Abel stirred as a sweet aroma tickled his nose, rousing him from sleep. For a moment, he was disoriented, his mind still swimming in the remnants of a dream he had been having.
He propped himself up on the couch, and his gaze drifted toward the small kitchenette.
Jake was stirring something in a frying pan while chatting animatedly next to a guy Abel decided must be Carl, the other roommate he hadn't met—at least not officially.
Neither of them had noticed that he was awake yet.
He stretched, trying to rid his body of the lingering stiffness, then hesitated before making a sound to alert the two to his wakefulness.
He cleared his throat,and watched as both Jake and Carl immediately froze.
Jake shot him a quick grin, though it seemed more strained than what he had seen yesterday.
"Hey, sleepyhead!" Jake greeted, too loud and too cheery for the early hour.
From what Abel knew so far, maybe the guy was already high on something.
