Kevin was deep in sleep when a familiar discomfort stirred him awake. The urge to pee gnawed at him, but when he tried to sit up, something heavy kept him pinned. His brow furrowed in confusion, and he tugged at the weight, trying to free himself. After a few failed attempts, he finally forced his eyes open, blinking away the sleepiness.
What he saw made his breath hitch.
A veiny hand lay across his waist, and his heart began to race. He followed the arm up to its owner's face, and dread settled in his stomach like a stone. Alex.
Kevin's chest tightened as panic surged through him. Why was Alex here? Why was he acting like nothing had happened after everything? Kevin pushed at him desperately, his hands trembling. In his frantic movements, his foot accidentally struck Alex's bulge.
"Fuck!" Alex groaned, his voice deep and strained from the pain.
Blinking awake, Alex smiled when he saw Kevin, his eyes still soft with sleep. "What's wrong, love?" he murmured as if nothing was wrong at all.
Kevin's heart twisted painfully. How could Alex be so calm? How could he pretend everything was fine? His irritation spiked, laced with confusion and heartbreak. "What's wrong?" he repeated, his voice shaking with anger. "You're asking me what's wrong?"
He sat up on the bed, his hands trembling in his lap as his emotions teetered on the edge of collapse. Alex opened his mouth to speak, but Kevin cut him off sharply. "No. Just—wait. Let me go to the bathroom before I tell you what's wrong." His voice was hard, but inside, he was cracking, the weight of the last few days pressing down on him.
He didn't wait for Alex's response. Instead, he swung his legs off the bed and stormed toward the washroom, each step heavy with the anger and pain that had been building up inside him.
The moment Kevin shut the door behind him, his façade crumbled. His back slid down the door as he sat on the cold tile floor, burying his face in his hands. The sobs came quietly at first, but soon his whole body was shaking with the force of them. "Why does he act like nothing happened?" he whispered into the emptiness of the room. "Am I just a joke to him?"
The loneliness in his voice echoed around him, raw and vulnerable. For days, Kevin had been replaying every moment, every missed text, every unanswered call. The Alex who had loved him, who had cared for him deeply, seemed like a distant memory. And now, seeing him lying beside him as if nothing was wrong—it broke Kevin's heart all over again.
After what felt like hours, Kevin finally forced himself to stand. His hands shook as he splashed cold water on his face, trying to wash away the evidence of his tears. He brushed his teeth and tried to calm his racing thoughts, but no matter how hard he tried, the ache in his chest refused to go away. By the time he finally left the bathroom, nearly forty minutes had passed.
In the bedroom, Alex had gotten up and cleaned up a bit, waiting for Kevin to return. He had arrived at Alin's condo earlier that morning, desperate to talk, but Alin had insisted Kevin be allowed to wake on his own. Alex had slipped into bed beside him, wanting nothing more than to hold Kevin close, to feel his warmth after days of silence.
When Kevin emerged, Alex's eyes brightened with hope. "Love, I—"
But Kevin didn't even look at him. He walked right past, his footsteps heavy as he made his way to the kitchen, leaving Alex's words hanging in the air.
Kevin walked into the kitchen, his heart pounding in his chest. The smell of cooking filled the room, and there was Alin, stirring a pot on the stove. He didn't say a word as he walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her tightly, burying his face in her shoulder. The moment he felt her familiar warmth, the dam broke again, and soft sobs escaped him.
