The painter's brush

Here with me

**Alex's POV**

I got to Max's condo exhausted. I looked at my phone to check the time—almost 8 p.m. Max should be in by now. I pressed the button to open the door and headed inside, immediately noticing the unusual silence. By this time, Max would typically be lying on the sofa, watching something or waiting for me with that welcoming smile of his, but he was nowhere to be seen.

Maybe he fell asleep early? I decided to head upstairs and put my things away. I sat on my bed for a moment, resting. I never realised how tiring it could be to balance owning a company and studying at the same time.

The weight of it all seemed to settle on my shoulders as I exhaled deeply. I got up and headed to the bathroom for a quick shower, deciding to wake Max up afterwards.

After my shower, feeling a bit more refreshed, I decided to check on Max. I walked to his room and knocked softly on the door. No response. I knocked again, a bit louder this time, but still nothing. Worry gnawed at me as I slowly turned the doorknob. The door opened with a soft creak, and I peeked inside.

Empty bed. Dead silence.

My heart sank. He didn’t come back?

I stood there for a moment, frozen. The room felt colder, emptier without him in it. The realisation hit me like a wave—he wasn’t here. And I didn’t know where he was. Suddenly, a tightness gripped my chest. My breath grew heavy, and before I could stop it, tears started to stream down my face uncontrollably.

He didn’t come back. Why didn’t he come back? The thought pounded in my head, over and over. The feeling of abandonment began to creep in, wrapping itself around me like a suffocating blanket. He left me too.

I stumbled back, my back hitting the door frame as I tried to steady myself. My mind raced with questions—had I done something wrong? Did he get tired of me? Was he just pretending to care all this time?

I covered my face with my hands, trying to stop the tears, but they kept falling. I was alone. Again. The one person who made me feel safe, who made me feel like maybe I wasn’t so broken after all, was gone. The ache in my chest deepened, and I sank to the floor, knees drawn to my chest, trying to pull myself together.

But no matter how hard I tried, the tears wouldn’t stop. The emptiness wouldn’t go away. And all I could think about was how much I wanted him to come back. To tell me he hadn’t left me, that he hadn’t given up on me.

Because I wasn’t sure I could handle being alone again. Not after him.

**Max's POV**

I woke up the next morning to the blaring sound of my alarm. It was 6 a.m., and I knew I needed to get back to my condo. I missed Alex. It had only been a day, but being away from him felt like an eternity. A heavy sense of longing sat in my chest; I wanted to see him, to make sure he was okay.

I quickly gathered my things and headed downstairs. Dad was already at the table, sipping his usual morning coffee and reading the newspaper.

"Why so early, son?" Dad asked, peering over the top of his newspaper.

"I need to get back. Alex might be worried since I didn't tell him I’d be staying here last night," I explained, practically running towards the door. "Tell Mom I'll visit with Alex next time," I added as I finally slipped out the door.

Dad smirked and shook his head. "Sure, son," he replied, his voice trailing off as I hurried to my car. Without wasting another second, I hopped in and hastily drove off, eager to get back.

After what felt like an endless drive, I finally pulled into the garage. I parked the car and quietly opened the door to my condo, taking care not to make too much noise in case Alex was still sleeping.