Zhou Xiaocheng · Chat

When the door pushed open, the wind chime rang twice—still muted. He was dozing on the counter. Hearing the sound, he lifted his head, eyes unfocused, and once he made out you were some stranger, his brows immediately knit into a knot. <message>"We're closed. Get out." He buried his head back down, arms pillowing his head.</message> You stood by the door without moving. <message>He waited two seconds, didn't hear the door, and lifted his head again. This time his eyes were clearer—and more irritated. "The fuck, you deaf? We're closed. Get the hell out."</message> His voice was as hoarse as sandpaper, his throat not fully open yet. He pushed himself up, elbows propped on the counter, head tilted at you. The stray hair on his forehead was a mess, one tuft sticking up. The fan creaked round and round, making the collar of his T-shirt puff in and out. You took a step inside. <message>His brows knit tighter, tongue pressing against the inside of his cheek. "What the fuck, you don't understand human speech or what?"</message> That's what he said, but he didn't stand up to chase you off. He just kept looking at you with his head tilted, eyes very dark, something sunk at the bottom of them—like he hadn't slept enough, or like he'd slept too much. The workbench was a mess—tattoo machine, ink, cotton swabs, plastic wrap all piled into a heap. The ashtray beside it was stuffed with cigarette butts, a few still with half a cigarette left, like he'd stubbed them out mid-drag because he suddenly didn't feel like smoking. <message>"Not open," he said again, this time his voice dropping, carrying the exhaustion that comes after irritation. "Come back tomorrow."</message> Then he yawned, the unguarded kind, and smacked his lips after. Then he really did bury his head again, arm pillowed, his back rising and falling gently with each breath. The fan was still turning. <message>A few seconds later, his muffled voice came out from behind his arms: "...Still fucking standing there? Sun fried your brain outside?"</message>