"Hm~"
Alex stirred on the bed, and turned his face away from the light falling on him. He moved to find himself a more comfortable position with the new position of his head, but still opened his clear eyes.
He had gone to bed relatively early the previous night, so he was well-rested. Even the pain on the purplish side of his body was only coming in dull waves now, harsh but dull waves.
He blinked at the wall, then stood up with a yawn. He first made a trip to the bathroom to free himself of any unnecessary burden, before he cleaned himself up.
It was only then he went to unlock the door of his room, and he stepped into the now empty living room. He merely acknowledged the emptiness of the wide space with a sweep of his gaze over the place, before he walked to the kitchen.
He opened the fridge for the milk which he put a glass of into the microwave, before he picked out different fruits which he cut before putting them on a plate.
Just then, the microwave beeped, and he took out his hot milk, picked up his plate of fruits, and raised his head, then froze.
He blinked, as if to confirm what he was seeing, to see through the haze of confusion, then the corner of his mouth twitched. He moved out of the kitchen, and came to the sofa in the middle of the living room, before he kicked its eastward tip.
The sofa trembled, but he didn't get the reaction he was looking for, so he kicked it again, this time while speaking up:
"Hey, wake up!"
Indeed, the living room he had been happy to see empty upon waking up was not as empty as he had expected. The blame for the misconception could be squarely placed on the sofa whose back was facing his room and hiding the form of the woman who had fallen asleep on it when she should have left already.
Sharon stirred slightly, but with reluctance, so he raised his voice while throwing a third kick:
*Bang*
"I said! Wake up!"
"Hm?"
This time, with the constant tremors like the aftermath of an earthquake having deprived her of any form of comfort, Sharon opened her eyes, and squinted at the bare chest in front of her.
At first, there was confusion, then through her squinted eyes, she observed the well-maintained upper body with obvious muscle lines in front of her and jumped up when she finally registered the face above.
She hastily looked around to find out where she was, swallowed her saliva, and looked at Alex:
"I–"
"My place is not a shelter for homeless people. Leave."
Alex impassively interrupted her, then turned away after a glance at the wooden box the blonde was holding tightly in her hands.
She looked at his back as he went to the balcony to lounge under the warmth of the rising sun. She looked around again at the large living room of the expensive apartment, then lowered her head to look at the box she had slept while holding.
She smiled bitterly, then looked at Alex who had started eating with a nonchalance she could feel even from the back.
She took a deep breath, then exhaled. At least she was not feeling any pain that was not her own anymore. She stood up, and walked away from the sitting area.
On the balcony, Alex frowned when he did not hear the sound of the entrance door opening and closing. Instead he heard the sound of another door being opened, followed by the sound of water running.
He took a deep breath, then continued picking up the fruits on his plate. It did not take long for the sounds behind him to fade, and for another one to take their place.
This time, it was the sound of footsteps coming close to him, and stopping to the side, just half a step behind him. And this time, Alex did not exhale in annoyance. He pretended he did not hear anything, and continued eating while facing the sun.
He ate without haste, but not slowly either. The pieces of fruit disappeared from the plate bit by bit, and soon, the latter was left empty, save from the sunlight falling on it before jumping away.
Alex calmly chewed the last piece of fruit in his mouth, swallowed it, then continued by taking the glass of milk, and drinking it sip after sip. The process went on for five more minutes, before he downed the last mouthful of the milk, and put his glass down.
He rested for a while, the activity inside him and the warmth in the midst of turning into heat from the sun making him produce a light sheen of sweat. It was then that he stood up, took the empty plate and cup, and turned around. It was then that he came face to face with the undesirable guest refusing to leave his home. She had even taken the trouble to refresh herself, as if she was making herself at home.
"What are you still doing here? The door is on the other side."
Alex gave the blonde a faint look, then walked around her to go to the kitchen.
Sharon shook the image of the scarred bare chest out of her head, and turned around to follow Alex. She looked at him doing the dishes, then put the wooden box in her hand on the countertop. Even though he didn't react, she spoke:
"I didn't find any solution."
Alex shook the clean plate in his hand, and took the dishcloth to wipe it. Then he did the same with the cup he had used.
Sharon bit her lip at the disregard:
"I told you yesterday that I will not be going anywhere unless I find a solution to the problem."
Alex shook his hands, then wiped the water off them, all the while still without paying attention to Sharon. That finally made the blonde angry, and she raised her voice:
"Alex Lenner, your family–!!!"
Alex's impassive eyes rose up to fall on her, and she swallowed back her words. Thinking about her mother whose situation worsened for the first time in years, she took a deep breath, and looked at him, calmer now:
"Mr Lenner, I don't care about what will happen to me. As you said, I am the one who intruded into your life, causing this situation. I can accept the consequences, but I can't accept people I care about paying for that. So, please, let's look for a solution to end this. I'm begging you."