Slowly, he peeled his tongue from the roof of his mouth. A couple smacks were made before he realised he was dehydrated. He dragged himself out of the bed, stumbled a little, and straightened himself against the wall. His parents and little brother continued snoring away, while he slowly tiptoe his way out of the room.
Door open, exit, and door close. Simple.
He sighed before he made his way to the toilet. Rubbing his eyes on the way, he turned the lights on, and the first image when he entered the bathroom was his groggy face. Hair poking in every direction. Oil glistening on his face. A couple of pimple scars and freshly wiped drool were visible as he squinted his eyes, adjusting to the bright light.
"I need to pray," He mumbled. The sound of water running in the toilet was especially loud, but he knew the exact spot to turn the tap such that it made almost no noise. He splashed water on his face, arms and legs, said a quick prayer and proceeded to the living room.
A praying mat and 10 minutes later, he was done. He yawned, returning the mat where he took it from, and changed into his running gear. Slowly, he made his way out of the house, and stepped onto the concrete floor of his corridor. He plugged his earphones in and unlocked his phone to pick a song.
Instead, he heard the rhythm of his heartbeat. A blush rose to his cheek as he saw a text message. A message from his best friend. Female best friend. And everyone knows a man's female best friend isn't just a best friend. He clenched his jaws and opened the text message.
"Morning Syah!" A short and simple text message. So ordinary, but enough to make him gulp at the sight of it. With a slight tremble, he replied, "Morning, Dina."
He took a deep breath to compose himself, and trudged his way to the nearby park for his morning run. As he stepped out of the corridor,
sunlight slowly filtered through the high rise buildings. A light breeze accompanied the beams of light, revealing the park in a brand new light. Leaves dancing in the wind, and some managed to escape the hold on their branches and swayed their way back and forth before finally landing softly on the ground. It was as if it came alive and yet, as soon as it left the branch, just like every other life on this planet, it's life was fleeting. But it seemed to enjoy its journey, from the branch to the ground. Perhaps it understood life itself, and knew that it had to remove the shackles of this world, to move onto the next.
Taking in the scenery before him, Syah proceeded with his journey, picking a song, something upbeat to match the mood, and began his run.