Labyrinth of Life

Chapter 9

I wake up to the sound of my alarm ringing at six in the morning. When I unlock my phone, to turn off my alarm, I see two notifications from my group chat with the ladies. When do we get to come and see the new place? Rosi asked.

It's been more than a week since you moved in. Mina's message is right under Rosi's. It's the middle of the week, so, I'm not too sure how either Simone or Greyson would feel about my two best friends coming over on a weekday. Perhaps I should ask Simone if it would be alright.

I open up my text conversation with Simone and begin to type. Hey, would it be okay if Rosi and Mina stopped by today? I'm pretty sure Simone is still asleep, which means that she'll most definitely reply once she wakes up. Then, I'll respond to Rosi and Mina once I get an answer from Simone.

So far, this whole week, I've been able to sleep peacefully without needing my earphones. On Monday night, I forgot to sleep with them and was surprised when I wasn't woken up by the sound of Greyson and his companion of the night. I tested out the water by not wearing my earphones again last night and was ecstatic when I realized that I went two straight nights without having to sleep with earphones on. Although they do successfully block out the sound, I must admit, they are pretty uncomfortable to sleep with. As a side sleeper, the last thing I want is something in my ears when I'm trying to fall asleep.

I force myself to get out of bed and get myself washed up and dressed for work. Once I'm content with the black jeans and mustard yellow long-sleeved shirt I have on, I head straight for the kitchen to get started with breakfast. I open the fridge and begin to take out all the ingredients that I need, but instantly get startled by the sound of Simone's voice asking, "What's for breakfast?" from behind me. My body jumps before I turn around to see Simone, who's still in her matching set of pink pajama shorts and a t-shirt. "Holy shit, you scared the crap out of me. What are you doing up so early?" I've gotten way too used to making and eating breakfast on my own, that it's become unfamiliar to see someone awake this early.

"My shifts got switched around, so now I work day shifts instead of midnight shifts," Simone said with a saddened expression.

"What time do you work now?" I asked.

"Nine to nine, so basically my entire day is spent at work."

"I assume that means you prefer the midnight shift?" I asked as I walked over to the cabinet beside the stove, where we keep all the pots and pans, to take out the ones that I need. "Yeah, it's not as busy as the day shift. But I guess my shifts will go by a lot faster now, so it's not horrible," she responded with a sigh.

"Does that mean I get to have a breakfast buddy now?" I excitedly asked.

"Hell yeah, it does," she said with a grin.

"By the way, I wasn't planning on doing much for breakfast this morning. Just scrambled eggs, hash browns, and sausage. Do you want me to pop some toast in for you?" I asked as I walked back to the fridge when I realized that I had forgotten to take the bag of bread out.

"Are you kidding me, that sounds way better than my usual breakfast of cereal. And yes, I would love some toast, please."

I let out a chuckle and said, "Don't worry, I'll make something nice for us tomorrow. But go wash up. Breakfast should probably be ready by the time you're done."

"Why are you such a mother? I love it," she said with a giggle before turning to leave for the bathroom. I hear Simone's footsteps come to an abrupt halt when a familiar voice speaks. "Can I have some toast too, please?" Both mine and Simone's attention darts over to the culprit, Greyson. He stands there groggily, with blue basketball shorts and a sleeveless, white V-neck shirt. Holy shit, is that how his voice sounds after he wakes up? The depth of his voice sounds insanely erogenous to my eardrums, and I momentarily forget what I'm about to do. I haven't seen Greyson since the weekend, which I'm not surprised about, because he was never home all of last week. But this is the first time I've seen him after he had just woken up.