besides, many people like black. Well, anyway, my turn. What are you doing with your life and what’s your dream?’

‘I’m studying computational sciences, second year bachelor. My dream… I’m not sure, actually. I think I just want to be healthy and happy. And for my family to be so.’

‘Oh… That’s very selfless. But nothing of your own aspirations?’

‘Apart from clearing the new content first? No, not really. But actually, I’ve always loved biology. So maybe in the future it would be nice to transition towards that.’

‘Seriously?! What do you like about it?’

‘How the world works and how questions can be answered if you just research them.’

‘Yes! Then you could be my personal bioinformatician!’

‘And do you have a boyfriend?’

As he realized that this was an unusual question for a friend to ask out of the blue, his heart sank.

Her usual giggles faded, replaced by a quivering voice and a lot of silence in between. ‘No. I don't.’

Dave lightly brushed his cheek, feeling a drop of rain on his skin. Then another fell on his forehead. It was time to pull out his umbrella.

‘Oh, crap. I didn’t take my umbrella. I guess it’s time to go,’ Miira said timidly.

In an instant, a clap of thunder followed a flash of lightning. It was close.

‘Dave…’ her voice trembled.

The rain now poured heavily, accompanied by another rumble of thunder.

‘Dave! I’m really scared!’

He stood up, ready to leave, but hesitated, his words caught in his throat.

‘Can I please come to your side?’

‘What..?’

‘I’m coming over to your side. I’m scared!’ she shouted.

‘No… NO! Don’t come!’