Afternoon…
"Looks like Ghoth isn't here yet. Where did that kind guy go?" I murmured to myself as I stood at our designated meeting spot, scanning the area. The place felt unusually still without him. I waited a little longer, shifting my weight from one foot to the other, occasionally glancing at the people passing by, half-expecting him to suddenly appear from the crowd.
Then, in the distance, I finally caught sight of him running toward me, slightly out of breath, his movements hurried and unpolished.
"Sorry, I'm late," he said, trying to steady his breathing as he reached me.
"It's fine," I replied with a small smile, brushing it off as if I hadn't been waiting long at all. "Come on. Let's find somewhere to eat first while we head out."
We started walking side by side, letting the road guide us rather than any fixed plan. There were plenty of places to eat; bright restaurants, crowded food stalls, and small cafés. But in the end, we chose the simplest one: a modest carinderia tucked along the side of the street. It wasn't anything special, but there was something comforting about its simplicity.
We sat across from each other, the faint clatter of utensils and quiet chatter of other customers filling the air. Once our food arrived, we began eating in a comfortable silence.
After a few moments, Ghoth finally spoke.
"So… where are you actually going?" he asked, glancing up at me.
I shrugged slightly, keeping my tone light. "Somewhere. Wherever we end up."
He paused, as if trying to read between the lines, but didn't press further. Instead, he simply nodded and returned to his meal, accepting my vague answer more easily than I expected.
By the time we finished eating and continued walking, the sky had already begun to shift. The golden light of the afternoon slowly faded into softer hues, and the air grew cooler with each passing minute.
"We should probably find a place to stay first. It's getting late," I said, looking around at the unfamiliar streets.
"Alright," Ghoth replied without hesitation.
He followed quietly beside me, almost like he was letting me take the lead entirely. There was something about the way he walked unquestioning, steady that made his presence feel reassuring rather than intrusive.
After wandering for a while, we finally came across a small place that looked like an apartelle. It wasn't luxurious by any means, but it seemed clean and quiet enough for what we needed.
"Wait… how many rooms are you getting?" Ghoth asked, suddenly sounding unsure.
"Just one," I answered casually, letting out a light laugh. "We're saving money, remember?"
He stiffened slightly. "A-are you sure? I mean… I'm a guy, and you're…" He trailed off, clearly uncomfortable finishing his sentence.
I turned to him and gave a playful wink. "It's fine. I trust you."
For a moment, he didn't respond. He simply looked away, as if trying to process what I had just said. His ears had turned faintly red, and I had to suppress a small smile.
We approached the receptionist.
"One room, please. The one with two beds," I said.
"How many days will you be staying?" the receptionist asked.
"Two weeks."
The key was handed to me shortly after, its small metallic weight settling into my palm.
"Let's go," I said, gesturing for Ghoth to follow.
When we entered the room, I immediately dropped my bag and let myself fall onto one of the beds.
"Ah… this is so soft," I sighed, stretching slightly as the mattress sank under my weight.
The exhaustion from the day seemed to melt away all at once.
I turned my head and noticed Ghoth sitting on the edge of the other bed, his back facing me. He looked stiff, almost like he didn't know what to do with himself.
"Hey… is something wrong?" I asked.
"N-no, nothing," he replied quickly.
But his posture said otherwise.
There was a quiet tension in the room but not uncomfortable, just unfamiliar. We had never been this close for this long, let alone sharing a space like this.
After resting for a bit, I sat up and gathered my things.
"I'm going to take a shower first," I said. "You should too later. We've been out all day, it feels sticky."
"Y-yeah… okay," he answered.
Inside the bathroom, the sound of running water filled the small space. The coolness of it washed away the dust and fatigue clinging to my skin, leaving me refreshed.
When I stepped out, I dried my hair with a towel and glanced toward Ghoth.
"Your turn," I said simply.
He nodded and stood up, avoiding eye contact as he quickly grabbed his things and headed inside.
Left alone in the room, I sat back down on the bed, letting the quiet settle around me. The faint hum of the outside world seeped through the walls, distant voices, passing vehicles, the subtle rhythm of a place that never fully slept.
When Ghoth came out of the bathroom, his hair slightly damp, he looked noticeably more relaxed than before—though there was still a hint of awkwardness in the way he moved.
We ended up talking for a while after that.
At first, it was simple things. Random observations about the places we passed, small comments about the food we ate, even pointless jokes that didn't really land but somehow made us laugh anyway.
At one point, as he shifted slightly on his bed, the wooden frame creaked softly, breaking the quiet between us. I glanced in his direction, only to find him already looking away, as if he'd been caught.
The distance between us felt thinner somehow, even without either of us moving any closer.
Eventually, the weight of the day caught up to us.
The conversation faded into softer tones, then into silence.
"Good night," I said quietly, lying down on my bed and turning to face the other side.
"Good night," Ghoth replied from his own.
The room dimmed as we turned off the lights, leaving only the faint glow from outside filtering through the curtains.
For a while, I could still hear him shifting slightly on his bed, the soft rustle of sheets and the occasional creak breaking the stillness, as if he was trying to get comfortable or maybe just trying to settle his thoughts.
Then, gradually, even that stopped.
The night settled around us completely.
And somewhere in that quiet, between unfamiliar surroundings and unspoken thoughts, sleep finally came. Slow, steady, and just a little different from usual.