Synergism

Chapter 9

The room was dark when Yibo woke and without even glancing to Zhan's side of the bed he knew Zhan wasn't there. It was becoming a common occurrence now where Yibo would wake to find Zhan's side of the bed empty. This would be the third time in four days that this had happened. The only time this hadn't happened was the night they went out with their friends. The same night his heart nearly beat out of his chest in ecstasy and trepidation.

Zhan had assured him that he was fine and that it was the alcohol in him that caused him to act like a jealous boyfriend. However, Yibo was sure that Zhan's alcohol tolerance was much higher than the half a glass of wine that he had consumed.

His feet hit the cold floor as he slipped out of bed. He decided against wearing slippers; his bare feet would allow him to walk across the floors soundlessly. If Zhan needed some time alone, Yibo wouldn't disturb him, but he just wanted to make sure that he was still in the apartment. The first time Yibo woke up alone, Zhan decided to go out for a walk in the middle of the night without telling him and without taking his phone. The first thing Yibo did was message all their friends to see if Zhan was out with any of them, but none of them had seen or heard from him. Panic-stricken and with his coat half on, he rushed out the door, only to find Zhan walking down the hall from the elevator. That night, Yibo made Zhan promise to wake him up if he felt the need to go wandering the streets at night. From that day forward, Yibo made sure to stay with Zhan every night, either at Zhan's penthouse or at his own apartment.

On most nights, Yibo usually found Zhan in the dark, curled up in his favourite reading chair, staring out the floor to ceiling windows. He wouldn't make his presence known, but sometimes Zhan would sense him and he'd turn around. Yibo would then lead Zhan back to the bedroom and Zhan would curl up in his arms, placing his head on Yibo's chest. There were other nights where Zhan wouldn't turn and Yibo would head back to the room alone and wait until Zhan came back on his own.

Tonight Yibo found the apartment to be empty.

"Zhan?" Yibo called out after searching every room in the penthouse. He raced into the bedroom for his phone and realized there was a message waiting.

K: Don't panic. He's down in the lobby with me.

Yibo let out a breath in relief before throwing on a hoodie and heading down. They were seated in a quiet corner on one of the white couches that adorned the minimalistic lobby. From a distance he could see an animated Zhan speaking to a very tired looking Kenneth.

"I'm serious! It was the biggest sale and I wanted to buy everything," Zhan exclaimed, waving his hands. His feet were bare and his long legs were tucked underneath him as he sat crossed legged facing Kenneth.

Kenneth spotted Yibo first and his face showed his relief.

"Hey K," Yibo said, approaching and sliding in to hug Zhan from behind. He smiled at Kenneth over Zhan's shoulder. "You want to come upstairs? Get some rest?"

Kenneth glanced down at his phone to check the time. "Yeah, maybe if you guys don't mind."

Zhan had gone silent in Yibo's presence, but he leaned into Yibo when he put an arm around him as they headed back up. Kenneth immediately bade them goodnight and headed into the guest room he had frequented many times before. Yibo turned to find Zhan in his chair staring out at nothing again.

The next morning, Yibo came into the kitchen and found Kenneth leaning on the counter with a cup of coffee. Zhan was nowhere in sight.

"He left for class," Kenneth answered his unspoken question. Then he asked one of his own. "How long has it been now?"