"Alright, I have accomplished my mission of disturbing your sleep and waking you up early. Now I've got to go. See ya~"
The mischievous words whispered in a low voice made Alex let out a muffled grumble:
"Humph, see you later. Don't play too much, and focus on your studies. If you make some good achievements, I will prepare a gift for when you come back after graduation."
"Hehe, I will work hard, and I will surprise you."
Alex rolled his eyes and flatly replied:
"Yeah, do that."
*Beep*
The video call ended, and the image of the brightly smiling Jenny waving happily at him, with rows of orderly bookshelves filled with books in the background behind her, disappeared. Alex exhaled with a soft groan and threw his phone away. He tried to find back the happiness that had been taken away to dive back inside, only to move restlessly under the soft covers and finally give up at last.
He turned over to face the smooth ceiling with empty eyes. After a while, he let out a helpless sigh, and looked to the side, at the sky, through the sliding balcony door. It was brightening up, but was just starting to.
Alex's gaze lingered on the gap left in the glass door for a moment, before he let out another exhale. He sat up, letting the covers slide down his bare chest, before he pushed himself off the bed. He stretched with his arms raised upward, displaying the smooth lines of his muscles under the skin of his fit body, before he left the room to go to the kitchen.
After carelessly rifling through the fridge and the cupboards, he made for himself a breakfast for lazy people, one that needed little to no effort, and very little time, then went to the balcony connected to the living room with his bowl of cereal swimming in milk and his bright red, juicy apple.
Looking at the appearing sun, he ate while feeling its nascent warmth on his skin. Alone, high up in the sky, he enjoyed the peaceful, calm vitality that was preceding the harsh heat that would characterize the day, the soft quiet that was preceding the noise of the soon-to-wake-up restless city. He didn't eat too fast, nor in bites too big, finishing just as the soft glow in the sky lost its orangish tint.
He took a deep breath as he faced the burning celestial body, feeling his body getting a share of its vigor, then stood up to return inside. A short stop in the kitchen later, he left it clean and tidy then retraced his steps to his bedroom. He threw his clothes aside. He stepped into the bathroom, then came out a quarter of an hour later.
Another half an hour later, he stepped out of the luxurious apartment on the 69th floor with a sports bag, then soon after, drove out of the underground garage of the building in a convertible sports car, his left arm on the door, the roof folded to let the wind ruffle his hair, his eyes protected from the unobstructed sunrays by his classy gold-framed sunglasses as his lips curled up in a charming smirk.
Leaving a trail of upbeat music in his wake, Alex drove for a while before leaving the road and driving into the underground parking of a building looking like a giant beast lying down, beautiful at the same time as it was domineering, but with a touch of a futuristic sophistication that softly blended into the whole without any abruptness, only looking very distinctive compared to the rest of the steel and concrete jungle.
'K World', but also 'Reflection', was shining beautifully under the rays of the sun like a gem, brilliant and heavy. Leaving the underground garage, the world brightened up when Alex truly stepped into the mall. Its interior was truly big and spacious, like a world unto itself, or a reflection of one, just as its exterior had suggested.
The mall was a hive of activity. Taking an escalator, Alex went up a few floors and walked past a few shops before pushing open the door of one of the stores to walk inside.
"Good morning, Mr Lenner. Welcome to 'K World Sports Center'." × 2
Two respectful voices rang from the side of the waiting area, but Alex only focused on the owner of the female voice. His smile grew more charming, as he went over and leaned toward the bowing figure, supporting his weight with his elbow on the reception desk. He pulled his sunglasses down his nose with a finger, gave the brown-haired woman a once-over, and exclaimed with a bright, smiling voice:
"Oh, my, Stephany! You are as beautiful as ever!"
The receptionist named Stephany stood up. Restraining her smile that threatened to bloom, she fought against the blush creeping up her face and replied politely after taking a light breath:
"Please, Mr Lenner, don't tease me."
Alex raised his eyebrows, as if confused, before he looked at the woman deep in the eyes, and he retorted in a softened voice, the curve at the corner of his mouth rising higher:
"And who said that I'm teasing you? Don't you know that you are the only reason I keep coming here? How was your weekend without me?"
The beautiful receptionist fought not to lower her head as she worked to push down the rising heat in her body. The blush she was battling slipped through the flaw in her defense, and she averted her eyes. Only then did she muster enough strength to reply, and she did so in a voice softer than even she had expected:
"I was on rest this weekend, and I mostly stayed at home."
Alex paused, then let out a sigh full of regret as he fully pulled the sunglasses down:
"Sigh… Now, I regret going on a trip this weekend. Had I known, I would have stayed and invited you out. At worst, we could have explored the different shades of the city, and maybe of life itself! Really, what a shame. We could have had so much fun, sigh…"
*Ba-Dump*
The last sigh full of emotions made Stephany's heart skip a beat. Her face turned into such a shade of red that steam seemed ready to start rising above her head. She opened her mouth and closed it a few times, struggling to find words to say, her eyes seeking to meet Alex's regret-filled ones while at the same time running away from them.
The regret melted away from Alex's face, and his smile came back, radiant, confident and assured. Looking at the blushing mess across, he opened his mouth to continue speaking when the door behind him was pushed open, and a voice came from the side:
"Good morning, Dr Cullman. Welcome to 'K World Sports Center'. Will you be using our coaching services today?"