Hearts in the Shadows(m×m)

His biggest fear

Alex

"What's wrong with you? You're not yourself today," Ethan asked as we were in the changing room after a long surgery. I looked at him with tired eyes.

"I don't know what to do to make Leo believe me. He isn't ready to give me a chance," I admitted. I never hid anything from Ethan; he was the only one who could give me advice and the one I trusted most.

"Give him time. It's not easy for him either. I can see he still cares for you, but he just needs time," Ethan said as he put on his white doctor coat.

"You can't be impatient now, Alex. Don't ruin everything again because of your stubbornness," he warned. He was right-I was being impatient, but I couldn't help it.

I was scared of losing him again. I couldn't even imagine what I would do if I came home and Leo wasn't there. Just the thought of not seeing Leo makes me crazy.

"I know, I'll do my best this time, I promise," I said with a sigh. I took out my phone and saw it was off.

"Shit, I forgot to charge it. Do you have a charger?" I asked Ethan.

"Yes, in my car," he replied, looking at his phone.

"Why did Leo call me?" he asked, confused.

"What? He called you? He must have called me too, but my phone is off. Give me your phone," I said, quickly grabbing his phone and redialing Leo's number.

"Fuck, why isn't he answering?" I cursed, calling him again with no success. A sense of dread washed over me.

"I'm leaving," I said, handing Ethan his phone back and running out of the room. Leo had mentioned he would send Lisa home today, so maybe something went wrong.

I was worried sick. Once I was in my car, I plugged my phone into the charger and sped home.

My apartment was close to the hospital, so I reached the building parking lot before my phone even turned on.
I grabbed my phone and rushed to the elevator. But when I opened the door to my apartment, my heart froze. It was eerily quiet. Leo and Lisa had been staying with me for a week, and every day when I came home, I found them laughing or playing. But today, the apartment was silent as if no one lived there.

"Leo? Lisa?" My voice trembled, my legs shaking as I stepped inside. Except for my voice, there was no sound.

My biggest fear had come true. I searched the entire apartment, but no one was there. Their things were also missing, and I knew what it meant. I tried calling Leo, but now his phone was off.

Then I saw his message: "We are leaving. Sorry, it is urgent so we can't meet you. I'll call you after we arrive."
My phone fell to the ground, and so did I. Tears welled up in my eyes, blurring my vision. I felt numb.

"He left me again. How could he?" My entire body trembled; I couldn't think straight. All I could see was the end.

Memories from the past began to flood back. When he left me back then, I was completely shattered.

I remember those dark days vividly, the endless days where nothing seemed to matter anymore, feeling like my world had crumbled. Every corner of our apartment seemed to echo with his absence, and the silence was deafening.

Nights were the hardest; I would lie awake, staring at the ceiling, hoping that he would come back, but he never did.

I buried my face in my hands, tears streaming down uncontrollably.
I didn't know what to do, so I just sat on the floor and kept crying. I tried calling him, but his phone kept going straight to voicemail. I didn't know how long I sat there, but eventually, I heard Leo's voice.