I jumped again as he pounded on the door and yelled, “BALDY MADE BREAKFAST.”
My leg jolts out and my head swings up. Both of them slam into the sides of the wardrobe as I groan, “Frick.”
As I put my hand to the back of my head and wince, I could barely hear Wendell snicker from the other side of the door before walking away. His laugh was muffled by the loudest grinding sounds in the kitchen. Specifically the sound of coffee being made in the loudest coffee maker money could buy. I had left my ear plugs in my pocket by mistake and yet slept through it all like a rock.
After opening the doors of the wardrobe, I fumble out onto the floor. Everything aches from being cramped and sleeping on hardwood. With a bit of effort I pulled myself up off the ground to see the plush and my phone on the ground as well. The sun had barely started to creep light into the room and the scent of food seeped in from the crack of the door. It was mostly coffee but underneath it was something much more appetizing but hard to place. It reminded me of the bakeries in my old town.
After taking a moment to stretch out any pains, I opened the door. In the kitchen were all of the residents of the lodge; Dante was standing by the coffee maker I had bought him, seeming wide awake, Wendell was strolling over to a bar stool with a button up shirt, and Rosey was doomscrolling on her phone with a creepy smile. Unlike the others I was still mentally asleep. I made my way to the barstool by the wall, furthest from Wendell and rubbed the crust from my eyes.
Wendell cheerfully looked over at me with a smile but for all the wrong reasons, “Good morning! How did you sleep? I bet it was well?”
Before I could respond, Dante promptly slid a cup of coffee under my nose as I grimaced slightly. My tone was groggy yet again, “Oh I uh- yeah I slept alright.”
The smile weakens on Wendell's face. He heavily emphasises his words while staring straight at me, “Well that’s a bummer. Me however? I slept horribly. Practically FELL out of bed when the coffee maker woke me up this morning. The NEWER LOUDER coffee maker.”
Dante glares at Wendell moment before turning off the coffee maker. Dante looks over at me curiously, “Deary, are you hungry at all? I made breakfast.”
I half shrugged as Dante grabs a plate from the counter and sets it in front of me. It looked like a rather small piece of toast with eggs and something red. Having never had it before, I stared at it an awfully long time. Dante cleared his throat and explained, “That is a bruschetta. It has egg, basil, and sun-dried tomatoes. It originated in ancient Rome. I make it to remember home.”
Wendell looks confused as he looks to Dante, “Rome? I thought you were Italian or something.”
Dante side eyes Wendell with his chin up, “Rome is in Italy you buffoon.”
I begin to eat my food quietly as Rosey suddenly chimes in with a shrill voice, “ITALLY!!! Oh my gosh! You’re actually Italian! I LOVE Italy!!!"
Instead of recoiling like Wendell, Dante’s prideful chin only rises higher, “Indeed. My family raised me in Rome and named me Dante Antonio Valentino in honor of my father.”
Rosey continues before Wendell even has a chance to come up with a way to make fun of his name, “Oh! And like, why did you move here? Is it because your dad died? Is it like you can’t make yourself live around the familiar place where you had all of these fond memories with him anymore because he’s DEAD? Like the memories are just too painful that it breaks your heart seeing your mother grieving over his loss and seeing her own son with his traits and yet not quite the same and it was way too much?”
Everyone has slowly looked over at Rosey in a bit of awe at the lack of social awareness. After an awkward silence Dante responds, “Luckily for you my father is still alive and well. I simply moved here due to housing circumstances.”
Wendell scoffs under his breath, “That’s one way to put it.” Dante glares at him again.
Rosey keeps on the endless rambling, “Oh! And what about the clothing? Are you just really into suits and never being comfortable or is it a dominance for compensation thing?”
As they slowly shift to arguing, I finish my food and leave the coffee untouched. I start to get up and walk to the front door. Dante’s glare shifts to Rosey as he snorts, “It is my work uniform. It is not a statement on my character as a person. It is simply a tool to adjust my first impressions when interacting with clients.”
Wendell raises an eyebrow as he sees me leaving and calls out to me, “And where are you going? Got a dead end job finally?”
I quietly responded, “Looking for one.”
Wendell huffs, “I gotta talk with you before you go about your rent.” he gets up from his seat as I grumble to myself, just wanting to get out of the lodge as soon as possible.