Chasing the tesseract

Chapter 63

Complete darkness has fallen by the time I reach the hotel Stephens staying in. And after a long argument with the women on the front desk, and just a little bit of mind control, I finally stand outside the door to his apartment. Okay this is it, no turning back now. Well I mean if I don't open the door then I can still turn back right? No. I'm going in.

Slowly, I knock on the door. "Stephen?" A creak comes from behind the door before it slowly slides open. Behind it stands Stephen, his eyes wide upon mine. The suit jacket that he'd worn before is now sling over a chair behind him, the black fabric incredibly creased. His tie is gone, his creased shirt open at the top to reveal his muscular chest.

"Abi?" he whispers gently, a hard swallow coming from his as he stares at the floor. Shuffling in place for a few moments I watch as he steps to the side and gestures for me to come inside.

I smile at him, his own weak smile reflecting back at me as I step through the door and into the apartment. A large dining table sits in the centre of a small kitchen, plates and cups scattered over every worktop. "Are you busy?" I ask him, glancing over my shoulder towards where he closes the door, momentarily leaning against it before glancing at the dishes.

"No not at all." he assures me, hurrying past me and gathering the dishes into his hands, dropping them into the sink with a clatter. He quickly gathers up the empty pizza boxes and stuffs them in the already full trash before turning back to me with a weakly embarrassed smile. "I wish you'd told me you were coming. I'd have cleaned the place up a bit." He promises, rushing behind me and towards the small coffee table that sits between the sofa and the TV.

I watch as he gathers beer bottles from around the room, placing them all on the coffee table before attempting to pick them up. When he almost drops one, I catch it swiftly and smile softly at him. "I can help you clean up now if you'd like." I offer him, picking up the remaining beer bottles and following him over to his recycling bin.

"No it's fine. It'll give me something to do later." He assures me once we've placed the empty glasses away. Nodding, I take a deep breath and let my eyes wander around the room for the first time.

The sofa that sits opposite the small tv is covered in small pillows, a king blanket stretched over the back of the sofa. The tv buttons are worn out, small marks surrounding every button from where they've been pressed too many times. The door that I presume leads to the bedroom remains closed, a small key placed within the lock that looks untouched. Had he been sleeping on the sofa this whole time? To the left of that room sits a small bathroom, the dark room revealing very little other than the small pile of shirts that sits just in front of the washing basket.

It isn't until Stephen clears his throat that I realize we've been silent for so long. "Is there something you wanted to talk to me about Abi?" He asks tentatively, his eyes meeting mine for the first time this evening. Small bags have formed beneath them, the veins around his eyes brighter than his others. How hadn't I noticed that earlier?

"Erm yeah actually there is."

"Should I be sitting for this or am I okay standing?" He jokes playfully, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips before they return to their usual line. A soft sigh comes from my lips, my face remaining completely serious as I stare into his blue eyes. Finally realising the seriousness of the conversations, Stephen sighs before pulling open the cupboard behind him that's filled with glasses. Taking one out and pouring himself a drink, Stephen watches the golden liquid fall slowly into the glass before turning to face me. "do you want a drink?"

"Yes please, I'll have a scotch-"

"Scotch on the rocks with a twist." He finishes my sentence with ease, remembering the drink like it was only yesterday I'd told him it was my favourite. "I remember."