The morning after…
I sat alone on my apartment's balcony, drinking my favoured green tea as I watched the wintry sun rise to its zenith. Unlike most winter days, the sky was void of clouds and just as bright as any summer's day.
Turning my attention away from the upper atmosphere, I directed my eyes towards the gorgeous lake that was just a stone's throw away. Just a few days back, there were barely any living souls roaming the verdant lake park. However, with the country slowly reopening, I could see legions of families out for their daily walk.
Old grandparents doing their morning stretches. Trendy youngsters running laps with earphones blasting music. Cyclists that commuted to work.
It really was a sight to behold.
Slowly but surely… Our country was getting back to normal. At least, that was my hope for the future.
I glanced at the analogue clock on my wall, and there were only two hours left till noon. Usually, this would be when I'd begin my preparations for lunch, but based on the circumstances… I'd already had a fully cooked meal ready.
It should be about time…
Ding Dong… Ding Dong… Ding Dong…
As if on cue, my doorbell rang in chorus. A smile crept up my rigid face as I placed my warm green tea down on the table before going to welcome my guest.
"Morning, Althea!"
"... morning," the girl replied shyly.
Althea had her face tucked in, her eyes unable to meet mine. Dressed in casual wear, I could see the after-effects of an uncomfortable night. Althea's hair was all over the place, and her eyes were rather red. Her face was flushed, though I didn't know if it was from the hangover or from embarrassment. Probably a mixture of both.
Either way, it was adorable to see her fidget in place.
"Slept well?"
"... yeah, I did."
"Of course you did," I laughed with a wink. "Come in! I have something for you!"
I turned around and beckoned the young girl in. If it were any other day, Althea would have confidently walked into my apartment and gotten comfortable on my couch. However, today wasn't any other day.
After our first dinner outside in months, Althea had a little too much to drink and blacked out on the car ride home. Since she could not walk, I was forced to carry her out from the cab and escorted her back to her home.
Naturally, I didn't do anything to the vulnerable girl. Once I'd gotten her keycard out from her purse, I placed Althea on her bed and returned home immediately after.
Althea probably remembered her misconduct yesterday and was unable to hold her head high. Seeing her all jittery and anxious… Haha, it reminded me of the time we'd first met.
"Have a seat," I pointed to the couch and moved to the kitchen.
"D-Don't you need help with cooking?"
"You don't need to do a thing, Atheo."
"H-Hic! Don't call me that!"
The pigments on Althea's face instantly blushed vermillion after my gentle teasing. Evidently, the girl was able to remember what happened before she blacked out.
As I was preparing her meal, I asked the hungover girl: "So, how much do you remember from last night?"
"Everything..."
"Wow, everything? That's rare."
"I-Is it..."
"Yeah, I have a friend who gets drunk and forgets everything the next day. Sometimes, he would drink all my beer and forget all about it. So, I would often take videos as proof."
The person I was referring to was none other than the blonde Adonis himself, Len. How many times had he crashed at my place after getting dead drunk? How many times had he stolen my beer after drinking all of his?
"I-I see..."
"Haha, don't worry about it! It's common for youngsters such as yourself to get carried away when it comes to drinking."
After getting the meal in order, I delivered it to the young girl, who was still as red as a tomato.
"Take this; it'll help with your hangover."
"... What's this?" Althea asked with a bit of apprehension.
Smiling brightly, I replied: "Fermented bean sprout soup with lemon ginger tea. The perfect cure to a hangover! You should eat the soup with rice, it'll help soak up the sugars from the alcohol. Once you take this, your headache is as good as gone!"
I proudly pound my chest as I introduced each component of her meal.
While Althea was still embarrassed about her actions last night, the girl trusted my cooking skills. Taking one spoonful of the soup, the girl's face instantly lit up, and her earlier shyness melted away.
"... Delicious."
"Isn't it?"
I laughed as I sat opposite her with my own bowl and drink. "The lemon ginger tea helps as well. It might burn your throat a bit, but trust me. It works wonders."
"Thank you..." Althea fell silent as she took multiple sips of the tea. "I feel much better."
"Great! Take your time. From my experience, hangovers will last for one morning at most. This will help get you in tip-top shape in no time!"
"I see…"
Althea stopped eating and stared at her glass intently.
"Is something wrong?"
"No, I was just wondering… You seem experienced at this..."
"Huh?"
"No, I mean… You must have had many girls over if you know how to deal with hangovers..."
"Hahaha, what makes you think that?!"
This girl really has a vivid imagination. If I didn't know that she was ignorant, I would have thought that Althea was making fun of me.
"I'd never had any girls over, you know?"
"I-Is that so..."
"Yeap! The only reason why I know about this hangover remedy is because one of my friends often gets drunk at my house! To get him out of the apartment, I had to research for a cure!"
"I-I see..."
Once again, Althea's face flushed in an even redder hue. Seems like yesterday's embarrassment was amplified by her quick misunderstanding. In the end, the girl hid her face behind her phone like a child that was afraid to be scolded.
Seriously… Isn't this girl a little too adorable?
"Just in case this happens to me again… Could you teach me how to make that soup?"
"Haha, with pleasure!"