Love Trials of the Introverted

Chapter 18

I couldn't sleep, I can't put my finger as to why it was the case but it was. I was currently spread out across my bed with my eyes fixed to my plaster covered ceilings counting the imperfections and seeing how many patterns I could make out.

"Must be the stress of the past few days catching up to me finally. Just wish it didn't manifest in the form of me laying like a starfish stuck to the side of a rock."

Stirring in silence for a few heartbeats after I spoke aloud I felt one of my fingers twitch restlessly and resolutely peeled myself from my bed to break my tension. I shuffled my way to my desk chair and shrugged on my uniform from earlier in the day over my night shirt and shorts.

After giving my jacket a slight adjustment and pulling my tie even looser than what I normally wear, I began to make my way to the door to my room before exiting.

After waiting a moment for the automatic lock on my door to click shut I began making my way down the hallway with my hands in my pants pocket hiding the subtle twitch in my fingers from my newfound restlessness.

Despite having no reason for my feelings to bother me let alone emerge as they have, I couldn't help but feel like I was walking to the executioner's block after I called the elevator to my floor and slowly watched the elevator tick down from the 13th floor down to mine.

The jittering in my finger began to spread to two more on the same hand as I felt the hairs on the back of my neck prickle.

'What's happening to me? It's not like my judgment is rapidly approaching me.'

The doors to the elevator soon pinged with what sounded like the trumpeter heralding the end times as the elevator doors began to open as the gates of hell were a breath away with the horsemen coming to take their due.

Before the doors could finish opening the unease in my body began to shift from my hands to my chest as I saw the sole occupant of the elevator who was...

"Horikita?"

My voice, while it didn't quiver or shake in surprise, was a few octaves higher than it usually was. Not enough to be noticeable to anyone who wouldn't regularly interact with me. I could immediately tell the difference.

As I began to fully take in the appearance of Suzune across from me, the frayed nature my nerves were already in began to reach a fever pitch as I saw the expression she was currently wearing.

Vulnerable and uncertain marred her features before it shifted to shock and panic as she registered my voice and appearance before her body followed suit and stiffened in place in lieu of a vocal response. The usually confident and headstrong Suzune, I've come to know, was currently wearing a deer in the headlights look with a light tinge of horror due to the widening of her eyes and dilation of pupils as she stared back at me.

Despite my confusion and a sense of worry beginning to filter through my body I couldn't open my mouth to address her and Suzune looked to be in no state to do the same.

Then as if heralding the end to our conversation the gong of the elevator sounded and began to close. With a slight widening of my eyes in surprise I quickly shot my foot out to halt the elevator. As my foot sat there over the border of the elevator the doors showed no signs of stopping and began to enclose upon my leg.

With an internal curse I pulled my leg back through into the hallway and watched as Suzune continued to wear a surprised look on her features as the elevator doors closed and began its descent to one of the lower levels.

With an internal curse I began to glide over the hallway floor and make my way to the stairway and began to make a rapid descent to the ground floor. As I traveled through the pristine stairway that had unrusted guardrails and smooth yet pointed stairs steps I began to parse as to what could be bothering Suzune to the extent I saw.