The Box's Secret Affair

Chapter 1 - A Life of Pain

5 years later.

The cool morning air stank with the unmistakable stench of sweat and testosterone. Bodies hung from various bars and poles around the place and towels populated the railings. Damp shirts littered the ground, grunts were being made from first-timers and sweat was falling down like rain on a dreary England day.

Jason loved coming down to the outdoor gym in the morning. It was a perfect way for him to vent his anger and frustration from his complicated family and work lives. He recently started a new job, working as an assistant for the richest businesswoman in the state, but he knew he was just eye-candy. He had a horrible memory, severe lack of courtesy and no organisational skills whatsoever making him the last person that should be given the position of personal assistant.

Jason tried to push all of his thoughts out of his head as he prepared to start his chin-up exercise. Physical exertion, he found, was the easiest way to clear his head and when everything else in his life begins to fall apart, a gym will always be there.

Jason didn't stop exercising, even when his body visibly complained and it wasn't until his fingers cramped and he physically couldn't do another chin-up that he eventually stopped. He curled up into a ball and rocked back and forth for half an hour before summoning the energy to lift himself up off the ground and limped back to his small, 1-bedroom apartment where no one was waiting to greet him except the tormenting arms of guilt and depression.

Silence. Cold, hard silence. No noisy neighbours. No barking dogs. No distractions. Nothing to keep away the pain that haunts every waking moment and thrives in the darkness, invading dreams and plaguing nightmares with its vicious claws. This was Jason's life now. The pain, suffering and constant nagging at the back of his mind, telling him that some part of him is missing. Some vital organ inside of him that suddenly wasn't there anymore. This was what Jason endured day after day, refusing to give in, fighting day by day just to stay sane but lately he has been wondering how long he can hold out for. When will it be too much for him.