Chapter 63: Suspicious and awkward
Eiden walked back home, the cool breeze brushing against his face, but it wasn’t enough to lower the heat burning through him. His body temperature wasn’t rising from fever or the weather it was the sheer intensity of the cringed-ass line he had just delivered to Lyra. The words still echoed in his mind like a bad echo chamber with no escape. Why the hell did I say that?! His hands clenched into fists as his steps quickened, trying to outrun the secondhand embarrassment assaulting him from within.
As he reached his house, the warm light spilling from the windows gave him a bit of comfort. He stepped inside and was immediately greeted by a familiar voice. "Welcome back. You’re just in time for dinner. Wash up," his mom, Dally Mores, said with her usual radiant smile. "Yeah, I’m back," Eiden mumbled, still half-lost in thought.
He walked to the bathroom, splashing cold water on his face in an attempt to flush the awkwardness out of his system. But no amount of water could wash away the memory of Lyra’s kiss... or his melodramatic line that followed. After finishing up, he dried his face and sat down at the dinner table.
His dad, Algir Mores, joined them a few moments later, his expression as neutral as ever. Not gloomy, not overly bright just... there. The three of them ate dinner together like they always did. His mom remained bright and talkative, carrying most of the dinner conversation, while his dad listened with the occasional hum or nod.
Eiden barely spoke, chewing slowly, still stuck in the mental loop of today’s events more specifically, that kiss. And then the walk home. And then that dumb line. Every time he recalled it, his internal cringe intensified.
Dinner ended, and Eiden excused himself before his parents noticed his spaced-out state. He headed straight to his room, changed into his sleep attire, and flopped face-first onto his bed. As he buried his face into the pillow, his mind unwillingly played the day’s memory reel on loop from his initial meeting with Lyra, to spending the day together, to the unexpected kiss that melted his brain circuitry.
The moment reappeared crystal clear in his memory, and once again "Ughhhhghghghhh!"
He let out a muffled groan into the pillow, kicking his legs lightly against the mattress in sheer disbelief at himself. Eventually, sleep pulled him under.
The next morning, the harsh beep of the alarm clock yanked Eiden out of dreamland. He instinctively slapped it off and sat up with a half-dead expression. After a minute of stillness, he got up and washed up like usual, brushing his teeth as the fog in his head lifted slightly. As he wiped the steam off the mirror, he blinked a few times and brought up the status screen.
STATUS
Name: Eiden
Gender: Male