Dreary

Brownish bubbles foamed at the sides as dark liquid swirled into the mug. The globules of trapped air burst against the faded white walls, hinting at the aroma of roasted coffee beans. This chemical reaction would either become the energy to sustain something bigger than itself, or peter out into nothing until the liquid went cold and thrown into the drain.

There's a hidden meaning somewhere in there... I thought

A sigh took a sampling sip. Not too bitter, not too sweet. A technique perfected by many late nights of either studying or working. Two flicks of my wrist answered the question of the time. One fifteen, with an absence of sunlight. Were it my university days, I might have considered rounding up some friends and gone partying. Alas, the passage of time is a cruel mistress.

No, I corrected myself. I would have studied until two in the morning before climbing into bed. Whereas others might investigate the pleasures of alcohol, I took a hard turn into the world of workahol. The addiction hasn't left me since.

I guess some things never change, I shook myself out of my reverie with a sip of the working man's drink. Best get to it. Code ain't going away. Deluded motivation said the problem would be fixed by a few late nights. At least, that is what I hoped.

My friend's online avatar accompanied the thought. No, 'R-Senpai,' it's not bluffing myself, I'm... I'm...} Damn. I really am tired if I can't even think of a comeback.

The study loomed at the other end of the hall. I knew setting up a home office would come back to bite me. Work tends to follow wherever there is internet to be found, but at least I had the comfort of sleeping in my bed every night. Barring the three nights I fell asleep in front of the keyboard, but that is beside the point. The small sacrifice of a home office is better than sleeping under a desk on a tiled floor.

Boy, did my friend tease me about that one.

Socks muffled my footsteps as I walked down the hall, my mind already pondering the issue at hand. It wasn't what I would classify as a doozy, but it involved enough components to prevent a quick fix. The joys of programming right there. An impossible problem could be solved in hours whereas a simple irritation could warrant a rewrite of half the code base.

No job like it, that's for sure. I lowered the mug's contents to three-quarters as I pushed open the door to my study. The wind must have blown it shut, for I couldn't remember closing it.

I cast a glance at the darkened ceiling. Hm? Did I turn the light off?

``...hey...''

``Eh?'' Confused eyes refocused to scan the room. Computer ahead of me, a bookshelf in the corner, and a gaming computer on the opposite end. Nothing out of the ordinary. Even my headphones were still whispering the music I left on before going for my pick-me-up. ``Hm...'' The mug clinked against the wooden desk as I sat down. ``Must have been the song,'' I muttered, flicking the switch before sitting down and sliding my headphones into place. A blurred outline disappeared at the edge of my vision when I blinked. Must have been a stray eyelash.