Carl blinked awake as the alarm rang. He hurriedly reached out to switch it off before it woke Ryan. Sitting straight, he turned to look at Ryan, who was still sleeping peacefully beside him, and placed a soft kiss on his forehead before rolling off the bed and into the bathroom.
After dressing up, he picked up his phone and saw multiple messages from friends, family, and associates wishing him happy birthday. He ignored all of them and went straight to the chatbox with his father.
Dad: "Happy Birthday, son. Are you coming home first, or will you go to the cemetery on your own?"
Carl: "Cemetery."
He slipped the phone into his pocket and turned to leave the room. He lingered at the doorway, glancing at Ryan curled deep in the blankets. After a moment's hesitation, he walked to the bedside, picked up a sticky note from the bedside, and wrote a short note before sticking it to Ryan's phone.
