With an immense depletion in our energy supply, we got our asses up and made our way to our upper-middle-class dining room. 

Keanu always imagined it to be tremendously imperial and lavishly gilded. But it isn’t. It’s designed to be more prudential and cautionary with a mix of chaste elegance. Apparently, 19-year-olds are considered to be kids in this household. And with the way Judy handles knives, I’d probably have a higher chance of survival fighting off the zombie apocalypse. 

“I always forget.” Keanu gestures at the entirety of the space. 

“You always do,” I nod in reply.

A delicious medley of savory aromas filled our noses as we entered the room. We both quietly consumed the steaming hot, spiced chicken broth filled with various vegetables and rigatoni pasta tubes. 

“Claude makes the best hangover soups,” we both muse effusively. 

“Pleasure is mine,” Claude responds gentleman-like. 

“And handsome too,” Keanu cooed. He was sparkling.

“Hence the reason I hate men,” Judy deadpans while giving us her signature look of disgust. 

The bowls were shimmering by the time we were done. Not a drop left. Claude really is an exceptional cook. He’s familiar with a vast variety of cuisines and can recreate them flawlessly. 5 stars in my book. If only people gave sixes. 

Judy hands us each a cup of floral tea, her specialty. Judy may be terrible with handling food, but her teas are one of the best. She makes her own blends of tea, each type for different purposes and benefits. This one, in particular, was made for hangovers. A mix of I’m not sure what, but it smells great. I can smell the cinnamon and turmeric though. I love both spices. 

“Thanks, Judy,” Keanu teases.

“Save it!” Judy feigns irritation like the polarized maiden she is, her ears going slightly red in the process. Keanu chuckles in response.

A sense of warmth overtakes me. A weird feeling emerges from the pits of my stomach — even though I’ve already purged it earlier of all the junk I had the previous night. I see Claude smiling genuinely at me through the reflection of the window. I turn to him, he immediately resumes his original, military posture, his face rid of any emotion. 

‘As I thought, these people are just weird.’ A slight smile forms on my pressed lips. 

I feel my body drifting away from them as if I merely a witness of my life. The scene played out in front of me as though I was watching it from a large screen. The feeling was nice, honest. But why does it feel as though I'm not part of the picture? Or at least, not meant to be. 

My gaze fell towards the cup of tea that sits between both palms of my hands. 'It feels kind of sad somehow, even during moments like this.' 

My thoughts continue to consume me, leaving the three pairs of eyes staring in my direction unnoticed. 

"Zen? Hey, man, you alright?" Keanu's soft voice pulls me back to reality. 

"Huh? Oh yeah, sure, of course. I uhh... I'm fine!" My now inarticulate brain attempts to form words.

'Snap out of it."

"What about-" Knees bumping into the table legs as I make the effort to escape this seemingly hopeless situation. "What about you, Keanu? Head doing okay?" 

'I feel vulnerable.'

"Yeah... Fine..." Keanu replies hesitantly, dragging out his words and eyeing my movements.

"I uhh- I gotta go," I stumble over my words as I trip over an air of nothingness, nearly falling headfirst to the ground. 

'Where's my balance at times like this?'

I blurt out a final, "Nature calls!" before running out the doorway and back into the safety of my own personal space.