tick, tock, tick, tock

day after day, the ticking clock continues to follow its routine. the mechanical sounds of its hands, filling the silence of an old one-room apartment. it's already night, but the clock hour hands haven't moved an inch, still pointing at 6 o'clock. only the minute and second hands are still shifting, making a consistent ticking noise.

the dampness of the room makes it hard to breathe, but the broken lock on the window denies me any chance to circulate the air. maybe I should consider calling a repairman soon? It sounds like a pain.

On the floor, I slept on a carpet that acted as my bed, my sweat leaving a mark on it. maybe I shouldn't have bought a bright-coloured one after all. well, it is my fault for sleeping in a thick blanket and turning on the heater directly beside me. since it was snowing outside, I just instinctively did it.

"(yawn) What time is it?" I asked myself as I woke up from a very unsatisfying sleep. I sat down cross-legged while picking up my phone from the table near me. 20:00. the brightness of the phone light flashed through my still-lethargic eyes. On the lock screen, red phone icons could be seen present, missed call notifications it looks like.

'shit'

I overslept. I opened the chat application I frequently use, full of chats incoming non-stop. most of them from the group chat, all of them very active unlike any other normal day.

'well, it is Christmas Eve'

between the heaps of group chats, a message came from someone I am very familiar with. the profile picture of a girl wearing an academic gown while surrounded by her family.

"Where are you, Leo? the party is about to start"

my sister's message. received at 19:30.

"Sorry, I'm going to be a bit late"

it was late, but I replied anyway. I sent the chat as I stood up hurriedly from my sitting position. I turned off the heater and went to the bathroom located a few steps away from where I stood.

I used the water faucet in my bathroom, only for a bit of water to come out of it despite the lever being fully opened.

"I'll need to talk to the landlord about this"

Slightly disgruntled, I washed my face using the rust-scented water anyway.

In the mirror, I could see my pale skin and dark circles on my eyebags. Unruly hair and a mess of facial hygiene.

'Should I shave?'

I want to shave if I could, but I forgot to buy a razor after the last one broke.

I walked away from the bathroom and took my best-looking casual clothes from my drawer. an old and dated long-sleeved navy blue shirt. the colour had already started to fade. now, it looks a lot more like a light blue shirt. without caring too much, I put it on right away.

on the table, I took my glasses that I hadn't worn after I woke up.

before I went out, I cleaned up the place a bit. wouldn't want to deal with this tomorrow.

'Hopefully, the train isn't too packed'

as soon as I'm done with the preparation, I then head out of my room.

"I'm going out"

I uttered towards the empty space behind me.

the room replied with silence.

as I stand outside the building, the chilly breeze of white Christmas greets me immediately. I rub my gloves-covered hands, trying to warm them up. since it was too cold, my glasses started getting foggy from my breath.

"maybe I should buy a contact lens sometime soon," I thought as I hurried towards the parking spot.

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"the tyre looks fine, let's go" I took out my trusted bicycle and rode it towards the train station.

along the way, I pass through a neon-lit street where crowds gather.

couples on a date,

families having a night out,

and friends doing a get-together.

a variety of people are present on that auspicious night, enjoying their time together. of course, the main attraction there is in the middle of the district, a huge Christmas tree lit up with lights. a popular spot for a confession I would say. not like it has anything to do with me.

I continue to cycle through the crowd, thankfully no one is stupid enough to stand on the bike lane.

"CHRISTMAS SALE, BUY 1 GET 1 FREE"

people shouting on the side of the street.

"COME INSIDE. ALL STUFF 50% OFF"

signs on the windows of each shop.

apart from the people enjoying themselves, there are also people on the street wearing Santa-themed outfits while trying to conduct business. when people gather, vendors will always appear out of nowhere. whether they're just holding a sign or shouting around trying to gather attention, it does make the night seem more lively.

while going through the street, one of the Santa's took my attention. a thin old man selling cakes on the side of the street.

As I pass him by, I take a look at his stall. on it, a few of his cakes still haven't been sold. it isn't the best looking out of the bunch, rather, it looked handmade compared to the basic one sold by the other stall.

'Should I buy a cake for the party?'

"..."

"one cake please"

I asked the old man after coming back to his stall.

'I should bring something as a souvenir'

his eyes lit up like a child. he happily prepares the cake and wraps it up. in retrospect, the cake is kinda small and looked a bit amateurish, but I could see his genuine feelings when making this cake, just by seeing he didn't cut down on the strawberry, the main star of the cake.

after I receive the cake, I give him the money. it was more than what it was sold for. but when he tried to give me the changes, I shook my head.

"keep the changes,"

I said as I pedalled away with my bike hurriedly. it's not like I let him keep the change because I'm trying to act kind, but I'm just in a hurry.

'yeah, that's it'

a thought, justifying my action. as I glanced back, I could hazily see the old man waving goodbye.

it was a cold night, but the fuzzy feeling I felt kept me warm. not long after, I finally arrived at the train station. thankfully, the train had only just arrived.

***

I finally arrived at the party. my parent's house is located near the train station where I got off, so it didn't take me long to walk there.

the party is held in my parent's new house. it is quite a vast and modern house, especially considering houses in the city are more expensive. if the residence has a considerable amount of outdoor space, it should be considered a high-end property.

"I forgot how big this house is"

after I moved out of my parent's old house a few years ago, they decided to relocate and bought this house near my father's office.

when I arrived there, a few cars were parked in front of the gate. one of them has a very recognizable design. a white Mercedes Benz with a convertible top.

'it looks like they're also here...'

just my luck, I would love to avoid them if I can.

'I wonder how she's doing these days....'

"Leo, you have arrived?"

a black-haired beauty appeared out of the gate. her bob cut makes her charming face shine even more. seemingly annoyed by me, she came towards me with a furious expression.

"you dare come late to my marriage after party? besides, it's Christmas. who's ever late for a Christmas party?" she pointed at me while pouting. even when angry, she looks cute.

"I had something to do at work" I lied as naturally as I breathed.

"you think I don't know you took a day off from your part-time job today? Daisy already told me"

this girl connection is a bit too much. how is she acquainted with my new co-worker already?

"..."

"Sorry..."

The air filled with silence for a few seconds. I regret lying to her and waking up late, but it's not like I woke up late on purpose

"...I fell asleep after pulling an all-nighter last night. I barely finished my manuscript."

"manuscript? ah.... for your novel?"

I nodded with a thin smile on my face.

"I see. sorry ..."

Hearing my reasoning, She became quiet all of a sudden. Her furious face became that of a remorseful one instead.

Is that out of consideration for me? or does she feel guilty bringing up that topic? who knows.

I pat her head lightly.

"Why should you be sorry? it is my fault for not waking up on time."

"..."

no reply came, but at least her grim face became a little bit brighter.

"come on, let's go inside. I can't let my lovestruck brother-in-law be alone in his marriage after-party"

PUNCHHHH

"ARGHHH" I groaned. her fist went straight towards my solar plexus. this girl, still as violent as ever.

"you still like to joke around huh?" she pulled her hands away. sometimes, I forget she has a black belt in karate.

"my sister, I just hope you're not this violent to your husband during your honeymoon next week"

"you...."

she formed a fist once again, but this time, I ran away hurriedly towards the gate.

"come on, it's cold out here"

rubbing my hands together, I asked her to come in right away. She could only sigh and agree as it was getting colder around this time of the night.

"geez, this is the only time I'm letting you get away scot-free".

'Scot-free? When you have already punched me?'

... is what I would have said, but I'm not risking getting punched again by a black belt karate-ka.

we both then entered the gate. As we walked towards the front door, I was about to give the cake I bought to her. but then, I remembered something I wanted to do before entering the party.

"Fauna, can you keep quiet about me having arrived for a while? I want to enter through the back door."

"Why?" she asked with a curious expression.

"I want to greet Grandma first"