"Corpse, huh?" Aspyn questioned. "I mean... he's not wrong. He does look dead from his gauntness to his stagnant saunter..."
She was peering from her window, something she found herself doing a lot more than usual after Corpse moved in. She could see the man slowly drift into a soft slumber, curled beneath his white comforter, knowing all too well that it wouldn't last long.
The first time she saw him jolt awake from his sleep was the first night he moved in. She was watching the raccoon that lived in his backyard dog around for something when she saw Corpse fly out of bed and rush out of his bedroom.
It startled her because she wasn't aware of a new neighbor. Her initial thought was that a homeless person snuck into the home to sleep, but seeing as there was now furniture inside of the once empty house, she figured she'd just missed him moving in.
The nights following the first one were the same. She'd watch the cute little raccoon dig its paws into the moist dirt behind his house and get interrupted by her neighbor speeding out of his room with his metaphorical tail tucked between his legs.
Worry began to grow within her after the fourth night. He lived alone and could barely find any sleep. She started watching him habitually out of concern. If something were to happen to him, there'd be no one there for him.
The last thing she wanted was for him to get hurt, or worse — die all alone in his home and rot until his body was so decayed you could smell it from across the sea.
"But there could be an explanation for that, Aspyn," Jadon said without looking up from his book. "Now, step away from the window. You're acting like a peeping Tom."
With an agitated huff, Aspyn shut her blinds and stomped towards the male sitting in her beanbag, "Let's go for drinks then, yea?"
"Drinks? There's wine in the cellar, Aspyn." Jadon mumbled while looking up at her.
"Wine? Wine doesn't do jack shit, Jadon." Aspyn matched his tone.
"Go drink with my replacement."
"Who? Corpse?" Aspyn snorted. "Don't tell me you're jealous!"
"I'm just sayin'! Ever since he moved in he's had all of your attention. Even before you spoke to him." Jadon dramatically sighed while slipping from the beanbag.
"As much as I'd like to get to know more about him, drinking doesn't seem like a good way to do it. Besides, he's sleeping peacefully now." Aspyn smiled as she snuck a look through the blinds again.
"Oh, you actually thought about it? Some best friend you are!"
"Jealousy's not cute on you, bubs. Is that why Emily left you?"
"I'll have you know, I left Emily."
"Whatever keeps you up at night," Aspyn chortled. "but since you don't wanna drink, why don't you go on home?"
"Wooow, kicking your own best friend out? If you wanted to cuddle with your vibrator you could've said that... but you know, my helping hand's still extended—"
"Shut the hell up. I don't have a vibrator."
Jadon stood up from the floor and grabbed his keys, "Whatever keeps you up at night." He mocked. "Literally."
On his way out of Aspyn's room, he kicked the pile of clothes that sat in the corner. As it toppled over, a gasp erupted from Aspyn. Jadon giggled teasingly as her vibrator fell to the floor, "You son of a bitch!"
☠︎︎
A few days later, Aspyn stood on Corpse's doorstep. A bright smile adorned her face as she held a warm bag of bread in her hand. She brought her fist up and wrapped the door with her knuckles a few times.
She could hear Corpse's slippers scrape against the floor from the other side and grew excited. She enjoyed talking to him the day they first officially met. There wasn't much to learn about him, but he was a great listener and that was something Aspyn liked a lot.
Most people can hear you, but it's rare that they actually listen.
She'd bet that if she were to ask Corpse anything from their conversation days before, he'd be able to answer them all without hesitation.
When he opened the door, Corpse smiled. His new friend looked all giddy and happy, her cheerful attitude rubbing off on him instantly. He had a bad morning — of course the cause being the same old nightmare — and seeing her made him feel a hell of a lot better.
An optimistic soul in his life was something he needed. He didn't have anyone else, so to see there was someone who was so delighted to see him made him feel good. It was a foreign feeling, but amazing nonetheless.
The wide smile on her face was adorable and free of any worries, something Corpse envied a lot. Her eyes crinkled from how big her smile was and she bounced on her feet while holding the bread out to him, "Hi, Corpse! I baked cinnamon bread this morning and thought you'd like some!" Aspyn chirped. "It's still warm too!"
"Thank you, Aspyn," Corpse thanked her while grabbing the bag. "Could you — eat with me?"
Although she was shocked, Aspyn nodded and followed Corpse inside. She giggled lowly behind him as she caught sight of his iron man slippers. He turned around and his face reddened as his eyes trailed down to his slippers, "Hey, stop laughing."
Holding her arms up in surrender, Aspyn stifled a laugh and spoke, "They're adorable!"
Corpse rolled his eyes and plopped on the couch as they finally entered his living room. He was glad they were comfortable around each other and things weren't awkward, because if she were anyone else, he'd be sitting on the edge of the couch with his back uncomfortably straight and his fingers anxiously fumbling with his nails.
Aspyn followed suit shortly after, kicking her socked feet up on his coffee table as he'd done. He noticed her shiver and handed her the blanket from the back of the couch before tearing open the bag of bread. His house was cold and her thin long-sleeve did little to nothing to keep her warm.
She wasn't planning on entering his home, or else she'd have worn something warmer. His house was ice cold the last time she was there too, but he didn't seem disturbed in the slightest.
"I'm sorry it's so cold... I think the heat's broken," Corpse apologized. "It doesn't really bother me so I haven't rushed to get it fixed."
"It's fine," Aspyn reassured him. "These houses are pretty old. Mine needed a lot of TLC when I first moved in too, but luckily my best friend's a handyman. He can come to check it out if you'd like."
"Oh, sure..." Corpse nodded while taking a bite out of the bread. "This is really good!"
"Thank you. I've been into baking a lot lately. Maybe you can be my taste tester!"
"If it means I get more stuff like this, count me in!"
"Did you sleep well last night?"
Corpse was taken back by her question. Although it was a pretty normal question, he couldn't help but think she knew of his sleeping problems — and in all honesty, he was a bit creeped out.
Shaking his thoughts away, Corpse lied with a nod, "I slept well."
Aware of his lies, Aspyn simply nodded and snuggled into the blanket. It wasn't her place to push, but she couldn't help but still feel a bit worried, "So, Are you from here, or did you move here? Any family here or anything?"
"I just moved here for a change of scenery. My family's still in California." Corpse responded. He didn't have a family or friends, but he wasn't comfortable telling her that yet. He knew he'd be embarrassed.
His parents were long gone, having dropped all contact with him when they saw he couldn't afford to pay their bills and moved on to his sister.
His sister never wanted anything to do with him since they were children. Some would say she was bitter, but she wasn't. She just couldn't stand to see the person she was constantly compared to as children, not to mention how he'd sometimes let his ego take over and brag about his accomplishments.
He was always the promising sibling, hence his parent's attachment to him. He went to school to be a doctor, and they were so certain he'd succeed and be able to support them. They didn't pay attention to his sister much because of her "mediocre dream" of becoming a fashion designer.
It was ironic though because after watching their golden child deal with depression and drop out of college, Corpse's parents started showing affection to his sister and began mooching off of her. She was more successful than they ever expected Corpse to be, her fashion brand becoming a luxury and incredibly popular amongst A-list celebrities.
After hearing that he indeed had no one there for him, Aspyn decided she'd be that person. She'd always be there to check on him, feed him, and if he were to ever confide in her about his trouble sleeping, she'd be there to comfort him.
Written Nov. 2nd 2021