“How many times must I repeat myself? She moved next door in August, and we’re just neighbours! We aren’t even on talking terms! In fact, that was the third or fourth time I spoke to her!”

“LIES!!! You’re telling me that you have such a high-quality girl next door, and you’ve never once made a move? It’s November, so you’ve never once knocked on her door during the past four months?”

“How long have you known me for? Am I really that sort of person?”

“Weren’t you tempted?”

“You… I’ve told you this for the thousandth time! I’m not getting into any relationships. I’m committed to the bachelor lifestyle! Besides, she’s a university student. For all you know, she could have just turned eighteen!”

“Age is just a number!”

“And prison is just a place.”

“What?”

“What?”

Len continued to hound me for the next half hour while downing large gulps of my leftover beer. As a regular visitor of my humble abode, the blonde man hogged the oversized bean chair, knowing full well that it was the most comfortable spot in my living room.

My residence was rather large for a one-room apartment, given how cramped new urban flats were. The living room itself was able to host a twenty-person party with room to spare. It even came with an open-air balcony just for good measure.

Naturally, as a self-proclaimed loner, I wasn’t expecting much company. Thus, I transformed the living area into an all-purpose zone, starting with my home office by the balcony. Well, calling it a home office would be a stretch. It was just an L-shaped desk that stored my desktop and dual-monitor setup. Oh, and of course my modem and router.

Being a computer programmer, I could remotely connect to work if there was a need to and this humble home office really did the trick.

Next to my simple computer setup was my personal home gym. A heavy-duty, multi-purpose gym rack that I’d bought online that could provide for all my fitness needs. It had resistance bands, barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells, a workout bench… everything a gym rat could dream of. All that was lacking was a treadmill, but I could get my cardio workout at the nearby lake.

When I first started my fitness journey, I, like many others, joined a gym. But I quickly found that it would be much more convenient to just build a gym at home. No one would steal my weights, I didn’t have to pay those outrageous fees, and I didn’t have to interact with anyone. It really was a perfect setup.

Moving on… The remainder of my living room was turned into a vast communal space. The sofas came with the apartment, so I kept them at the centre of the room with a marble coffee table that stood atop a comfy wool carpet. I would typically sit on the rug to eat my meals while watching from my fifty-inch television.

Oh yes, how could I forget my favourite item in the house! The fifty-inch television was something I splurged on after getting my last paycheck. I could use it to watch shows while I eat, play video games on my consoles, and even use it to play background music while I work.

A home office, a mini-gym and an entertainment zone. Goodness, my bachelor’s pad is really coming together nicely. Okay! Once I’ve saved enough, I’ll buy this place with cold hard cash! Ah, wait. Was the landlord even willing to sell it?

As I was pondering about my future accommodations' fate, Len rudely tapped my rested hand and brought me back to reality.

“Hey, isn’t it rude to zone out when someone is talking to you?”

“Ah, you were just repeating yourself, so I tuned you out.”

“No, I wasn’t! I was asking you about the girl next door!”

“Argh, if you like her so much, why don’t you sleep at her place?! God damn it, I’ve told you multiple times that there isn’t any special relationship between us! She’s just a neighbour!”

Len pouted while his shoulders finally dropped. Looks like my words had finally gotten through that thick skull of his. Taking a deep breath, he sunk deeper into the beanbag and muttered out silently: “And I’d thought you were finally able to find love.”

“Love? We had this conversation multiple times, haven’t we? I’m going to be single for life.”

“...”

An uncomfortable silence settled in after I said those words. In his drunken state, Len could not put on the usual outside mask that he’d perfected. I could read every single one of his emotions right now—helplessness, anger… and even remorse.

Twenty-six-years-old and yet, he still behaves like a child.

“Hah… Len, I know you mean well. But I really can’t see myself getting into any sort of romantic relationship anymore, and you can’t force me into doing anything about it.”

“I know...” Len’s eyes slowly dropped as if there were a ghost sucking out all of the energy that he’d once had. It took him some time, but eventually, the man burst forth with a renewed energy and began chugging away.

“Fine… Let’s not talk about that sour topic anymore! It’s been a while since we’ve last had a slumber party, so let’s go all night long!”

“Don’t call it a slumber party, you moron...” Sighing, I flicked the Len on the forehead and reached out to my television remote.

“Want to play some War Defence Three?”

“One-on-one? Haha, I can’t believe you’re willing to deliver yourself to the belly of the beast! Haven’t you forgotten your nineteen-round lose-streak?”

“I’ve been training! Also, you’re drunk as hell! Do you really think you can shoot heads now?”

“Oh ho? Is that a challenge, I hear? Even drunk, I can still make you grovel at my feet!”

“Haha, bring it on!”

I knew it. The best way to make Len sober up was to bring him into the world of video games. Many people would look at him, thinking that he was the perfect social butterfly who had no time for trivial things such as video games. Alas, they were sorely mistaken. Before we entered university, Len was a hardcore gamer, and his skill was just shy from the big leagues.

After meeting Sienna, Len played less and less, but the memory of greatness was still ingrained in his veins.

Smiling, I turned on the television, and before I could switch on my game console, a stunningly beautiful news anchor began reading out an urgent report.

“Breaking news. A new wave of mysterious pneumonia cases has been reported in the Republic of Uflyae. As of reporting, five hundred people have been hospitalised, ten of them are under intensive care, and there have been three deaths. Estimates of the actual number of infected remain unknown.”

Len and I paused as we continued to watch the broadcast with a renewed interest.

“The health authorities of Ulfyae said the origin and the nature of the viral pneumonia outbreak remain unknown. In the first announcement of the outbreak, authorities said that most of the patients had some contact with the Jjikah wet market. While the government of Ulfyae is doing its utmost to contain the viral spread, experts warn that it could turn into a nationwide epidemic if not handled appropriately.” The news anchor continued on with a grim expression.

“A nationwide epidemic, huh? We haven’t had that in a while.” Len lazily mentioned.

“Yeah, when was the last time it happened? Twenty years ago?”

“Sounds about right... Either way, it’s none of our concerns. Ulfyae is on another continent, and we don’t have any plans on flying there.”

“Still, we should always strive to stay as healthy as possible so that our immune system is always ready to counter viruses like that. Have you been eating well now that you’ve moved in with Sienna? From what I remember, neither of you could cook, right?”

“Argh, why do you always have to play the health teacher, Desir?! Of course, we’ve been eating well! We go out to eat almost every single day!”

“You know… Outside food isn’t exactly healthy… They put in excessive amounts of salt and sugar to make it tastier, without regards to...”

“Okay, okay! I got it! Damn, you nag more than my mother! Just boot up War Defence! You can give me your lecture about health and nutrition when I’m sober!”

“...”

This guy… I wonder how he stays so good-looking even though he doesn’t eat anything healthy. Were genetics really that much of a factor? Argh, just thinking about it pisses me off. Fine, I’ll make sure to give him a good whopping in the game!