Plastic Taste

いち

You're an earthly comfort

Yet so divine

Yet        so     divine

I never see you

Anymore

     Lying on the cold, hard floor of the dark slum lied a man of his mid 20s. His hair was dark as pitch and his skin a yellow with a gold tinge. His shapen eyelids  were swung wide open, revealing his dark brown irises. He had nothing on but sweatpants and chains around his neck as he shivered on the floor.

     Footsteps from outside the closet door could be heard approaching fast, the thumps growing fleetingly louder. Soon, they reached the door and the wide eyed man shifted a little to coddle his knees tighter. Meanwhile, the door was beat upon by a large fist hard enough to rattle the whole tiny room. A second fist joined in the pounding and then a third, forth... It was an entire army of fists barrading the door that seemed to just barely withstand the immense pressure.

"Noise complaint." muttered the strange man. "I've been loud again."

"Mr. Miller!"

!!!

     With a short gasp, the dreaming boy woke up, eyes blinking a few times. His waking eyes darted around the mess of his room as they warmed up.

"Mr. Miller, wake up!" the woman from outside the apartment door called out.

To his name being called, Joji sat up, eyes closed as he shook his head to try and shake off the vivid nightmare he's had for two nights in a row now.

     Wrapping a light robe around himself, folding it left over right, Joji shuffled over to his door. With his brows knitted together, he drew the door open to meet the short woman who was his landlord's daughter and errand runner. "How many times do I have to say it's the person above me?" he groaned.

"I know full well it's you, Mr. Miller, and so do your neighbors, but that's not why I'm here."

"Then why?" Joji asked with crossed arms, holding his robe together since he didn't bother tying it.

"I've found you a roommate." she said with slightly raised brows, to which Joji frowned deeper.

"I didn't agree to one. I thought we agreed on no roommates?" he growled down to the lady with the snarky attitude.

"We didn't agree to anything, Mr. Miller. My father informed you that rent would go up at the end of January and you told me you wouldn't be able to make those payments." she corrected and then softened her facial expression as she lifted a hand and continued, "Mr. Miller, I know how much you like having the place to yourself, but if you can't pay the extra $300, you have to either leave or have a roommate help with the rent. Now, I really don't wanna have to kick you out, so can you just give it a try, George?"

The two held eye contact for a moment before Joji tilted his head up and then leaned it to the side, his spine popping loudly enough for the lady to hear (albeit, feeling better afterwards).

"Nichole.. Fine. Fine." he admitted defeatedly, "I'll move my studio into my room. When do I get to meet this person?"

Nichole looked down at Joji's crossed arms and then back up to his eyes like a guilty puppy. "This afternoon at 3."

"What??" Joji hissed, his eyes widening and his arms dropping to reveal his bare chest and sweats under his robe. He opened his mouth to say something about how he had work from 12 to 6, but he shut his jaw back with a sigh. He knew better than to push it. Plus, it was probably about 8 in the morning, so he probably had enough time to take a little nap and then clean out the room for the new person. Joji nodded, eyes closed as he covered himself back up. "I'll be here."