Draeyer Academy (Rewrite)

Chapter 14- New Morning

Alec stood in front of the smooth granite counter in Gael's kitchen, sipping on a steaming mug of black coffee. He had a mild headache from tossing and turning for most of the night. He was also ready to throw his cup at anyone who would try to annoy him at any moment. His new room had taken a while to get comfortable with, making it difficult for him to sleep.

The room was half the size of his house in Arktis and the bed was twice as big as his old one. It barely had any furniture, aside from the black-sheeted bed in one corner, and some dark wood cabinets and empty shelves. As a result, the space seemed to be way too big than what he was used to. It had left him feeling vulnerable, forcing him to sleep with his back against the blue wall. At midnight, he was woken by Asher's familiar sleepy grunt before he heard a loud thud come from the area where the stable was. He tried to get back to sleep again but the sounds of the wind rustling the leaves and the chirping of insects from outside of his window kept waking him up.

When he saw the clock had struck five in the morning, he got up like he always did. He had nothing important to do this time around, but his body still moved like it used to. In the end, he raided Gael's kitchen for some coffee, keeping his movements quiet. However, he had not been quiet enough for Gael's ears. Based on the urgent footsteps that came from upstairs, Gael must be coming to check who was causing the ruckus. But a moment later, those footsteps slowed and stopped. Alec concluded that Gael must have remembered that a new person was living in his house. The footsteps started again, slowly moving towards the stairs.

Alec eyed the pot of coffee on the stove, wondering if he should prepare another mug. When he heard Gael's bedroom door open, he sighed. He got another mug and poured the black liquid, eventually dumping six sugar cubes into it with a grimace. He had noticed that Gael liked his coffee this way back at the inn in Gelun. Why Gael liked having six sugar cubes in his coffee was beyond him.

He was only doing this because he felt guilty for waking the man up. The moment they arrived yesterday, Gael had shown him to his room. Then with a quick shower and a change of clothes, told Alec to help himself with the books in his study, and ran out the door. He had to attend a faculty meeting discussing the start of the new semester. Alec said a brief goodbye to the empty air before he took a nap on the couch and then planted himself in the study a few hours later.

Gael did not return until sunset, and the moment he arrived he prepared dinner. Gael had turned in for the night after Alec insisted on doing the dishes. Alec had forced him to bed when he saw that the man was dead on his feet. Do people get more stubborn as they grow older?

Alec was still stirring the coffee when Gael entered the kitchen doorway and sat on one of the stools at the counter. Without a word, Alec turned around and placed the coffee in front of the older man. Gael rubbed his eyes and tried to fix the messy bird's nest that turned out to be his hair. The man stared at the mug, before lifting it and taking a sip. Gael perked up at the taste and smiled at Alec.

"How did you know I like my coffee with six sugars?"

How can you tell the number of sugars added from taste alone?

Alec shrugged. "I saw and heard Kreis commenting on your...taste."

Gael gave a throaty chuckle. "Well, thank you for preparing my coffee."

Alec continued to drink his coffee, sitting in front of Gael. They sat there in silence, lost in their morning thoughts. Alec started to feel relaxed as the headache from the fitful night started to disappear. Traveling all over the mountainous regions near Gelun in search of the thief had tired him out. The entire trip from Arktis to Draeyer Academy had added to the fatigue. He needed to get properly rested to be ready to help in the search for the thief at any time. Alec began to plan what he wanted to do today but stopped when Gael spoke.