Chapter 2: Espresso

Mornings had never been Felix's favorite part of the day. They were so dreadful that if given the opportunity, he would make do without them. That is to say, when juggling between his early morning responsibilities and classes, sleeping in till noon is never an option. With the third ring of his alarm, he searched for his phone with one hand and ruffled his honey blond hair with the other in frustration. Oh, how he wanted to snooze it again, but it was for the best that he didn't. He would never leave his warm fluffy bed otherwise.

He glanced at his phone home screen for a long while, 'It's 5:30am on a Thursday… just one more day this week. Just one more!' he groaned as he jumped out of bed. Without his daily motivational speech, he would most definitely give into the winter temptation of never leaving his house. Anything to not be out in the horrid cold weather.

Quickly slipping into the shower, the warm water droplets trickled down his sculpted face, making its way to his aching muscles, relaxing them ever so slightly. The short-lived relief was cut short with a soft knock on the bathroom door. Rinsing the soap off himself, he shouted out, "Just a minute sweetie!"

He snatched a clean towel and dried himself as fast as he could, then slipped on a bathrobe and walked out to greet the child. "Good morning biscuit! You're up earlier than usual. Was I too loud?" He squatted down to the height of the little girl before him with a shiny grin.

"Mhmm," she hummed as she rubbed her soft emerald eyes awake.

"Oh, I'm sorry sweetie. Since you're up now, how about we get you ready for the day?" he proposed as he held her small hand and walked her to the bathroom. He was a natural talent when it came to kids, especially with his four-year-old sister, Lily.

Their parents were, more often than not, on business travel far from home. Moving was a hassle, especially with a toddler running. Leaving their daughter for their twenty-one-year-old son to take care of for the time being seemed like the best option. It was hard for Felix to refuse, after all, it was his sister whom he loved. The last thing he needed was for her to not have a stable environment. Besides, if it meant that his tuition was paid for simultaneously, it wasn't the worst deal. It was better than student debt at least.

By the time he had finished getting her ready, the clock was nearing 7:30 am. On a normal day it would be plenty of time before he had to drop off Lily at the day care and head to his classes, but that was when he had access to his car. His car. 'Ah yes.' He thought. 'The car… that is at the mechanic shop… Shit.' He swore at himself. How could he forget the most crucial detail of this whole arrangement?!

"Sweetie, it's time to go! Let's get your unicorn helmet on for you." He knelt as he buckled both their helmets on and secured his sister safely onto the bike. The day care was not too far, luckily, but his university was a good 20-minute ride away from his first destination. Being late on the day of his presentation was not an option. He wouldn't know his presentation order until he reached his lecture hall, but on the odd chance that he was to go first, it would be a disaster.

With his sister onboard, he was riding as carefully as possible. As the five minutes turned to ten, the warmly dressed child hugged her brother goodbye and was safely handed over to her teacher for the day. He waved and smiled at the child, and as soon as she was out of sight, he sprinted towards his bike.

"7:40... Just great." He murmured after glancing at his wristwatch. He was going to be late. No. he couldn't be late. He would make sure of it!

Time was of the essence, and his speed, well, now that he was alone on his bicycle, he could do as he pleased. He peddled and peddled, as the cold winter air brushed against his flushed red cheeks. He grew closer and closer to his destination. 'Only 3 more minutes from here, oh, good I'll be early', he thought. Out of pure nervousness, or maybe it was of poor judgment, but in the moment that Felix glanced to look at his wristwatch again, he grew increasingly distracted. And in the split second between the quick glance and his view of the next turn up ahead, he missed one of the most crucial details about riding and driving. Don't. Hit. Pedestrians.

He completely missed the pedestrian crossing the road. Amidst pressing the breaks and screaming at her, "AHHH WATCH OUT!" his wheels slipped on the black ice and there was no way for him to stop in time. At the very least he had managed to slow down enough to not make it fatal. On the other hand, collision was all he could see coming, and indeed, collision was what happened. She yelped. After all, between screaming and swearing as she lay beneath the bicycle wheel, there was hardly much she could do.