Chapter 3: A Shower, Phone Calls And…A Guest? (2)

After a few minutes of bliss, he reluctantly turned off the shower, stepping out with droplets clinging to his rejuvenated skin. 

"Man, that was really refreshing," he muttered, still shivering a little. He quickly grabbed the towel and wiped himself dry before wrapping it around his waist, the damp cotton clinging pleasantly to his skin. 

It also seems that the hot water had done wonders for his tense muscles, leaving him feeling looser and more awake, although the fatigue still lingered in his eyes.

He shuffled over to the sink, the tile floor cool beneath his bare feet. Reaching for his toothbrush, he paused, noticing the toothpaste tube was nearly empty near it.

"Ah right, I forgot. Damn it" Victor muttered, picking it up and giving it a gentle squeeze. A meager dollop of white and green stripes emerged, barely enough for one last brush. He grimaced. "Mental note – add toothpaste to the damn shopping list."

Victor applied the meager amount of toothpaste to the brush head and threw the toothpaste tube into the trashcan after ensuring it was empty. He brought it to his mouth and started his usual routine, meticulously brushing each quadrant of his teeth. As he focused on his brushing, his internal monologue continued. 

"Maybe I should invest in an electric toothbrush," he mused, picturing those fancy models with all the bells and whistles. "But then I gotta deal with charging stations and replacement heads. Oh man, that would be a hassle."

Halfway through, he realized he was zoning out again.

"Focus, idiot," he scolded himself. "Continue brushing and stop daydreaming about the pros and cons of electric toothbrushes."

He switched to the backs of his teeth, the bristles scraping slightly against his gums. "Gotta be gentle there," he muttered, wincing slightly.

As he scrubbed, his mind then wandered back to the conversation with Marco. A genuine laugh escaped his lips at the thought of his friend's grumbling about burnt battery acid.

"Alright, Marco," he said, more to himself than anyone, "Challenge accepted. Today, you're getting a decent cup of coffee, even if it kills me."

He spat the minty residue into the sink and rinsed his mouth, the minty taste momentarily refreshing his sleep-addled brain. Victor grabbed a small bottle of mouthwash, swirling the blue liquid around his mouth before spitting it out dramatically into the sink.

With a final rinse and a satisfied grunt, he finished his oral hygiene routine. Leaning against the sink, he looked at his reflection again. 

"Not bad," he said, examining his handiwork before becoming silent as he stared at his own face. His hair, damp and unruly, clung to his forehead, sleep lines etched around his eyes, making him look rougher than usual.

A sigh escaped him. Shaking his head, he reached for a fresh towel hanging beside the sink. This one, unlike the one used for his body, was a little smaller. He wrapped it around his head, roughly rubbing at the damp strands. The cool cotton felt comforting against his warm skin.

When he felt that he had wiped his hair dry enough, Victor tossed the damp towel onto the rack with a sigh. It landed haphazardly, snagged on a corner of another towel. 

"Ugh, I'll deal with that later," he muttered, looking at it before glancing at the mirror and a thought soon raced in his mind.

"Yeah, this messy mop on top definitely needs a trim," he muttered, running a hand through his already mussed hair. The damp strands clumped together, the ends looking split and unruly. "But not today. Maybe next weekend."

A satisfied pop echoed through the quiet bathroom as Victor stretched, relishing the release of tension in his muscles, before turning towards the open door. Marching out of the bathroom, he shuffled along with the cool floor, a welcome change from the warmed tile in the bathroom.

Reaching his bedroom door, Victor casually grabbed the doorknob, and as he turned the door open, a sudden jarring trill pierced the air causing Victor to freeze on the spot. 

"Eh?" Victor blurted, the startled sound escaping his lips as he quickly recognized the sound came from his own phone. "Who is calling me this early?"

With confusion in his mind, Victor pushed the door fully open and walked across the room. After picking up his phone, he stared at the phone screen, displaying a familiar name. "Marco" across the display. Surprise flickered across his face.

"Huh, did something happen? Why is Marco calling me?" He muttered, looking confused as he didn't expect Marco to call him back when he usually would message him if he wanted to share something or just to have a talk. He swiped his finger across the screen, answering the call with a cautious, "Yo?"

"Hey, Victor," came Marco's voice, laced with a hint of annoyance. "Uh, just wanted to give you a heads up…"

"…Yeah? What's up?" Victor prompted, bracing himself for any inevitable chaos.

"Victor, dude, you won't believe this..." Marco's voice trailed off for a second before suddenly erupting in a frustrated yell. "Of course, asshole! I'll sue your ass for this."

A mix of curses can be heard from the other end causing Victor to furrow his brow, confusion etching across his face. "Woah there, what the hell is going on? Who are you screaming against there?"

"Ah, sorry dude," Marco said, letting out a frustrated sigh. "Well…let's just say some idiot decided to run a red light and T-bone me on the way." 

Victor's eyes widened. "Wait, what? Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

"Thankfully, no," Marco replied, but the tremor in his voice betrayed his near miss. "Just shaken up. The car, however, is a different story. Looks like it got totaled, except maybe the freaking bumper."

"Oh my god," Victor breathed. Relief washed over him, quickly followed by a surge of anger. "A drunk driver? Seriously? Are you kidding me?"

"Yeah, well, apparently some people don't appreciate the concept of responsible drinking," Marco muttered darkly. "The cops are here now, dealing with the idiot."

Victor ran a hand through his already messy hair. "Okay, okay. So, what now? Do you need me to come get you?"

"Yeah, it is fine," Marco sighed. "The tow truck is taking care of the car, but I'm stuck dealing with the police and waiting for a rental that I just ordered. Man, this is going to be a nightmare."

"Victor felt a surge of worry and guilt. "Do you need me to come down there? I can help you deal with the cops and everything."

"Yeah, well, thanks for offering, buddy," Marco said sarcastically. "Except, you can't exactly help much in this situation right now, idiot. Look, the bottom line is that I'm going to be late. Maybe a couple of hours late. Just... stay put, alright?"

Victor winced at the edge in Mark's voice. "Yeah, no problem. Just take care of yourself, okay? And call me if you need anything at all."

"Will do," Marco replied curtly. "Gotta go now. The police are calling me. See you later, dude."

"Alright, See you later, buddy."

The call ended with a click. Victor stared at his phone, dumbfounded. He rubbed a hand through his already messy hair, trying to slowly understand what just had and after a while, he came to a simple conclusion in his mind.

"Let's just hope that Marco will finish his stuff quickly."

With that, he tossed the phone back onto the bed and light snorted before getting up and heading to his dresser without even glancing. Reaching his dresser, he flung open the drawer dedicated to his underwear. 

"Should I wear red today? No, let's just stick with black for today," he muttered, rummaging through the various colors of fabric. Finally, he pulled out a pair of well-worn black ones and slipped them on with a sigh of relief.

After closing the underwear drawer, he flung open the wardrobe, surveying the neatly folded stacks of t-shirts located in the two columns from below. "Red, gray, oh hey, a blue one hiding in the back! No, gray is the safe bet today."

He pulled out a pair of dark gray chinos, the familiar fabric and also pulled out a heather gray t-shirt from the rows of neatly folded t-shirts located in the column above. After happily closing the wardrobe, he went back to his bed and tossed them onto it

As he peeled off his damp towel, his phone buzzed once again. He glanced at it, then became pretty confused. It was an…unknown number?

To Be Continued