The night after the party, Adrian sat in his apartment, staring at the walls. The place felt emptier than ever, every corner echoing the grey life he had built around himself. He thought of his words "Sure. Why not? You guys can come this Saturday."
Now it was real.
For years, this apartment had been his fortress. A place to hide, not to welcome. The shelves carried dust more than memories. The walls held shadows instead of warmth. If people walked in as it was, they would see his loneliness laid bare.
"No," Adrian whispered to himself. "Not this time."
The next day, he walked through the market with a determination he didn't fully recognize. He bought strings of soft lights, potted plants with bursts of green, and a handful of flowers that seemed to smile at him from the stall. He picked up bottles of wine, fresh bread, and ingredients for dishes he had never tried cooking before.
At home, he began transforming the space. Lights draped across the walls brought a gentle glow he had never seen here. Flowers softened the cold edges of his table. He tried cooking, fumbling with recipes, laughing at his own mistakes when the kitchen filled with smoke, and then trying again.
It was messy, but it was alive.
As he worked, Adrian felt something shift. For the first time, his apartment began to feel like a place of living, not just surviving. Every small effort was like painting a stroke of color over the gray canvas of his life.
By Friday night, the apartment looked different. Warmer. Brighter. More human. Adrian looked around, breathless with a strange mix of fear and pride.
For once, he wasn't dreading people stepping into his world. He was ready to open the door.