Pretty Bird - Chapter 3
I woke up at 5 a.m., eyes still crusty, head spinning like a one-minute candlestick chart. But the sound of skipping from the front yard? Yeah. That's my new personal alarm.
"Tap tap tap tap tap..."
Ell. That morning creature. Skipping with his oversized gray hoodie that's basically his uniform now. He's already dripping with sweat, but his face? Calm. Chill. Like he doesn't even realize he's crashing at someone else's place while casually being my personal trainer, chef, and maid—all in one neat package.
I sat in the living room and checked my phone. Market's still floating from last night's position—green. Thank God. Looks like it's gonna be a good day. While waiting for my instant coffee to finish brewing, I glanced toward the kitchen. Ell's already in there, pulling stuff out of the fridge. Stir-frying at 6 a.m.? Respect.
"Wanna eat fried rice?" he asked from behind the counter.
I nodded and grinned. The meat ratio's gonna be overkill. The veggies? Like he's trying to win some National Healthy Eating Olympics. But the taste? Don't even ask. It's that good. Sometimes I wonder—is he even a dude, or some ultra rare NPC from another dimension sent here to balance out my tragic life?
After breakfast, he started sweeping the house. Me? Sitting there like a potato behind a laptop, watching him from the screen reflection. Market's going sideways, so I just scrolled through an e-book, pretending to be deep in thought. Honestly? Sometimes I think, "This guy… is he a bro or a wife material that spawned in the wrong timeline?"
Ell came out of the shower, carrying an entire basket of skincare stuff. His routine is like a sacred ritual. Toner, serum, moisturizer, eye cream—all stacked neatly on a face that was already born with a YouTube-glass-skin-filter look. Me? If I even remember to wash my face with soap, that's already self-care day.
At night, we sat on the bed watching anime together. His hand clutching a pillow, eyes locked on the screen, sometimes smiling to himself. I was quiet, but my brain? Screaming.
"Bro. You're getting way too comfy. Don't catch feelings. He's a dude. A dude. A DUDE."
Sometimes he'd go back and forth to the bathroom 'cause apparently, he drinks a ton of water. I'd just nod, trying not to laugh. Sometimes he even asked me to walk him to the bathroom 'cause he said the house was too dark. I mean... yeah, I do save on electricity. But a guy... asking to be escorted to pee?
It's funny. But also... it makes me feel needed. And weirdly enough, that feels... nice.
I kept getting curious. Where's his house? Who are his parents? What's his past like? But he always just said, "They're busy working." Standard answer. Always a wall, never letting me in deeper. Like he's building a barrier but also holding my hand, pulling me to sit beside him anyway.
Sometimes I wonder—maybe he's a secret agent. Or a time traveler. Or... maybe my mom sent him to make sure I don't skip meals. But whenever I ask with a joking tone, he just gives me a tiny smile and says, "You're funny."
Funny? Bro, I was being dead serious.
But maybe... there are just some people you don't need to know everything about to care deeply. They just have to show up, sweep your house, make you fried rice, and sit beside you while watching anime.
And somehow… you're not lonely anymore.