All Too Well

5

Can awoke from his deep slumber when his phone rang incessantly.

“Who would call at this ungodly hour?!” He hissed as he blindly searched for his phone on the bedside table, and whined some more when he saw that it was still three o’clock in the morning. However, all his sleepiness disappeared when he saw Tin’s name on the caller ID.

Why was he calling at this hour?

Not that he didn’t want to hear from Tin in the first place. God only knew how much he missed him. He even asked Pete about Tin, but Pete seemed to be distant from him. And he also sensed that Pete was having some problems with his family. He doesn’t want to cause more trouble for the people around him. He did not really dare talk to Pete about what he saw at the café because he was too afraid to know the truth.

But that wasn’t to say he didn’t make an effort to reach out to Tin. He dialed his number. He tried to call Tin several times, but it appeared that Tin had blocked his phone.

He always got these monster like urges, feigning for an opportunity to see Tin's face again. Minutes felt like hours, hours like days, and days were like decades, waiting for a chance to sneak away, but Tin seemed to make it his task to avoid him, as every time he inquired about Tin’s whereabouts, he was told that he had already left.

He even considered cornering him when they were still in class, but he had used up all of his absences and his Ma had warned him that if he missed another class, she would reduce his allowance. It felt like fate doesn’t want them to meet again.

The frustration and stress he experienced for the past months made him lose some weight. His Ma expressed concern for his welfare, stating that he had been behaving strangely recently. He felt bad every time she talked about how her children were always giving her a headache because he understood how much his mother had sacrificed for all of them.

“…”

“Tin,” Can said, but the other line was so quiet, he almost thought Tin had already disconnected the call hadn’t it been for the eerie sound coming from the other end.

“Can…” Tin’s hoarse voice sent shivers down Can’s spine, causing him to be a little terrified. But he missed Tin, his voice.

“What’s the problem, Tin? Why did you call?” he asked in a gentle tone. He had no idea he had it in him to speak in such hushed tones. He sounded like he was talking to a baby.

“…”

“Is something wrong?”

“…”

“Tin. How would I know what’s wrong if you don’t answer me? I know something is wrong. You wouldn’t probably call me at this ungodly hour just to say hi—” He stopped midsentence when he realized that there he goes again, talking non-stop, being impatient.

Sighing, he said, “Tin, please tell me what’s wrong. I’m worried about you.”

“…”

“Tin-“

“If you’re really worried about me, come meet me at my apartment. Before it’s too late…” Tin’s voice sounded feeble, as if he were speaking to himself. After that, Tin terminated the call.

He attempted to contact Tin again, but Tin did not return his calls. For a moment, he hesitated, but still went against his trepidation. He got up his bed and snuck out.

If his Ma found out he snuck out in the middle of the night, she would definitely hit him. But he was unconcerned. Tin needed his help right now. He’d deal with the consequences later.

He arrived at Tin’s apartment building in no time. He considered knocking first, but the silence on the other side of the room worried him to the core.

His mind raced with thoughts. What if Tin’s brother entered the room and hurt him? Or what if Tin hurt himself?

He typed in Tin’s apartment’s password, hoping that he hadn’t changed it after their fallout

“This isn’t considered trespassing,  isn’t it?”

When he heard the sound indicating the password was right, he hurried to open the door, only to find the whole apartment in shambles, as if a tornado had just passed through. Everything were out of place, with a sink full of dirty dishes, empty bottles of alcohol strewn around the room, and even broken items. The entire place smelled terrible.

What happened to neat freak Tin?

Ignoring the current situation of the place, his eyes searched for that one person, but he was nowhere to be found.

“Tin!” he called out. Still, nobody answered.

“Tin, where are you?”

When he heard a faint sound coming from the room, he immediately bolted towards it. And there he saw Tin sitting beside his bed looking like a complete waste, drinking straight from a nearly empty bottle of alcohol. He wore his trousers low on his hips and had no upper shirt on.

Can would have been blushing by now, staring at Tin, if it had been any other time. This, however, was not any other time.

He hastily rushed to Tin.  “Tin…”

Tin gazed up at him, slightly stunned. “What are you… doing here?” Tin asked, reaching for his cheek as if to confirm his presence. As Tin set the bottle down and stared at him, he seemed frail.  While he stayed there, frozen in place, unaware of what to do.