The alarm rings as I groan a little and I reach out my hands, fumbling around a bit before I snooze it. I rub my eyes as I sit up on the king-sized bed, stark naked. I open my eyes, looking at the not-at-all-shabby bedroom.
I look to my side at the warm and soft mass clutching onto my muscular arm. Her eyes were closed, her curves fully visible, her long hair cascaded down her shoulders onto her big, round breasts. My eyes went to her spotless face with pristine wheat-colored skin.
"What was her name again... Trissy?.. Audrey? Or something more traditional like Parvati?"
As he pondered, however, David laughed out loud.
"I don't even remember anymore."
David stood up as he tied his black hair into a ponytail and made his way into the bathroom. He looked at the mirror, flexing his muscles and tracing the lines of his jaw before reaching for his toothbrush. He meticulously brushed every tooth present in his mouth.
He later went to the kitchen as he got an ice mask out of the fridge. He placed it over his face as he laid on the ground and started doing crunches.
He quickly said in quick succession, breathing every time his head went up:
"3, 4, 5, 6, 7..."
...
"98, 99, 100!!"
He stood up again as he put the ice mask back in the freezer. He grabbed his towel as he went into the bathroom, caressing his abs as he went past the mirror.
He bathed himself in hot water as he scrubbed and lathered himself with soap. He did the same with his face, carefully using the best face wash in his arsenal of skin products. He then took out his shampoo and conditioner, rubbing them onto his fingers as he massaged in a circular motion on his scalp.
He got out of the bathroom, flexing his pectoral muscles while looking at the mirror as he tied his hair into a ponytail again.
He went to his wardrobe, dressing himself in a white and dark blue checkered shirt and some blue jeans. He slung on a leather belt with a golden buckle on it.
He went to the kitchen, grabbing two pans. He lit the first stove as he put the bigger pan on it, letting it heat. He grabbed some brown eggs, butter, and bread from the fridge.
He broke the eggs, putting them all into a plastic container as he stirred them. He added some salt and black pepper as he put some oil and butter on the pan before placing 8 slices of bread on it.
He lit another stove before putting some oil on it and poured the eggs, adding some basil. He stirred using a wooden ladle, scrambling—the only "correct" way to cook eggs according to David.
As the food cooked, he checked his Instagram—2.6 million followers and growing. He chuckled at himself before he saw the messages from Gregori. They read:
"Hello, you up man? Just wanted to say that the professor made an announcement about the...."
The paragraph seemed to go on for hours—it seemed it took that long to write—but David read every word diligently as he replied:
"I'll be there, don't you worry about it. You want me to get some boba while on the way?"
Gregori soon replied.
"Sure, thanks, man."
"Caramel mocha, of course," David stated.
"Of course," Gregori sent with a tongue-sticking-out emoji.
David smiled as he placed the eggs onto the bread. He took the plates to the dining table. His one-night stand had already put on her tank top and jean shorts. She was also wearing her glasses.
"Well, I don't remember those from last night," David asked with a smile.
"My contacts dried up," the girl replied with a slight sigh.
"You should wear glasses more often. You're cute with them, uhhh... Aishwarya?"
The girl squinted her eyes as she bit down on the bread.
"It's Gowri."
"AHH, right, right," David replied, looking away a bit.
"SOOOO, want me to drop you off at the university?"
She shook her head.
"Nah, meeting up with a friend."
David nodded as he ate his breakfast. She soon left the apartment as David felt his phone vibrate. He picked it up, pressing it against his ear.
"Yeah, Mom, how's Italy?"
"It's so great here, yaar. I tried authentic pizza—not the stuff that you have at Domino's."
"Haha, I'm glad you enjoy it, Mom."
"You know, I also suspected you, like many people, when you won 3 lotteries back to back. I'm so glad that the investigation didn't prove anything against you—my lucky boy."
"Hey, yeah, thanks. I have to go to university now. Bye, love you."
"Love you 3000!!"
"Stop with the Iron Man references."
David chuckled as he hung up the phone. He then put on gold-rimmed cooling glasses before he exited the penthouse. He went to the lift and then to the garage. He looked around at the cars and bikes parked, then got on his blue Bullet. He revved the bike, put on his helmet, and rode out of the garage. As he made his way through the busy streets of Bangalore, feeling the wind rush past him, he smiled.
"AHAHAHAHA, this is the life."
"Yes, of course," he thought to himself. "The life of a regressor."
..................
In a few minutes, David arrived in front of his university. He put the keys of his Bullet in his pocket as he entered the college. The moment he did, countless people tried their best to get his attention but were ignored like flies or bugs.
He made his way to a guy with short hair, square glasses, a frail build, and some acne on his face.
"Gregori!!"
David spoke with some elation in his voice as Gregori looked in his direction with a beaming smile. David's smile took an apologetic tone as he spoke.
"Sorry I couldn't get that boba—traffic, you know."
Gregori spoke in an excited tone.
"That's okay, we can get it later!"
Gregori was the one friend David had decided to make this time around. Gregori came from a poor family but was a bright kid and would go on to be the CEO of a multi-million-dollar company.
Gregori's face had some worry on it, as if contemplating whether to tell David something.
"What's wrong, Gregori?"
Gregori was startled for a moment before speaking.
"N...n nothing's wrong."
"Yes, there is," David spoke sternly.
"It's nothing, David," Gregori responded sheepishly.
David straightened his sunglasses before putting both hands on Gregori's shoulders. "Gregori, you can tell me," he spoke in an understanding tone.
Gregori hesitated before speaking.
Later, in a dark alleyway, some youths were standing or squatting. Most were smoking, causing the alleyway to have a distinct smell of tobacco. Most were glancing at one among them wearing a maroon jacket with long black hair reaching his shoulders and narrow eyes.
Soon, footsteps of someone approaching sounded as all stood up, dropping and crushing their lit cigarettes. The one with long hair smiled as he walked towards the person approaching before speaking in a hoarse voice.
"So, you're here with it? The location and password of that bastard son-of-a-gun's apartment?"
A cocky and confident voice sounded.
"Penthouse!!"
Everyone seemed to become alert at the sound of the voice.
"Penthouse," the voice repeated. "I live in a penthouse, but never mind. I'm sure you don't know how to even spell it, so I can't hope to God you know the difference."
The long-haired one spoke in an angered tone, his face contorted into a twisted smile. "So, you're David."
The man wearing the cooling glasses, with blue eyes and a ponytail, spoke with a cocky smile. "Yes, and you're that cuckold whose name I can't be bothered to remember, whose ex-girlfriend came so many times I had to get rid of the sheets after! Oh sorry—ex-girlfriend, or was it your sister?"
A vein popped up on the cuckold's face. "My name is—"
"OH sorry, I didn't ask. You see, I can't be bothered to remember your name," David spoke in a bored tone. "Now can we just do this? I have someone else to cuck!!"
The man with long hair shouted, his face twisted with rage. "Oh, you will think of me every damn day after I beat you half to death!!"
The man's goons surrounded him as David closed his eyes. He then opened them as a scene surfaced in his mind. He saw the man swing his fist forward, hitting David square in the face.
David smiled, looking forward as the man swung his fist. But David managed to dodge it as he sidestepped. This was an ability David had gained after he had regressed—he could effectively look at least 4 seconds into the future. David's eyes seemed to shine as he dodged a right hook by sidestepping and an uppercut by jumping back.
After a round of swings and the ever-decreasing cheering by the man's goons, the man breathed heavily as he spoke in exasperation: "Why??!! Why!! Why can't I hit y—"
"Oh? You're done, eh?" David spoke, raising his glasses as he smiled evilly. "My turn then."
David lunged forward, delivering a kick to the man's cheek, causing him to spin like a helicopter in the air before landing on the ground.
The man's goons had a look of shock etched on their faces, which soon turned into pain and fear as they were quickly knocked out by David.
David soon stood, surrounded by the unconscious goons. He breathed heavily. "Damn, using it so much drains me. Wonder how Diavolo did so much."
David looked at the unconscious goons. "Sorry, you guys ventured into my path to success and got crushed." David cackled before walking out of the alleyway. He looked up at the wide blue sky, shielding himself a bit from the sun's heat, before speaking with a sigh: "It's a beautiful day today."
As David walked onto the sidewalk, in the middle of the street a boy with peculiar white hair and red eyes stood eating some ice cream as he stared at David and spoke with a soft voice.
"Hmmm, interesting."