Different To Me (Egobang)

CHAPTER TWO: The Darkness

Warning:
Heavy emotions.
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Dan:

I laid awake, restless between the soft sheets of my bed. My mind, usually rational and methodical, was now tripping over itself in a kind of awkward, fast paced dance of confusion and emotions.

Everything seemed to be coming together, yet… falling apart in unison. I knew there was something off about Arin, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.

Now that I think about it, he’s had bouts of acting strange all year, like there was something between us. Dan thought to himself, burying his face in the down fluff of his pillow.

“Why does he have to be so difficult”
Dan's muffled voice seeped through the pillow, speaking to no one except himself.

“ I’ve tried so hard for him…”
Dan's large brown eyes welled up with tears.

“ I know the past years have been difficult for him after losing Suzy…“

His voice broke at these last words.

His whole heart ached for Arin, he couldn’t Imagine losing someone he loved…
And even though the car crash was two years ago now, Dan knew you couldn’t Just let go of someone so close to your heart. Dan knew he had done all he could to cheer Arin up, but yet…

He felt he had fallen short.

He shut his eyes, lost in the waves of emotion.
The tides of sadness pulled him out to a sea of emptiness.
He could almost feel the coldness of the inky black depths lapping against his skin. He was sinking, being pulled under by some invisible force that wanted to envelop him in the darkness.
Dan felt himself getting weaker.
He could feel his breath being drawn from his lungs.
His body was giving out.
Dan shut his eyes, submitting…

A loud noise rattled him from the haze of darkness.

His phone buzzed on his nightstand.

Dan wiped the lingering tears from his lashes as he turned over his phone. He squinted as the brightness from his phone seemed to temporarily blind him. Regaining his sight within a matter of seconds, he could see who was trying to reach him.

Arin.

"hello…?"

Dan's voice was thick and raspy as he held the phone to his ear. He looked at his clock on the nightstand… the red characters glowed in the darkness 2:20…

He waited for a reply, but none was given.

"A-Arin?"

Dan whispered into the phone.

Still no response…

He waited there for a while, his heart beating out of his chest. He hadn't felt this anxious in a long time. There was something wrong that Arin refused to acknowledge. He could hear the faintest of sniffles coming from his phone before a voice had nullified them to background noise.

"D-Danny…"

The voice was small, broken, and somewhat unfamiliar. He had never heard such sorrow escape Arin's lips.

"P-please Arin, tell me what's wrong."
Dan's voice began to shake at this feeling…
the feeling he had when he was in college…
The feeling he thought he had long since left behind, but seemed to be creeping back into his life.

"I c-can't Dan… I Can't live like this anymore…"
Arin's voice threatened to give.

"Arin, I'm coming over."
Dan was determined to be there for him.
He heard the shaky voice turn into a pleading whisper.

"N-no d-Dan."

Dan's dark brows drew together in a deep concern. He began to protest, but was cut off.

"Please."
Was all he said before hanging up, leaving Dan speechless…

And utterly alone in the darkness…