A Day In His Life (Completed)

Love After Loss

Alaya

My heart feels like it stops as the words register in my mind. He's gone...

Mikes voice over the phone shatters my soul. Realizing I have yet to say anything, I finally ask the dreadful question bouncing around in my mind.

"Who's gone, baby?" I ask in as soothing a voice as possible. I hear his breath catch as he gathers himself before answering. The few seconds of waiting feels as if an hour passes by before he answers.

"Devon...DNice...they um...he was killed. He..." Mikes voice broke and he began to lose his composure.

"Shhh, it's ok. You don't have to talk about it right now." The pain in his voice is almost unbearable. "Are you home?"

"Yeah..." he says quietly. I check the time and it is only 2:27 pm. My shift is over in a few hours but I formulate a plan to get off early.

"Ok...I'm going to go back in to work and tell my boss that an emergency popped up. I'm taking the bus to your house. I should be there in 20 minutes if I catch the 2:45 bus. Stay where you are." I get up from the table and wave at Joe as I exit.

"Ok. I can come get you. I..."

"No. You stay home. I don't want you driving right now. I will come to you. Promise me you will stay home until I get there." I sprint across the street and stop at the back entrance of work before going in as he hesitates to answer. "Promise me, Mikey..." I almost whisper.

"...ok." He finally responds. I hang up and walk to my boss. My boss Bill is a very unusual man. But he has an uncanny ability to sense when something is off. At my arrival back to work early from lunch, he looks up from the book he had his nose buried in and raises his eyebrow as I approach his desk.

"Everything ok?" He asks, closing his book. I shake my head and begin to explain the situation. He nods and holds his hand up to stop me mid sentence. "Come in Saturday to make up your last 2 hours. Go. I'll clock you out." He says in an understanding tone. I thank him what seems like a million times as I gather my things and run out of the office to the bus station, catching the 2:45 bus just as it was about to pull off.

**********************

"Is he here?" I ask as Jax opens the door for me. He nods and points up the stairs.

"Studio. He's not doing so hot, sis." I give him a hug and race up the stairs and to his art studio. The door is open and I see Mike sitting on the floor staring at a half finished painting of a man with a microphone. The likeness of DNice in the face of the character in the painting. Mike turns and sees me standing behind him. His face blank as the tears begin cascading down his cheeks. I fall to the floor and wrap my arms around him, and the damn bursts as he mourns for his fallen friend.

**********************

Mike

He's gone. My friend. My brother. They took him away from me. I've never cried in front of a woman before, but when I saw Alaya walk through that door...

She held me and rocked me as I wept in her arms. She didn't say a word. She just sat there in silent understanding and held me close until the pain subsided enough for me to talk. I look up and see tears streaked across her cheeks. Reaching up, I wipe away a stray tear and she smiles.

"I'm supposed to do that for you." she says as she wipes away a lone tear from my left cheek. I lay my head in her lap and she strokes my back as we sit on the floor in silence. Feeling her warmth and touch, with the events that transpired today, made me realize how short life can be and how precious she is to me. Even with us only being together for 4 months, she has become such an important part of my life. Until now, I have been pushing back the feelings I was scared to feel for her. But Losing D like this...my best friend...