Aestivation

the margin

The police came

The neighbors heard Oliver
And called the police

Jackson was hospitalized and was in and out of consciousness for a week, I visited him every day

I left him fresh flowers everyday
It almost felt dreamlike
How fast it all went through

Experiencing it felt like an eternity
But looking back it felt like an hour

I would look at Jackson sleeping on the hospital bed

The sun casting patterns of spotlights
Through thr trees as it filtered through the window

It was quiet in there

We moved a week after that

Somewhere really far
A new place

It wasn't my intention to
I begged my parents to let me stay at least until Jackson got out

But they wouldn't let me
I said goodbye to him
Told him I didn't want to leave him

I cried as I did
I most definitely looked ugly doing so

And he just held me and comforted me
Telling me it was alright

And that he'd call me all the time

And he was right

At first

He called everyday when we first got to our new place

It was exciting
To say the least

He got out 5 days after we moved in

We called each other consistently for 2 months

But new school got in the way
It was hectic

I was super busy with new assignments and projects
This school was stricter than the last

Me and Jackson barely had any time to call each other

He had practice for basketball
He had rejoined after I left

And I had school

It was 3 months of this

Eventually it trickled into only me making the calls
Usually the calls being answered by him
But it fell into a gradient of slowly
Being answered by his voice-mail most of the time

And
I called almost
Once or twice a week
He would sometimes answer the call
But he'd ask who it was

Sometimes a girl would answer the phone
Asking how I knew her boyfriend

I told her I was just a friend
And she hung up the phone

And now
There's never any calls
At all

Sometimes I'd stare at his number
For a while
Debating if maybe he just thinks I'm ignoring him
Or maybe he doesn't want to see me

But I ignored it

2 more years it would go on like this
And I graduated

And would intern at a company
As a graphic designer.

Life was different now
But it was still the same in a way

I'm still alone most of the time

But my coworkers would sometimes invite me out to parties or gatherings

But I spend most of my afterhours at home
Reading or watching movies

Sometimes coming up with new designs for my own private projects

It's hard to say if I don't like the way I'm living right now

On one hand it's destructive lonely
On the other it's really comfortable

I think I'm fine with that

I've just gotten home

I lock the door right away

Kicking my shoes off
I head straight to the bathroom after setting down my stuff on the couch

I live alone now
In this apartment

It's quiet But
The humming of human activity
Calms me

I take off my shirt and throw it on the hamper
Along with my pants and underwear

Before
I step into the shower

I get a message from one of my coworkers

From a guy named Garret
We usually just call him Gar

He had a strange way of texting

"Hey Babes, you are cordially invited to attend, my friend's birthday party

He told me to bring a plus one, but my fiance is an automatic plus one, so I asked if I could get another

And I thought of bringing you

Because we'recool like that"
And then followed by stickers and GIFs of birthday cakes and confetti

I laugh

This has been the most I've laughed since this week

Something about this makes me feel optimistic

And I reply
"Alright I'll go

Thank you for inviting me :)"

I send

And after I step into the shower he replies right away with

"And he's from your old town, maybe you'd recognize him"

He says