Supine 'til Aurora • Dan Howell

• Chapter 1 •

An old friend of my aunt's owned a bookshop just off the edge of a large shopping district. She would always lend me books to read, and I appreciated it, greatly.

The tram suddenly jolted forward, warm light seeping in through the clouded windows in patches, spilling in through the thick trees that lined the thin brinks of pavement along the road.

I immersed myself in my book, waiting quietly for the ding of my stop, the shunting, yellow doors prying themselves open.

○○○

Stepping off the tram, I shoved Pride and Prejudice down into my bag, pulling it further up onto my shoulder I made my way down the thin road toward my block of flats; it was painted a nauseating colour of yellow that I'd always hated, the paint fading around the windows and door frames from the pure age of the building.
Exhausted, I pushed open the paneled front door, making my way up to the third floor where I dragged my keys out of one of my bag's inside pockets, and let myself into my apartment, wandering straight forward into my tiny kitchen. I switched on the light as I simultaneously thew my bag onto my armchair in the corner of the room. Shoving my fist into the light switch, the room was illuminated by a warm glow.

Feeling my stomach growl, I headed over to the fridge, tugging it open and peering inside.

It was almost 6 now, though the daylight still lingered slightly despite it being winter. It never seemed to get dark early, at least not until late December. Despite the sun still being up, my blinds were drawn preventing the few final hours of sunlight from pressing into my small living room.
My eyes glossed over the contents of the shelves of the fridge; I spied a lentil casserole I made last night when Oliver - my best friend from university - visited from Cornwall, and my other best friend Lis - who I met in high school - visited from just outside Helsinki. Lis and I previously dated back in high school after I came out as bisexual to her. It lasted almost a year, until we crossed some complications; though decided to stay friends; and I'm glad we did.

A pang of sadness gnawed at my insides as the memory flooded my mind, but only for a fraction of a second, as I pulled the ceramic dish out the fridge and grabbed a plate from an upper cupboard.
Sighing, I warmed it up in the microwave, which wasn't the most appetizing thing I'd ever cooked, or rather warmed up, but with a bottle of water, some instant noodles, hummus, a red onion and cheddar cheese in my fridge, it was the best I could do.

Honestly, I had never been a fan of lentil casseroles - lentils at all for that matter, but Oliver was a Vegetarian, so he had requested it, and now it was the only food to eat.

I sat down with my questionable meal on a bar stool at the unit opposite my fridge and pulled my laptop closer to me, opening up Skype and logging in. As the page loaded I turned around to grab the bottle of water in my fridge.

A ping on my laptop made me jump. Quickly, I glanced back at the screen, scanning down my few contacts. Oliver had messaged me.
I smiled to myself, opening up our chat. It simply read:

"Call?"

Ominous. I jokingly thought to myself.

I hummed as I clicked the video call button, shoveling a spoonful of casserole into my mouth as Oliver answered almost immediately, his face popping up on the screen.
"Hello, my darling, Ava."

○○○

"So you didn't tell her?" I asked, intently.
"Nope," Oliver brought his purple mug to his lips and then placed it down on his desk again after taking a sip from it, the handle still partly on screen. Knowing him, it was probably mango tea. "I mean, why would I?" He shrugged.

"Fair point." I replied, tracing the rim of my water bottle with my pinkie finger.

"Anyway," He continued, smiling, "anything happened today that's exciting?"

I let out a cackling laugh, pushing my hair out my eyes.
"Nothing happens around here, you know that, Oliver. It's the reason you moved away."

"I know, but I'm convinced one of these days something exciting is going to happen. Something that'll make me say 'God I wish I hadn't moved.' Just you wait."

I snorted at his comment. "Alright, if you're so sure-"

"I am. It'll be like, a city makeover or a free hot tub for everyone living there." He retorted, smugly looking at me.

"If you're so very sure," I ignored his interruption and smugness, "then I bet you-"

"Has to be in pounds."

"Stop interrupting me!"

"Sorry." He muttered, "Go on."

"I bet you," I glared at him, "20 pounds that nothing exciting or interesting will happen within the next 4 months."

He looked like he was contemplating slightly, then he looked me dead in the eye. "It's on." Then he paused again, turning away for a split second and then spinning around suddenly, with a creepy half grin on his face.
"Don't you dare say it." I grimaced as he opened his mouth and leaned in.

"Like Donkey Kong."

I groaned as a smile spread across my face.

I was so going to win this bet.

____________________

Told ya I'd see you soon! Welcome back you my little authors note.
Apologies about the slow start; I am just introducing characters at the moment and the plot is due to thicken! This is the shortest chapter in the whole book, so make sure you keep reading!

What do you think of Ava? What do you think of Oliver? Are you excited to see what happens? I'd love to see your thoughts so far - even if there isn't much to go on! 😊xx